Frodo Baggins

Frodo Baggins, a notable Hobbit of the Shire, was born on 22 September 2968 T.A. (Third Age). He was the only son of Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck.

Childhood
Much of Frodo's youth was spent at Brandy Hall in Buckland, the home of the Brandybuck family, including his mother (Primula Brandybuck). Frodo was known to be somewhat of a rascal and he would often steal mushrooms from Farmer Maggot.

In 2980 T.A., when Frodo was only 12 years old, his parents were involved in a boating accident on the Brandywine River and drowned. As Frodo had no siblings, he stayed alone in Brandy Hall until his cousin, Bilbo Baggins, adopted him in 2989 T.A. and decided to make the child his heir. Subsequently, Bilbo took Frodo to live with him in his home of Bag End.

On September 22 3001 T.A., a Birthday Party was held to celebrate the shared birthday of Bilbo and Frodo. Bilbo was 111 years old and Frodo was 33, the age at which a Hobbit is considered to become an adult.

Leaving the Shire with the Ring
After the birthday celebrations, Bilbo left the Shire and began a journey to Rivendell, leaving a magic Ring in Frodo's care. Gandalf, who was unsure whether the object was a Ring of Power, told Frodo to keep the Ring in a secret place and warned him not to use it.

For the next seventeen years, Frodo complied with the wizard's request and hid the Ring in a safe place. However, on April 12 3018 T.A., 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. Although Frodo wanted to take the Ring to Mount Orodruin, the only place that it could be destroyed, to save the Shire, neither he nor Gandalf believed that he was ready. 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 rumour started that he was running out of money. Meriadoc Brandybuck helped Frodo to choose and buy 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 family and, on September 23 3018 T.A., the day after his fiftieth birthday, Frodo left from Bag End.

By the time he arrived in Bree, Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck and Peregrin Took were with him. Along the road, he had encountered both Elves and mysterious Black Riders upon horses.


 * These events occur in a different sequence in the novel, "The Fellowship of the Ring", than in the movie. Also, Frodo meets Gildor Inglorion, Farmer Maggot, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry in the novel but doesn't in the movie.

Aragorn
At the ancient colony of Bree, the Hobbits booked accomodation in 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 mysterious cloaked Man sitting near a wall 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 Took was overly enjoying the attention of an audience and was talking about the Baggins family. Frodo tried to distract the crowd, but he fell and the Ring slipped on 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.

First Wound
On the night of October 6, 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. Although 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, the leader of the Nazgûl, the Witch-king of Angmar, stabbed Frodo in the shoulder with a Morgul-knife. The Ringwraiths were soon driven away when Strider appeared with flaming brands.

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, 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 Glorfindel and 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 created by Gandalf and Elrond, Lord of Rivendell.


 * In the movie, Arwen rescues Frodo and creates the flood.

On October 24, Frodo awoke in Rivendell and was reunited with Bilbo, Gandalf, Sam, Merry and Pippin. Although Elrond had healed his wound, it continued to bother him for as long as he lived in Middle-earth.

Council of Elrond
The following day, Frodo was summoned to a 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 should be destroyed. Frodo bravely volunteered to take the Ring to Mordor and destroy it in Mount Orodruin, also known as Mount Doom. Some members of the Council, including Gandalf, offered to accompany Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring was formed.

Before they left Rivendell, Bilbo gave Frodo a coat of mithril mail and his sword Sting, that glowed blue when Orcs were near. On December 25, the Fellowship of the Ring left Rivendell and headed south.

Moria
On January 11, the Fellowship were unable to cross the Misty Mountains due to a snowstorm, so they travelled through the underground city of Moria instead. Moria had been built by Dwarves, who had later deserted it when they had discovered a Balrog, known only as Durin's Bane, beneath the city, and had been defeated by Orcs and Trolls.

When they entered the Chamber of Mazarbul, the Fellowship were attacked by Orcs and a Cave-troll. Frodo helped to defeat the Troll before he was stabbed by an Orc, although his mithril shirt saved him from the deadly blow. The Fellowship ran through Moria to the Bridge of Khazad-dum, where Gandalf fell into a chasm while confronting Durin's Bane.

