History Characters / TheLordOfTheRings

* [[TheLordOfTheRings/TropesPeoples Tropes associated with entire races or cultures]]

For the characters that are portrayed in the Amazon's ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'', see [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower here]]. They are set in a different continuity from the films.

For the characters that are portrayed in the Amazon's ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'', see [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower here]]. They are set in a different universe from the films.

This list covers the most important among the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien.

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsFreeMen Free Men]] [[note]]Theodén, Éomer, Éowyn, Grima, Faramir, Denethor, Imharil, Beregond, Ghân-Buri-Ghân, and Halbarad.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] (And independent monsters) [[note]] Saruman, The Witch-King of Angmar, Khâmul, Uglúk, Grishnakh, Gorbag, Shagrat, The Mouth of Sauron, Shelob, Durin's Bane, and the Watcher in the Water.[[/note]]

This page is for the '''books ONLY'''. For the characters as they were portrayed in the Creator/PeterJackson [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings film trilogy]], see [[Characters/MiddleEarthFilm here]].

For tropes associated with entire races or cultures, see [[TheLordOfTheRings/TropesPeoples here]].

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other Characters]] [[note]]Bilbo, Gollum, Farmer Maggot, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, Lotho Sackville-Baggins, Rosie Cotton, Radagast, the Blue Wizards, Treebeard, Quickbeam, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry and Gwaihir.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] (And independent monsters) [[note]]Sauron, Saruman, The Witch-King of Angmar, Khâmul, Uglúk, Grishnakh, Gorbag, Shagrat, The Mouth of Sauron, Shelob, Durin's Bane, and the Watcher in the Water.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other Characters]] [[note]]Bilbo, Gollum, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Radagast, Treebeard, Quickbeam, Gwaihir, Farmer Maggot, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, Lotho Sackville-Baggins and Rosie Cotton.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] (And Independent Monsters) [[note]]Sauron, Saruman, The Witch-King of Angmar, Khâmul, Uglúk, Grishnakh, Gorbag, Shagrat, The Mouth of Sauron, Shelob, Durin's Bane, and the Watcher in the Water.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other Characters]] [[note]]Bilbo, Gollum, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Radagast, Treebeard, Quickbeam, and Gwaihir.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron (And Independent Monsters)]] [[note]]Sauron, Saruman, The Witch-King of Angmar, Khâmul, Uglúk, Grishnakh, Gorbag, Shagrat, The Mouth of Sauron, Shelob, Durin's Bane, and the Watcher in the Water.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] [[note]]Sauron, Saruman, The Witch-King of Angmar, Khâmul, Uglúk, Grishnakh, Gorbag, Shagrat, The Mouth of Sauron, Shelob, Durin's Bane, and the Watcher in the Water.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] [[note]]Sauron, Saruman, The Witch-King of Angmar, Khâmul, Uglúk, The Mouth of Sauron, Shelob, Durin's Bane, and the Watcher in the Water.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other Characters]] [[note]]Bilbo, Gollum, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Radagast, Treebeard, and Quickbeam.[[/note]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other Characters]] [[note]]Bilbo, Gollum, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Radagast, and Treebeard.[[/note]]

[[foldercontrol]]

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowship The Fellowship of the Ring]] - The Fellowship bound by the Ring. Includes Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir.

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsFreeMen Free Men]] - The Free Men featured on Lord of the Rings. Includes Theodén, Éomer, Éowyn, Grima, Faramir, Denethor, Imharil, Beregond, Ghân-Buri-Ghân, Halbarad.

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheElves The Elves]] - Includes Elrond, Galadriel, Arwen, Celeborn, Glorfindel and Gildor.

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheForcesOfSauron The Forces of Sauron]] - Sauron and related dark powers that operate in the story. Includes Sauron, Saruman, The Witch-King of Angmar, Khâmul, Uglúk, The Mouth of Sauron, Shelob, Durin's Bane and the Watcher in the Water.

* [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsOtherCharacters Other Characters]] - Other characters. Includes Bilbo, Gollum, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Radagast and Treebeard.

!!The Fellowship of the Ring

[[folder:Frodo Baggins]]

->''"I should like to save the Shire, if I could - though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them. But I don't feel like that now. I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again."''

Frodo Baggins is an adventurous hobbit of the Shire who inherits a seemingly-harmless magic ring from his eccentric cousin Bilbo after the latter's disappearance, only discovering what it [[ArtifactOfDoom actually is]] many years later. Despite his lack of experience and the dangers ahead, Frodo volunteers to carry the Ring to Mount Doom and there destroy it.
----
* AcheyScars: Frodo's tend to ache on the anniversary of their infliction.
* ActualPacifist: Frodo is willing to use violence in self-defense early in the story (for instance, against the Barrow-wight), but after his ordeal with the Ring, he is unwilling even to draw weapons in the scouring of the Shire.
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Frodo is the son of Drogo Baggins son of Fosco Baggins son of Largo Baggins son of Balbo Baggins.
* AntiHero: As ''Return of the King'' progresses he fails to destroy the Ring, is tormented by his physical and emotional scars, and drifts into a more and more passive role, especially in "The Scouring of the Shire."
* AsleepForDays: Frodo does this in Rivendell after being near-fatally wounded by the Nazgûl. It happens again to both him and Sam after getting rescued from Mount Doom, due to their near starving, wounded state.
* ArmorIsUseless: Mostly averted, since Bilbo's ''mithril'' chainmail armor from ''The Hobbit'' saves his life several times, until Shelob stings him on the neck.
* BadassAdorable: Frodo is a Hobbit and is as small and cute as they tend to be;
%%* BadassBoast: An example is from Frodo to the Nazgûl at the ford.
* BadDreams: Frodo is stated to have these throughout the quest, though they get worse as he approaches Mount Doom and the effect of the Ring increases.
* BenevolentBoss: Technically he is Sam's employer (although Sam's duties were really more oriented toward weeding gardens and trimming hedges, not saving the world.)
* BreakTheCutie: The story is largely an exercise in torturing him physically and mentally. [[spoiler:He does not get better.]]
* TheChosenOne: The trope is flip-flopped. This seems to be his role in the first part of the trilogy - Gandalf even says he was 'meant' to have the Ring - but TheCorruption of the Ring is so strong that even a particularly steadfast, resilient Chosen One carrying it for the best of motives, with the fate of his homeland and all his friends at stake, may not have the strength to fulfill his destiny. [[spoiler: In the end, after a long and horrible struggle, it breaks him.]]
* CoolSword: First the dagger/short sword from the Barrow Downs that Tom Bombadil gave him, which the Nazgûl [[BreakableWeapons shattered]] at the Ford of Bruinen. Later he also got Sting, an ancient Elvish blade given to him by Bilbo. Though it's really a knife, hobbits are just that small compared to Elves (and Men).
* TheCorruption: Linked to the Ring. It slowly wears away all his forms of resistance, even his memories of good things, in its effort to make him its slave. By the time Sam suggests that they carry it in relays to slow the terrible process, Frodo can no longer give it up.
* {{Determinator}}: Despite the increasingly horrible things that happen to him, Frodo never stops trying to reach Mount Doom, and never gives in to the Ring's temptation [[spoiler:until the very end.]]
* DisneyDeath: He survives being bitten by Shelob. Of course, in this case, they actually give an explanation for why he survived via the Orcs when they discover him.[[note]]To put it bluntly, biting him and thus injecting him with her venom was only the ''first'' part of the process of ingestion, and the venom acted more as a paralyzing agent than an actual fatal substance.[[/note]]
* DubNameChange: "Frodon Sacquet" in French ("sac" meaning "bag"). Or "Frodo Bessac" in the new translation.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the second chapter, Frodo couldn't even throw the One Ring into his own fireplace. [[spoiler:This foreshadowed his failure to throw the One Ring into the Cracks of Doom.]]
* GentlemanAdventurer: Despite enjoying a rather comfortable lifestyle in the Shire, he inherited from his uncle Bilbo a thirst for adventures.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Frodo tells Gollum that he must obey him, because if not, Frodo will put on the Ring, and order Gollum to jump off a cliff or the like. This astounds Sam, who had always assumed that Frodo's goodness made him soft, and reduces Gollum to whimpering terror.
--> '''Frodo:''' "In the last need, Sméagol, I should put on the Precious; and the Precious mastered you long ago. If I, wearing it, were to command you, ''you would obey,'' even if it were to leap from a precipice or to cast yourself into the fire. And such ''would be'' my command."
* TheHerosJourney: Frodo undergoes the tragic version of the trope at the same time that Aragorn is undertaking the triumphant version: [[spoiler: He ultimately fails his final temptation and rather than bringing him enlightenment, the journey leaves him shell-shocked.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Sam.
* HiddenDepths: His willingness to sacrifice himself for his country (see the folder quote above) surprises even Gandalf.
-->‘My dear Frodo!’ exclaimed Gandalf. ‘Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch.…’
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Laments that he wished the Ring had never come to him at one point (before he's anywhere near his darkest hour), [[DiscussedTrope prompting Gandalf to respond that all who live to see such times wish this]], and that all he has to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to him.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears a traveler's hooded cloak. Later, it's replaced by one of Elven make.
* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: Frodo is the in-universe author of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (though based on recountings from his friends and comrades, and the final chapter is hinted to have been written by Sam.)
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: While he could've meant in-universe, he says "...it is all too likely that some will say at this point: 'Shut the book now, dad; we don't want to read any more.'"
* TheLoad: A ''tragic and completely justified'' example. By the time the time he and Sam reach Mordor, the poor guy is just so beaten down from all the injuries he's taken and from carrying the ring that he begins to rely more and more on Sam just to get around.
* MessianicArchetype: Carries a great burden, dies and gets resurrected, and is generally a very sweet guy? Check. Though he differs from most in that he is flawed and fallible.
* MoreHeroThanThou: He attempts to abandon all the rest so he doesn't drag them into danger, and almost succeeds entirely.
* MusicForCourage: He sings while he is held prisoner in the Tower of Cirith Ungol.
* NamedWeapons: The aforementioned Sting.
* OlderThanHeLooks: Due to the Ring's power, Frodo looks like a thirty-three-year-old Hobbit (which is what he was when he initially received the Ring) until at least his fiftieth birthday. [[AllThereInTheManual The Appendices reveal]] that he’s actually ten years older than ''Boromir''. Thus, in terms of age, he’s exactly in the middle of the Fellowship (Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn are older; Boromir, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are younger).
* ParentalAbandonment: His parents drowned in the Brandywine River, leaving him to be raised by Bilbo.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Sam's unwavering commitment to helping him is ultimately what sees the quest through to Mount Doom.
%%* PowerTrio: Frodo represents the Ego.
* TheProtagonist: Frodo is the central and focal character of the series. It focuses on his journey and development.
* TheQuest: He volunteers to be the one to take the One Ring across the continent to its destruction in Mordor - not from a love of adventure but from a sense of responsibility.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the Blue Oni to Sam's Red Oni. Most noticeable with Gollum: Frodo is always calm and polite while Sam bristles at him.
* ShipperOnDeck: He's a big supporter of Sam/Rosie. He even invites them to move into his house, since they can't afford one of their own.
* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: Frodo realises after returning to Bag End that he cannot call the Shire his home, nor indeed any place in Middle-Earth. He's been changed too much.
* SupportingProtagonist: Frodo is technically 'the hero' of the story as the story does centre around him, even though the WordOfGod has favored Sam as the more conventional hero of the story.
* ThouShaltNotKill: Already the least violent member of the Fellowship, he adopts this philosophy by the end of ''The Return of the King'', even towards Saruman.
* TragicHero: Tolkien has said that Frodo cannot be called TheHero, as he failed and that he was doomed to fail from the start. Part of this is because he wanted to be a hero.
* TrueCompanions: Sam brings Pippin and Merry into the group to help Frodo: as their adventure continues they gain and lose other companions, but Sam's with him the entire way.
* TurnTheOtherCheek: He's merciful towards both Gollum/Sméagol and Saruman.
* WeaponOfChoice: An elven knife [[NamedWeapons named Sting]], large enough compared to him to be his sword.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Samwise "Sam" Gamgee]]

