The Ruffians or Sharkey's Men were a band of about 150 Dunlendings, Half-orcs,[1] and Hobbits who invaded the Shire from the South under the hire of Sharkey, who was actually Saruman.
History[]
At first, they enforced Lotho's new laws and plans regarding the Shire and persecuted and imprisoned those who would not go along with them, but after his murder they followed Sharkey's commands alone. Being rather unintelligent and not very numerous, after a couple of skirmishes with hobbit country-folk they were defeated at the Battle of Bywater at the end of the War of the Ring. Those killed in the battle were buried in a place known as the Battle Pit.[1][2] The rest were expelled from the Shire, and their fate is untold.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Finnish | Roistot |
| Hebrew | בריונים |
| Italian | Ruffiani |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter VIII: "The Scouring of the Shire"
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings, "The Battle of Bywater"