smials
Smial is the term used by hobbits in the Shire to refer to a home, typically a house built into or under a hillside. Hobbit dwellings are often subterranean or partially subterranean, with earth and turf forming the exterior and a round front door as the primary entrance. Inside, smials are usually arranged around a central living space and connected by short passages. The design emphasizes warmth, comfort, and practical storage, including pantries, cellars, and furniture scaled to hobbit size. Windows tend to be small and the interiors are often cozy, with exposed timber and plasterwork, hearths, and low ceilings. Some smials open onto courtyards or gardens, while others are linked within a hillside network in larger villages.
The Great Smials is the best-known example of a smial; it is the ancestral home of the
In everyday usage, hobbits commonly refer to their houses as “my smial,” a term that underscores the