->''"'Don't you leave him!' they said to me. 'Leave him!' I said. 'I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon, and if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with.'"''

Sam is Frodo's gardener and loyal friend, and the only working-class hobbit in the Fellowship. Even when uninvited, Sam is determined to follow his master wherever he goes and make sure he's taken care of, no matter how dark the situation. His practicality, devotion, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers culinary skills]] make him a very big help as the quest goes on.
----
* ActOfTrueLove: The entirety of the book is one of these for Samwise. He followed [[TheNotLoveInterest Frodo]] into Mordor, being his keeper for the whole trip.
* AllThereInTheManual: You may know that Sam eventually built a ship and headed to the Undying Lands, but did you know that he changed his family name to Gardner? Or that he was elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive terms? Or that he, his wife, and his oldest daughter lived in Gondor for a year?
* AuthorAvatar: In some ways inspired by the personal assistants assigned to British officers (i.e. {{Battle Butler}}s) during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, who were known as "batmen".
* BadassBookworm: Bilbo taught Sam to read and write, abilities that are relatively rare in the Shire outside uppercrust families like the Bagginses. (Sam’s dad hopes that “no harm will come of it.”) Sam proceeds to [[HiddenDepths surprise his fellow hobbits with his book-lore]], and Frodo winds up leaving the Red Book to him to finish.
* BadassNormal: Like all the other hobbits in the Fellowship, Sam has no magical powers or ancient lineages aiding him. He's just a random Hobbit.
* BattleButler: He's Frodo's groundskeeper. Not the most skilled fighter in the Fellowship, but dauntless.
* BerserkButton: Go ahead, try and hurt Frodo. But you'll regret it. [[LetsGetDangerous If you live long enough.]]
* CallToAgriculture: After the War of the Ring Sam returns to his old gardener's life, also helping restore the Shire's trees, and marries a farmer's daughter. But he prospers enough to become Mayor.
* CoolSword: Like Frodo, he got a cool sword/dagger from the Barrow Downs courtesy of Tom Bombadil. Later he also wields Sting in Frodo's defence.
* DeadpanSnarker: Usually he's rather polite, but when he gets angry, annoyed or impatient with someone, he displays a surprising creativity in thinking up biting comments. Unsurprisingly, he's at his snarkiest when dealing with Gollum.
* {{Determinator}}: By the time they reach Mount Doom, Frodo is too weak to climb. Sam is little better, but he still ''carries Frodo'' up the punishing slopes on his shoulders.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Did a hobbit just kick the crap out of a [[EldritchAbomination half-demonic]] GiantSpider? [[Awesome/TheLordOfTheRings Oh yes.]]
* TheEveryman: Just a normal hobbit of the Shire, not even a gentlehobbit. Lampshaded by Faramir.
-->'''Faramir''': Your land must be a realm of peace and content, and there must gardeners be in high honour.
* TheFinalTemptation: At the pass of Cirith Ungol, when he takes up the Ring [[CrowningMomnetOfAwesome and then puts it down]].
* TheGardener: Is Frodo's Mundane Gardener [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment gardener]].
* TheHero: Is Sam the "real" hero of ''The Lord of the Rings?'' While Tolkien's "Letters" certainly favored Sam as the 'chief hero', he obviously started out with Frodo in mind for the role. It's probably safest to say that the story is so big that it contains a willingly-martyred Byronic hero ''and'' a plucky Horatio Alger hero.
* HeavySleeper: Definitely.
-->''As far as he could remember, Sam slept through the night in deep content, if logs are contented.''
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Frodo. There's no question that Sam is unfailingly... maybe even obsessively... devoted to Frodo. Their parting at the end of the book is a moment of terrible grief.
* HiddenDepths: Starts off as a BookDumb gardener but shows signs of this just four chapters later when he starts philosophizing about Elves and the the future of the quest. Even Frodo is surprised.
* HotBlooded: The contrast between Sam and his more reserved master is pretty clear, especially during the talk with Faramir. Sam is more likely to speak and act without thinking, is prone to LooseLips, and quicker to strike out at threats.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The Ring tries tempts him by showing him a vision of Mordor as a garden. It doesn't work because Sam only wants his own, small garden that he can tend by himself. This trope is also the reason that a giant garden is the only straw the Ring can grasp at in the first place.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: He's tempted by the Ring to become a great lord, but he rejects it since he doesn't want to boss others around -- even when the Ring plays on his love for gardening by telling him he could transform Mordor into a giant beautiful flower bed if he so wished.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears a traveler's hooded cloak. Later, it's replaced by one of Elven make.
* JumpedAtTheCall: Indeed, Gandalf gave him [[CallToAdventure the call]] seeing how eager he was.
* MeaningfulName: As Tolkien states in the Appendices, it's Old English (Anglo-Saxon) for "some-wise", that is "halfwit", given ironically because he appears to be BookDumb but is full of HiddenDepths.
* NoSell: While several characters are able to resist the temptation of the ring, only Sam shrugs it off entirely. It can't offer anything he wants.
* TheNotLoveInterest: To Frodo. There's obviously strong affection and emotion between the two, and incredible devotion, especially on Sam's side.
* OddNameOut: "Sam" is a normal name in our world, so it stands out a little among Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, etc... (even if it is short for "Samwise").
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Sam loves Frodo somewhat like a brother, and his unwavering commitment to that friendship is ultimately what gets Frodo through all the horrors of Mordor to the Cracks of Doom.
%%* PowerTrio: Samwise represents the Superego.
* RedOniBlueOni: He's the Red Oni and Frodo is the Blue. Sam's temper often gets the best of him, while Frodo is almost always calm.
* TheReliableOne: Indeed, he's the only one of the Fellowship who doesn't leave the path to Mount Doom.
* {{Sidekick}}: He remains by Frodo's side for the entirety of the story, in which Frodo is clearly the protagonist as he bears the greatest burden and is bound for the worst place. Then he stops being the sidekick and becomes TheHero.
* SimplemindedWisdom: Sam is protected by the power of just a little Hobbit common-sense.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Sam's presence averts the failure of the quest. Yet he was not part of anybody's plan. Even ''Frodo'' had no intention of taking Sam with him.
* SupremeChef: All hobbits can cook, and they're such gourmands one imagines that most hobbits are good cooks, but Sam is a good cook even by hobbit-reckoning -- able to whip up a good meal with just a brace of coneys (that is, a couple of rabbits) and herbs of Ithilien.
* TeamChef: It's genuinely sad when he finally has to abandon his cooking equipment in Mordor.
* TenderTears: Though pretty macho by hobbit standards, Sam's prone to ManlyTears.
* TheMole: Frodo, already astonished to learn that his friends have been spying on him, is even more bewildered to learn that his ''gardener'' has been feeding them information all along.
* TookALevelInBadass: Went from a timid gardener who had never wandered further than a few miles from home to outfighting giant demon-spiders and beating orcs in a fight.
* UndyingLoyalty: Sam almost defines this trope. He will follows and serve Frodo into Hell or to the ends of the Earth. His motivation is his simple loyalty, more than a desire to save the world (though that's part of it).
* WeaponOfChoice: A short sword/knife.
* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: Sam feels this way when he sees Men killing Men (Rangers of Ithilien vs. the Haradrim) for the first time. He wonders about a dead Southron's name and family, and whether he was really an evil man or if Sauron tricked him or drafted him against his will.
* WorkingClassHero: Out of the four main hobbits, two are the sons of chieftains (Merry and Pippin) and the other is a very wealthy heir (Frodo); Sam is the only one who is not a "gentlehobbit."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck]]
->''"You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo."''

