Barliman Butterbur

Barliman Butterbur
Tolkien's legendarium character
Race	Men
Book(s)	The Fellowship of the Ring The Return of the King

Barliman Butterbur is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings.

Butterbur was the owner of the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree. He was a fat, bald Man, but as Bree was inhabited by both "Big Folk" and "Little Folk", i.e. hobbits, he had two hobbit employees: Bob, who worked in the stables, and Nob, a servant. He called Nob a "slowcoach" twice.

Butterbur appeared to have had a rather bad memory. "One thing drives out another," as he put it; "Thing wanted always buried," according to a letter written by Gandalf to Frodo Baggins, comparing Butterbur's mind to a lumber room. He forgot to send that letter to Frodo, leaving the latter uncertain as to Gandalf's fate and causing him to start his journey much later than the letter indicated. He did not remember it until Frodo and his companions arrived to stay at the inn, and even then, it was long before the connection was made. He did, however, hand over the letter in time for Frodo to verify Strider's identity. Even so, he was somewhat put out that the hobbits left Bree with him. When Gandalf met up with the group in Rivendell, he remarked that Butterbur was not a quick thinker, "yet he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree)."

He seems to have been a very kind character, though, as when he realised his oversight, he did his best to make amends by providing the hobbits with assorted bedding materials (to set up decoys for the pursuing Nazgûl) and money (to buy a replacement pony after all of theirs are let loose from the stables). When Gandalf arrives in Bree fearful that the Black Riders had captured Frodo (or worse) and mindful of the innkeeper's nature, he swears he will "roast him...melt all the butter out of him" and indeed, Barliman is so terrified at the sight of Gandalf that he collapses. Gandalf is so overjoyed to hear that the hobbits are alive and well, however, that he actually embraces the old fellow and puts a blessing on his beer. In The Return of the King, Butterbur was amazed to learn that Strider, a former patron of the Prancing Pony, had become king of Gondor and Arnor.

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Wikipedia