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  • Updated 26 September 2021
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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

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About this entry:

  • Updated 26 September 2021
  • This entry is complete

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