Frodo Baggins

"I will take it. I will take the Ring to Mordor ... though I do not know the way."

- Frodo, at the Council of Elrond

Frodo Baggins, son of Drogo Baggins, was a Hobbit of the Third Age, and one of the most famous of all Hobbits for his leading role in the Quest of the Ring. During this quest, he bore the One Ring to Mount Doom, where it was ultimately destroyed, winning him renown like no other Hobbit in the history of Middle-earth. He is also peculiar for being, as a Ring-bearer, one of the three Hobbits who sailed from Middle-earth to Aman to rest peacefully until the end of his days.

Childhood
Much of Frodo's youth was spent at Brandy Hall in Buckland, which was the ancestral home of the Brandybuck family, including his mother (Primula Brandybuck). Frodo was known as something of a rascal, as he would often steal mushrooms from Farmer Maggot. In TA 2980, when Frodo was only twelve years old, his parents drowned in a boating accident on the Brandywine River. An only child, Frodo stayed alone in Brandy Hall, until his ninety-nine year-old uncle, Bilbo Baggins, adopted Frodo in TA 2989. Bilbo took Frodo to live with him in his home at Bag End and made him his heir.

The two grew very close in the following years; Frodo learned much of the Elvish language during his time with Bilbo, as well as much of the lore of Middle-earth. The two shared the same birthdate (22 September), and a party of special magnificence was held at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring when Frodo came of age at thirty-three and Bilbo hit the peculiar year of 111. Bilbo gave a memorable Birthday Speech before playing a joke on his fellow Hobbits by using the One Ring to disappear, leaving his fellow Hobbits confused, never again to be seen in the Shire.

Before departing for his journey to Rivendell, Bilbo had a long conversation with Gandalf, who finally persuaded him to voluntarily surrender the One Ring. Bilbo left it on the fireplace mantel with a note for Frodo, and thusly, Frodo became the next Ring Bearer.

Frodo's Coming-of-Age and the Beginning of His Quest
After the party finished, Frodo returned home and discovered that he was now the master of Bag End and the recipient of Bilbo's magic ring. Gandalf, ever more curious about the ring's origin, power, and purpose (but not yet positive it was the One Ring), advised the young hobbit against the using the ring. For the next seventeen years, Frodo complied with the wizard's request and hid the Ring in a safe place. However, on 12 April, 3018, Gandalf returned to Bag End and warned Frodo that the Ring was actually the One Ring, which the evil lord Sauron needed to rule over Middle-earth. Realizing that Sauron would be looking for the Ring, Gandalf advised the Hobbit to secretly follow Bilbo's journey to Rivendell.

After Frodo's discussion with Gandalf, a rumor started that he was running out of money. This rumor, although not begun by Frodo, was encouraged by him. Meriadoc Brandybuck helped Frodo to purchase a small house at Crickhollow. With the exception of his gardener, Samwise Gamgee, who had agreed to accompany him to Rivendell, Frodo told the other Hobbits of the Shire that he intended to move to Buckland. He sold his home to the Sackville-Baggins, and, on the 23rd of September, 3018, the day after his fiftieth birthday, Frodo left from Bag End, taking with him Sam and Pippin. They left in the early morning for Bree; they departed with haste, and just in time, as Sauron's most powerful servants, the nine ring-wraiths, had entered the Shire dressed as riders in black searching for a hobbit with the name of Baggins.

The Journey to Bree
Frodo was unable to find much information about his pursuers from his conversations with the High Elves and Farmer Maggot, but what they were told was less than encouraging.

When Frodo arrived at Buckland, he found that Merry and Pippin already knew about Frodo's "secret" journey. Frodo was left with no alternative but to bring the two youngsters with him. They cut through the Old Forest and the Barrow-downs in hopes of losing the Black Riders, which did succeed. They met other troubles in those places though, at the hands of Old Man Willow and the Barrow-wights, but were rescued twice by Tom Bombadil, a mysterious being who dwelled in a glade in the middle of the Old Forest.

Between Peter Jackson's Film Trilogy and the book The Fellowship of the Ring, there are several differences in the telling of Frodo's journey to Bree. In the movies, Frodo seems to have owned the Ring for only a few days or perhaps a few months before Gandalf returned, as opposed to the seventeen years of the book. Frodo never sells Bag End, but sets out early next morning with Sam. Merry and Pippin run into the pair at the farm of Farmer Maggot and are pulled into the journey. The Hobbits are pursued by the Black Riders all the way to Bucklebury Ferry on the borders of Buckland. There the Black Riders are forced to ride to the Brandywine Bridge while the Hobbits make for Bree. The movies remove several parts of the journey as well. These include their encounters with the High Elves, Farmer Maggot, and Tom Bombadil, as well as their visit to Buckland, the Old Forest, and the Barrow-downs.

