Peregrin Took

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Character
Name: Peregrin Took, usually called Pippin
Occupation:
Relationships: married Diamond of Long Cleeve, father of Faramir Took
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings
Other:
Portrait of Pippin by Kim Leal and Gonzai, from Warriors of Gondor (2008)
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Peregrin Took was the youngest of the hobbits who accompanied Frodo Baggins on his journey from the Shire, taking the One Ring to be destroyed before it was claimed by Sauron and used against the free peoples of Middle-earth. Also known as Pippin or Pip, Peregrin was cousin to Frodo as well as to Merry Brandybuck, and perhaps the most guileless of the four Hobbits who made the trek.

Pippin was played by Scottish actor Billy Boyd in the LotR films.

Peregrin Took in Fandom

Fanfiction

See also, The Lord of the Rings Fanfiction

Gen

Pippin's status as the youngest of the hobbits to accompany Frodo on the quest has been made much of in fanfiction. He is often portrayed in fanfic as the baby of the family, so to speak, with everyone from his fellow hobbits to Gandalf behaving protectively toward him.

Pippin's reputation as the comedic relief is a recurring theme in fanfic - he is often written as a prankster, with either disastrous or amusing results (occasionally both). (Insert something about Tookish reputation for going off and having adventures)

Movie canon that Pippin is a singer has also come into play frequently, especially since the cinematic release of Return of the King in 2003.[1] Fanfiction has made much of this supposed predilection for music; stories have even been written wherein Pippin dreams of leaving the Shire to become a wandering minstrel.[2]

Examples

Slash

Merry/Pippin: Although hobbit slash largely focused on Sam and Frodo's relationship, there was a substantial & vocal segment of fandom dedicated to writing Merry/Pippin slash. The canonical relationship between the cousins - from their obvious sense of comfort with one another, to their separation from the rest of the Fellowship, to Tolkien's appendices, which state that in their last years, Merry and Pippin left the Shire and travelled together to Rohan and then Gondor to pass their remaining years - lends itself readily to the sort of slashy subtext fanfic writers thrive upon, and Merry/Pippin slash did exactly that: it thrived.

Pippin/Other hobbits: Although the majority of Pippin-centric slash featured Merry and Pippin, there were certainly plenty of variations upon a theme. Pippin's light-hearted demeanor and youth made him irresistible to many hobbit fanciers, and as Rule 34 reminds us, if you can think it, fanfic writers will slash it. Frodo/Pippin and Sam/Pippin have been written (and written well), as have all the permutations that can be achieved with four (apparently very randy and uninhibited) hobbits. Threesomes featuring Frodo/Merry/Pippin are more common when writers set their stories before the Quest; foursomes with all the hobbits are common during and immediately after the Quest; and of course, once Frodo has departed into the West, Merry and Pippin are obligated to comfort poor, grieving Samwise.

Pippin/Big People: Interspecies hobbit slash certainly deserves its own article in Fanlore, but it should be noted here that Pippin was, to say the least, popular among writers of interspecies.[3] Perhaps it was his devil-may-care attitude of adventure, or perhaps it was just Billy Boyd's rather mischievous curlicue smile, but something about Pippin made him eminently slashable, and the youngest hobbit's jauntiness and spirit of curiosity certainly made it easy to pair him with Big People such as Boromir, Faramir and Beregond. The potential darker side of such relationships was also explored, within Denethor/Pippin fics, for instance.

Het

In canon, Pippin marries Diamond of Long Cleeve, and some het fanfiction charts their courtship and marriage. It is sometimes seen as a love match, sometimes as a loveless arranged marriage (often by adherents of M/P). He is relatively rarely paired with other women, whether hobbits, elves or humans.

External links for Pippin fic

Other Fanworks

Meta

  • Nah you guys don’t get it. by golwenlothlindel,2023 -- elaborating on Gandalf calling Pippin a “fool of a Took!” and Pippin's true value to the fellowship

References

  1. ^ Although all hobbits sing, and frequently, in Tolkien's books, it was actor Billy Boyd, playing Pippin, who was singled out for his vocal prowess in Peter Jackson's movie adaptations of the novels.
  2. ^ The Life of a Bard by Dreamflower, posted 2006.
  3. ^ Hobbit/Interspecies Fic Links: stories listed by character: pippin Accessed Oct. 27, 2008