Peregrin "Pippin" Took

**Peregrin Took**, more commonly known as **Pippin**, was a Hobbit of the Shire, and one of Frodo Baggins's youngest, but closest friends. He was a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.

## Biography[1]

Pippin was born to Paladin Took II and Eglantine Banks on the spring of TA 2990 (SR 1390). He was the youngest of four children and had three older sisters, Pearl, Pimpernel, and Pervinca. His father's sister, Esmeralda Took, was the mother of Meriadoc Brandybuck, thus making Pippin and Merry first cousins.

Through his father, Pippin was the second-cousin once-removed of Frodo, and the first-cousin twice-removed of Bilbo Baggins.

### Fellowship of the Ring[2]

While on their way to Buckland, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, and Peregrin Took encountered a Black Rider, who was warded off by the presence of the company of Elves, led by Gildor Inglorion. Meriadoc Brandybuck later joined them once they reached Buckland. They were waylaid by Old Man Willow in the Old Forest, and Tom Bombadil rescued them and took them into his house. On the way to Bree, Pippin was caught up with the Barrow-wights on the Barrow-downs. After the encounter, Pippin acquired a Dagger of Westernesse.

In The Prancing Pony, Frodo accidentally slipped the One Ring upon his finger, drawing the attention of the Black Riders. Their group met a Ranger of the North, Strider. The inn was attacked by the Nazgûl at night, and the four hobbits were successfully led away by Strider, whose real name was Aragorn.

Aragorn led them to Weathertop, where the group was once again attacked by the Black Riders. In haste to get an injured Frodo to Rivendell, the Elf-lord Glorfindel arrived and guided them.

After the Council of Elrond, Pippin and Merry were allowed by Gandalf to join the Fellowship of the Ring.
[3] In Moria, Pippin's curiosity dropped a stone down the well, which lead to the beating drums from beneath the ground. It incurred Gandalf's wrath, and he called Pippin a "Fool of a Took".

### Breaking of the Fellowship[4]

During the Skirmish at Amon Hen, Pippin and Merry were protected by Boromir, who was killed in the process. The two hobbits were taken away by the Uruk-hai, mistaking them to be the Ring-bearer. On their way to Isengard, Pippin dropped the elven-brooch he received from Lothlórien, as a sign for Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, who were in pursuit.

When a company of the Rohirrim ambushed the Uruk-hai, Pippin and Merry were able to escape into Fangorn Forest, where they meet the Ent Treebeard. They drank Ent-draughts, which gave them incredible heights. Pippin and Merry befriended Treebeard and told him what happened to them. After the Entmoot, the Ents decided to march against Isengard.

After the battle, Pippin and Merry were sitting on their "field of victory". Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were reunited with them.

### Guard of the Citadel[5]

In Orthanc, Pippin picked up the *palantír*, which Gríma Wormtongue threw. As he looked into the stone, Pippin had a first-hand encounter with Sauron himself, leading the Dark Lord to assume Pippin was the Ring-bearer. Gandalf and Pippin then rode on Shadowfax and went to Gondor, for the latter's protection from Sauron's forces. Pippin met Denethor II, the Ruling Steward of Gondor and Boromir's father. In return for Boromir's death, Pippin pledged his allegiance to Denethor and became the Guard of the Citadel.
[6]Pippin wearing the Citadel Guard livery
While in Minas Tirith, Pippin befriended Beregond, a fellow Guard of the Citadel, and Faramir, Boromir's younger brother. During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Pippin witnessed Denethor preparing a pyre for him and an unconscious Faramir. He quickly went out in search for Gandalf and saved Faramir from being burned to death. Denethor, however, was not rescued and threw himself off of Minas Tirith.

Pippin was among the Army of the West, which was led by Aragorn. They assaulted the Black Gate to divert the attention of the Eye of Sauron and give Frodo enough time to destroy the Ring. In the battle, Pippin managed to kill one of the Olog-hai, a troll-race bred by Sauron, the first hobbit ever to do so. He was knocked unconscious when the troll fell on him. Gimli later recognized the Hobbit feet under the Troll and dragged him out of the battle, saving his life. After the restoration of the monarchy, King Elessar knighted him and granted him and his fellow hobbits leave to return home, as well as leave to return to Gondor whenever they liked. Later, he, Merry, Frodo, and Sam were instrumental in overthrowing the small remainder of Saruman's forces during the Scouring of the Shire.

### After the War[7]

In the year FO 6 of the Fourth Age Pippin married Diamond of Long Cleeve, when she was 32 and he himself was 37. They had one son, Faramir Took I, who later married Samwise Gamgee's daughter Goldilocks Gardner.

In the year FO 13, Pippin became the 32nd Thain of the Shire, a position he held for 50 years before retiring in FO 63, when he revisited Rohan and Gondor with Merry. He remained in Gondor for the rest of his life.

Pippin probably died sometime after the year FO 64 and was laid to rest with Merry in Gondor. After the great King Elessar (Aragorn) died in FO 120, Merry and Pippin were entombed next to the great king.

## Etymology[8]

The name ***Peregrin*** was derived from the Latin word *peregrinus* ("pilgrim").

**Razanur Tûk** was the Westron of Pippin, which comes from *raza* ("stranger") and *razan* ("foreign"). It was a name of a legendary traveller.

### Titles[9]

* **Thain Peregrin I** - Pippin's title when he became a Thain of the Shire.
* ***Ernil i Pheriannath*** - It is the Sindarin for "Prince of the Halflings"; given to Pippin by the people of Minas Tirith.
* **Guard of the Citadel** - Given to him by Denethor II, Ruling Steward of Gondor
* **Knight of Gondor** - Given by King Aragorn II Elessar
* **Counsellor of the North-kingdom** - Granted to him when he became Thain of the Shire.

## Character[10]

The hair on his head and his feet (which are exceptionally hairy, even for a Hobbit) was almost golden and curly. At the beginning of Quest of the Ring, he was smaller than the rest of the Hobbits because he was the youngest. But after he and Merry drank the draft from Treebeard, they became some of the tallest hobbits in history, towering at over four and a half feet. It was said he should stop growing as hats would become very expensive.

In *The Fellowship of the Ring*, he was a worthy accomplice to Merry's plans, although he showed his age as well; he was a cheerful if not a sometimes thoughtless Hobbit, and seemingly had a knack for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, but throughout *The Lord of the Rings* he becomes increasingly mature and courageous.