How would it all of ended if...

[doug*platypus]

why link the Silmarillion mythology with hobbits?

Damn, the italics disappeared! Foolish quote button... yess... foolish! I liked the way hobbits was italicised, making them appear to be grubby little inferior beings hardly worthy of recognition. Very Saruman of you.

I think perhaps that, being far removed from the greatness and nobility of the Edain and the Eldar, they are a good people for us to see these stories through the eyes of. I think that most of us are like hobbits ourselves, and far removed from participating in great political events save by random chance or fate. I think we have a greater appreciation for the later epic battles of the Lord of the Rings because we start in the humble beginnings of The Shire. And also we get to see that all the fighting does have a purpose, it's not just war for war's sake. The West fights to preserve the liberty and peace which makes somewhere like The Shire possible.