Meriadoc Brandybuck is a sensible, take-charge hobbit and one of Frodo's closest friends. Concerned about Frodo's safety, he joins the quest early on and organizes some conspiracies and shortcuts, some of which go better than others. Plagued by feelings of self-doubt, he nevertheless goes on to become a knight of Rohan and participates in the War of the Ring.
----
* BadassBookworm: Authored a variety of books, including a history of pipe-weed (''Herblore of the Shire''). In one version of the posthumously published epilogue, Sam remarks that he needs Merry’s help to finish writing the Red Book.
* BadassNormal: Merry, just a normal hobbit, is the one who defeats the Witch-King alongside Éowyn, out of all the trained soldiers, [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Race Guys]] and other larger-than-life figures present at the Battle.
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: He, along with Éowyn (who also literally breaks her arm), nearly dies from contact with the Witch-King.
* ChekhovsGun: Unlike the identical {{Cool Sword}}s that the other three hobbits received from Tom Bombadil at the Barrow Downs, Merry's sword ends up being extremely instrumental to his CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* CoolSword: One he receives from Tom Bombadil at the Barrow Downs; see ChekhovsGun above.
* DeadpanSnarker: By far the snarkiest of the four Hobbits in the story; he's got a smart comment for every occasion.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: The Witch-King of Angmar vs a Hobbit. Merry (teamed up with Éowyn) won.
* GoingNative: Merry embraced Rohan's culture, swore fealty to King Theoden and received a name among the Men of the Mark, ''Holdwine.'' (The pun in English was probably intentional.)
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has a scar on his forehead from injuries sustained at Parth Galen.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pippin, inseparable friends they are.
* IJustWantToBeBadass: He feels left out and useless when the Grey Company and the Riders of Rohan leave him behind because of his physical weakness, until Éowyn sneaks him into the cavalry with her.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: He and the aged King Theoden become close friends over the space of a few weeks.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears a traveler's hooded cloak. Later, it's replaced by one of Elven make.
* LetsGetDangerous: Most notably at the Battle of the Pellenor, against the Witch-King.
* LetterMotif: Meriadoc is the son of Saradoc Brandybuck, and in a letter to a fan Tolkien said his son is named Periadoc.
* TheMagnificent: Later named Meriadoc the Magnificent as Master of Buckland.
* RedOniBlueOni: Pippin is impulsive and readily distracted: Merry shares his adventurous, fun-loving nature but is more of a planner.
* TheSmartGuy: Of the hobbit foursome, Merry has the most common sense and is the most likely to think of what didn't occur to the others. Until they meet up with Aragorn, he's the planner (and the only one with much experience at traveling).
* TheStraightMan: He's far more levelheaded than Pippin.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Merry and Pippin appear together most of the time.
* TookALevelInBadass: At the start of the series, he's very perceptive and capable, but not much good in a fight. By the third book, he helps take down the Witch-King.
* WeaponOfChoice: A leaf-shaped dagger wrought by the Men of Arnor long ago, large enough in his hands to qualify as a short sword. Destroyed on the Pelennor Fields.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Peregrin "Pippin" Took]]
->''"You must go - and therefore we must too. Merry and I are coming with you. Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon's throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet; but you will need more than one companion in your dangerous adventure."''

Pippin, the youngest of the hobbits, is a cheerful tweenager and a bit of a rascal. His curiosity gets him into trouble at times, but his buoyant spirit helps carry him and his companions through the darkest parts of the War. He grows up quickly during the quest and later becomes a knight of Gondor.
----
* AlliterativeFamily: Peregrin is the son of Paladin and the brother Pearl, Pimpernel and Pervinca.
* BadassBoast: When Saruman's lackeys mock Frodo and company when they return to the Shire, Pippin lets them know whom they're dealing with.
-->"I am a messenger of the King. You are speaking to the King's friend, and one of the most renowned in all the lands of the West. You are a ruffian and a fool. Down on your knees in the road and ask pardon, or I'll set this troll's bane in you!"
* BadassNormal: He takes down a troll in the final battle, and he's just a hobbit.
* BigEater: Even more than most hobbits are. To the point that after ''nearly dying'' his first question isn't for medical aid or rest, but just ''food''.
* ConstantlyCurious: Pippin is the one who drops a rock into an empty well in Moria just to hear how deep it is... with catastrophic consequences. He's also the one first drawn to the Palantír of Orthanc, although to be fair [[spoiler:Sauron had made it almost irresistible to anyone who looked at it or handled it for too long.]]
* CoolSword: The dagger from the Barrow Downs that Tom Bombadil gave him.
* DeadpanSnarker: Not to the extent of Merry, or even Sam, but he can snark with the best of them when the mood takes him.
* DisneyDeath: A troll falls on him in the battle at the Black Gates, and the narration from his [=POV=] has him thinking about the fact that he is dying. [[spoiler:Gimli finds him and gets him out in time, but after Pippin has blacked out.]] Tolkien actually did consider killing off Pippin at that moment, but [[spoiler: ultimately decided against it.]]
* TheFool: Pippin tends to act without thinking, and this can cause a ''lot'' of trouble (see Constantly Curious), but he's lucky and likeable, both qualities of the classic Fool.
* GoingNative: To repay the debt he and Merry owe to the deceased Boromir, Pippin enters the service of the steward Denethor. He doesn't fit in as well as Merry does in Rohan, but makes many friends in Gondor. And as King Elessar reminds him when he's headed back to the Shire, "You are going home now on leave... but I ''may'' recall you."
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Merry, friends since childhood who are never apart.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears a traveler's hooded cloak. Later, it's replaced by one of Elven make.
* JumpedAtTheCall: Pippin is naively eager to follow Frodo's quest, and very unhappy at the thought that he won't "get" to follow him to Mordor.
* LetsGetDangerous: Like Merry, Pippin discovers his inner courage when he saves Beregond by killing a massive troll at the Battle of the Black Gates.
* OddFriendship: He seems to have a particular gift for entering these. He develops a very close friendship with Gandalf, and once he's brought to Gondor, he befriends both Faramir, Beregond and Bergil, a child of the city.
* PluckyComicRelief: By far the most bumbling and comical of the main characters. [[TookALevelInBadass He becomes less so as the story progresses,]] though his cheerfulness and eternal optimism remain.
* RedOniBlueOni: He and Merry are both fun-loving and adventurous, but Merry is the thoughtful plan-making sort, while Pippin is impulsive.
* ShoutOut: His name is an allusion to the Frankish king Pepin the Short (known as Pippin in English), father of the more famous Charlemagne (who was famed in legend for his twelve Paladins, including [[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Roland]] who Boromir evokes, see below; Pippin's father is also named Paladin).
* ThoseTwoGuys: He and Merry almost always appear together.
* TookALevelInBadass: From foolish young Took to hero.
* TricksterArchetype: An innocent version, as he's harmless but mischievous, though this is toned down as he makes his transition to [[BadassNormal badass]].
* WeaponOfChoice: A short sword/knife from Arnor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gandalf]]
->Gandalf! If you had heard only a quarter of what I have heard about him, and I have only heard very little of all there is to hear, you would be prepared for any sort of remarkable tale. Tales and adventures sprouted up all over the place wherever he went, in the most extraordinary fashion.
-->--'''''Literature/TheHobbit'''''

The modern [[WizardClassic archetypal wizard]] in appearance and style, he also is the UrExample of the MagicKnight. In the Third Age, the Valar (CelestialParagonsAndArchangels) sent five Maiar (rank-and-file angels) to Middle-Earth to aid the struggle against Sauron, clothed in the forms of men and forbidden from using their power directly or trying to rule over Men and elves. Of these, two travelled far into the East: their tales are unknown. Of the remainder, Gandalf embodied wisdom, Saruman knowledge, and Radagast nature. Though Saruman is the head of the Council of the Wise, Gandalf was a wiser and greater Maia, but declined the position of leadership. The wise elf Círdan entrusted him with Narya, the Ring of Fire (one of the three mightiest Rings of Power created by the elves).

