Hobbits and shoes

[Morsul the Dark]

Ok hobbits rarely wear shoes thats all well andgood but what happens in winter and it's all cold and stuff? I'm assuming they wear shoes then. and ore importantly did the hobbits of the fellowship have shoes...the Shire is nice and grassy not too many big rocks to worry about but you go on a long journey wouldn't you bring some shoes...and also in the mountains of caradrahs what did they do, walk barefoot in snow that reached nearly past there heads?

Well, I guess hobbits have really thick skin on their feet, and therefore they don't need shoes. If you have really thick skin under your feet, I guess that will keep away both cold and stones.

[the guy who be short]

1) Hairy feet.

2) Thick soles.

[Kath]

I was reading the Prologue bit of Fotr just yesterday and it said that Hobbit's very rarely wear shoes due to having very thick soles and a thick covering of hair like that on their heads. Now it seems unlikely that this would have developed due to living in the Shire as it is grassy and kind on the feet.

My theory is that these features developed during the time when they lived in harsher terrains. Therefore the members of the Fellowship would not need shoes as while they were not used to walking on rough or rocky land their feet still had these defences against it.

[the guy who be short]

Whilst Tolkien certainly was a genius, I sincerely doubt he traced the foot-evolution of hobbits...

In any case, grass has an annoying tendency to cover small sharp stones.

[Kath]

Whilst Tolkien certainly was a genius, I sincerely doubt he traced the foot-evolution of hobbits...

And why not? Since he bothered to mention them in the first place he must have had some reason and so must have thought about it. He put so much detail into the histories of the people he created, maybe even that.