The Creatures of the North is the name of the fifth and last episode of Olivier Simonnet's documentary series Looking for the Hobbit. It focuses on the origins of some of Middle-earth's creatures, and the chronological depth of the legendarium as established by The Silmarillion, and Hobbits.
Synopsis[]
John Howe seeks to complete his search for the origins of J.R.R. Tolkien's hobbits. He talks about the thrill of sketching dragons, and Leo Carruthers (with him in Alsace, France) teaches of Tolkien's fascination with dragons and other fantastical creatures. Howe visits the library at Exeter College, Oxford, where Tolkien frequently perused and studied linguistic texts. There he discovers the Kalevala and the Edda collection of Icelandic legends.
In Iceland, Nicolas Mezzalira narrates to researcher Veronik Favera the origin of the Nine Realms, the Giants, the Earth (Midgard), and humankind in Norse Mythology. Favera then tells of the Nordic roots of the background and population of Middle-earth. She later talks about Beowulf and its significance, drawing a parallel between Gollum and Grendel. Elsewhere, John Howe meets with a few members of the Tolkien Society (from the first episode), and together they draw the conclusion that Hobbits are an original creation of Tolkien's subconsciousness, with no clear roots in world myths. After following up on this with Carruthers, Howe goes to his easel, is seen finishing a large pencil sketch of a Hobbit, and signs it.