this case reliable) duly set out by Sam Gamgee at the end of the Red Book, this name was really derived from a place-name: Galb(b)as. That name I have closely rendered by Gamwich (to be pronounced Gammidge), comparing galb-=
Gam with C.S. galap, galab-= 'game'; and the ending bas in place-names with our -wick, -wich. Galbassi may thus be fairly represented by Gammidgee. In adopting the spelling Gamgee I have been led astray by Sam Gamgee's connexion with the family of Cotton into a jest which though Hobbitlike enough does not really reside in the suggestions of the names Galbassi and Lothran to people of the Shire.(30) Cotton. H. Lothran. A not uncommon village name in the Shire, corresponding closely to our Cotton (cot-tun), being derived from C.S. hlotho 'a two-roomed dwelling', and ran 'a village, a small group of dwellings on a hill-side'. But in this case the name may be an alteration of hloth-ram(a), 'cot-man, cottager'. Lothram, which I have rendered Cotman, was the name of Farmer Cotton's grandfather. It is notable that, though the resemblance is not so complete as between our Cotton and the noun cotton, in C.S. the words luthur, luthran meant 'down, fluff'. But unfortunately no such suggestions are associated with Galbas, and the village of that name was known only locally for rope-making, and no tissues were produced there of any fibre softer than hemp.
$48. Hobbit.
Hobbit. This, I confess, is my own invention; but not one devised at random. This is its origin. It is, for one thing, not wholly unlike the actual word in the Shire, which was cubuc (plural cubugin).* But this cubuc was not a word of general use in the Common Speech and required an equivalent that though natural enough in an English context did not actually occur in standard English. Some Hobbit-historians have held that cubuc was an ancient native word, perhaps the last survivor of their own forgotten language. I believe, however, that this is not the case. The word is, I think, a local reduction of an early C.S. name given to Hobbits, or adopted by them in self-description, when they came into contact with Men. It appears to be derived from an obsolete cubug 'hole-dweller', which elsewhere fell out of use. In support of this I would point to the fact that Meriadoc himself actually records that the King of Rohan used the word cugbagu 'hole-dweller' for cubuc or 'Hobbit'. Now the Rohirrim spoke a language that was in effect an archaic form of the Common Speech.+ The (* For another, I must admit that its faint suggestion of rabbit appealed to me. Not that hobbits at all resembled rabbits, unless it be in burrowing. Still, a jest is a jest as all cubugin will allow, and after all it does so happen that the coney (well-known in the Shire if not in ancient England) was called tapuc, a name recalling cubuc, if not so clearly as hobbit recalls rabbit. [This note was later struck out.]) (+ More accurately: the tongue of the Mark of Rohan was derived from a northern speech which, belonging at first to the Middle Anduin, had later moved north to the upper waters of that river, continued on page 50)
primitive form represented by Rohan cug-bagu would in the later C.S. have acquired the form cubug(u), and so Hobbit cubuc.(31) Since, as is explained below, I have represented C.S.
by modern English and have therefore turned the language of Rohan into archaic English terms also, I have converted the archaic cugbagu of Rohan into an ancient English hol-bytla
'hole-dweller'. Of this hol-bytla (with the common loss of l in English between a, o, u, and b, m, v) my fictitious hobbit would be a not impossible local 'corruption'.
$49. Personal names.
Bilbo. The actual H. name was Bilba, as explained above.(32) Frodo. On the other hand the H. name was Maura.(33) This was not a common name in the Shire, but I think it probably once had a meaning, even if that had long been forgotten. No word maur- can be found in the contemporary C.S., but again recourse to
Gam with C.S. galap, galab-= 'game'; and the ending bas in place-names with our -wick, -wich. Galbassi may thus be fairly represented by Gammidgee. In adopting the spelling Gamgee I have been led astray by Sam Gamgee's connexion with the family of Cotton into a jest which though Hobbitlike enough does not really reside in the suggestions of the names Galbassi and Lothran to people of the Shire.(30) Cotton. H. Lothran. A not uncommon village name in the Shire, corresponding closely to our Cotton (cot-tun), being derived from C.S. hlotho 'a two-roomed dwelling', and ran 'a village, a small group of dwellings on a hill-side'. But in this case the name may be an alteration of hloth-ram(a), 'cot-man, cottager'. Lothram, which I have rendered Cotman, was the name of Farmer Cotton's grandfather. It is notable that, though the resemblance is not so complete as between our Cotton and the noun cotton, in C.S. the words luthur, luthran meant 'down, fluff'. But unfortunately no such suggestions are associated with Galbas, and the village of that name was known only locally for rope-making, and no tissues were produced there of any fibre softer than hemp.
$48. Hobbit.
Hobbit. This, I confess, is my own invention; but not one devised at random. This is its origin. It is, for one thing, not wholly unlike the actual word in the Shire, which was cubuc (plural cubugin).* But this cubuc was not a word of general use in the Common Speech and required an equivalent that though natural enough in an English context did not actually occur in standard English. Some Hobbit-historians have held that cubuc was an ancient native word, perhaps the last survivor of their own forgotten language. I believe, however, that this is not the case. The word is, I think, a local reduction of an early C.S. name given to Hobbits, or adopted by them in self-description, when they came into contact with Men. It appears to be derived from an obsolete cubug 'hole-dweller', which elsewhere fell out of use. In support of this I would point to the fact that Meriadoc himself actually records that the King of Rohan used the word cugbagu 'hole-dweller' for cubuc or 'Hobbit'. Now the Rohirrim spoke a language that was in effect an archaic form of the Common Speech.+ The (* For another, I must admit that its faint suggestion of rabbit appealed to me. Not that hobbits at all resembled rabbits, unless it be in burrowing. Still, a jest is a jest as all cubugin will allow, and after all it does so happen that the coney (well-known in the Shire if not in ancient England) was called tapuc, a name recalling cubuc, if not so clearly as hobbit recalls rabbit. [This note was later struck out.]) (+ More accurately: the tongue of the Mark of Rohan was derived from a northern speech which, belonging at first to the Middle Anduin, had later moved north to the upper waters of that river, continued on page 50)
primitive form represented by Rohan cug-bagu would in the later C.S. have acquired the form cubug(u), and so Hobbit cubuc.(31) Since, as is explained below, I have represented C.S.
by modern English and have therefore turned the language of Rohan into archaic English terms also, I have converted the archaic cugbagu of Rohan into an ancient English hol-bytla
'hole-dweller'. Of this hol-bytla (with the common loss of l in English between a, o, u, and b, m, v) my fictitious hobbit would be a not impossible local 'corruption'.
$49. Personal names.
Bilbo. The actual H. name was Bilba, as explained above.(32) Frodo. On the other hand the H. name was Maura.(33) This was not a common name in the Shire, but I think it probably once had a meaning, even if that had long been forgotten. No word maur- can be found in the contemporary C.S., but again recourse to
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