The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE
Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates
Born III 2854 (1254 by the Shire-reckoning)
Race
Hobbits
Culture
Shire-hobbits
Family
A son of Holman the greenhanded
Settlements
Hobbiton
Pronunciation
e'rling
Meaning
Probably 'farmer' or a related term1

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 30 July 2021
  • This entry is complete

Erling

A son of Holman the greenhanded

One of the five children of Holman the greenhanded of Hobbiton, Erling belonged to the earlier generations of Samwise Gamgee's family, though he was not a direct ancestor of Sam himself. Instead, Erling's elder sister Rowan married Hob Gammidge of Tighfield, who was to become Sam's great-grandfather.


Notes

1

We have a clue to the meaning behind Erling's name in earlier drafts for the Gamgee family genealogy in volume XII of The History of Middle-earth, where the name is given the form Erdling. In Old English, erdling (or yrðling) was literally 'earthling', in the sense of someone connected to the earth or soil. The term could be used in a general way for 'farmer', but was also used in a more specific sense to denote 'ploughman'.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 30 July 2021
  • This entry is complete

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

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2007, 2017, 2021. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
With Discus our world-class support is free for all users. We believe in empowering clients to get the most from the DISC test.
Take the Free mydiscprofile Personality Test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.

Which personality type are you?
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry

Erling

A son of Holman the greenhanded

Dates
Born III 2854 (1254 by the Shire-reckoning)
Race
Hobbits
Culture
Shire-hobbits
Family
A son of Holman the greenhanded
Settlements
Hobbiton
Pronunciation
e'rling
Meaning
Probably 'farmer' or a related term1

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 30 July 2021
  • This entry is complete

Erling

A son of Holman the greenhanded

One of the five children of Holman the greenhanded of Hobbiton, Erling belonged to the earlier generations of Samwise Gamgee's family, though he was not a direct ancestor of Sam himself. Instead, Erling's elder sister Rowan married Hob Gammidge of Tighfield, who was to become Sam's great-grandfather.


Notes

1

We have a clue to the meaning behind Erling's name in earlier drafts for the Gamgee family genealogy in volume XII of The History of Middle-earth, where the name is given the form Erdling. In Old English, erdling (or yrðling) was literally 'earthling', in the sense of someone connected to the earth or soil. The term could be used in a general way for 'farmer', but was also used in a more specific sense to denote 'ploughman'.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 30 July 2021
  • This entry is complete

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

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2007, 2017, 2021. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
With Discus our world-class support is free for all users. We believe in empowering clients to get the most from the DISC test.