- Bill Ferny
Bill Ferny is a
fictional character inJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Lord of the Rings ".Ferny lived in Bree near the end of the
Third Age . He spied on Frodo there, and was witnessed byMeriadoc Brandybuck relaying details of thehobbit s' adventures at thePrancing Pony to one of theNazgûl ."The Fellowship of the Ring", "Strider".]After the attempted murder of the four hobbits in the raid of the Prancing Pony Inn by the Nazgûl, the travellers discovered that all the donkeys and ponies (including their own) had been let loose from the Inn's stable. The only replacement available for sale belonged to Bill Ferny. He charged the exorbitant price of twelve silver pennies for the mistreated, miserable-looking creature — whom Sam afterwards also named Bill. The Hobbits then left Bree with Strider. Bill Ferny jeered at their departure and Sam retaliated with a quickly-thrown apple, hitting Ferny square on the nose. Strider chose their route out of Bree knowing that Ferny would report it to the Nazgûl."The Fellowship of the Ring", "A Knife in the Dark".]
In discussion with the wizard
Gandalf in the House ofElrond , Frodo called Ferny "stupid and wicked." ["The Fellowship of the Ring", "Many Meetings".]When the four hobbits of The Fellowship returned to the Shire, Bill Ferny had left Bree and was in charge of the hobbits guarding the new gate at the Brandywine Bridge. Frodo promptly ordered him out of the Shire."The Return of the King", "The Scouring of the Shire".]
Ferny was probably allied with
Saruman , as he housed and conspired with ["The Fellowhip of the Ring", "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony".] the southern traveler who looked "more than half like a goblin", similar to people the hobbits later saw atIsengard . After escaping imprisonment in Isengard, Saruman took command of the Shire using many of these part-goblin men (whom he bred) as thugs.References
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