Tolkien lore – Hobbit feet and footwear

This is an account on a question I got, if halflings actually had the iconic big feet? Also the post covers shoes and boots; and a hobbit Ranger.

The prologue presents the inhabitants of the Shire, including some fashion customs:

“They dressed in bright colours, being notably fond of yellow and green; but they seldom wore shoes, since their feet had tough leathery soles and were clad in a thick curling hair, much like the hair of their heads, which was commonly brown.”

– The Fellowship of the Ring; Concerning Hobbits onwards (art by Inger Edelfeldt)

As seen Tolkien presents their feet as tough and hairy, however not large, not even proportionally. The concept of large feet instead was spread by the influential and charming 1970s art by the brothers Greg and Tim Hildebrandt (as above). Another example of their influence is that their art, not the books, gave the Balrog(s) horns.

Large feet has hence been taken for granted in popular imagination, sometimes enhanced by later artists, until it became cemented by both animated and live action films (above prostethic Bilbo feet by Weta Workshop for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey).

Unless the idea is based on external folk lore can I think of two book matters which may have inspired or mislead the Hildebrandts: the Stoors and the Proudfoots.

The hobbits in the Shire descended from three halfling kindreds, of which one was the Stoors; for the record the folk of Sméagol was a branch of the Stoors.

It is told that “Stoors were broader, heavier in build; their feet and hands were larger...” This is however a comparison to other halflings, such as the kindred of Harfoots which “hands and feet were neat and nimble;”

The perhaps most plausible inspiration is Odo Proudfoot. Bilbo Baggins named various families present at his birthday part and came to the Proudfoots (FotR; I; I):

“‘ProudFEET!’ shouted an elderly hobbit from the back of the pavilion. His name, of course, was Proudfoot, and well merited; his feet were large, exceptionally furry, and both were on the table.”

His tootsies were large compared to other hobbits, perhaps even to our eyes, yet this personal trait does not mean the halfling race had default large feet - in lore.

On a related matter, due to hobbit having though and furry feet “the only craft little practised among them was shoe-making;” (FotR; Concerning Hobbits).

Shoes were not unheard of since hobbits merely “seldom wore shoes”, and to be a cobbler [which mainly repairs shoes] may been a viable job in the eastern quarter of the Shire. There many had notable Stoor heritage, they “were rather large and heavy-legged, and they wore dwarf-boots in muddy weather.” (art by Carolina Eade).

The lack of shoe-making suggests that the Shire imported boots rather than reproduce them; just as hobbits traded for other goods from Dwarves (The History of Middle-Earth 12; Of Men and Dwarves). No named hobbits wore boots but Gimli had “dwarf-boots” (FotR; II; IV) and the Dwarves of Thorin had boots (The Hobbit; XI).

Still, while Frodo Baggins and his friends visited Tom Bombadil and Goldberry they were provided “soft green slippers set ready beside each bed.” (FotR; I; VII).

Trivia: in early LotR drafts a hobbit called Trotter was encountered at the Prancing Pony. He was a rugged Ranger “and, very remarkably, he had wooden shoes!” (HoME 6; VIII). He was called Trotter because he was heard “coming along the road in those shoes: clitter-clap...” (art by Afalstein).

He wore shoes after he had been a prisoner of the Dark Lord “and been tortured and his feet hurt in some way.” (HoME 6; XXIII); it was even considered if he had in fact prosthetic “wooden feet” (HoME 6; XXIII; Note 19). But as the texts developed Trotter was replaced by, and evolved into, the human Ranger ’Strider’ or Aragorn.

Some related accounts (art by Torbjörn Källström):

Hobbits origin https://imgur.com/gallery/dEfNkNL

The Shire's foundation https://imgur.com/gallery/XlRuiBV

The kin of Smeagol https://imgur.com/gallery/j1LzLGz

— — — — —
In case you enjoyed this and would like to read further Tolkien lore posts about characters, themes, objects and events, here is an index: https://imgur.com/gallery/axV2mPF