Alfrid Lickspittle

Alfrid Lickspittle was the greedy deputy to the Master of Lake-town when Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions arrived there. Alfrid held the title in the year TA 2941, until the Desolation of Smaug. Following that he was targeted by a mob for his corrupt practices, and then relieved of his position. In the book, only an unnamed (though important) counselor of Lake-town was mentioned. Alfrid Lickspittle is thus a non-canonical character.

Alfrid is the fictional deputy to the Master In the film series. In the novel The Hobbit, Tolkien refers to an essential counselor to The Master in the concluding parts of the tenth chapter, with no mention of a name. The versatile English actor Ryan Gage portrayed Alfrid Lickspittle in the final two parts of the Hobbit series. He counsels the Master on diplomatic issues, defense, and trading in Lake-town.

In the second part of the Hobbit film, [1] Alfrid Lickspittle prevented Bard from entering Laketown with barrels of fish - the barrels in which Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, and the rest of Thorin’s company were actually hidden. Alfrid told Bard that the King does not allow the filling of barrels. He ordered the Royal-guards to pour the contents of the barrels out, but Bard reminded him of the food scarcity in Lake-town and threatened to cause an uprising by telling the people that the Master was dumping fish into the lake while the people starved. Alfrid stopped the guards and allowed Bard and the barrels passage into the town, but he felt defeated and threatened Bard, telling him the Master watches his movements and knows where he lives. Bard replied Lake-town was small and everyone knew where everyone lived. Later Alfrid warned the Master about Bard’s rebellion against his rule and the King assigned spies to watch Bard's house and look for proof of his disobedience. It was then that the dwarves were caught and apprehended for stealing weapons. Bard convinced the Master to let them have the weapons though, so they could all be sure to have a share in the wealth and treasure of the Lonely Mountain once it was liberated from the dragon Smaug.

In the third part of the Hobbit film, Alfrid and the Lake-town master attempted to flee the town when Smaug began to destroy it, taking as much treasure as the boat could carry. Their boat had space for many people, but they preferred to fill it with treasures instead, and only showed concern by mere talking. As the boat set off to leave the town, Alfrid realized they had too many treasures on the boat, and they had to lay off some of it to have a smooth ride.

He advised the fleeing Master of Lake-town to consider dropping a few things off. The master had other plans, although he agreed with the need to drop something off, he preferred to have Alfrid off the boat instead of his treasures. He swam back to Lake-town, hoping that something would happen to Smaug, or at least it would change its mind to leave Lake-town. While Smaug attacks, Bard manages to escape, and tries to attack Smaug with arrows but fails.

At this moment, Bard’s children were trying to flee the town. His son, Bain, looked up and found his father in a wooden tower aiming arrows at Smaug. He left his sisters on the boat to offer his support for his father. Bard got help from a bird to find the weak spot in the armor of Smaug, He struck it from there, and Smaug fell on the fleeing master of lake-town and his guards, killing them altogether. Alfrid lickspittle would probably have died too if he was aboard the boat. Alfrid swam to the town’s shore while screaming and also seeking for help. When he saw that no one was giving him any attention.

He declared that he’s assuming the position of Lake-town’s Master in the absence of any equally worthy of the status in the town. The people of Lake-town were already agitated at this point, so they attacked him and intended to lynch him. Bard interfered and saved him by telling them there’s enough bloodshed. The people should desist from adding more to it. While they journeyed out of Lake-town to the Lonely Mountains for safety, Alfrid was lazy and offered little support. He hated that he is now an ordinary person and enjoying no special benefits as he used to do. He treated every other average person harshly and carried out orders from Bard the Bowman reluctantly.

When the people first arrived at the mountain, and the people camped in the ruins of Dale’s old city, Gandalf arrived. Alfrid treated him rudely as he did to all ordinary people because he thought that he was a vagabond until Bard let him in. In the night, Bard ordered him to be on watch duty, but he was mindless and fell asleep, abandoning his task. Bard went to the duty post and found Alfrid asleep, but got even more surprised as a whole troop of Wood-elves armies arrived and stationed just in front of the tower. After Bilbo handed Bard and Lord Thranduil the Arkenstone, Gandalf ordered Alfrid to keep watch over Bilbo in his room. As usual, Alfrid did a lousy job. Bilbo was able to leave the room and return to Thorin and the dwarves.

In the battle, [2] Alfred tried to escape fighting, so he advised Bard to allow him to escort the wounded, old, women, and infants to safety. In reality, he had no concern whatsoever for them, but his act was only a display of cowardice. Bard agreed to the advice of getting the vulnerable people to safety but insisted that Alfrid leave the weak and return to fight. When Alfrid saw that his escape plan was foiled, he dressed as an elderly woman to escape the war anyways. He was taken to safety along with the vulnerable people. As the battle intensified and women came out to support the men in the battle, Alfrid kept his stance and stayed in the hall. His true identity was soon uncovered when his hood came off his head, and everyone saw who he was.

The people were Furious with him and called him a coward. Seeing that he had lost whatever remained of the respect they had for him, he rushed away from the crowd and knocked over a vase filled with money. Bard tried to run away with it, but he met an Ogre that knocked him over and made way to kill him. Bard interfered and saved his life again, but he showed no gratitude. Alfrid gathered the rest of the money and ran away. Bard allowed him to escape. He later appeared hiding in a dead troll’s catapult and watched as Gandalf confronted a troll but failed. Unfortunately for Alfrid, a coin slipped from his corset and fell. It fell on the troll’s catapult lever, triggering it and throwing Alfrid into the toll’s mouth and choking it. The troll was deprived of air, and so was Alfrid.

Alfrid is a desperate, hypocritical, egotistical and opportunistic sycophant. He gives intelligent counsels, but only when they directly benefit him. He is, therefore, unreliable, wanting power and control at the expense of all others. He is abusive, arrogant and irresponsible, unconcerned about and unwilling to serve or support anyone other than himself.

1. ^The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013).
2. ^The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).