Farmer Maggot

Farmer Maggot is a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe. He lives on a farm named Bamfurlong in the Marish region of the Eastfarthing of the Shire. Mushrooms, highly prized edibles among hobbits, grow abundantly on his land, and Farmer Maggot often has to deal with hobbits stealing them, which is one reason he keeps a pack of large, fierce dogs.

As a youth living in Buckland, Frodo Baggins often made trips to steal Bamfurlong mushrooms. On the last occasion Farmer Maggot caught Frodo, beat him, and then threatened to have his dogs eat Frodo if the young hobbit ever trespassed again. He then set the dogs on Frodo, which chased him all the way to the ferry. Although the dogs did him no harm (they were trained to only scare him), the incident so terrified Frodo that even thirty-some years later he quivered at the thought of crossing the old farmer's land.

Nevertheless, necessity forced Frodo, Sam, and Pippin (who was on good terms with Maggot) to cross through his fields. Maggot and his dogs Fang, Grip and Wolf met up with the trio, but Maggot had long set aside any grudge against Frodo. He invited the company to supper and then took them via waggon ride to the ferry to meet Merry—he even gave Frodo a parting gift of a whole basket full of mushrooms.

Maggot had insisted on escorting Frodo because a Black Rider had showed up on his land offering gold for news of 'Baggins.' Maggot told him off and ordered him not to return. The Black Rider nearly ran Maggot down for that, and Maggot's dogs were no help—they were terrified of the Rider.

Maggot was said to have three daughters and at least three sons, in addition to his wife (who is only identified as Mrs. Maggot). Through some unknown means, Maggot was acquainted with Tom Bombadil and informed him that Frodo and friends might be coming towards Bombadil's house through the Old Forest. Bombadil himself described Maggot as very wise. Maggot also figures as a friend of Bombadil in "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil".

In some early drafts of the Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien was toying with the possibility of a hostile and unpleasant Maggot character.

In Peter Jackson's film adaptation of "The Fellowship of the Ring", the shortcut through Maggot's field is extremely condensed and altered. In the movie, Frodo and Sam set out from Bag End alone and run into Merry and Pippin stealing vegetables (not mushrooms) from Maggot's fields. According to Pippin, he and Merry had been stealing from Maggot for some time, though in the book the two are very good friends of Maggot. Maggot himself is not seen, though his scythe is seen over the edge of the fields and he is heard shouting at the young Hobbits. Cameron Rhodes, plays Farmer Maggot in the film, he answers the black rider "there are no Bagginsess round here, they are all up in Hobbitton, that way!"