The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Existed as early as c. III 28601 (c. 1260 by the Shire-reckoning); continued at least to the time of the War of the Ring
Race
Culture
Meaning
Simply 'proud foot'2
Note
The plural form is open to question; the usual form seems to have been 'Proudfoots', but members of this family themselves preferred 'Proudfeet'

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About this entry:

  • Updated 2 May 2017
  • This entry is complete

Proudfoot Family

A family of the Shire-hobbits

A family of Hobbits of the Shire. All the members of this family mentioned in The Lord of the Rings were related to the Bagginses, since they were descended from Bilbo Baggins' uncle Bodo Proudfoot. There is some uncertainty about the plural form of 'Proudfoot' - the family themselves apparently used 'Proudfeet', but Bilbo pointedly preferred 'Proudfoots'.


Notes

1

The earliest recorded member of the Proudfoot family was Bodo Proudfoot. We don't have his dates, but his wife Linda Baggins lived between III 2862 and III 2963 (S.R. 1262 and 1363), so Bodo's dates were presumably comparable. It is entirely possible that the Proudfoot family predated Bodo, perhaps by quite some time.

2

'Proudfoot' is a real English surname, thought to suggest an ancestor who walked with a swaggering gait. For the Hobbits, of course, the 'foot' in this family name would have a quite different connotation, and within the Shire it presumably literally meant pride in the Hobbits' furry feet.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 2 May 2017
  • This entry is complete

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