Meeting Aragorn
In Bree, the hobbits stayed at The Prancing Pony, an old inn. Frodo went by the name of Mr. Underhill, attempting to raise as little suspicion as possible. When he noticed a mysteriously cloaked Man sitting in the shadows and smoking a long-stemmed pipe, Frodo asked the innkeeper, Barliman Butterbur, who the man was. The innkeeper referred to the man, a Ranger, as Strider, although his birth name was Aragorn.

Soon, Frodo realized that Pippin was overly enjoying the attention of an audience and was talking rather loudly about the Baggins family. Frodo tried to distract the crowd, singing and dancing on a table, but he jumped and fell and the Ring slipped onto his finger. Consequently, the Hobbit disappeared into thin air. When he reappeared, Aragorn spoke to him and warned him that he was drawing too much attention to himself.

That night, the Black Riders arrived in Bree and attacked the inn, but Strider managed to hide the Hobbits from them. Frodo learned more about the riders, also called Nazgûl or Ringwraiths, from Aragorn. With a pony named Bill that the Hobbits had acquired at Bree, Strider led Frodo and his companions into the Wild. Aragorn would be their guide to Rivendell, and he would lead them through the Midgewater Marshes and to the top of Weathertop.



Weathertop
On the night of October the sixth, the Hobbits were attacked by five of the Nine Ringwraiths at the hill of Weathertop. In the presence of the Nazgûl, Frodo made the mistake of putting on the Ring. He was able to resist their attempt to take him by drawing his sword and invoking the name of one of the Valar, Elbereth Gilthoniel. Unfortunately, the leader of the Nazgûl, the Witch-king of Angmar, stabbed Frodo in the shoulder with a Morgul-blade. If it had caught him in the heart, Frodo would have become like the Nazgûl, only weaker and under their control. The Ringwraiths were driven away by the appearance of Strider and his martial skill.

Though Aragorn was a skilled healer, he could not heal Frodo's wound. A fragment of the Ringwraith's blade remained in Frodo's flesh, where it continued to move towards his heart. Near death (or worse), Frodo was rescued by Glorfindel, an Elf-lord, who took the injured Hobbit upon his horse, named Asfaloth. Continually pursued by the Nazgûl, Asfaloth carried Frodo to the Ford of Bruinen, at the entrance to the valley of Rivendell. Once they had crossed the River Bruinen, Frodo turned and saw the Nine Ringwraiths on the other side. They ordered him to give up the Ring, but Frodo refused. Subsequently, the Ringwraiths were washed away in a flood called upon by Elrond, the leader of Rivendell. He was healed in Rivendell by Elrond, although both of them knew that the wound would never fully heal, as it was as spiritual as it was physical. On the 24th of October 3018, Frodo awoke in Rivendell and was reunited with Bilbo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Although Elrond had healed his wound, it continued to bother him for as long as he lived in Middle-earth.

In Peter Jackson's movies, the role of Glorfindel is replaced by Arwen, Elrond's daughter.

Council of Elrond


After his healing, Frodo was summoned to a great Council that Elrond had organized. Representatives of all the Free Peoples of Middle-earth discussed the history of the Rings of Power and decided that the One Ring needed to be destroyed. As the ring was shown and tempers heightened, fighting began to break out as to who should carry the ring to the Crack of Doom. Frodo bravely volunteered to take the Ring to Mordor and cast it into the fires of Mount Doom. A member of each of the Free Peoples offered to join Frodo in his quest, forming the Fellowship of the Ring. The Fellowship consisted of Frodo, Samwise, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and Gimli of the Dwarves. Before leaving Rivendell, Bilbo gave Frodo his coat of mithril mail and his sword Sting. The mail was given to him by Thorin after the events of The Hobbit, and the sword (Sting) was taken from the den of a troll. On December 25, the Fellowship of the Ring departed from Rivendell and headed south.

