A pony kept by Tom Bombadil. Fatty Lumpkin (sometimes called just 'Lumpkin') was rarely ridden by Tom, and spent much of his time roaming free on the Barrow-downs. After their encounter with a Barrow-wight, Tom rode along with Frodo and his friends for a while on Fatty Lumpkin. The Hobbits' ponies had developed a strong friendship with Lumpkin during their time at Tom's house, and it was this that led them back to Tom Bombadil after they escaped from Bree.
Notes
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Fatty Lumpkin was noted as being fatter than the ponies of Frodo and his companions, and this is doubtless the source of his name. The -kin ending is a diminutive, so the pony's full name means something like 'fat little lump'. This choice of name may have been influenced by the word 'bumpkin' (the origins of which are obscure, but the word may have originally meant 'little barrel'). Indeed Tom Bombadil gave the name 'Bumpkin' to one of the Hobbits' ponies, so providing him with a convenient rhyme for Fatty Lumpkin's name. |
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- Updated 23 October 2020
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