H is For... HOBBITS!!! (And a Hand Update)

Hey Humble Readers...

I'll get to my H fictional characters in a moment, but first up I wanted to give you a brief update on my stupidity. 

Thankfully, the burns aren't as bad as they seemed yesterday.  There are blisters on my palm and all my fingers, but other than making things stiff, they aren't painful for the most part.  I took the dressing off today, as it was making caring for a toddler almost impossible (the tabs from her diapers were sticking to the gauze, etc).  I am going to keep them covered at night so that they get some time to heal properly, but during the day I'm just going to keep babying them a bit and trying not to over do it.  Gripping anything in my right hand is an issue and fine motor skills are iffy (I couldn't do my bra up by myself today... lol), but in a couple of days things should be okay.  Thank you all so much for your kind words and concern.  Honestly, I felt like a bloomin' idiot. 

So... on to today's A to z challenge post...

Of course, I could have milked my absolute favourite characters for multiple posts, by talking about each one individually.  But I'm not that type of person (at least not most of the time).  So, without further ado, here's why I love my shire-dwelling cousins...

Bilbo - Bilbo Baggins, is the epitome of hobbits.  Quiet, retiring, lover of books and good food, he avoids adventures of all sorts.  He is a fastidious and rather anal-retentive little soul, who gets sucked into the dwarfs burglary scheme in spite of himself.  What is so astounding, and what I love so much about him, is that he has a plethora of skills and abilities that prove him to invaluable to the plot.  No one expects much of him in the realm of Smaug the dragon or the darkest corners of the Mirkwood... and yet, he is the one who saves the day over and over.  He is the consummate underdog.

Frodo - Frodo Baggins, cousin and adopted heir of Bilbo, becomes the Ring-bearer and entrusted with the unenviable task of carrying the One Ring to the fires of Mordor to destroy it.  Although he starts out as a mostly typical hobbit (with allowances being made for his Took-ishness), due to the effects of the Ring and the injuries he incurs on his journey he becomes much more introspective and rather unhappy.  The primary characteristic that I love about Frodo is his sense of duty.  He knows what has to be done, and does it without really thinking about what it will mean for his own well-being.  He sees past his immediate situation to what is best for everyone around him.

Pippin - Peregrin Took, the youngest of the four hobbits in the Ring trilogy, starts out as comic relief, but quickly becomes someone to admire.  He, with his best friend Merry, helps to motivate the Ents to act in the Two Towers, and becomes a member of the Guards of the Citadel at Minas Tirith to symbolically repay Denathor for the loss of his son Boromir, who died trying to save him and Merry from the Orcs.  I love his humour and his sense of honour.  (And if this Halfling I'm expecting turns out to be a boy, his bloggy name will be Pippin)

Merry - Meriadoc Brandybuck, is the thinking-man's hobbit.  He's the one who figures out the riddle of the doors to the Mines of Moria, and knows the shortcuts to avoid being tracked by the Black Riders.  He's protective of his friends, and will defend them to his dying breath, as he shows when he faces the Witch King of Angmar with Eowyn. 

Sam - Samwise Gamgee, my all-time favourite hobbit, is the dictionary definition of side-kick.  He sticks to Frodo like glue throughout their whole long journey.  He cares for him, protects him, makes sure he eats, and doesn't allow him to carry more than the burden of the Ring.  He watches as Frodo begins to sink under the power of the Ring and, when Frodo finally can't carry on any longer he simply picks up Frodo and carries him the rest of the way.  He is loyal to a fault, and won't let even a little thing like the One Ring of Power get between him and his charge. 

For a complete list of hobbits as mentioned in Tolkien's works, I refer you here.

Do you have a favourite hobbit?  And if you don't, why the heck don't you?  :)