Moria
On January 11, 3019, the Fellowship attempted to cross the Misty Mountains (specifically the Pass of Caradhras), but were unable to due to a snowstorm. They instead traveled through the underground city of Moria at the urging of Gandalf. Moria was the most ancient and grand of Dwarven cities, but was deserted when the dwarves uncovered a Balrog, known only as Durin's Bane, beneath the city, and had been defeated by legions of goblins.

When they entered the Chamber of Mazarbul, the Fellowship was attacked by Orcs and a Cave-troll. Frodo helped to defeat the Troll before he was stabbed by an orc captain, and his mithril shirt saved him from a deadly blow. The Fellowship ran through Moria to the Bridge of Khazad-dum, where Gandalf fell while confronting Durin's Bane. Once outside Moria, while the Fellowship was grieving, Gimli took Frodo and Sam to look upon the Mirrormere, even in their great hurry.

Lothlórien
Deeply grieved by their loss, the Fellowship journeyed to the Elven kingdom of Lothlórien, where they met the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. Galadriel showed Frodo a vision of the future in her Mirror. Frodo offered her the One Ring, but she resisted the temptation to take it, passing the test that was laid before her, and accepting the diminishing of the power of the elves. Before the Fellowship departed from Lothlórien, Galadriel gave each member a gift. To Frodo, she gave a phial with the light of the star Eärendil captured inside; this gift would prove hugely important later on in the quest. They were also provided with elven way-bread, other supplies, and ships for their voyage down the Anduin.

The Fellowship Divides
The Fellowship continued their journey south to Amon Hen. There, Boromir, a Man of Gondor and a member of the Fellowship, attempted to convince Frodo to bring the Ring to Minas Tirith and regroup from there. When the Hobbit asked for an hour alone to consider his options, Boromir followed him. Seeing that Frodo did not intend to take the suggested course of action, Boromir tried to take the Ring from him by force.

Frodo put on the Ring and escaped to the Seat of Seeing, where he watched as war brewed across Middle-earth and the Eye of Sauron search for him.

Taking off the Ring, he decided to take the item to Mordor alone, without telling the other members of the Fellowship. However, he was joined by his friend Sam Gamgee, who felt it was necessary that he should protect and guide Frodo. Frodo gave in to Sam's protests, and although reluctant to lead anyone else to his fate, was glad to have Sam's company. The two hobbits continued toward Mordor, dividing the Fellowship. Here Boromir was killed by orc-archers while defending Merry and Pippin; the two young hobbits were then captured by Uruk-hai, and were to be taken to Isengard. Instead of following Samwise and Frodo to Mordor, the Three Hunters decided it more important to rescue Merry and Pippin from their captors. The breaking of the Fellowship was now complete.

Emyn Muil
After leaving what remained of the Fellowship at Amon Hen, Frodo and Sam tried to navigate through the winding paths of the Emyn Muil. After getting lost several times, they were found by Gollum, who at first tried to take the One Ring, but was captured by Sam (with Frodo's help) and tied up with the elven rope. Frodo, now pitying the creature, decided not to slay Gollum, but forced him to swear an oath of servitude to the master of the precious. Gollum then led them out of the maze and into the Dead Marshes

The Dead Marshes


The Dead Marshes followed the razor-sharp rocks of Emyn Muil, and were just as disorienting, if not more so. There was thought to be no route through the marshes, as orcs marched for miles around, although Gollum had secretly discovered a path when out on one of his many errands. He led Frodo and Sam on a safe pathway through the marshes, warning them not to follow what seemed like small torches in the water. Frodo, as if in a trance, falls into the waters of the marsh, and is rescued by Gollum.

Ithilien
Gollum led the two Hobbits to the Black Gate of Mordor, as Frodo had desired, but stopped the Hobbits from passing its doors, as the danger was too great. He then explained about a secret way into Mordor, 'Up the stairs and through the tunnel'. The Hobbits once again found themselves being led by Gollum. After venturing into Ithilien, and witnessing a skirmish between a company of warriors from Haradrim (along with Oliphaunts) and rangers from Gondor, they were apprehended by the ranger's captain, Faramir. When the skirmish had ended, Faramir blindfolded the ring-bearer and his companions and led them to Henneth Annun, the Window on the West. Upon much interrogation, Samwise foolishly misspoke, and gave away that Frodo was indeed carrying the One Ring. Realizing the importance of the quest, Faramir proved his quality, unlike his brother, Boromir, and let the ring-bearer go free. Later, Gollum was captured in the Forbidden Pool and, forcibly, was taken into the hidden lair. Frodo begged for his safety, and he was not killed, although the rift between master and servant had once again begun to open. In the movie adaptation, Faramir yielded to the power of the Ring briefly and took Frodo, Sam, and Gollum to the city of Osgiliath. While they were there, Osgiliath was attacked by the Nazgûl and the forces of Mordor. Sam, Frodo, and Gollum were forced to flee through the sewers, after Faramir regained his senses.

