If you have stumbled onto the Teitho website, then you are probably an elf fancier or a ranger lover. But it's not good to dwell on the same things all the time. Therefore, our theme for January is Hobbits.

They are small, they are cute and they are our current challenge: Imagine a young Strider first visiting The Shire, or Bilbo in Imladris, or Hobbits marching into Mirkwood.

What about Aragorn having troube on the borders of the Shire and needing help? Or Legolas meeting a Hobbit on his way to Rivendell and having to keep him company? What about a Hobbit horror story to scare children (only very few people have ever seen a Hobbit, mind you). Or imagine an injured Strider stumbling into Bree, facing a Hobbit healer. Or what would Glorfindel say if a Hobbit dares to take Asfaloth for a walk?

Imagine Gandalf dealing with Hobbits and rangers at the same time; trying to get the one stubborn being to eat and the other to stop eating before he explodes. Imagine Elrond, the twins and young Estel while the mishievious Bilbo is in Imladris. Or describe what hobbits would do in Minas Tirith during the Fourth Age. And of course there's the fellowship: Pippin, Sam, Merry and Frodo are a handful. Their first few days on the road with Strider should be entertaining. And what would they think of meeting elves and dwarves in Rivendell?

Or imagine a young Estel running away to see the mysterious Hobbits. Or Halbarad worrying about Strider's well being, and then finding him smoking and munching in the Shire.

You see, there are endless possibilities. Don't forget that Aragorn and/or Legolas have to be in the story, but other than that anything goes! This theme was suggested (quite some time ago) by Imaginigma. I liked it immediately, but I needed to get my courage up to actually try this for a Teitho Contest. But the stories lately have been so diverse that I thought we really should try the hobbits-challenge. And since Imaginigma made her case so convincingly I actually only copy and pasted her email and used it as the challenge description. Many thanks for your very elaborate theme suggestion!

Here are the winners:

Helping Strangers by Imaginigma 1rst place
In Thranduil's Halls: The Hungry Ghost by Anonymist 3rd place
More than what Meets the Eye by StarLight 2nd place
Not an Ordinary Day by Nautika 2nd place
Not Forever by Liek
The Dawn of a New Day by Invisigoth

Your Teitho-moderators,
Alina & Michelle