The Lord of the Rings Fellowship’s Unofficial 10th Member Has a Tragic Backstory

In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring film adaptation, there were nine official members of the Fellowship: Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf. In the novel, Elrond thought it was fitting that they had assembled nine heroes to combat the nine Nazgûl. But in both versions of the story, these companions were not the only characters who departed from Rivendell on the quest to destroy the One Ring. In fact, Bill the Pony accompanied the members of the Fellowship in the early stages of their journey.

Tolkien loved horses and ponies, so he placed a great emphasis on them in his stories. Though Bill did not appear often, he was an invaluable member of the team, as he carried most of the travelers’ supplies. Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring showed Bill making the journey to the Doors of Durin in Moria before parting ways with the Fellowship as he did in the novel. But The Lord of the Rings films did not include Bill’s tragic backstory from Bree or his uplifting epilogue in the Shire.

Updated on October 7, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: In a Medieval-esque world like Middle-earth, horses and ponies are the quickest means of transport, as well as being excellent pack animals or war steeds. Several of them are mentioned throughout the legendarium, and many actually play significant roles in their own way. Given the importance of equines for Tolkien, we have updated this article with some relevant information about Bill and other notable horses.

The Hobbits Rescued Bill the Pony From a Neglectful Owner

The Pony Originally Belonged to a Man From Bree

Bill first appeared in the chapter “A Knife in the Dark” from The Fellowship of the Ring, though he did not yet have a name. For the first part of the hobbits’ journey, they had brought five of Merry’s ponies from Crickhollow: four to ride and one to carry supplies. But while they were staying at The Prancing Pony inn, Merry’s ponies escaped from their stable. The hobbits looked around for new steeds they could buy or borrow, and the only one they could find belonged to Bill Ferny. Ferny was an unscrupulous Man of Bree who secretly served as a spy for the Nazgûl. He and his accomplices had previously set Merry’s ponies loose in an attempt to slow the hobbits down. His greed was stronger than his loyalty to the Nazgûl, however, so he was willing to sell his pony to the hobbits for an exorbitant fee.

Ferny’s asking price was twelve silver pennies, which was “at least three times the pony’s value in those parts.” Barliman Butterbur provided the necessary funds as an apology for allowing Merry’s five ponies to escape, but the hobbits were still loath to make a deal with a villain like Ferny. The pony was “bony, underfed, and dispirited” due to Ferny’s mistreatment, but Sam nursed him back to health. Of all the hobbits, he formed the closest bond with the pony, which included giving him the name Bill. Tolkien did not state why Sam named the pony after his abusive former owner, but fans of The Lord of the Rings have proposed two reasonable theories. The first was that Sam meant it as an insult towards Ferny, giving his name to a creature that Ferny clearly thought so little of. The second, simpler possibility was that the name was a shortened form of “Bill’s pony.”

Sam Said a Heartbreaking Goodbye to Bill the Pony

Bill Couldn’t Possibly Navigate the Mines of Moria

Bill accompanied the hobbits and Aragorn from Bree to Rivendell. In the novel version of The Lord of the Rings, they stayed there for over two months, and Bill greatly enjoyed his time in the Elven realm. It rejuvenated his body and spirit; according to the chapter “The Ring Goes South,” from The Fellowship of the Ring, “Rivendell had worked a great wonder of change on him: he was glossy and seemed to have the vigor of youth.”

This chapter also hinted that spending time around the Elves gave Bill a level of intelligence that went beyond that of most animals. Sam believed that Bill might learn to speak if he stayed in Rivendell much longer. Sam and Bill could not stand to part ways, so after the Fellowship formed at the Council of Elrond, Sam decided to take Bill along on the adventure. Gandalf was opposed to this, as he thought that the journey would be too dangerous for an animal, but Sam refused to take no for an answer.

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Tolkien wrote that Bill “was the only member of the Company that did not seem depressed” as the Fellowship departed on its quest. Unfortunately, his time with the Fellowship did not last long. Since Caradhras proved too dangerous to navigate, the Fellowship chose to go through Moria instead, and the ancient Dwarven mine shafts were too dark and cramped for a pony. Gandalf said that they needed to leave Bill behind, which broke Sam’s heart, but he reluctantly agreed. Before entering the Mines of Moria in the chapter “A Journey in the Dark” from The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf gives Bill a blessing:

Either because of Gandalf’s magic or Bill’s wisdom, he seemed to comprehend the Wizard’s words. Bill nuzzled a teary-eyed Sam for what could have been the final time, and the members of the Fellowship unloaded the packs that he had been carrying. Sam did not have long to dwell on his sadness, as the Watcher in the Water soon attacked Frodo, and Bill bolted away.

