Squint-eyed southerner

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Squint-eyed Southerner
Man
Biographical Information
BirthThird Age
Physical Description
GenderMale
GalleryImages of Squint-eyed Southerner

The Squint-eyed Southerner was an outlaw driven from Dunland whose name was not known, he served as an agent of Saruman, one of Saruman's most trusted in fact. It was rumored there was Orc-blood within him.[1]

History

The Southerner at one point was stationed on the borders of the Shire to negotiate the purchase of "leaf" and other supplies which Saruman was storing in preparation for the war. Saruman had ordered the man to infiltrate the Shire and learn of any hobbits who had departed recently in hopes of finding out who possessed the One Ring. The Southerner was well supplied with maps, lists of names, and notes concerning the Shire.[1]

Aragorn kept the hobbits safe through the night and the next morning the Squint-eyed Southerner was spotted inside Bill Ferny's house when the company set out to Weathertop.[2]

Nothing else is recorded of the Squint-eyed Southerner, however in 3019, many of Saruman's agents occupied the Shire and oppressed the Hobbits.[3] It is possible the Southerner was among them as many of the Men resembled him. The Men were driven out of the Shire in the Battle of Bywater on November 3rd.

Description

"Just what my father meant to convey by the 'squint-eyed Southerner' at Bree I'm not sure. I don't think that he can possibly have meant that the man had 'slit-eyes' (goblin-like). He may have meant that he actually had a squint (optical disorder), but that seems unnecessarily particular. So the likeliest meaning, I think, is that the man didn't look straight, but obliquely, watchfully, sideways, suggesting craftiness and crookedness."
Christopher Tolkien[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Hunt for the Ring", "Concerning Gandalf, Saruman, and the Shire" Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "UT10" defined multiple times with different content
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Knife in the Dark"
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Scouring of the Shire"
  4. "The Squint-eyed Southerner", Beyond Bree, May 1990, p. 9