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In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Thain was the traditional military leader of the Hobbits of the Shire (compare Thegn). The Hobbits first chose a Thain to "hold the authority of the king" when Arvedui, last King of Arnor, was lost and the kingship in the North discontinued. The Thainship was originally held by the Oldbuck Clan. In 740 SR, it passed to the Tooks, and has remained a hereditary position in their clan ever since. Though a viceregal position, the Thain never wielded significant political authority, as the Shire remained a very loosely organized society and rarely faced military threats from outside.
Contents
Other officers in the Shire include the Master of Buckland, the Mayor of Michel Delving in the White Downs, and (in the Fourth Age) the Warden of Westmarch created by King Elessar.
List of Thains of the Shire
The office of Thain generally passed from father to son, unless otherwise noted.
Third Age
Thains of the Took line
Thains of the Took line were also the heads of the Took clan, in which capacity they were called "the Took".
Fourth Age
The line of Thains continued in the Fourth Age of Arda until the end of the Shire.
See also
The dictionary definition of thane at Wiktionary