I’ve just received an e-mail from the teacher of a fifth-grade class requesting that I answer some questions from one of her students as part of his hobbit-themed magazine project. Although my answers aren’t as cute as the questions, I thought they might nonetheless amuse visitors to the Ink Desk:

Q.1. How did J.R.R. Tolkien come up with the idea of hobbits?

A. Although the word “hobbit” had appeared earlier in certain books of folklore, the creatures that we know as hobbits seem to be pretty much an original creation of Tolkien’s. The word “hobbit” can perhaps be seen as a combination of “home” and “habit”, considering that hobbits are creatures of home and creatures of habit, and perhaps there is even a hint of “rabbit” considering that they have large furry feet and live in holes in the ground!

Q.2. How old would Bilbo Baggins be today?

A. Considering that the story of The Hobbit took place tens of thousands of years ago, Bilbo would be thousands of years old, were he still alive. He is, however, no longer alive in this world but resides forever in the Mystic West, the hobbit-heaven, so to speak.

Q.3. Did Bilbo ever go back to the Shire at the end of the Hobbit?

A. Yes, he did. He returns home to the Shire as a better, wiser and holier hobbit than when he left.

Q.4. Where did Frodo Baggins go in the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King at the end?

A. He sailed off into the Mystic West with Bilbo.

Q.5. Are hobbits against anyone in Middle Earth?

A. Hobbits are against anyone who seeks to destroy their healthy way of life through the introduction of greed, or the lust for power, or the worship of machines.

Q.6. Is Aragorn still married to Arwen or did Aragorn die?

A. Aragorn died but we can assume that he and Arwen will be united in the love that last forever in the Mystic West.

Q.7. What happened to the elves when they migrated to a different area?

A. The elves spent many ages of the world migrating from area to another. Wherever they go they always feel like exiles who are not completely home. Their final home, beyond all wanderings, is in the Mystic West.

Q.8. Did the elves come back after Sauron’s failed attack?

A. The elves return because Sauron does not destroy them. They leave of their own accord because the time of elves is ended and the time of men has arrived.

Q.9. What happened to all of the goblins when the eye of Sauron was destroyed?

A. The goblins were slaves to the will of Sauron so Sauron’s death can be seen as liberation even for the evil creatures, such as goblins.

Q.10. Why was Frodo taken away at the end of Return of the King?

  A. Frodo wasn’t taken away, he left willingly with his dearest companions to the swift sunrise in the Mystic West.

  Q.11. How much money did it cost to make the Lord of the Rings?

A. Too much!

Q.12. What is the real name of the Ring Sauron created for himself?

A. Pride.

Q.13. When did J.R.R. Tolkien start making The Hobbit book

A. He wrote it in the mid-1930s for his own children.