Minas Morgul and Shelob's Lair


Gollum led the Hobbits past the lair of the Witch-King of Angmar, Minas Morgul, and up the stairs into 'The Tunnel'. When they arrived at the top though, they were abandoned by Gollum. They cautiously travelled through the tunnel, and managed to get to the end only to find their way barred by Shelob's great web. Whilst attempting to cut through the webbing, Frodo bravely stood up to Shelob and forced her back further into the tunnels giving him and Sam time enough to hack through the threads and escape. Upon escaping the tunnels, Frodo thought himself safe; however, Shelob, through one of her many tunnels, managed to sneak out and jab him with her stinger. As he was being encased in Shelob's webbing, Samwise was able to draw her into single combat wherein he, using Sting and the Phial of Galadriel, was able to mortally wound her and drive her back into her caves. Sam took the Ring from around Frodo's neck upon hearing Orcish voices, and hid behind some nearby rocks. He overheard the orcs speaking of Frodo, and Sam realized that his master was not dead, but merely paralyzed. Frodo was then taken to the tower of Cirith Ungol to await further torture and questioning.

Cirith Ungol
Frodo was taken to the utmost top of Cirith Ungol and imprisoned. Squabbling over his Mithril vest, fighting broke out amongst the two lead orcs and their battalions, killing almost all the orcs and Uruk-hai in the tower. Sam arrived at the gate of Cirith Ungol, only to find his way blocked by the Two Watchers; he eventually overcame them, journeyed to the tower where Frodo was held, and rescued his master. They fled the tower, having to pass the Watchers again (although this time destroying them), and entered Mordor.

Mordor and Mount Doom
Frodo and Sam crawled onward through the empty plains of Mordor, as the orcs had been sent to the Black Gate to stop the Men of the West's army, and, after falling in and out of a company of Orcs, started to climb Mount Doom. They journeyed on for many days with hardly any food or water, and Frodo became progressively weaker as the Ring's power over him grew the closer they came to Orodruin. Frodo was eventually unable to go on, and Sam was forced to carry him a fair distance while his master rested upon his back. It was then that Gollum decided to reappear, and after a brief struggle, Sam cut Gollum in the stomach, and Frodo fled up the mountain.

Inside the Crack of Doom, Frodo finally had the chance to destroy the ring, and rid himself of his burden, but the power of the ring was at its strongest, due to the proximity of the cracks. It was here that Frodo finally yielded to the temptation and power of the ring, and claimed it as his own, slipping it upon his finger. But Gollum, not deterred in his quest to obtain the ring, quickly knocked Sam aside and attacked Frodo, eventually managing to bite off his finger and reclaim the ring at last. But Frodo managed to recover engaged a melee combat with Gollum for the final time, This caused both of them to stumble off the cliff. With Frodo hanging on with one hand, while Gollum and the ring fell into the fires of Mount Doom. Ultimately destroying the ring and Gollum himself

With Mt. Doom erupting around them, Sam and the nearly unconscious Frodo managed to exit the structure and were rescued by Gandalf and Gwaihir the Windlord, along with the other Great Eagles.

The Scouring of the Shire
After recovering in Minas Tirith, and witnessing the coronation of King Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin all returned to the Shire. When they arrived though, they found it under the control of a man named Sharkey (later revealed to be Saruman) and his forces. Saruman was ruling the Shire from Bag End, although he was later murdered by Grima Wormtongue. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin however, started to gather all the Shirriffs and townsfolk in the Shire, and they successfully defeated the Ruffians employed by Sharkey at the Battle of Bywater. Frodo was not directly involved in the fighting at the Battle of Bywater; instead, he made sure that no Hobbits (saying that no Hobbit had ever intentionally harmed another in the Shire and that it was not going to begin there), and also that any ruffians that surrendered were not harmed.

