Welcome back to LotRO and Lore, an article series where we take a look at a few of the stellar ways that Turbine ties Tolkien’s wonderful writings into the realm of the MMORPG. This week we survey the statues of the hobbits, a curious race of halfling inhabiting the Shire.
Hobbits have no want for intricate masonry or tall towers; their architects build only comfortable homes of wood and brick. They are little interested in history, save what directly concerns the Shire and their own families. Indeed, they have no desire to show off their works to the outside world, for they prefer that the outside world stays outside of the Shire. So the question one has to ask when travelling through the Shire is, ‘for what purpose might a hobbit construct a statue?’
There are 2 statues we can find in the Shire, both carved out of wood and likely whittled away from a singular tree. We will take a look at the first statue where it stands in the center of Michel Delving.
First, a bit of history. In the mid-Third Age, about 1700 years before Frodo begins his quest to destroy the One Ring, the Shire did not exist the way we know it to be. Instead, it stood as a province of the ancient kingdom of Arthedain. The rolling hills and vast fields of the Shire made for excellent farming land, but it was scarcely populated. Years of war and kinstrife reduced the realm from the proud land it once was to a smaller, martial nation. At the time, the Hobbits were simply assimilated into their neighboring kingdoms and counted as their subjects. Then, one day, two hobbits from the town of Bree had a vision to head west and settle a land to call their own. After officially acquiring permission from the king of Arthedain at Fornost, they set out on a quest to found a new homeland.
These two hobbits were Marcho and Blanco. The statue in Michel Delving depicts these two, obviously tired from the long journey and resting against their walking sticks while one wipes sweat from his brow. It is fitting to place the statue in Michel Delving, which is the unofficial “capital” of the Shire and holds the office of the Mayor.
Another statue may be found in the northern parts of the Shire, at the outskirts of the town of Brockenborings. It features a hobbit with a large club standing over a severed head. This carving commemorates the Battle of the Greenfields, a time when goblins from Mount Gram swept down into the Shire, lead by Golfimbul, their chief. A particularly brave and tall hobbit by the name of Bandobras “Bullroarer” Took lead a resistance effort against the goblin invaders, riding a horse into battle and swinging his great club as he decapitated the head of the goblin leader. He successfully defended his home from marauding enemies that day, and the Hobbits of the Shire were thankful for it, erecting this statue in his honor.
Have you found other ways that Turbine has placed bits of lore in the Shire? Share your discoveries and any comments on this week’s article below!
Want to know more about the Shire? Check out these pages on Tolkien Gateway: Bandobras Took The Shire
This is part of a weekly Q&A spotlight on new or unfamiliar bands that stand out and deserve the recognition!
With wiggling toes and swaying hips, a tide road in from the Green Hill Country of the Shire and whistled keenly woven tunes that drifted aloft through Bree-land
Fionah, Freyyo, Fryerstad, Flootnod and Fryerfried of “Toe Jam”
On June 18, 2013 the recently formed band “Toe Jam” (FEET Kinship) performed a concert at the Bree Stage. With music specifically crafted and composed by their talented quartet, music lovers danced to expertly woven ballads.
A funny note regarding this band and I. I first met them as I was crafting my new Harp in Michel Delving. It was first a hobbit by the name of Fionah that I met. We played a few tunes together. It was not shortly after that four other members of her band showed up and began to jam for those tooling away at the crafting part of the town. For me, it was very obviously for a kinship named FEET that, if you had these five toes jamming together that I jokingly started calling their band “Toe Jam.” As the week passed and two of them once again showed of at the Trapdoor Tavern, jokingly again I called them “Toe Jam.” At this concert, they revealed their new official band name as “Toe Jam“. As you can see, fine things can happen when your jamming together!
1. When did you guys first start a band?
Well, we don’t have an exact date, per say…..but I’d guesstimate that we began making our own abc’s about two months ago. Initially, we did not want to create our own band. Why create our own band, when we could just sit back and enjoy others’ play their music? Eventually, our feet were getting restless…..and we wanted to hear some songs that weren’t being played. So….we made a band….we gathered some midi files for songs we liked….we made the abc’s….and…. voila! FEET became a real thing.
2. How did you get the name Toe Jam for your band?
We were playing music in Michel Delving, and happened to meet a musical hobbit named Fortissimmo, from The Lonely Mountain Band. We were listening to him play songs on his harp/lute, and he asked if we knew how to play music. I immediately said “Sure we do! Hang on, and I’ll get me band set up!”. Fryerstad and I joined forces, got our alts, and started playing a few of our abc’s for Fortissimmo. From that day, he pegged our band with the name “Toe Jam” because it related to our kinship name FEET. We loved the name, it stuck, and others became receptive to it as well. Thanks to Fortissimmo!
3. Do you play for other events?
We are open to playing for events (parties, etc). We appreciate that people prefer certain genres of music to be played, and we’ll be as accommodating as we can. We’d be up for discussing the opportunity. Just send me or Fryerstad a mail in-game and we’ll try to get back to you within 24-48 hours.
4. What genre is your band?
We started out creating abc files from alternative or mainstream music groups like Coldplay, Paula Cole, Donna Lewis, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, etc, etc. Basically, we chose melodies/songs that we wanted to hear ourselves. So…it began with that. Over time, we’re looking into a more eclectic variety, like world music, contemporary, classical, rock, hip-hop, and jazz. I think our band is just evolving and we don’t want to label ourselves as any genre-band right now . We’re keeping our playlist versatile.
5. Where do you guys perform?
You can find us performing in the Michel Delving crafting area. We play music around 9:00 PM Server Time on a daily basis. Every now and then we venture into Bree to play an impromptu concert, but that isn’t very often. Flootnod (our flutist) is quite people-shy of the Big Folk, so….it really depends if he’s able to or not.
6. Do you guys play musical instruments in real life?
Aye, we do. We both play piano.
7. Will you be composing your own music?
Aye! We hope to create some lore-appropriate music (hobbit-style) in the future, and also our own unique sound.
8. Do you have any favourite music bands or solo musicians on Landroval?
We love Animal House and The Lonely Mountain Band. We haven’t heard other groups play yet, but we’ll be attending Weatherstock to hear a variety of bands and soloists perform. It’s very exciting! As for solo musicians out there, we enjoy listening to Hogtoe‘s original compositions, Fortissimmo, Enio, and Fincin. There are so many others whose names I can’t remember, but in the future we’ll take pictures of the soloists and post them here
The “FEET kinship” was born on the Landroval server after hearing about its unique music community and learning about Weatherstock. This alternative style band transcribes their own music and will eventually be composing original music. They are available to play at local taverns or concerts solely or as part of another band line up.
Who is the Nastiest Nipper? Which creature will go to extra lengths to give you an owie? watch as Lilikate Buggins guides you through the top contenders for this infamous title.
Originally posted on A Casual Stroll to Mordor as a screenshot tale, Nasty Nippers is the second in my UTube video series, set to music by Lithelinea.
We appreciate that people prefer certain genres of music to be played, and we’ll be as accommodating as we can. We’d be up for discussing the opportunity. Just send me or Fryerstad a mail in-game and we’ll try to get back to you within 24-48 hours. 
Bogbull the toad all princesses want to smooch!