Known as the Grey Pilgrim, throughout both ''The Hobbit'' and this book (along with the prior thousand years), Gandalf went from place to place in the world, giving counsel and guidance, but never calling one place home. He ends up being a chessmaster of sorts, motivating many of the key players to their purposes while keeping his plays close to hand. This also serves as a justification for separating Gandalf from the other heroes time and again so that they don't have access to his storybreaking abilities.
----
* AngelUnaware: He's actually a [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Maia]] from the Uttermost West.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: One of Middle Earth's most trusted advisers and one of Middle Earth's greatest ass kickers.
* BackFromTheDead: He was properly dead from the fight with the Balrog, but his [[{{God}} boss]] dropped him back on top of the mountain where he died 'cause he's not allowed to stay dead until he's finished the job with Sauron.
* BadassBeard: He ''is'' a wizard after all, and has quite impressive facial hair.
* BadassBoast: He has several of these throughout the story, where he makes it quite clear that he is one of the most powerful people active in Middle-Earth.
-->"I have written ''Gandalf is here'' in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the mouths of Anduin."[[note]]He is actually ''annoyed'' when he says this, because he's giving away the Fellowship's position when he uses his powers to create a fire so they don't freeze to death, as they are menaced by a blizzard in the Misty Mountains.[[/note]]
--> "You cannot pass. I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
-->"I am dangerous... far more dangerous than anyone you are likely to meet, unless you are brought before the feet of the Dark Lord himself."
-->"Trapped! Why did I delay? Here we are, caught, just as they were before. But I was not here then."
* BadassBookworm: Though one of the lesser Maiar, he was one of the wisest.
* BadassGrandpa: Takes the guise of an old man when he comes to Middle-Earth.
* BearerOfBadNews: The Rohirrim gave him the name Stormcrow, for his habit of appearing out of nowhere to announce some calamity. Wormtongue names him 'Láthspell'; "ill news is an ill guest."
* BigGood: Gandalf is the main "power behind the scenes" manipulating and directing events to help people resist Sauron, and make sure that they have the information and allies they need, as much as he can.
* BigOlEyebrows: That stick out past the wide brim of his hat, somehow. It's like a superpower.
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: He [[spoiler:dies from the ordeal of fighting a Balrog. (Don't worry, [[CameBackStrong he gets better]].)]]
* ButNowIMustGo: In ''The Hobbit'' he leaves the dwarves and Bilbo to try to persuade the White Council to attack Dol Guldur and destroy Sauron while he was still weak. He does this in the ''Fellowship of the Ring'', not that he planned to be missing for so many chapters -- that was Saruman's fault.
* CameBackStrong: [[spoiler:He dies after defeating the Balrog. As he hasn't yet completed his task of aiding the free peoples of Middle Earth in defeating Sauron, he is sent back as Gandalf the White. He is far more powerful, as the restrictions previously placed on his power (to prevent over-reliance or corruption) are relaxed]].
* TheChessmaster: He has been playing chess with Sauron over Middle-Earth for ''centuries''.
* CoolOldGuy: An old man noted for his skill in creating fireworks, smoke-rings and sarcastic comments. There are hints that he'd prefer BecomingTheMask rather than racing around the continent trying to thwart evil, but his time is not his own to spend.
* CoolSword: Glamdring, which he found in a troll-cave during ''The Hobbit''. This is the sword that once belonged to the king of Gondolin, one of the famous {{Hidden Elf Village}}s of the First Age.
* DeadpanSnarker: Gandalf's temper is ''usually'' expressed through fairly harmless but snappy lines, such as telling Pippin to knock the Gate of Moria open with his head if he can't shut up long enough for Gandalf to figure out the password.
* {{Determinator}}: He fought the Balrog for ten days straight. ''Ten days.'' Heck, his entire story is an example of this trope. By the end of the books, he's the ''only'' Wizard who remained fully committed to the purpose of opposing Sauron (although WordOfGod has waffled on whether or not Radagast abandoned his mission or not). Sarumon ended up being made into Sauron's lackey and TheStarscream. No one knows what happened to the Blue Wizards. For centuries, Gandalf wandered all across Middle Earth by himself, working to bring about Sauron's downfall.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Old guy vs. Balrog. Old guy wins. (And dies, but he gets resurrected and the Balrog isn't.)
* DotingParent: Towards Frodo, mostly, whom he always tries to protect and help. He does the same for most Hobbits, but Frodo seems to be his most beloved Hobbit.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:YouShallNotPass]], where he goes up against a Balrog for ''ten days straight.''
* EccentricMentor: To Bilbo and Frodo. Aragorn even lampshades that he's "always speaking in riddles."
* ElementalBaggage: [-"I cannot burn snow."-]. So says Gandalf when asked to burn away a snowstorm.
* ElementalPowers: Fire, [[spoiler:possibly thanks to Narya, The Ring of Fire (though its fire might be only metaphorical).]]
* ElvesVsDwarves: {{Lampshade}}s the conflict during the Council of Elrond:
-->'''Gandalf''': If all the grievances that stand between Elves and Dwarves are to be brought up here, we may as well abandon this Council.
* FamousLastWords: "Fly, you fools!" [[spoiler:He comes back later in the story, of course, but those remain the last words spoken by Gandalf the Grey.]]
%%* FreudianTrio: With Saruman and Radagast; is the Ego in the group.
* GoodIsNotNice: He's described as cantankerous and grouchy, is a ManipulativeBastard and whilst his bark is worse than his bite he is not above emitting a few growls from time to time and letting his reputation do the rest.
* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Definitely Good Smoking. When he's relaxing he'll usually get out his pipe and start making smoke rings.
* GrumpyOldMan: It's an affectation, see JerkassFacade.
* GuileHero: He's expressely forbidden from using his own raw power against Sauron, or to dominate the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. Everything that he accomplishes is done via wits and persuasion.
* HarbingerOfImpendingDoom: Implied by [[ShootTheMessenger his critics]] to be this, hence the unflattering epithets "Láthspell" and "Stormcrow". It really isn't fair, though -- he just wants to warn people when something bad is coming their way!
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:In Moria, to save the rest of the Fellowship from the Balrog.]]
* HiddenDepths: Particularly to the Hobbits of the Shire.
-->...[Gandalf’s] fame in the Shire was due mainly to his skill with fires, smokes, and lights. His real business was far more difficult and dangerous, but the Shire-folk knew nothing about it. To them he was just one of the ‘attractions’ at [Bilbo Baggins’s 111th birthday] Party.
* IHaveManyNames: "Many are my names in many countries. Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves; Olórin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten, in the South Incánus, in the North Gandalf; to the east I go not." Then there's these names too, Gandalf Greyhame, Gandalf the Gray, Gandalf the White, Gray Pilgrim, Gray Wanderer, Greybeard, White Rider, and The Enemy of Sauron. Plus the insults Gray Fool, Láthspell, and Stormcrow.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Resisted the temptation of the One Ring at Bag End. Notably, he is a PhysicalGod (more accurately, angel-like being) just like Sauron.
* JerkassFacade: Even at best of times, Gandalf tends to be a grumpy old man, but he likes to encourage people's perception of him as unpredictable and even dangerous person. Frodo, who has known him for decades and considers him a friend is at one point briefly convinced that he burned poor Barliman Butterbur alive for failing to deliver (a vitally important) letter. He also clearly enjoys scaring the crap out of Sam (who's afraid Gandalf will turn him into something "unnatural") when he catches him eavesdropping on his conversation with Frodo about the Ring.
* KnightTemplar: Wearing the One Ring would make him far worse than Sauron, while being convinced of his own righteousness, [[DefiedTrope which is why he puts it in Frodo's care instead]].
--> "Understand. I would use this ring out of a desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine!"
* MagicKnight: With a magic staff ''and'' his magic sword Glamdring.
* ManInWhite: After [[CameBackStrong he comes back stronger]] in ''The Two Towers'', Galadriel outfits him with white robes and gives him a new staff.
* ManipulativeBastard: [[ThePlan He pulls all manner of gambits]], and is not above using both friend and foe as [[TheChessmaster pieces on his chess board]].
* MeaningfulName: Old Norse for "wand-elf". Was given that name by Men since he carries a staff (being a wizard and all) but was often mistaken for an Elf due to his long life and magic powers.
* TheMentor: He serves as a mentor figure for Frodo - and Bilbo before him - and is killed by the Balrog.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:Though he [[BackFromTheDead gets better]].]]
* MessianicArchetype: Although Tolkien himself said that this was ''not'' intended, nobody listens because Gandalf dies and then gets sent back to finish his work.
* MissedHimByThatMuch: Happens to (or at least involves) him fairly often, [[AllThereInTheManual per the Appendices]]:
** He returns to Bag End after escaping Isengard, only to find that Frodo had left six days earlier.
** He then proceeds to travel to Bree, arriving somewhere around ''twelve hours'' after Frodo and co.'s departure.
** He rides to Weathertop, gets ambushed by the Nazgûl, and drives them off -- three days before Frodo and co. arrive.
** After his [[BackFromTheDead resurrection]], Gwaihir flies him to Lothlórien, and he arrives the day after the Fellowship left.
* MrExposition: Unlike other {{Big Good}}s who withhold crucial information until ''after'' it would have been useful to know, Gandalf tells Frodo absolutely all he knows about the Ring and its history once he's done enough research to be sure of what it is, around the second or third chapter of ''Fellowship''.
* NamedWeapons: Glamdring, meaning "foe-hammer" in [[ConLang Sindarin]].
* NiceHat: His wide-brimmed, conical hat is iconic to the character and appears in virtually all artwork and, of course, the films; it's likely the TropeCodifier for [[RobeAndWizardHat giving that sort of hat to wizards]].
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Gandalf is always taking care of far and away threats which are usually given indirect or passing mentions. His incursions against the Necromancer of Dol Guldur and his fending off of the Nazgûl at Weathertop are prominent examples.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He looks like he's about 80, but he's been in Middle-Earth for upwards of 2000 years and is in fact older than the universe.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: The Wizards are really angels disguised as humans.
* PersonalityPowers: Specializes in fire magic and has a quick temper.
* ThePlan: He and Aragorn (and sometimes Frodo) are the chief planners of the Fellowship’s route. Subverted when Aragorn suggests that even Gandalf wasn’t sure of what path the Fellowship should take after Lothlórien.
* PsychicPowers: He communicates without speaking with Galadriel, Celeborn and Elrond using {{Telepathy}} at the end of the book.
* RasputinianDeath: Like the Balrog with whom he struggled, it took a ''lot'' to kill Gandalf. And even then, he came back.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Really Older Than The World.
* RingOfPower: He reveals he wields the elven Ring of Fire, explaining his proficiency with flame magic. It was given to him by Círdan the Shipwright when the Wizards first came to Middle Earth, and one of the reasons Saruman was jealous of him.
* RobeAndWizardHat: One of the most memorable, and likely the TropeCodifier.
* StoryBreakerPower: He's a Maia, an angelic being of the same order as Sauron, but he's actually forbidden from using his full power by the Valar. The victory over Sauron must come from ordinary people; Gandalf and the other Istari are only permitted to act as their guides and advisors. There is good reason for this; last time the Valar and Maiar used their full strength against the forces of evil, they ''shattered'' the subcontinent of Beleriand and it sank into the sea. (More on that in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''.)
* TheStrategist: He's not allowed to use his powers (the last time the Maia did so, they broke a continent), so instead he's been carefully searching and manipulating for... ever.
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:He and the Balrog both die in their fight, [[OnlyMostlyDead but only he returns to life.]] ]]
* TeamDad: He's the leader of the Fellowship (until he dies and Aragorn takes over) and the oldest member, and despite his gruffness, he cares deeply for the others and has a particular soft spot for the hobbits.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Aragorn is The Hunter, seeking a place for himself in this world and to prove himself worthy to get what he wants, Elrond is The Lord, well-established, striving to maintain a balance and preserve what he has, Gandalf is The Prophet, the guide who tries to impress his wisdom on the young ones.
* TimeAbyss: He's older than time itself. Doesn't stop Treebeard from calling him "young Gandalf".
* TokenSuper: Downplayed. Gandalf is an [[AngelUnaware angelic spirit in human form]], traveling with the otherwise non-magical Fellowship. His exalted origins are largely unknown to the party and his displays of power are minimal, since his [[PhysicalGod Valar]] masters require that the victory over Sauron be won by the people of Middle-Earth.
* TooCleverByHalf: It took him longer than one might expect to figure out how to open the Doors of Durin. "I had only to speak the Elvish word for ''friend'' and the doors opened. Quite simple. Too simple for a learned loremaster in these suspicious days."
* TookALevelInBadass: After becoming Gandalf the White.
* TookALevelInKindness: Again, after becoming Gandalf the White, most evident in his interactions with Pippin, who remarks that Gandalf laughs more often and is more willing to indulge his curiosity.
* WalkingTheEarth: He's not called "The Grey Wanderer" for nothing, being possibly even more well-traveled than Aragorn is.
* WeaponOfChoice: Staff and Sword.
* WizardClassic: One of the most iconic modern examples and a TropeCodifier.
* YouShallNotPass: TropeNamer. [[BeamMeUpScotty In the book it's "You ''cannot'' pass."]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aragorn]]

