Nobody goes off trail. And nobody walks alone.
The Harfoot's motto
The Harfoots were a race of halflings, secretive nomads who travelled Middle-earth.
Official Description[]
The Harfoots are a nomadic group of halflings, small people with tough, leathery feet and hair on their toes. They lead a migratory existence in The Wilderlands, where they live off the land, sticking together as a tight-knit community – and keeping themselves hidden from “Big Folk” outsiders.
History[]
Second Age[]
During the Second Age, a community of Harfoots resided in a mountain where they waited for travelers to pass before they came out of hiding. This group included the Brandyfoot family comprised of the curious young Nori, her father Largo, and stepmother Goldie. Nori's best friend Poppy accompanied her on adventures that others disapproved of. Nori sought answers to the early travelers and turned to their leader Sadoc Burrows, who knew something was amiss in the sky.[1]
As the community prepared for the upcoming Harvest Festival, Nori and Poppy secretly cared for the Stranger who came with the comet. Largo injured his ankle while helping prepare for the festival, and the community feared he might not make the migration and would be left behind.[2] Sadoc refused to move the festival or postpone it. Largo's ankle wasn't improved by the festival, which began in the morning and went into the evening.[3]
The night of the festival, Nori tried to steal Sadoc's Star-book to help the Stranger find constellations, but the man grew restless during their honors and stumbled into camp looking for his friend. He wrecked the canopy and scared everyone until he called Nori “friend”. She was forced to tell Sadoc and her people about what she had done. The Harfoots were never meant to engage with outsiders, and Malva Meadowgrass accused Nori of putting them all at risk. She demanded Nori be decaravaned in the migration, but Sadoc disagreed since Nori was still young. He decided the Brandyfoot's would be punished by being at the back of the caravan. Goldie was angry as this was only a step above being left behind.[3]
The Brandyfoot's struggled to pull their cart with Largo barely kept up with them. Poppy, who was one cart ahead of the Brandyfoot's, stopped to let them catch up to her. They feared being left behind as they couldn't keep up. The Stranger emerged from the back of the cart and Nori realized he was the answer to their problem - they would help each other.[3]
Later, Nori travels east with the Stranger and learns more about the history of her ancestors.
Characteristics[]
Look, we don't slay dragons. Not much for diggin' jewels. But there's one thing we can do, I warrant, better than any creature in all Middle-earth. We stay true to each other. No matter how the path winds, or how steep it gets, we face it with our hearts even bigger than our feet. And we just keep walkin'.
Appearance[]
They were generally beardless, bootless owing to their large feet, and browner of skin than their descendants, the Hobbits.[4] They didn't wear shoes because of their soles were tough, leathery, and clad with curling hair that could bear the brunt of nearly any terrain.[5] They often hid in caves, trees, disguised themselves in the grass, and manipulated their surroundings to keep their communities safe from the Big Folk.[1]
Personalities[]
Because of the Harfoots nomadic and mysterious lifestyle, rumour spread that Harfoots were dangerous creatures. However, they are actually harmless creatures with strong sense of community, who were unconcerned by the doings of the wider world.[1] They were deeply connected to nature, animals, and the natural world,[6] including a deep love of food and undoubtedly adventures appetite. Though they often had difficulties finding their next meal because of their itinerant life.[7]. They had a great sense of superstition, believing any bad deed can cause three years worth of bad luck.[2]
They were nomadic and kept themselves hidden from outsiders and travellers by hiding in caves, trees, disguised themselves in the grass, and manipulated their surroundings to keep their communities safe from the Big Folk.[1] They were of a diminutive size which lent to their knack for disappearing swiftly and silently.[7] Despite their ability to hid and conceal themselves, they are extremely vulnerable and unable to completely keep out the dangers that exist for small-sized creatures like themselves.[8]
Migrations[]
The Harfoots were halfings and travellers who frequented the highlands and hillsides.[4] To keep themselves safe, the Harfoots adapted a nomadic lifestyle that included migrating every season to a new home.[1] They wintered in Old Forest, went to Norfield Glen in the mid-summer for the snails, and at the first blush of the oak leaves, they headed the Grove. The orchard supplied them with fresh fruit and a glorious harvest. However, the migration was full of perils for the small creatures. They journeyed through the Grey Marshes where their wagons frequently stuck in the murky waters, Trout Bend with its deep hills and waterfalls, into Thistlebell, and across The Blaids where intermittent stretches of water covered the plains.[9]
They prepared their camp for migration by harvesting food and documenting events in the Star-book, an artifact passed through generations of Trailfinders to guide the Harfoots on the rough course from one have to the next. They packed their carts full of everything they owned, made, or found, which made these carts their most valued possessions.[8] In countless centuries of wandering, they have never been without their carts. To survive without them amounts to nothing less than a total upheaval of their way of life.[10]
The Harfoots delighted in parties and festivals, and used the Harvest Festival as a tradition to help prepare for an arduous migration.[8] Their Trailfinder led the caravan and the order in which the caravans were stacked was of great personal importance to the Harfoots, and being at the back of the caravan was looked down upon. It was a role often given to those on the brink of being left behind.[3]
If a member of their community fell behind during a migration, the Harfoots would continue on without them, whether those left behind were killed, injured, or rarely, exiled for manners unbecoming of a Harfoot. They were honored at each Harvest Festival during a reading from the Trailfinders book.[3]
Language and Intellect[]
The Harfoots have their own writing system in place that uses pictographs to convey meanings. They document important natural rhythms and tabulations to help better prepare for future migrations.[8]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "A Shadow of the Past"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Adrift"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Adar"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 X-Ray trivia for the episode "A Shadow of the Past"
- ↑ X-ray trivia for "Partings"
- ↑ Prime Video: Get to know the Harfoots.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 X-ray trivia for the episode "Adrift"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 X-ray trivia for the episode "Adar
- ↑ "Partings"
- ↑ X-ray trivia for the episode "The Eye"