Shire or Drann (W."Sûza" S."Trann") was a term for a formally autonomous fief or sub-province within the late Númenórean administration system. The Shire of the Hobbits, and many other similar administration units were further divided into four farthings or tharni. The Tharni were then again each divided into a number of independent clan-lands. From the rows of the "Masters" or most influential Clan-heads was elected the Faino (Q."Thain") of a Drann or sub-province while the main guilds and associated communes of the free cities elected the Condir (S."Mayor"). Both offices acted as equals and relatively autonomous but were responsible directly to the King himself and not to any other lesser Lord or Knight.
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Editorial Note: This entry contains speculative or fan-based material — such as fanon, fanfiction, or theory constructs — that may not be directly supported by canonical texts. Interpretations offered here are part of the NNCA’s speculative corpus and should not be mistaken for primary Tolkien sources.