Aragorn is the chief of the Dúnedain, Rangers of the North. One of the dying breed of Númenóreans, Aragorn is raised in secret by Elrond in Rivendell, unaware of his true identity as the Heir of Isildur. When he comes of age Elrond reveals all to him, and he meets and falls in love with Elrond's daughter Arwen. After she reciprocates, some 30 years later, Elrond tells Aragorn that he can only have her hand in marriage if he becomes the King of Gondor and Arnor. Aragorn spends the next few decades battling orcs and aiding Gandalf in tracking and opposing the agents of Sauron, particularly Gollum. In his youth he also travels far and wide, notably as a [[TheCaptain captain]] of Gondor and Rohan (under a pseudonym, Thorongil), to be the best he can in order to pursue his destiny.

As a ranger, Aragorn takes the alias of "Strider" and seems a rough, coarse man but can shed this facade to unleash a great lordly presence which is part of his heritage as the last heir to the Númenórean kingdoms, and that stems in part from his people's trace of Elvish blood. As is mentioned elsewhere, in a normal epic, Aragorn would be TheHero and would defeat Sauron himself; Tolkien's decision to focus on the lowly and boot Aragorn to a supporting role was a conscious and deliberate subversion of that longstanding trope.
----
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He's the Heir of Isildur and rightful King of the Dúnedain. He's a better tracker and woodsman than the Wood-elf Legolas, a deadly warrior, a skilled battlefield medic, strong-willed enough to use a Palantír and even wrench it out of Sauron's control, and wise enough to know he can't and must not use the One Ring.
* BadassBoast: "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and am called Elessar, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil's son of Gondor. Here is the Sword that was Broken and is forged again! Will you aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly!"
* BashBrothers: He becomes this with Éomer.
* BigDamnHeroes: When he arrives with an army behind him on the Enemy's own ships to save the day, just as Éomer and his Rohirrim were getting in a really bad position.
* TheCaptain: Of the Rangers of the North, and of the Fellowship after Gandalf's passage. Also serves as one to the army and navy of Gondor as "Thorongil."
* CombatMedic: A lot heavier on the combat side of things than most examples, but as is said in Gondorian legend, "the hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known."
* CoolSword: Andúril, reforged from the shards of Narsil, an ancient heirloom of his line.
* DeathGlare: He frightened the Mouth of Sauron.
--> Aragorn said naught in answer, but he took the other’s eye and held it, and for a moment they strove thus; but soon, though Aragorn did not stir nor move hand to weapon, the other quailed and gave back as if menaced with a blow.
* TheDulcineaEffect: For Éowyn, though he doesn't reciprocate her feelings.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He must have the Enemy overthrown before he can become king and marry Arwen.
* EngagementChallenge: To win Elrond's permission to marry Arwen, he first needs to help make sure Middle-Earth is a safe place for her to stay after her father leaves.
* FamilyThemeNaming: The names of the chieftains of the Dúnedain of the North and of the kings of Arthedain following Argeleb I (his ancestors from father to son) all starts with the prefix "Ar(a)-" (meaning high or royal in Sindarin) until Aragorn.
* FisherKing: His return to Gondor is supposed to bring healing to land, as symbolized by the old dead White Tree of Minas Tirith being replaced by a young sapling that will grow and bloom.
* TheGadfly: His sense of humor takes the form of screwing around with his friends. Like the time when he agrees with Sam's continuing suspicions (even after getting Gandalf's letter that says "trust Strider") and then jumps at the hobbits. Or, when Merry asks for a pipe in the Houses of Healing, telling him all the learned things the herbmaster would say about pipeweed and that there is not any in keeping. (The pipeweed is in Merry's own pack at the foot of his bed.)
* GoodIsNotNice: The first time he appears, he berates and frightens Frodo. As he puts it himself, 'I look foul and feel fair'.
* HealingHands: As Ioreth, a wise-woman of Gondor says, "The hands of the King are the hands of a healer and so shall the rightful king be found." It's ambiguous as to whether he has supernatural healing powers from his distant Elvish ancestry or if it's because he's the only guy in Middle-earth who knows what kingsfoil is for.
* HeroicLineage: Going back though umpteen heroic Rangers of Arnor, Kings of Arnor, Isildur, Elendil, the Lords of Andúnië, the early (good) kings of Númenor, Elrond's brother Elros, Eärendil the Morning Star, Dior, Beren and Lúthien, Tuor and Idril, Turgon, Fingolfin, and Thingol and Melian, and to generations of heroic Edain of the Houses of Bëor, Hador, and Haleth.
* {{Homage}}: Aragorn is a ShoutOut to both KingArthur and Charlemagne.
* IHaveManyNames: Aragorn has been called the Dúnadan ("Man of the West/Númenórean"), Longshanks, Strider, Wingfoot, Elessar Telcontar ("Elfstone Strider"), Envinyatar ("the renewer"), Estel (Hope), and Thorongil ("Eagle of the Star"), among other things.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Like Faramir, Aragorn rejects the One Ring out of principle without needing to see it.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears a traveler's hooded cloak. Later, it's replaced by one of Elven make. In his first appearance it's used to play up his mysterious nature, as he has the hood pulled up even when inside.
* TheJuggernaut: During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields he (along with two others) was unstoppable, didn't even get wounded, and the enemy was literally running away from his wrath.
* KingIncognito: ''Way'' incognito, to the point where he's considered a rather shabby and disreputable character, and living in the wilderness.
* KissingCousins: Somewhat justifiably. Although he married a first cousin, the fact that she's a first cousin ''sixty-seven times removed'' makes it something of a moot point from a genetic standpoint.[[note]]In case you're confused, this sort of thing can only happen if your cousin is 2700 years old.[[/note]]
* TheLancer: When Gandalf's leading, Aragorn tends to be the practically minded and cautious second-in-command. He was particularly worried about Gandalf's personal safety when the decision was made to enter Moria.
%%* LovedINotHonorMore: Towards Arwen.
* MeaningfulName: His name is translated from Sindarin as "kingly valour".
* TheMedic: He has HealingHands and other special healing abilities due to his lineage and training by Elrond.
* MementoMacGuffin: The Ring of Barahir, over ''six thousand'' years old, originally given to Aragorn's very distant ancestor by [[TheWisePrince Finrod]] [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Felagund]], Elvenking of Nargothrond; it had many bearers, always leaders of the Dúnedain, and of the 'faithful' factions who never listened to Sauron (like Ar-Pharazôn did), and it was given to Aragorn by Elrond when the former was told his real name and ancestry.
* ManlyTears: He weeps openly whenever there's something to justify it. He was crying so hard over Boromir's death that Legolas thought he was mortally wounded himself.
* MysteriousStranger: The first time the reader meets him as Strider he's hooded and lurking in the shadows of the Prancing Pony (before that kind of thing became a cliche).
* NamedWeapons: Andúril, "Flame of the West."
* NatureVersusNurture: Touched on when he displays kingly abilities like commanding the shades of the dead and healing people. He alone can do this because of his Númenórean royal bloodline, but he acts the way he does because he was raised to be a good and noble man. Many kings of Númenor and Gondor, no less royal, fell into evil.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Thanks to Númenórean descent, he is at his prime at 87.
* OlderSidekick: He's older than most of the rest of the Fellowship, and largely serves a supporting roll until they escape Moria.
* PsychicPowers: Not an actual telepath (unless one counts the example under Death Glare above), but when channeling through a device like a ''palantir'' his will is unconquerable. His special gifts in healing may also be an example. He openly demonstrates prescience - he's frequently able to accurately predict that something will happen in the future.
--> ‘Thus we meet again, though all the hosts of Mordor lay between us,’ said Aragorn. ‘Did I not say so at the Hornburg?’
--> ‘So you spoke,’ said Éomer, ‘but hope oft deceives, and I knew not then that you were a man foresighted.’
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Éomer's Red.
