Harfoots are ancestors to the hobbits you know from the films, like Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin. There are in fact three ancestral breeds of hobbits: harfoots, stoors, and falllohides.
They're what's known as harfoots, and they're an evolutionary predecessor to hobbits. While the folks from the Shire—with the exception of the adventurous Bagginses and friends—like to stay cozy in their holes in the ground, the harfoots in the Amazon series are nomadic.
Let's break it down. Harfoots, as laid out by Tolkien in his books, are one of three different types of hobbits and are essentially ancestors to the hobbits we see in “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” As described, Harfoots are smaller in stature and have a browner complexion.
While The Rings of Power season 1 includes no overt clues to suggest a direct link between Harfoot characters and the Fellowship Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings, several subtle details indicate that Nori Brandyfoot could potentially be an ancient relative of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.
Samwise Gamgee (/ˈsæmˌwaɪz ˈɡæmˌdʒiː/, usually called Sam) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. A hobbit, Samwise is the chief supporting character of The Lord of the Rings, serving as the loyal companion (in effect: "manservant") of the protagonist Frodo Baggins.
Bilbo* and Gollum are both Stoors(the most common type) , Merry and Pippin are Fallohides and Sam is Harfoot. Harfoots are specifically stated to be the most common type of hobbit. Merry has more Stoor in him than the others, being a Brandybuck.
The Stranger's Harfoot Friendship Foreshadows The Lord Of The Rings. The Rings of Power's Harfoots provide a further reason to believe the Stranger is Gandalf over other possible Istari characters. Upon arriving in Middle-earth during the Third Age, the wizards went their separate ways and developed their own interests ...
That is, until Nori reassures him that he is good and meant to be the light in that darkness. It's that friendship with Nori that develops throughout the season, according to Weyman, that shows the Stranger the path forward to becoming (we assume) Gandalf.
As soon as the Mystics realize the Stranger isn't Sauron, they label him an "Istar." With this label, and several other hints throughout the episode and the season, The Rings of Power has all but confirmed that the Stranger is everyone's favorite wizard: Gandalf the Grey.
Nori's parentage is unknown, although he was a remote kinsman of Thorin and a member of the House of Durin. He was also the brother of Dori, and a cousin of Ori..
Gimli had wanted to accompany his father on the quest to reclaim Erebor, but at age 62 he was deemed too young. He was a remote descendant of Durin the Deathless, chief of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves and ancestor of the Longbeards.
This revelation refutes any lingering theories that The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), the man who fell from the sky at the start of the season, is in fact Sauron, with the finale confirming he's actually one of the Istari, Tolkien's version of Wizards.
Tolkien at first had Gandalf and his opponent (then a Nazgûl) fall from a very low height so that both were able to survive this. Later, when he decided that the opponent was a Balrog and that both the demon and Gandalf were ancient spirits older than the universe itself he also changed the depth of the chasm.
If this wizard is Gandalf, the fact that he was saved by and fought alongside a harfoot when he first arrived in Middle-earth could explain why Gandalf is so fond of hobbits, descendants of the harfoots, and often travels to the Shire to visit them.
There's little doubt that the stranger is none other than Gandalf, as many theories suspected all along. There are several concrete reasons for this, paired with some subtle hints and some homages to the grey wizard of previous adaptations.
Both Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins were part Fallohide, due to their Took and Brandybuck mothers respectively. Other famous Fallohides included Brandobas "Bullroarer" Took, who slew an Orc leader, and Peregrin Took.
Halbrand does not deny his heroism out of bashful humility, though; he knows that as Sauron, he's not the hero she wants him to be for the Southlands -- not when his plans involve scorching it into Mordor. No, Halbrand was never a hero, nor did he ever claim to be.
Why does Gandalf have no memory in Rings of Power?
Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as the life age of the earth." From that explanation, it makes perfect sense why Gandalf wouldn't remember much. He had left the confines of time, reembodied his Maiar form and been thrust back into the mortal realm.
Frodo and Nori both share the traits of Hobbits: curly hair, large round ears, and bare feet. They share a love of plants and things that grow, despite the Harfoots being nomadic and Hobbits being more anchored to the land.
Nori and Poppy, after all, are Harfoots, ancestors of Hobbits. Nori is adventurous; Poppy is nervous. They come off instantly as this Tolkien adaptation's version of Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, the pair that would ultimately destroy the One Ring, played in the films by Elijah Wood and Sean Astin.
Gandalf, known temporarily as the Grey and later the White, and originally named Olórin (Quenya), was an Istar (Wizard), dispatched to Middle-earth in the Third Age to combat the threat of Sauron.
That line is said by Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring to Merry. Now, the show hasn't outright confirmed The Stranger is Gandalf, but the Istar link and Fellowship callback means we're about 99% sure the fan theory has come true.
Officially credited as "the Stranger" (but more commonly known as Meteor Man), this celestial visitor is played by Daniel Weyman and found by Markella Kavenagh's Nori the Harfoot.
Legolas may not be born yet, but his father and grandfather are certainly alive during the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Thranduil and Orophor are lesser known in Middle-earth lore, so it could be exciting to see their stories unfold in the series and discover the backstory of Legolas's ancestry.
In The Lord of the Rings, Galadriel chose to use her powers for good, even helping to form the Council of Elrond. Galadriel was not evil. But had she been, there would be none who could stand against her forces, especially if she was in possession of the Ring.
