The Encyclopedia of Arda - Tom Pickthorn (original) (raw)

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates Slain III 3019 Race Men Division Northmen Culture Men of Bree Family Pickthorn 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' Indexes: Alphabetical: P Alphabetical: T Men About this entry: Updated 27 February 2024 This entry is complete A Man of the Bree-land Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV "...and little Tom Pickthorn from over the Hill..." From Barliman Butterbur's list of the casualties at BreeThe 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: Alphabetical: P Alphabetical: T Men About this entry: Updated 27 February 2024 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2015, 2024. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.Explore the benefits of using a personality profile to discover yourself and make the most of your career.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Dates Slain III 3019 Race Men Division Northmen Culture Men of Bree Family Pickthorn 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' Indexes: Alphabetical: P Alphabetical: T Men About this entry: Updated 27 February 2024 This entry is complete A Man of the Bree-land

Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV "...and little Tom Pickthorn from over the Hill..." From Barliman Butterbur's list of the casualties at BreeThe 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: Alphabetical: P Alphabetical: T Men About this entry: Updated 27 February 2024 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2015, 2024. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.Explore the benefits of using a personality profile to discover yourself and make the most of your career.