* RequisiteRoyalRegalia: He starts with the Ring of Barahir, a remnant of the North-Kingdom's regalia, and the shards of Narsil, the (royal) Sword that was Broken. He later receives the scepter of Annúminas, the winged crown of Gondor, and (in the Unfinished Tales) the Elendilmir of Valandil and of Isildur.
* RightfulKingReturns: [[ItWasHisSled The best-known one in literature, except possibly King Arthur]]. Gondor's been waiting hundreds of years for The Return of the King. It's worth noting however, that although it is his birthright to do so, he ''refuses'' to enter Gondor as a king and just take the throne, believing that doing so would be the act of a tyrant. He only sets foot in the city when he is willingly invited and welcomed by the people.
* RoyalBlood: The purest now left, at least for the Dúnedain. Frequently, the narration points out Aragorn's kingly bearing that makes him seem taller and the other man smaller, along with something like a "white flame" appearing over his brow (i.e. the shadow of a crown).
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: A WarriorPrince, healer, and tracker, and entirely willing to sacrifice his own life if necessary to help defeat Sauron.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: To the point of being able to read ''individual blades of grass''. Though it's a remark by Gimli, he isn't exaggerating that much.
* StandardHeroReward: The throne of Gondor and Arwen's hand in marriage, for defeating Sauron.
* SupportingLeader: Former TropeNamer. Aragorn may be more impressive than the Hobbits, but he's really mostly there to back up the Mannish kingdoms and distract Sauron long enough for Frodo to destroy the Ring.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Aragorn is The Hunter, seeking a place for himself in this world and to prove himself worthy to get what he wants, Elrond is The Lord, well-established, striving to maintain a balance and preserve what he has, Gandalf is The Prophet, the guide who tries to impress his wisdom on the young ones.
* UnevenHybrid: Aragorn has some elven ancestry a few thousand years prior to the events in the story due to him being the last heir of Gondor. He's also part-Maiar via Lúthien's mother.
* WalkingTheEarth: As a Ranger he's patrolled the old regions of Arnor with the purpose of staying hidden until the right time and protecting their inhabitants, including those in Bree and the Shire. He's also served in Gondor and Rohan under an alias and journeyed as far as Harad, the south lands controlled by Sauron.
* WarriorPrince: Like most princes of the Men, Elves, and Dwarves.
* WeaponOfChoice: His sword Andúril, reforged from Narsil.
* YoungAndInCharge: Of the Three Hunters, [[AllThereInTheManual per the Appendices]]: compared to Legolas’s hundreds of years and Gimli’s age of 139[[note]]Appendix A lists Gimli’s birth year as 2879, and the Hunters were active in 3019, making Gimli’s age at the time either 139 or 140.[[/note]], Aragorn is a relative tyke at the tender young age of 87. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in-universe due to Aragorn’s [[WalkingTheEarth extensive travels]] and [[ScarilyCompetentTracker superior tracking abilities]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Legolas]]

Legolas is the son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood, and is sent by his father to Rivendell to deliver news of Gollum's escape. There he becomes one of the Nine Walkers of the Fellowship. Compared to the rest of the Fellowship, he is rather lighthearted as is shown by his dialogue. He and Gimli do not get along well due to the longstanding animosity between dwarves and elves, but before the War of the Ring is over, they have become friends. After the breakup of the Fellowship, Legolas is warned by Galadriel that if he hears the cry of a gull, he will be drawn to the sea. True to Galadriel's prediction, he hears the cry of a gull and becomes overwhelmed with a desire to sail West. It is not until many years after the War of the Ring ends, however, that Legolas builds a ship and sails to Valinor.
----
* ArcherArchetype: He uses a bow almost exclusively -- the only other weapon he ever carries is a knife. Like most Elves he's elegant and graceful with his chosen weapon. He also comes across as somewhat haughty.
* BashBrothers: with Gimli.
* BodyCountCompetition: UrExample, with Gimli.
* BowAndSwordInAccord: He has both a bow and a long knife for combat, although he prefers the bow.
* DeadpanSnarker: In the books, as [[CaptainObvious opposed to the films]]. "Obviously, the hobbit grew wings and flew away to escape the orcs. All we need to do is grow wings ourselves!"
* ElvesVsDwarves: To start with, but subverted as he and Gimli become close friends.
* TheEmpath: Sort of. Not for people, but for plants and animals and the land in general. He can hear the "thoughts" of stones and trees and grass. He can talk to horses and can understand how they feel from their neighs. And a few days in to the chase in Rohan when Aragorn comments that it is almost as though there is some power working against them in the land, Legolas tells him that there is in fact, and he noticed it the very moment they set foot on the plains.
* ExposedToTheElements: The Fellowship has been crossing miles of wild terrain, as well as climbing a mountain, and instead of wearing boots like a normal person Legolas only has light shoes, and is just fine. And that snow storm that nearly killed everyone else? It "troubled him little".
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Apparently elves in general are this, provided that animal itself is good. (Wood-elves, anyway. High Elves like Glorfindel apparently use saddles.)
--> "A smaller and lighter horse, but restive and fiery, was brought to Legolas. Arod was his name. But Legolas asked them to take off saddle and rein. 'I need them not,' he said, and he leaped lightly up, and to their wonder Arod was tame and willing beneath him, moving here and there with but a spoken word: such was the elvish way with all good beasts."
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Gimli.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Implied. When Galadriel is testing the fellowship, only Legolas and Aragorn could look her in the eye for long.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears a Elven hooded cloak given by the Lady Galadriel. Though it's not said if he had his own cloak before this, like the others.
* KnifeNut: When he runs out of arrows, e.g. at Amon Hen.
* NatureLover: When the Three Hunters come down from the rocky and barren Emyn Muil and step onto the plains of Rohan:
--> "Legolas took a deep breath, like one that drinks a great draught after long thirst in barren places. 'Ah! the green smell!' he said. 'It is better than much sleep. Let us run!'"
* OddFriendship: With Gimli, which probably weirds out both their fathers and countrymen.
* OhCrap: He ''completely'' loses it when he sees the Balrog. Made all the more powerful by the fact that this is the only point of the series where he's afraid, and he is full on terrified.
--> "Ai, Ai! A Balrog is come!"
* OlderThanTheyLook: Calls Aragorn and Gimli, both of particularly long-lived races, "children." His exact age is never given, but it's more than 500.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The aforementioned OhCrap. Legolas even laughed off an angry, sentient mountain trying to bury them in an avalanche, but not this. (And for good reason: Balrogs are well-known {{Hero Killer}}s. Even those who defeat them always end up mortally injured.)
* OutOfFocus: This tends to happen to him most among the Fellowship, especially during the first part of their journey. From the time they see crows in Hollin until the end of the storm on Caradhras he is not mentioned once. Partly justified as Legolas walked behind everyone else as the rearguard, so Frodo, the viewpoint character, would be much less likely to notice what he's doing.
* PrettyBoy: "Legolas was fair of face beyond the measure of Men."
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething[=/=]WarriorPrince: He's the prince of Mirkwood.
%%* TheSmartGuy
* SuperSenses: This is common with elves. They have better sight and possibly hearing than mortals. Legolas can see much farther than anyone else in the fellowship. He can also hear the thoughts of trees and grass and stones... possibly. It might be figurative.
--> "But the Elves of this land were of a race strange to us of the silvan folk, and the trees and the grass do not now remember them. Only I hear the stones lament them: ''deep they delved us, fair they wrought us, high they builded us, but they are gone.'' They are gone."
** He can also walk on top of snow drifts leaving hardly an imprint in the snow, and walk on grass without bending the blades.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Gimli. The fact that Legolas's father kept Gimli's father captive in ''The Hobbit'' doesn't help.
* WeaponOfChoice: Bow and long knife.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gimli]]

