I am writing on my tale set in Middle Earth and I want my protagonists to run into a homeless traveler type character who is also a bit of a guardian from the sidelines. I am having the character called "Scruff". I imagine him with tatty clothes that are old and a scraggly beard. I am thinking of having him come in and sort of help the protagonists form time to time; sometimes without their knowledge. I am not quite sure if this is a very cliche idea that will make the character look a bit cheap and overly obvious of his role. I think he will have a pet Hedgehog or mouse/other random rodent that he keeps up his sleeve or in a little backpack that he takes more care of than himself. This animal will definitely have a fitting name. Finally I think that this character could teach my main character a thing or two about plant remedies or something of the like so that he can apply it later when his comrade is on the verges of death. Tell me what you think of my ideas for Scruff! I am known by many a name from here to very far words are the pawns of my game I am the Thunder_Bard
Ideas cannot be cliche. They can be poorly executed or they can be brilliantly executed. Characters, likewise.
I may be wrong, but isn't there a character already close to that description in LOTR? A quick google about a shabby man in middle earth with wild animal friends tells me it's a wizard called Radagast but it's been a long time since I read the books so I may be imagining things. So, depending on what you're writing, you could utilise the pre-existing character. Or, Scruff sounds cool - first read started to make him sound like a God in disguise...well, to me at least. (That may be an archetype as well, the old 'greater force helping out mortals' schtick)
Yeah he is sort of like Radagast well remembered. I was thinking of him having just one animal friend that he talks to non stop and sort of talks more in the third person of this animal than from his own mind. He would be like aadder version of Radagast with element of Gandalf amd Tom Bombadil.
On my walk to work, I usually get to pass at least one "homeless traveller". It's a bit of a fantasy trope that there are no "beggars" in Middle Earth, but you can wander around - homeless - for almost ever, receiving hospitality wherever you go.
I agree. I vould imagine them sit outside of the Prancing Pony, huddled against the wall. However, Scruff will have a keen knowledge of plants and herbs because living in the wild has taught him what can be eaten and what cannot.
Are you writing Tolkien fan fiction? Which is okay, but just curious. In other words, is your story a direct spin-off of Tolkien? With some of Tolkien's characters in it as well?
I'm not really sure if it counts as fanfiction. It is set in Middle Earth, Rohan to be precise, but it is a few hundred yhears before the Hobbit and LOTR. The king at the time is a great grandfather(ish) of Theoden. There are no characters in it that are in LOTR but things that are mentioned in LOTR happen in this story. Most notably the first defence of the Hornburg (Helms Deep) with Helm Hammerhand and the big horn Gimli blows. Hope this answers your question
