| Hobbit | |
| Bill Butcher | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Position | Butcher |
| Location | Delving[1] |
| Affiliation | The Shire[1] |
| Notable for | Throwing a knife. |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
Bill Butcher was a Hobbit inhabitant of the town of Delving who appeared in Perry-the-Winkle, a nursery rhyme[2] by Samwise Gamgee[3].[1]
In the poem, Bill Butcher was accompanied by his dog Grip when he threw a knife upon seeing the Lonely Troll peeping over the stalls of the market-place.[1]
It is possible that Bill Butcher may have been one of the Shire-hobbits who travelled to Faraway in order to demand food from the Lonely Troll.[1]
Background
In the first version of the poem in early 1928,[4] which was entitled The Bumpus, the butcher was unnamed, "threw his knives", and had no dog.[2] No changes to the character occurred in the second version on 29 March,[2] in which Tolkien revised the poem as part[2] of his Tales and Songs of Bimble Bay series. The third version also retained the same details in relation to the butcher.[4]
In early 1961,[2] when Tolkien revised the poem for inclusion within The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, the unnamed butcher was accompanied by his dog (instead of "Harry and his father"), threw a single knife, and was given the name Bill butcher. In a later revision, Tolkien capitalized the word butcher in Bill's name[1].[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Perry-the-Winkle", pp. 41-4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, "105. The Bumpus · William and the Bumpus · Perry-the-Winkle (?1928-61)"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Preface"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull & Wayne G. Hammond (eds), The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Commentary", Perry-the-Winkle
| Legendary races of Arda | |
| Animals: | Dumbledors · Gorcrows · Hummerhorns · Pards · Swans of Gorbelgod · Turtle-fish · Wise-fish |
|---|---|
| Dragon-kind: | Sea-serpents · Spark-dragons · Were-worms |
| Other: | Badger-folk · Ettens · Giants · Great beasts · Half-trolls · Hobgoblins · Lintips · Mewlips · Nameless things · Ogres · Otter-folk · Snow-trolls · Spectres |
| Individuals: | Badger-brock · Bill Butcher · Farmer Hogg · Fastitocalon · Fisher Blue · Fíriel · Grip · Hunter and Rider · The Lady of the Sun · Lonely Troll · Man in the Moon · Mee · Mrs. Bunce · Old Swan · Peeping Jack · Perry-the-Winkle · Pott the Mayor · Talking Gurthang · Talking purse · River-woman · Shee · Tarlang · Tim · Tom · Whisker-lad · White cow · Willow-wren |