The token dwarf. Gimli son of Glóin attends the council at Rivendell and is chosen as the representative for his race within the Fellowship. After that he primarily runs around as a BoisterousBruiser, forming an OddFriendship with Legolas. Legolas even took him with him across the sea to Eressëa near the end of his life, making Gimli the only Dwarf to dwell in that land.
----
* AlliterativeFamily: Gimli son of Glóin son of Gróin.
* AnAxeToGrind: His weapon of choice is a battle-axe he inherited from his father.
* BadassBeard: Like all dwarves, even the female ones.
* BashBrothers: with Legolas, once they get past the [[ElvesVsDwarves dwarf-elf rivalry]].
* BerserkButton: Insults to Lady Galadriel.
* BigDamnHeroes: When Éomer is tripped up and ambushed in Helm's Deep, Gimli appears out of nowhere to chop up his attackers.
* TheBigGuy: Despite being a dwarf. He's a very strong fighter with great endurance and a powerful weapon.
* BodyCountCompetition: UrExample, with Legolas.
* DeadpanSnarker : Has his moments.
-->"Well, (the horses) are gone," said Aragorn at last. "We cannot find them or catch them; so that if they do not return of their own will, we must do without. We started on our feet and we have those still.
-->"Feet!" said Gimli. "But we cannot eat them as well as walk on them." He there some fuel onto the fire and slumped down beside it.
-->"Only a few hours ago you were unwilling to sit on a horse of Rohan," Legolas laughed."You will make a rider yet."
-->"It seems unlikely I shall have the chance," said Gimli.
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Gimli is the TropeCodifier. Dwarfs in older myths were not too different from TheFairFolk. Tolkien's dwarves in ''Literature/TheHobbit'' established that his 'dwarves' were prosaic folk, with a tendency toward {{Greed}} but a strong sense of personal loyalty and family honor: it also established their ancient hatred of goblins/orcs. Gimli's characterization expanded on the fixtures of the trope: the dwarves' ProudWarriorRaceGuy code, their tendency to go armed and armored in ''all'' situations, their preference for axes, and a personality that's gruff and often ComicallySerious.
* DuelToTheDeath: When Éomer speaks ill of 'the Sorceress of the Golden Wood,' Gimli immediately challenges Eomer to such a duel. Events call for a postponement. The honorable Éomer’s the one who reminds Gimli of this appointment after they've triumphed, but Gimli decides to call it off.
* TheDulcineaEffect: Galadriel has this impact on him, despite her being a completely different species. He has ''strong'' words with anyone who repeats the usual rumors of how dangerous and witchlike the Lady of Lorien is.
* FireForgedFriends: Gets along much better with Éomer after they've fought alongside each other in Helm's Deep.
* ElvesVsDwarves: Initially, but subverted when he becomes friendly with Legolas and admires Galadriel's beauty.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Legolas, as they travel Middle Earth together after Aragorn becomes king. Gimli even accompanies Legolas to the Isles of the Blessed.
* HiddenDepths: Though he often behaves in a fashion typical of dwarfs (that is to say, boisterous and standoffish), he frequently surprises others - especially elves - with his silver tongue and reverence for natural beauty. He does it often enough to qualify as a RunningGag, but the very best examples are with Éomer and Galadriel.
* HypocriticalHumor: Gimli proudly declares that dwarves like him can out-endure the other races. After that day's trek, Boromir jests that they're all ready to drop except "our sturdy dwarf", who is nodding where he sits.
* ImplacableMan: Although it turns out that Gimli ''still'' has enough energy to battle the ambushing Uruk-Hai and follow Aragorn for four days in the hopes of rescuing or avenging Merry and Pippin.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears a traveler's hooded cloak just like the Dwarves in ''The Hobbit''. Later, it's replaced by one of Elven make.
* JumpedAtTheCall: He wanted to join the original Quest for Erebor from The Hobbit, but at "only" 62, was thought to be too young.
* LadyAndKnight: He essentially becomes Galadriel's knight, since she gives him a type of favour in the shape of three of her hairs, he's ready to defend her honour, and he nearly fights a duel with Éomer when he insults her.
* OddFriendship: With Legolas. Considering what went on between their fathers in ''The Hobbit'', one wonders how Glóin's going to feel about this.
* OhCrap: Unlike his companions (except perhaps Gandalf), Gimli knows the history of Moria. He's appalled when he learns "Durin's Bane" is approaching.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Dwarves are very strong for their size.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Marginally: Gimli is a cousin of Dáin II, King of Durin's Folk and King Under the Mountain, but he's not the heir to that title.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Legolas.
* WarriorPoet: Especially when he's describing the Glittering Caves beneath Helm's Deep, or the beauty of Galadriel. When the Fellowship leaves Lothlórien to continue its quest, he is heartbroken:
--> "Torment in the dark was the danger that I feared, and it did not hold me back. But I would have never come, had I known the danger of light and joy."
* WeaponOfChoice: Axe. [[CrazyPrepared Several of them.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Boromir]]

