DF World: Do non-humans have their own countries?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

If country necessitates "nation-state" well, it is hard to define many places that would be nation-states in real life until recently; territorial polities are better described as empires.

I said nothing about nation-states. My base assumption was that a DF world is so dangerous and monster infested that it is impossible to maintain communication and control over realms that it takes many days to travel across.

[KarlKost]

There are some few hobbits outside the Shire, at least in the book. In the region of Bree for example, has perhaps the largest Hobbit population outside of the Shire (the Village of Bree is were the 4 hobbits were supposed to meet Gandalf at the jumping poney Inn, but instead meet with Aragorn).

Sméagol and his brother Deagol (which he killed) were part of the River Folk, other hobbits that lived outside of the Shire.

In other regions, they are a minority race, living along with humans (who are the majority), thou in a few places there may be a prevalence of hobbits over humans. But the Shire is hobbit-only - no other races inside.

They are a race who is only present on the nortern lands, were once stood the fallen human kindgom of the north.

In the Lord of the Rings, it is said that hobbits are "a new kin", probably some kind of "humans" (it is implied that they are some sort of "evolutionary adaptation" of humans). Unlike humans, elves and dwarves, all of which had been planned by the Vala (the Gods) eons before to appear on middle Earth, the Hobbits are something new. That's why Treebeard didnt know what a Hobbit was when it first saw them (supposedly, Treebeard knew all races. In the book, it says "I suppose I'll have to update the list").

It is not mentioned WHEN did the hobbits arose, but there are no mentions of them prior to the third age, so they probably don't have more than just a few thousands of years, maybe even less. And that may be one of the reasons of why they are a very local phenomena and why they are few in number compared to the other races

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

I said nothing about nation-states. My base assumption was that a DF world is so dangerous and monster infested that it is impossible to maintain communication and control over realms that it takes many days to travel across.

No you didn't, only "countries" was specified. The definition of "country" is more vague then "nation-state" which needs a bit of work itself. If non-humans have polities, whether tribes or city-states capable of carrying on their own foreign relations, it is hard to see how they don't have countries unless "country" excludes such.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

No you didn't, only "countries" was specified. The definition of "country" is more vague then "nation-state" which needs a bit of work itself. If non-humans have polities, whether tribes or city-states capable of carrying on their own foreign relations, it is hard to see how they don't have countries unless "country" excludes such.

Yes. My visualization was that most of the little realms were predominantly one race or another. Sometimes you'd run into places where hundreds of elves ruled over thousands of humans, or a situation where a human town rested on top on of an equally large dwarf complex, each answering to their own leaders but mixing freely on the surface during the day. Similarly you'd see a little fairy-tale human kingdom living right by an elfwood with a mutual lack of fondness but occasional contact.