Lothlórien
Deeply upset by their loss, the Fellowship journeyed to the Elven kingdom of Lothlórien, where they met 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. 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.

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 searched 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 found great difficulty in leaving Sam Gamgee behind. When his faithful servant caught up with him and insisted on coming with him, Frodo accepted the company and continued his journey south.

The Emyn Muil
After leaving 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.

Gollum then led them out of the maze and into the Dead Marshes

The Dead Marshes
The Dead Marshes was a part of the journey that didn't last very long. Gollum led Frodo and Sam through with little trouble.

Ithilien and Osgiliath
Gollum led the two Hobbits to the Black Gate of Mordor, but stopped the Hobbits going through, because it was too dangerous. He then explained about a secret way into Mordor, 'Up the stair and through the tunnel' so the Hobbits again found themselves being led by Gollum. After venturing into Ithilien, they were found by Gondorian captain Faramir and his Rangers who they travelled with to the city of Osgiliath. While they were there, Osgiliath was attacked by the Nazgul and the forces of Mordor. Sam, Frodo and Gollum were forced to flee through the sewers.

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 to '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 without any trouble. Once they got out the other end however they were attacked by Shelob the Great Spider. Frodo was jabbed by Shelob's poison, but Sam managed to shoo her by wounding her with Sting and the Phial of Galadriel. He then left Frodo, thinking he was dead.

Cirith Ungol
Sam carried on up the path to Mordor when all of a sudden a band of Orcs from the nearby tower found Frodo at the mouth of the tunnel. He overheard them saying that Frodo was still alive, and Shelob had only paralised him. Sam then made up his mind to rescue his master, and followed the orcs. When he reached the tower of Cirith Ungol, he found little guard. Most of the Orcs and Uruk-Hai had been killed during a dispute. He rushed up to the top tower, where a light was on, and slaying the last few orcs, saved his master. The two Hobbits then continued on to Mordor.

Mordor and Mount Doom
Frodo and Sam carried on through the empty plains of Mordor (the Orcs had been sent to the Black Gate to stop the Men of the West's army) and started to climb Mount Doom. It was then that Gollum decided to reappear. After a brief struggle, Sam cut Gollum on the stomach, and Frodo fled up the mountain. Frodo then had the chance to destroy the One Ring, but he hesitated. Sam caught up to him, and tried to convince him to throw it into the mountain. Frodo didn't listen though, and claimed the ring as his own. It was then that Gollum arrived, he disposed of Sam by hitting him over the head with a rock, and moved onto Frodo, who had the ring on.

Gollum bit off Frodo's finger, and took it along with the ring that was on it. Gollum finally had the ring back, he jumped for joy. Frodo though, wasn't out of it yet. He started to try and get the ring back, and both Frodo and Gollum fell off the edge. Gollum plunged into the fire destroying the ring with him. Frodo however, had managed to grab onto the edge, he was rescued by a now conscious Sam. The Hobbits fled from the erupting mountain, and rested on a rock, protected from the lava. They were rescued by Gandalf and Gwaihir, along with the other Great Eagles.

The Scouring of the Shire
After resting in Minas Tirith, Frodo and Sam (along with Merry and Pippin) Returned to the Shire. When they arrived though, they found it under the control of Saruman and his forces. Saruman (Who had renamed himself Sharkey) was ruling the Shire from Bag End. Although was later murdered by Grima Wormtoungue. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin however, started to gather all the Shirrifs and the dunedain protectors of the Shire, and they successfully defeated Sharkey's forces.

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 retired. On 22nd September 1421 F.A. (Fourth Age), Frodo joined Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn and Cirdan aboard an Elven ship. He was allowed passage across the sea to the Undying Lands because he had been a ring-bearer, like Bilbo had been before him. At 52 years of age, Frodo departed from Middle-earth in the hope of finding peace within himself.

Frodo is the main character of The Lord of the Rings.