The Southerner or "squint-eyed Southerner" was a Dunlending (possibly Half-orc) informant used by Sauron the Dark Lord's agents, Saruman the White and the Nazgûl.
Biography[]
The true name of this Southerner is unknown, but it was said he had been banished from Dunland for his Orcish ancestry.[1]
In league with fellow outlaw Bill Ferny, he became Saruman's most-trusted agent in Eriador and was put in charge of negotiation, as well as the purchase of Pipe-weed and other supplies for the coming war.[citation needed] He had orders to penetrate the Shire further and learn of any notable departures. During the hunt for the Ring-bearer, he was cornered with Ferny in Tharbad by the Nazgûl, who found detailed maps of the region on him. For fear for his life, he betrayed Saruman's knowledge of the Shire, confirming the Wizard's disloyalty to the Dark Lord. The Southerner was spared by the Witch-king of Angmar, who put the Shadow of Fear upon him and sent him to Bree to spy on his behalf; before he was freed, he was warned by the Witch-king that he now answered to Mordor, and not Isengard.[citation needed]
By the time Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck arrived at Bree, the Southerner met with Ferny at the Prancing Pony and informed the Nazgûl of the four Hobbits' presence, causing the inn to be broken into that same night by either the Nazgûl or their agents; the interference of Aragorn ensured their failure to retrieve the One Ring. The Southerner was last seen at Ferny's house by the departing company as they were about to leave the town.[2]
In adaptations[]
- The squint's father appeared in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, as an assassin hired to kill Thorin II Oakenshield, along with his partner Bill Ferny Sr.
- In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, he appears in Bree trying to persuade Harley Bramble to join the outlaws. Eradan, Andriel and Farin convince Bramble otherwise and the Southerner leaves, but not before threatening that he has "powerful friends". If the player returns to Bree later in the game, Bramble reveals that ruffians attacked the town, but were repelled and that the Southerner has been dealt with. He is voiced by Steve Blum.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Danish | Skævøjet sønderbo |
| Finnish | Mustainmaalainen |
| German | Schielender Südländer |
| Polish | Zezowaty Południowiec |
| Romanian | Sașiul de la Miazăzi |
References[]
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, Introduction, Part Three, IV: "The Hunt for the Ring", Concerning Gandalf, Saruman, and the Shire
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter XI: "A Knife in the Dark"
External links[]
- Squint-eyed Southerner Trading Card Game information