Bill the Pony Braved the Wilderness to Find His Way Home

The Pony Also Got His Revenge against Bill Ferny

Sam and the other members of the Fellowship feared for Bill’s safety, especially since Wargs prowled the hills around Moria. The rest of The Fellowship of the Ring, the entirety of The Two Towers, and most of The Return of the King passed by without so much as a mention of Bill. But when the hobbits returned to The Prancing Pony at the end of The Lord of the Rings, they learned from Barliman that Bill had somehow made it there safely. This was a truly astounding journey for a pony to make without guidance. He traveled for hundreds of miles — a journey that had taken the Fellowship nineteen days — and crossed at least one river, all in the dead of winter. Sam was ecstatic when he learned that Bill was safe and sound, and he was unable to sleep until he had reunited with his equine friend. That was still not the end of Bill’s story in The Lord of the Rings, as his old owner had yet to meet his comeuppance.

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When the hobbits returned to the Shire in the novel, they found that Saruman had taken it over, and one of the ruffians enforcing his rule was none other than Ferny. In the chapter “The Scouring of the Shire” from The Return of the King, Ferny tries to stop the hobbits from crossing the Brandywine Bridge. By this point in the story, they had faced down such foes as Shelob and the Witch-king of Angmar, so Ferny’s threats meant little to them. Merry intimidated Ferny into retreating, but not before the pony got his revenge. Bill “let fly with his heels and just caught [Ferny] as he ran. He went off with a yelp into the night and was never heard of again.” Sam kept Bill after the War of the Ring, presumably for the rest of his life. In his last appearance in The Lord of the Rings, Bill bore Sam to the Grey Havens to say farewell to Frodo. Though Sam had to say goodbye to his oldest and dearest friend, Frodo, he had the comfort of another friend he thought he had lost long ago.

What Bill’s Storyline Tells Us About Tolkien

The Author Portrayed Industrialization as Anti-Nature

Although the Lord of the Rings trilogy depicts some of the most important events in the Third Age of Middle-earth, Tolkien takes a surprising amount of time to describe the life and backstory of a common pony that accompanies the Fellowship in the first branch of their journey. Throughout Tolkien’s work, he includes several allusions to the importance of revering the natural world, including animals, plants, and the environment at large. This is largely evident in the Ent storyline, as the tree creatures rise up against Saruman, who had been burning their forests to fuel his industry.

Tolkien reveres the world around him and the purest of his characters do too. The greatest heroes of the series care deeply for their animals. Sam has a strong connection with Bill and Gandalf greatly reveres Shadowfax. Although he only appears in the movie trilogy, Aragorn’s horse Brego essentially saves his life, explaining their close bond. Characters who take the time to care about the little creatures are those who show the purity of their hearts and are the true heroes in Tolkien’s world.

Other Notable Horses in Middle-earth

The Best Horses Were Known as the Mearas

The medieval aesthetic of Middle-earth demands horses, and these creatures can be found aplenty. It is unclear where most of them came from, although it is believed that they already existed long before the Awakening of the Elves. However, Valinor also possessed a range of exotic and powerful breeds that might have been the ancestors of Middle-earth horses. The Vala Oromë rode a horse named Nahar, a magnificent beast with a radiant appearance. In fact, it was Nahar who first discovered that the Elves had Awakened and subsequently led his master to them.

Famed for their horsemanship across Middle-earth, the Rohirrim have a special breed of horses called the Mearas, who were supposedly sired by Nahar. The Mearas would refuse to carry commoners, instead exclusively preferring the royalty of Rohan. However, Felaróf, the first of the Mearas, killed Lord Léod when he attempted to tame it before becoming the steed of Léod’s son Eorl. Shadowfax was a descendant of Felaróf, but still allowed Gandalf to mount him, suggesting that the horse was somehow innately aware of the Wizard’s true nature.

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In The Fellowship of the Ring movie, Arwen comes to the injured Frodo and takes him back to Rivendell, where he would be treated for his morgul-blade wound. She rode Asfaloth, a majestic white horse that easily outpaced the Nazgûl and their Black Steeds. In the books, Asfaloth carried Glorfindel and Frodo, but that job was delegated to Arwen in the film. Meanwhile, The Rings of Power series has introduced a horse that doesn’t exist in the source material — Berek, the loyal Númenorean steed of Isildur. In fact, Berek even saves Isildur’s life from a giant spider nest, firmly cementing the idea that horses are non-negotiable in the narrative of Middle-earth. The upcoming War of the Rohirrim is more than enough evidence for that.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle-earth.

First Film

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Latest Film

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Cast

Elijah Wood , Viggo Mortensen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Astin , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Sean Bean , Ian McKellen , Andy Serkis , Hugo Weaving , Liv Tyler , Miranda Otto , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Martin Freeman , Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Richard Armitage

Where to Stream

Max , Prime Video , Hulu

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