Bill Ferny
Encyclopedia
Bill Ferny is a fictional character
in J. 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 by Meriadoc Brandybuck
relaying details of the hobbit
s' adventures at the Prancing Pony to one of the Nazgûl
.
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 Gamgee 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.
In discussion with the wizard Gandalf
in the House of Elrond
, Frodo Baggins
called Ferny "stupid and wicked."
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.
Ferny was probably allied with Saruman
, as he housed and conspired with the southern traveller who looked "more than half like a goblin
", similar to people the hobbits later saw at Isengard
. After escaping imprisonment in Isengard, Saruman took command of the Shire using many of these part-goblin men (whom he bred) as thugs.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
.
Ferny lived in Bree
Bree (Middle-earth)
Bree is a fictional village in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, east of the Shire and south of Fornost Erain. It is thought to have been inspired by the Buckinghamshire village of Brill, which Tolkien visited regularly in his early years at Oxford...
near the end of the Third Age
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
. He spied on Frodo
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
there, and was witnessed by Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings....
relaying details of the hobbit
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...
s' adventures at the Prancing Pony to one of the Nazgûl
Nazgûl
The Nazgûl are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
.
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 Gamgee afterwards also named Bill. The Hobbits then left Bree with Strider
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
. 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.
In discussion with the wizard Gandalf
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
in the House of Elrond
Elrond
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
, Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
called Ferny "stupid and wicked."
When the four hobbits of The Fellowship returned to the Shire
Shire (Middle-earth)
The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in...
, 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.
Ferny was probably allied with Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
, as he housed and conspired with the southern traveller who looked "more than half like a goblin
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
", similar to people the hobbits later saw at Isengard
Isengard
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Isengard , a translation of the Sindarin Angrenost, was a large fortress. Both names mean "Iron fortress" In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Isengard , a translation of the Sindarin Angrenost, was a large fortress....
. After escaping imprisonment in Isengard, Saruman took command of the Shire using many of these part-goblin men (whom he bred) as thugs.