Barliman Butterbur
Encyclopedia
Barliman Butterbur is a fictional character
from J. R. R. Tolkien
's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings
.
Butterbur was the owner of the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree
. He was a fat, bald Man
, but as Bree was inhabited by both "Big Folk" and "Little Folk", i.e. hobbit
s, he had two hobbit employees: Bob, who worked in the stables, and Nob, a servant. He called Nob a "slowcoach" twice.
Butterbur appeared to have had a rather bad memory. "One thing drives out another," as he put it; "Thing wanted always buried," according to a letter written by Gandalf
to Frodo Baggins
, comparing Butterbur's mind to a lumber room. He forgot to send that letter to Frodo, leaving the latter uncertain as to Gandalf's fate and causing him to start his journey much later than the letter indicated. He did not remember it until Frodo and his companions arrived to stay at the inn, and even then, it was long before the connection was made. He did, however, hand over the letter in time for Frodo to verify Strider's
identity. Even so, he was somewhat put out that the hobbits left Bree with him. When Gandalf met up with the group in Rivendell
, he remarked that Butterbur was not a quick thinker, "yet he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree)."
He seems to have been a very kind character, though, as when he realised his oversight, he did his best to make amends by providing the hobbits with assorted bedding materials (to set up decoys for the pursuing Nazgûl
) and money (to buy a replacement pony after all of theirs are let loose from the stables). When Gandalf arrives in Bree fearful that the Black Riders had captured Frodo (or worse) and mindful of the innkeeper's nature, he swears he will "roast him...melt all the butter out of him" and indeed, Barliman is so terrified at the sight of Gandalf that he collapses. Gandalf is so overjoyed to hear that the hobbits are alive and well, however, that he actually embraces the old fellow and puts a blessing on his beer. In The Return of the King, Butterbur was amazed to learn that Strider
, a former patron of the Prancing Pony, had become king of Gondor
and Arnor
.
's animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
(1978
) and Peter Jackson
's film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001
), but in both adaptations most of his scenes, including the references to Gandalf's letter, are cut. Alan Tilvern voiced Butterbur (credited as "Innkeeper") in the animated film, while David Weatherley
played him in Jackson's epic. Unlike in the book, where Barliman does show a little backbone, he is left cowering in the corner when the Black Riders storm the inn.
James Grout
played Butterbur in BBC Radio
's 1981 serialization of The Lord of the Rings
.
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...
from 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 epic fantasy 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...
.
Butterbur was the owner of the Inn of the Prancing Pony 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...
. He was a fat, bald Man
Man (Middle-earth)
The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...
, but as Bree was inhabited by both "Big Folk" and "Little Folk", i.e. 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, he had two hobbit employees: Bob, who worked in the stables, and Nob, a servant. He called Nob a "slowcoach" twice.
Butterbur appeared to have had a rather bad memory. "One thing drives out another," as he put it; "Thing wanted always buried," according to a letter written by 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...
to 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...
, comparing Butterbur's mind to a lumber room. He forgot to send that letter to Frodo, leaving the latter uncertain as to Gandalf's fate and causing him to start his journey much later than the letter indicated. He did not remember it until Frodo and his companions arrived to stay at the inn, and even then, it was long before the connection was made. He did, however, hand over the letter in time for Frodo to verify Strider's
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...
identity. Even so, he was somewhat put out that the hobbits left Bree with him. When Gandalf met up with the group in Rivendell
Rivendell
Rivendell is an Elven outpost in Middle-earth, a fictional realm created by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth...
, he remarked that Butterbur was not a quick thinker, "yet he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree)."
He seems to have been a very kind character, though, as when he realised his oversight, he did his best to make amends by providing the hobbits with assorted bedding materials (to set up decoys for the pursuing Nazgûl
Nazgûl
The Nazgûl are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
) and money (to buy a replacement pony after all of theirs are let loose from the stables). When Gandalf arrives in Bree fearful that the Black Riders had captured Frodo (or worse) and mindful of the innkeeper's nature, he swears he will "roast him...melt all the butter out of him" and indeed, Barliman is so terrified at the sight of Gandalf that he collapses. Gandalf is so overjoyed to hear that the hobbits are alive and well, however, that he actually embraces the old fellow and puts a blessing on his beer. In The Return of the King, Butterbur was amazed to learn that 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...
, a former patron of the Prancing Pony, had become king of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
and Arnor
Arnor
Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...
.
Adaptations
Butterbur appears in both Ralph BakshiRalph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
's animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
(1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
) and Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
), but in both adaptations most of his scenes, including the references to Gandalf's letter, are cut. Alan Tilvern voiced Butterbur (credited as "Innkeeper") in the animated film, while David Weatherley
David Weatherley
David John Weatherley is a New Zealand actor known for his roles as Spencer the butler and the voice of Benglo the Fearcat in Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive, and Barliman Butterbur in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.Weatherley was born in London and moved to Canada for a...
played him in Jackson's epic. Unlike in the book, where Barliman does show a little backbone, he is left cowering in the corner when the Black Riders storm the inn.
James Grout
James Grout
James Grout is an English actor of radio and television.Grout was born in London, the son of Beatrice Anne and William Grout...
played Butterbur in BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
's 1981 serialization of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)
In 1981 the UK radio station BBC Radio 4 broadcast a dramatisation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in 26 half-hour stereo instalments...
.