Ernil i Pheriannath

From Tolkien Gateway

Ernil i Pheriannath ("Prince of the Halflings") was a title given to Peregrin "Pippin" Took by the people of Minas Tirith. It was rumored that Pippin would offer allegiance to Gondor and 5,000 Halflings for the defence of the city.[1]

Although the Gondorians had never interacted with Hobbits before the War of the Ring, they knew about the "Halflings" from their northern cousins, the Dúnedain of Arnor.[2] The rumor that Pippin was their "Prince", was sparked perhaps by the peculiarity of the Hobbitish dialect spoken by Pippin, which enabled him to speak in a familiar form to anyone, even Denethor, regardless of rank.[3]

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