‘The Rings of Power’: Are Harfoots and Hobbits the same thing?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the latest entry into the cinematic explorations of J.R.R. Tolkein’s Middle-earth. Oozing with detail and lore, the Amazon Prime Video features several new creatures and races and among those are the Harfoots.

The new series prominently stars a village of Harfoots, and their similarity to Hobbits could be very confusing to those who don’t know their Lord of the Rings lore.

Visually and culturally they’re similar, but are Harfoots and Hobbits the same thing?

Are Harfoots and Hobbits the same thing?

Rings of Power introduces the audience to a small village of Harfoots, short creatures with a a lively homestead and a respect for storytelling, reading, and familial bonds. They are so very similar to the much-loved Hobbits from the previous Lord of the Rings films, and there’s a good reason why.

The Harfoots are the evolutionary ancestors of Hobbits, and one of three kinds of them. The Harfoots had a few distinguishing features different to the Hobbits audiences know, namely their darker shade of skin, less facial hair, even shorter stature, and lack of any sort of footwear. The other two kinds of Hobbit (Stoor and Fallohide) are generally taller, and are more known to sport shoes.

Harfoots traditionally didn’t live in houses like other Hobbits, instead opting for holes in the ground and dark, dank places.

Harfoots later colonized the area which became Hobbiton and were close allies with the Dwarves of Middle-earth. This could be why The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey chronicles such an alliance between Bilbo and the many Dwarves.