The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Race
Culture
Family
Settlements
Meaning
Uncertain1

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 26 September 2021
  • This entry is complete

Halfred Greenhand

A gardener of Hobbiton

The son of Holman the greenhanded of Hobbiton, Halfred was the first Hobbit to use the name Greenhand as his family name. He belonged to the earlier generations of Sam Gamgee's family, and though he wasn't himself one of Sam's direct ancestors, he did leave an important inheritance by carrying on the gardening tradition of his family. This tradition was passed on through his son Holman to Holman's cousin Hamfast Gamgee, and so to Sam himself.


Notes

1

The Hobbit-name Halfred clearly reflects the real name Alfred, and Alfred can be interpreted as 'Elf counsel' or 'Elf wise'. Indeed, in Tolkien's story Smith of Wootton Major, there is a character named 'Alf' for whom this source of the name is meant literally. By changing 'Alf' to 'Half' in Halfred, though, the result is a name meaning something like 'half-wise', the same meaning as the name Samwise. Samwise Gamgee was a distant relative of Halfred Greenhand, and followed his tradition of gardening in the town of Hobbiton.

See also...

The greenhanded

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 26 September 2021
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2003, 2016, 2021. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
Discus helps you create a completely customised candidate experience for your DISC personality testing portal.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry