The Lonely Troll, also known as the Old Troll,[1] is the protagonist of Perry-the-Winkle, a nursery rhyme[1] by Samwise Gamgee[2].[3]
This was a very unusual Troll: He wanted friends, he did not steal, drink beer, or even eat meat, and most amazingly of all, he was a very good cook. The Lonely Troll lived in the hills of Faraway, which seems to have been somewhere in Eriador, for he was the last troll "from Weathertop to the Sea".[3]
One day the Lonely Troll decided to seek friendship in The Shire. When he came to Delving, though, the Shire-folk ran and hid. The poor troll sat down outside of the Lockholes and wept. It was then that a hobbit lad, Perry-the-Winkle, came up and befriended him. The happy troll took Perry home for tea-time and fed him generously.[3]
When the other hobbits learned that Perry-the-Winkle had been so handsomely fed they all went to the troll's house to demand food for themselves. The Lonely Troll refused to feed them though since they had refused to be his friend. Instead he invited Perry to tea Every Thursday and taught him to be a great Baker.[3]
Background[]
In the first version of the poem, entitled The Bumpus, in early 1928,[4] which was unconnected to the legendarium, the Lonely Troll was a being known only as the Bumpus. On the manuscript of the poem, J.R.R. Tolkien drew an unintentionally sinister[1] sketch of the Bumpus.[4] On March 29,[1] the Bumpus became part[1] of Tolkien's Tales and Songs of Bimble Bay series[4].[5]
In the third version of the poem, entitled William and the Bumpus, Tolkien added an extra 111 lines,[1] which incorporated the scene where the Bumpus/Lonely Troll teaches William/Perry the art of baking, bringing the poem more in line with the final version.[4]
In early 1961,[1] when Tolkien revised the poem for inclusion within The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book, the Bumpus was changed to the Lonely Worm[1] and then to the Lonely Troll. Despite the name change of the protagonist, Tolkien included the place-name "Bumpus Head" in the published version of The Dragon's Visit to Upper Bimble.[4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien, Volume Two, no. 105: "The Bumpus · William and the Bumpus · Perry-the-Winkle (?1928–61)"
- ↑ The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book, "Preface"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book, no. 8: "Perry-the-Winkle", pgs. 41-4
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book, commentary, No. 8: "Perry-the-Winkle"
- ↑ The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide, II: Reader's Guide, pg. 754 (entry "Perry-the-Winkle")
| Living Creatures from folk-lore | |
| Animals: | Dumbledors · Gorcrows · Hummerhorns · Kine of Araw · Pards · Swans of Gorbelgod · Turtle-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 · Things of Morgoth |
| Individuals: | Badger-brock · Bill Butcher · Farmer Hogg · Fastitocalon · Fisher Blue · Fíriel · Grip · Hunter · Rider · Ûrî · Lonely Troll · Nîlû · Mrs. Bunce · Old Swan · Peeping Jack · Perry-the-Winkle · Old Pott · Talking Gurthang · Talking purse · River-woman · Tarlang · Tim · Tom · Túro · Whisker-lad · White cow · Willow-wren |