The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Slain III 3019
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Settlements
Dwelt in the Bree-land, over the hill from Bree itself
Meaning
The meaning of Tom in this context is uncertain;1 Pickthorn means 'thorn-spike'

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About this entry:

  • Updated 27 February 2024
  • This entry is complete

Tom Pickthorn

A Man of the Bree-land

"...and little Tom Pickthorn from over the Hill..."
From Barliman Butterbur's list of the casualties at Bree
The Return of the King VI 7
Homeward Bound

One of the five Bree-landers to lose their lives in the fighting at Bree during the War of the Ring. Though Barliman Butterbur described him as 'little', he was evidently a Man rather than a Hobbit, though clearly not a very tall one. According to Butterbur, Tom's home was over the Bree-hill, which would imply that he came from the environs of Staddle, though he does not seem to have come from the village of Staddle itself.2


Notes

1

'Tom' is a common name among the people of the Shire and Bree-land alike. It appears to be an abbreviation, but cannot come from the modern (ultimately Greek) name Thomas, which would not fit the linguistic conditions of Middle-earth. In the Cotton family of Shire-hobbits, 'Tom' was a shortened form of Tolman, and perhaps that applied to Tom Pickthorn as well. However, Tom Pickthorn was a Man rather than a Hobbit, and came from the Bree-land rather than the Shire, and so it is entirely possible that his nickname 'Tom' represented a quite different (and unknown) full name.

Indeed, though 'Tom' in modern usage is usually a nickname, it seems at least plausible that 'Tom' was actually a full name in the Bree-land, and not in fact an abbreviation at all. In Old English, tom can mean 'gentle', and perhaps this was the intended source of Tom Pickthorn's name.

2

The details we have about Tom's home are minimal. Later in his list, however, Butterbur mentions another victim - a Hobbit named Underhill - as coming from Staddle, which would be a strange form of words if Tom Pickthorn also came from that place. Since the description of 'over the Hill' does not seem to match the other villages in the Bree-land, this implies that Tom Pickthorn lived apart from the main populations of the region.

See also...

Pickthorn Family

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 27 February 2024
  • This entry is complete

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