JRR Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings franchise is back in the spotlight this month following the debut of its highly anticipated spin-off, set thousands of years before the events of the iconic books. Given the discrepancy in time between the new show and the original source material, there are some unknown races and cultures spread across Middle-earth. Here’s what Harfoot is in the Rings of Power if you’re not sure.
Are Harfoots and Hobbits the same? Answered
No, Harfoots and Hobbits are not the same, although they are related. Tolkein described the Harfoots in the original books as ancestors of the Hobbits familiar to us in the main books. Harfoots, Hobbits, and Fallohides are the three different types of Hobbit races in Middle Earth.
Tolkein describes Harfoots as smaller in stature and darker in complexion. They are essentially the original species of Hobbit that entered Eriador from the Misty Mountains and eventually settled in the land that includes the Shire.
Harfoots are said to have interbred with Fallohides, who, in turn, created the “modern” Hobbit we see in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Why did the men have giant horns on their backs in The Ring of Power?
One of the first scenes in The Rings of Power is a pan across grassy areas where two Harfoots are seen traversing a mountain range. This particular pair, however, is different from the ones we’ll see later in that they have giant horns on their backs. So what gives?
Well, we don’t know for sure, but our best guess is that the antlers on their backs aren’t really theirs, but the antlers of a species of deer they’ve been hunting. Tolkein has never described the Harfoots as having huge horns, but we assume that they hunted like many other peoples of Middle-earth. In all likelihood, what we witnessed was a couple returning from a hunt.
One thing to keep in mind is that the antlers themselves are probably not giant, they only appear so because Harfoots are so small.
That makes it so that what a Harfoot is in the Rings of Power. If you are interested in more helpful guides and information about the program, search for Twinfinite or check out some of the related content listed below.
