he innkeeper of the Prancing Pony, Barliman Butterbur is a jolly and round-faced man who is constantly in high spirits. He goes out of his way to help Frodo and his companions when they come to Bree, ensuring they are sheltered and well fed, even when his inn is all but full.

Old Barliman is an excellent judge of character and, as they say in Bree, can even see through a brick wall in time. Even when events in Bree grow dark, and Sharkey's Ruffians are commonplace in Bree and the Shire, Barliman remains loyal to his friends and other good-natured folk, though he will not hesitate