Three items to take the magic door to the Lord of the Rings -> shire the one ring necklace size = 57 (EU) / 17 (IT) / 8 (US) necklace length = +/- 50 cm (see photo's) engraved on both sides hobbit door locket necklace necklace length = +/- 60 cm (see photo's) working locket - to store something in the locket (wont open quickly) map of the shire dimensions = 40 cm x 50 cm strong material - fabric canvas (see photo's) The Shire was a country in northwestern Middle-earth, inhabited by the hobbits. It was located in the region of Eriador, and was under the control of the Reunited Kingdom as a Free Land. By the late Third Age it was one of the few heavily-populated areas left in Eriador. Its name in Westron was Sûza, "Shire," or Sûzat, "The Shire." Contrary to popular misconception, the Shire was not the birthplace of Frodo Baggins, as he was born in Buckland, which at the time was not formally part of the Shire despite being colonized by Shire hobbit History of the Shire The Shire was settled by hobbits in the year TA 1601 (Year 1 in Shire-reckoning). The hobbits (who originally lived in the Vales of Anduin) had migrated west over the Misty Mountains in the centuries before, and lived in Dunland and parts of the depopulated Arnor splinter-realms Cardolan and Rhudaur before coming to the Shire. It has been speculated that the hobbits had originally moved west to escape the evils of Mirkwood, and the shadow of Dol Guldur. The Shire was a part of Arthedain and as such a part of Arnor. The hobbits were granted official permission from King Argeleb II at Norbury to settle in the Shire, which had become depopulated in the Great Plague, and was seen as the King's hunting grounds. The hobbits considered themselves to be subjects of the King, and sent contingents of archers to the great battles Arthedain fought against the Witch-king of Angmar. For reasons unknown, Angmar did not attack the Shire after it conquered Arthedain. Tales claim that some hobbit bowmen were involved at the Battle of Fornost, though no tales of it exist in the records of Men. After the fall of Arthedain in TA 1974, the Shire became in effect a free land, with the Thain's office replacing royal authority. Third Age and beyond The Shire's history was mostly peaceful, but as Sauron's return neared evil began to return to Eriador. In TA 2747 a band of Orcs led by Golfimbul invaded the Shire and were met and defeated by Bandobras Took at the Battle of the Green Fields. In TA 2912 White Wolves attacked Eriador during a terrible winter, leading to famine and the death of many Hobbits. The Shire's peace was next disturbed by events stemming from Bilbo Baggins' acquisition of the One Ring. In SR 1418 the Shire was first visited by the nine Ringwraiths who went as far as Hobbiton, after which the Shire was enslaved by Saruman via his puppet Lotho Sackville-Baggins. It was liberated with the help of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin after the end of the Quest of Mount Doom. After Aragorn's return as the King of Arnor and Gondor, the Shire became a protected enclave inside the Reunited Kingdom. Aragorn soon thereafter issued an edict that forbade the entrance of Men into the Shire without the hobbits permission and confirmed the settlement of Buckland. Geography The Brandywine River bounded the Shire from the east (Shire hobbits also lived in Buckland, which lay east of the river and west of the Hedge protecting Buckland from an invasion from the Old Forest; however, Buckland was not formally recognized as part of the Shire until after the War of the Ring, when it was given officially to the Shire as the Eastmarch by Aragorn II Elessar. From the north and the west, the Shire had no topographical borders, rather it was bounded by vague geographical features such as the Tower Hills. The Shire was quite densely populated in certain areas, with many villages and a few towns, but it still was open enough to allow for wide forested areas and marshes. The total amount of land calculated in square miles was 21,400, which likely excluded the Westmarch. Climate As stated by J.R.R. Tolkien, the climate of the Shire was very similar to that of England; cool, but with not overly cold winters, and with fairly warm summers. Rainfall was fairly frequent, with snow being much more rare. Usually, the Shire was warm enough that the rivers did not freeze over, except during the Fell Winter. According to computer models by the University of Bristol, the average temperature of Hobbiton would have been about 7.0 degrees Celsius, which confirms Tolkien's writings of the Shire having a climate rather like England. Maps On J.R.R. Tolkien's maps, the Shire is located at about the same position as England was on modern European maps and has been cited as an example of Deep England ideology (of course, England being on an island while Shire is inside the continent). Throughout the narrative, Tolkien also implies numerous points of similarity between the two, such as weather, agriculture and dialect. One can also see England as Tolkien's source of inspiration for the shire in its very name ("Shire" is a synonym of "county") The Shire in tv and movies In The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies The Shire is featured extensively at the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King after the One Ring is destroyed. It also featured extensively at the beginning of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and at the end of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies after the quest to Erebor is complete. In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power In the fourth episode "Eldest" of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Season Two, Gundabale Earthauler mentions The Shire by its Westron name of Sûzat as the place the Stoor Rorimas Burrows was seeking when he left the village in Rhûn.