Suddenly in the distance, there looms a huge sickle, looking like a murder weapon, and a very aggressive voice paired with the baying of dogs. All of this combines to give the audience the perception that Farmer Maggot is a mean and cruel person, who is likely to harm, or set his dogs on trespassers through his land. Although some elements of this are true, the scene plays out a little differently in the books.
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In Chapter four of the Fellowship of the Ring, entitled ‘A Shortcut To Mushrooms’, Sam, Frodo and Pippin are indeed confronted by Farmer Maggot and his dogs. Merry isn’t with them in the books, but Pippin assures the group that the farmer is a friend. Frodo does describe a terrible ordeal he suffered at the hands of the farmer many many years ago when he was just a young hobbit, and had been thieving mushrooms so often and so recklessly that the farmer gave him a beating and threatened him never to come back, lest he wished to meet the jaws of his dogs.
This is probably where the presentation of Farmer Maggot as a mean and ruthless man comes from in the films, but he has changed much since those days in the books, and greets the hobbits in a kindly manner, calling off the dogs who are sniffing curiously at their unusual guests. The farmer invites them inside his house, sets up a warm fire, gives them each a mug of strong ale, and then proceeds to warn them that one of the Black Riders came knocking at his door earlier asking for Baggins.
This of course comes as no surprise to the fellowship, who have been pursued by the Nazgul and their screeching dark horses since leaving The Shire. But what is interesting is that the old farmer offers to cover for the hobbits, saying that he will protect them and see the riders off if they come back. He treats them with great kindness, which is the opposite of his portrayal in the film, and Frodo even admits “I’ve been in terror of you and your dogs for over thirty years, though you may laugh to hear it. It’s a pity: for I’ve missed a good friend.”
Indeed, their friendship is strengthened further when the hobbits stay for dinner with him and his family, and he offers to take them to the ferry himself, in his wagon, so that he will know they got there safely. When they arrive, they are greeted by a strange figure in the darkness, and Farmer Maggot, without hesitation, leaps to their defense. He yells “Don’t you come a step nearer!” striding towards the cloaked being as if preparing to fight for Frodo and the others so that they can slip away unnoticed. Luckily the figure turns out just to be Merry, but the farmer has clearly shown that he is generous, courageous, and true to those he cares about.
There is another character in the story who claims to know the farmer well, and also offers an insightful and positive view of the stout hobbit, and that is Tom Bombadil. He states ‘ there’s earth under his old feet and clay on his fingers, wisdom in his bones, and both his eyes are open.’ By this, Bombadil means that the farmer is more than at first he might appear. He’s down to earth and worldly, whilst at the same time always on the lookout for opportunities to see beyond what is plain and obvious.
He is not the only good samaritan to help the hobbits on their journey, they are later aided by Tom Bombadil himself when they have a tussle with the Old Forest, where the trees are alive and ill-content, similarly to those of Fangorn Forest. They are also helped by Bill the Pony, who bears many of their burdens on the way to Rivendell, and by Strider, who guides them through the treacherous land since they still haven’t been joined by the wizard Gandalf The Grey, who was supposed to show them the right path, but was detained by Saruman the white on the tower of Orthanc.
Many Lord of the Rings fans who have read the books feel that Farmer Maggot got a bad lot when it comes to the movie adaptation, especially as he not only offered the hobbits hospitality on the one evening, he also packed them up a basket of his famous mushrooms, the ones that Frodo loved so much as a boy, to help sustain them on the rest of their journey. He is one of many characters who are shown differently from the books to the films, but here’s hoping he is remembered for his kindness, and not his cruelty in future!
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