so @pipis-took and I got into a conversation about what our HCs might be if hobbits were closer to the (anthropomorphic) woodland creature side of the spectrum than the humanoid depiction that we’re used to. this was sparked by our mutual appreciation for fanart featuring ✨hobbits with tails✨ so please see below for our little list of thoughts.
EDIT: please also see below for some lovely artwork from @pipis-took of these silly HCs!!!!
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tails as body language
• hobbits use their tails to communicate happiness/excitement by waving or wagging them, or sometimes pointing it straight in the air (similar to how cats and dogs use their tails)
note: we extended the body language indicators to include ear position as well, e.g. sad, drooping tail accompanied by sad droopy hobbit ears; flattened (airplane) ears when defensive or uneasy; ears pricked forward when curious etc
• swishing tails quickly to indicate annoyance/irritation (similar to horses), but perhaps also using tails to wick flies/mosquitoes away from them; perhaps they use this defensive tail flicking against other hobbits/creatures they feel threatened by
tails for mobility, balance, and tactile purposes
• when climbing, playing, or just when they need an extra hand, tails used for gripping/grabbing and maintaining center of gravity (similar to how primates use their tails, perhaps)
for example, please consider a hobbit making breakfast and using two hands to butter a scone and eat it, simultaneously holding the handle of a frying pan with their tail to cook an egg
bonus silly stuff
• we conjectured that hobbits might yank or tug on each other by the tail out of playfulness or irritation. consider small hobbit children playing a game of chase, grabbing one another by the tail and pouncing; or consider sam and gollum exchanging annoyed yanks by the tail while traveling with frodo
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as with all HC posts, this is just for sillies and it’s cool if you don’t like it!!
footnote: a quick internet search didn’t return much on how this idea of hobbit anatomy came to be, as it’s not mentioned in the lotr books (to my knowledge). from what I gather, though, early illustrations of Tolkien’s work sometimes depicted hobbits with tails in accordance with other characteristics (they live in the ground, have furry feet and pointed ears), and artists leaned into the “fantasy creature” side of things rather than drawing them as just smaller humans. if any Tolkien heads out there have more info on where this came from, please share! :)
