Red Ruddy was a Faerie rogue. He took the form of a reddish looking fox that had many unique powers. He was left as guardian over the borderlands of the Shire and assigned there by Gil-galad. He was a very powerful Faerie creature and had great talents in the magics of essence and channeling.
Long after the fall of Gil-galad, Red Ruddy passed into the folktales of the Elves, Dúnedain, and finally hobbits who inhabited his lands. The Far Downs, also known as the Fox Downs, may have been named after him. When writing his memoir, The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins included a nod to the legend of Red Ruddy with a fox who wonders at the three hobbits passing through the Green Hill Country.
References[]
- MERP: The Shire