The Fourth Age


Frodo briefly served as Deputy Mayor of the Shire, but soon realized that he still bore the wounds of his quest, and so retired. He was also in continual pain from his shoulder wound, which pained him each anniversary of their stay on Weathertop. On 22 September SR 1421 (Fourth Age), at the age of 53, Frodo joined Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Cirdan aboard an Elven ship. He was allowed passage across the sea to the Undying Lands, as he was a ring-bearer, to find some semblance of peace from the memory of his past quest. He was to never to return to Middle-earth nor the Shire ever again.

Characteristics
Frodo, as described by Gandalf, was "taller than some and fairer than most, [with] a cleft in his chin: perky chap with a bright eye." (The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 10, "Strider".) He had thick, curly brown hair like most other hobbits, and had lighter-than-usual skin due to his Fallohide ancestry through his Brandybuck mother. Frodo is described as appearing thirty-three, even when he is fifty, due to the influence of the Ring.

Bilbo and Frodo shared a common birthday on September 22, but Bilbo was 78 years Frodo's senior. At the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and Bilbo were celebrating their thirty-third and eleventy-first (111th) birthdays, respectively.

Frodo, like Bilbo, was considered by many others in Hobbiton to be a little odd. His interests in the outside world, fascination with Elves and faraway places (like those to which Bilbo travelled in The Hobbit) did not fit the general content personality of most Hobbits. This curiosity was also attributed to his Took ancestry. He was very compassionate, pitying Gollum and allowing him to guide him and Sam to Mordor despite Sam's distrust of the creature. This act of kindness later proved to be a factor in the quest's success in destroying the Ring.

The influence of the Ring and the wound by the Morgul-Blade seems combined to have given him the ability to see into the spirit world, for instance he sees faraway events in his dreams on several occasions. He also can see the ring of power worn by Galadriel and he seems to be able to sense danger.

Weapons and Attire
Frodo was dressed in typical Hobbital-fashion when he left the Shire: knee breeches, shirt, waistcoat, jacket, and cloak. Colors such as bright green and yellow were typical for Shire-folk. He was unarmed, save for a pocketknife.

When his little group was waylaid by Barrow-wights, he lost his summer-weight clothing and was wearing a burial shrift when rescued by Tom Bombadil. When their pack-ponies returned, he was forced to put on heavier woollen clothing intended for colder weather. The Hobbits found several long Dúnedain daggers in the wight's treasure. These served as short-swords for the Hobbits, but Frodo's was broken when he resisted the Witch-king at Weathertop. At Imladris, he removed his Hobbit clothing upon finding new Elven clothes that fitted him perfectly. Therefore, throughout his quest, he wore a green silk tunic, trousers together with cloaks made of fur for the first stages of the quest, and then towards Mordor he shed them to wear his tunic and trousers in the warmer weather. Later, his Uncle Bilbo gave him both Sting, a magic Elven dagger, and a coat of mithril chain mail. The mail saved his life twice, first when it deflected a spear-point in the Mines of Moria, and second when it turned aside the dagger that Saruman used to try and kill him.

As with the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo received a special cloak from Galadriel in Lórien, which allowed him to blend in with natural surroundings.

Upon being betrayed by Gollum and captured by Orcs at Cirith Ungol, Frodo lost all of his clothing (save for the pants in the cartoon and both shirt and pants in the movie), and most of his possessions. Sam Gamgee saved Sting, however. After the two tribes of orcs had slain each other in the tower of Cirith Ungol, Frodo dressed himself in Orc-garb. This successfully fooled the Mordor-Orcs they encountered, but he dropped the Orc mail and helmet as he and Sam approached Mount Doom.

Sword
Frodo uses Bilbo's famed short sword Sting for melee combat, it is also put to great use as it warns him of nearby orcs by glowing.

In the books

 * The Fellowship of the Ring
 * The Two Towers
 * The Return of the King
 * The Silmarillion

Writings

 * The Return and Departures of Frodo and Sam
 * The Days of Rohan
 * The Battles of Shilverman and Bywater

Portrayal in Adaptations
Frodo was voiced by Oliver Burt in The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series), Christopher Guard in The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) with Sharon Baird doing the modeling, James Arrington in The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series), Orson Bean in the The Return of the King (1980 film), Ian Holm in The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series), Nigel Planer in Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series), Elijah Wood in Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and Steve Staley in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game).

In the movies

 * The Fellowship of the Ring
 * The Two Towers
 * The Return of the King
 * The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Faramir's Vision
There is a deleted scene in The Two Towers of Faramir visioning Frodo becoming a creature like Gollum, which wasn't even used in the extended edition.

External link


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