The Hobbits
"I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays..."
The Hobbit
Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo is one of the most famous Hobbits in the Shire, not only did he live an incredibly long time but he was also known as a friend of the Elves and Dwarves. He is also well known for having an adventure - which is rather unusual for a Hobbit - and he has recorded his numerous journey's in his book There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Tale. One of these trips included an excursion which he took part in along with Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves and during which he played a riddle-contest with Sméagol (the creature Gollum) and returned home with a small gold ring. Now he is frequently refered to as 'Mad Baggins' by his friends, neighbours and relatives.
Sixty years after this journey, from which he brought back The Ring, Bilbo left the Shire on his eleventy-first birthday to go to live with the Elves in Rivendell. So all his possessions (including Bag End) were passed on to Frodo. In Rivendell, the home of Elrond Half-Elven, Bilbo was able to work on his book in peace.
Frodo Baggins
When he was very young Frodo was left orphaned after his parents were drowned in a boating accident, shortly after this Bilbo adopted him to go to live with him at Bag End and act as his heir. Bilbo remains convinced that he did not do this out of charity but because Frodo had spirit, which is more than could be said about his other relatives. Frodo grew up listening to Bilbo's tales of his adventures and dreamed of someday having an adventure of his own, however when the time came his own would be somewhat different.
Many of the Shire folk believe that Frodo has spent too much time around Bilbo and has had his head filled with ridiculous tales of Elves, Dwarves and Dragons, or as the Hobbits say, he barely has the sense 'to know a swede from a turnip'.
When Frodo inherited Bag End and all it's contents, he also received Bilbo's Ring. However a revelation from Gandalf means that it is up to Frodo to take it from the Shire.
The Ring may look particularly innocent but it is a terrible burden as it is constantly trying to draw the enemy to it and tempting Frodo to put it on so the servants of Sauron will be able to find it. Sauron - it's creator - is desperate to find it and the Ring wants to return to him.
The bearer of the Ring will live in danger and so will need constant protection. This he receives in the shape of Sting, an Elvish sword given to him by Bilbo. Sting is a magical weapon with a blade which glows blue to warn of nearby Orcs. He was also given a shirt made of Mithril, which is made by the Dwarves from a metal found in a deep, dark, secret place. The mail shirt was given to Bilbo by Thorin, the Dwarf King, and is as hard as dragon scales, it will resist the fiercest blade but is light and can easily be hidden under the wearer's clothes.
Samwise Gamgee
Sam has rarely left the village of Hobbiton and, like his father Hamfast 'the Gaffer' Gamgee, he works at Bag End as a gardener. Although Sam has never gone outside of the Shire and his only travels have been with his friends in search of mushrooms, he has grown up listening to exciting tales of Bilbo's travels to faraway places and Sam is facinated by the stories of the Elves.
Another person who has attracted Sam's attention is Rosie Cotton, a barmaid at the Green Dragon and prettiest Hobbit in the Shire. However, Sam is a quiet and shy young Hobbit and so is teased by his friends because he doesn't act on his feelings, but all the same he would happily sit and listen to his friends talking while he drinks his ale and smokes a pipe.
Sam is also Frodo's perfect friend and servant and he is devoted to him. When Frodo leaves to take the Ring out of the Shire Sam is determined to stick by his side through thick and thin, and although he is not brave, clever or an expert swordsman, his determination proves an important asset on their journey.
Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc, or Merry as he is
usually known to his friends, is the son of the Master of Brandybuck. Merry is a
fun-loving Hobbit and along with Peregrin Took the pair can cause all kinds of
trouble and have often been known to rope a certain Frodo Baggins into their
little troublesome schemes.
As with all Hobbits, Merry enjoys eating, drinking and
pipeweed, as well as pilfering produce from local farmers. Unlike many Hobbits
Merry would jump at the chance to go off on an adventure, however maybe he
wouldn't have been quite so eager to leave if he had just known what the adventure
would entail.
Peregrin Took
Better known as Pippin, he is the youngest member of the Fellowship and is a cousin to both Frodo and Merry and has never once left the Shire.
Merry and Pippin are best friends and are rarely seen apart. Both share the same fun-loving spirit and spend most of their free time terrorising the inhabitants of Hobbiton. Of course Bilbo's elventy-first birthday party is no exception, expecially when they spot Gandalf's fireworks.
In all honesty Pippin usually just follows the lead of the others, normally Merry. As the baby of the group Pippin is a little unprepared for the dangerous journey he that he finds himself on, but it is highly likely that he will adapt and prove useful yet.
Go back to Bag End