The favorite son and heir of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. Boromir is a mighty warrior of his people and their champion, more focused on feats of arms than his wiser and more bookish brother Faramir.
----
* AncestralWeapon: Rather, item - as Heir of the Steward, he carries the Horn of Gondor at all times. [[spoiler:Becomes a TragicKeepsake for his father after he dies.]]
* AnnoyingArrows: [[spoiler:Subverted. It takes a hell of a lot, but they do eventually kill him.]]
* AntiHero: The reason he tries to claim the One Ring is to bring glory to Gondor.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Loves his younger brother deeply, and tries to protect him from the harsh treatment of their father.
* TheBigGuy: He's tall and broad enough to serve as a human snowplow when trying to cross Caradhas. Stated as the physically strongest member of the Felloswhip.
* BlueBlood: The Stewards have always been very powerful Blue Bloods in Gondor (which is why they managed to keep the title in the family at all, until it eventually became hereditary), without ever being "royalty".
* BoisterousBruiser: As most Gondorian men, he was quite fond of battle and boisterous about it.
* BrokenAce: He was a proud, gallant warrior but the pressure put on him as the Steward's heir to protect his people and his despair of winning without using the power of the Ring eroded his common sense. This made him a perfect target for the One Ring.
* TheChosenWannabe: He wants to use the ring to save Gondor. The ring plays on these feelings until he finally assaults Frodo to take the ring.
* TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong:
** He tends to raise objections, suggest alternate (and infeasible) plans, raise issues and generally grumble. [[SourSupporter He's brave and reliable, but he's not cheerful about it.]]
** When he is right though (regarding firewood in the mountains), he probably saves the Fellowship's lives.
* TheDeterminator: You could pretty much rename this trope 'The Boromir' and it would still be accurate.
* DyingAsYourself: [[spoiler:As soon as Frodo flees and takes the Ring with him, its effect on him wears off and he instantly repents his attempt to steal it. His HeroicSacrifice trying to save Merry and Pippin is his atonement.]]
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Slays dozens of orcs defending Merry and Pippin until he is riddled by arrows.]]
* FallenHero: He was a valiant warrior trying to save his country, his people's champion, but he couldn't resist the temptation of the Ring.
* FamilyThemeNaming: Boromir and Faramir.
* {{Foil}}: To Faramir, who's less militaristic and more studious. Also, Faramir is able to resist temptation.
* GlorySeeker: Unlike Faramir. Boromir loves Gondor and wants to save it for its own sake, but he also wants the renown of being its savior.
* GoOutWithASmile: After Aragorn promises to take up the defense of Gondor in his stead, Boromir smiles and passes.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Several (dozen) generations removed. He and Faramir (as well as their maternal uncle, Prince Imrahil) actually are descended from elf maiden Mithrellas, the legendary handmaiden of Nimrodel who married a Prince of Dol Amroth. May explain why many characters think they appear noble and regal like the ancient Dúnadan kings.
* HonorBeforeReason: A twisted variation of it. What dooms Boromir in the end is his honorbound oath to protect Gondor, which the Ring uses to twist his mind until he tries to claim the Ring for itself.
* InTheHood: Like most of the Fellowship, he wears an Elven hooded cloak given by the Lady Galadriel.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:He is only member of the Fellowship that doesn't have a fake death, nor does he come back to life. He's the only one that dies permanently.]]
* TheLancer: He never tries to assert leadership, but he regularly suggests alternate courses of action - usually good, solid advice, but clearly centered on his own concern: saving Gondor.
* LargeAndInCharge: Tall and broad-shouldered: he often led the forces of Gondor in battle, and was slated to replace his father as Steward eventually.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: After realizing what was doing after trying to take the Ring from Frodo.]]
* ManlyTears: [[spoiler: As he lays dying, in remorse for attacking Frodo and then being unable to prevent Merry and Pippin's capture.]]
* MeaningfulName: His name means "faithful jewel" from Sindarin "bôr" and Quenya "mírë".
* {{Pride}}: One of his defining trait. [[spoiler:and one which leads to his downfall]].
* TheProudElite: The Steward's heir, tall, fit, good-looking, his people's champion: men used to say he was the best in Gondor, and [[{{Pride}} he agreed]].
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: His brother had a lot of those, and Boromir at least one: it drove him to seek Rivendell and the counsel of Elrond.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: A Númenórean trait. Both he and his brother are said to be attractive.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:See DyingAsYourself. He atoned for his attack on Frodo by sacrificing himself trying to safe the other Hobbits.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: The Red to Faramir's Blue. He was the vivacious charismatic warrior while Faramir was the more reserved intellectual.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Ruling Stewards' firstborns, rather.
* SanitySlippage: Happens gradually as his desire for the Ring slowly drives him mad until he finally snaps and attacks Frodo. [[spoiler:He gets better though, for a short time.]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Boromir is a warrior born, strong, proud, and a favorite of the {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s of Rohan. This is in contrast to his equally brave, but more thoughtful and less prideful brother.
* SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler:Tried to pulled off a HeroicSacrifice to atone for trying to steal the One Ring, but it ended up being a SenselessSacrifice to his despair, as he couldn't stop Merry and Pippin from being captured in the end]]. [[spoiler: [[RedemptionEqualsDeath Pretty much everyone still gives him credit for trying, though.]]]]
* ShoutOut: His great horn and some aspects of his character is a homage to the medieval French epic ''Literature/TheSongOfRoland'', where the paladin Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, bears the horn Olifant. [[spoiler:Like Boromir, Roland blows his horn to summon help when surrounded by enemies, but still dies. Roland's fatal flaw is also pride, as he refused to sound his horn earlier thinking that he could defeat his foes by his own power. Boromir is convinced of his and Gondor's ability to defeat Sauron on their own if the Ring was allowed to be used.]]
* SiblingYinYang: He's the opposite of his brother Faramir, though that doesn't spoil their close friendship.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Both he and his brother.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: The Hunter in the Steward family (Denethor and his sons). He used to dream of being King despite it not being an option. Now he is trying to find his place in the world and is ready to take risks to further his goals.
* TragicHero: He is desperate to save his homeland, but cannot see how it can be done. The One Ring seems to present a way to do it.
* WarriorPrince: Unlike his brother he's particularly enamoured of the warrior ethos and the "glory" of warfare, as he sees it. The Rohirrim, who knew him well, thought he was more like themselves than a man of Gondor.
* WeaponOfChoice: Sword and shield.
[[/folder]]

!!Rohirrim

[[folder:Théoden]]

King of Rohan, uncle of Éowyn and Éomer. Théoden is betrayed by his servant Gríma who enfeebled and confused him. While Gandalf helped him come to his senses, the damage has already been done: his armies are in disarray, bands of wild men have ransacked the countryside and his only son and heir is dead. Théoden faces the challenge of standing amongst legends in the midst of his failure trying to find his own strength again which he eventually does in the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
----
* AlliterativeFamily: Théoden son of Thengel, father of Théodred and brother of Théodwyn.
* BadassBeard: Long and snow-white.
* BadassGrandpa: He fights at Helm's Deep and Pelennor at the age of 71, and makes a good accounting of himself. Tolkien said he was supposed to be the embodiment of the Nordic theory of courage -- he fights on even though he knows he's doomed.
* BattleCry: "Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!"
* BigDamnHeroes: Just after the door of Minas Tirith was broken and with the Witch-King seemingly about to be victorious, he arrives with his Rohirrim army and gives hope back to the good guys.
* {{Expy}}: Has many similarities to Literature/{{Beowulf}}, being an old but still strong warrior and much-beloved king [[spoiler: who dies in his final battle and is buried with honour]]. Note that Tolkien was a well-known scholar of Old English and based the Rohirrim on the Anglo-Saxons.
* {{Foil}}: To Denethor. Both began as good rulers, but where Denethor succumbed to grief, madness and suicide, Théoden 'woke' from his madness, set aside his sorrow, and made a HeroicSacrifice to save his land.
* HesBack: After Gandalf awakened him. Each successive soldier who sees him standing upright and strong again immediately kneels and says "Command me, lord!" in shock and joy.
* HeroicBSOD: He was trapped in a perpetual one until members of the Fellowship arrived.
* HumbleHero: He considers his position a grave responsibility and a burden, and is haunted by his failures. In speaking with Saruman he refers to himself as 'a lesser son of greater sires'; even after the heroic deeds he performs on his dying day, he mentions that he 'need not now be ashamed' to join the Kings of Rohan who died before him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Merry.
* IAmXSonOfY: Théoden, son of Thengel.
* TheLastOfHisKind: He's of the second male line of the Kings of Rohan. With the death of his only son at the Battle of the Fords of Isen [[spoiler: and later his own death at Pelennor Fields]], the second line died out.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: According to Gandalf, Théoden was the only person in the Kingdom of Rohan who referred to Wormtongue as Gríma.
* MeaningfulName: "People-king" in Anglo-Saxon, and presumably his real (untranslated) name meant something similar.
* MoreThanMindControl: Théoden isn't under a magical enchantment as in the films, but he's being manipulated and possibly poisoned by a minion of Saruman to make him weak and ineffective.
* NamedWeapons: His sword is called Herugrim.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Éowyn and Éomer. And oddly enough to Merry, apparently, even though Merry's father Saradoc is alive and well. At least Merry claims Théoden was as a father to him.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: As all Rohirrim are.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: After Gandalf nullifies Wormtongue's misdirections.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: He seems to think so. He's very hard on himself about his failures until he finds the courage to come to Gondor's aid. As he's dying, he smiles knowing that he's earned his place in the halls of his fathers.
* RousingSpeech: To the Rohirrim before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He adamantly refuses to stay behind or go to hide in safety when the rest of his people ride to the Battle of Helm's Deep, despite being 71 years old.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Éomer]]

Théoden's nephew, and leader of a substantial cavalry unit, Éomer does not approve of the advice Grí­ma has been offering, and the orders Théoden has issued on the basis of it. He is on an unauthorised mission when the three hunters first meets him, and in prison on charges of mutiny and assault when they reach Edoras. As Théoden's nearest male blood relative, the role of heir-apparent devolves onto him.
----
* BashBrothers: He becomes this with Aragorn.
* BattleCry: "''Death!''"
* TheBerserker: Shades of this during the Battle of Pelennor Fields, during which he spends most of his time raging like a madman as he rides down Orcs and Men in a frenzy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Éowyn, his sister.
* TheDulcineaEffect: At the very end, [[spoiler:he says he'll duel over the Lady ''Arwen's'' beauty. Gimli calls it off, saying that Arwen is the evening to Galadriel's morning so they're basically even.]]
* FamilyThemeNaming: Éomer son of Éomund and brother of Éowyn.
* HotBlooded: In the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, his fury nearly cost him and his men their life, as his reckless charge lead to them being surrounded on all front by enemies.
* TheJuggernaut: One of the other two in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields who was unstoppable.
* LargeAndInCharge: Described as being the tallest of the Rohirrim under his command.
* LastStand: He is ready to make one when he is caught in a seemingly hopeless situation during the Battle, right before [[BigDamnHeroes Aragorn]] comes to save the day.
--> He let blow the horns to rally all men to his banner that could come thither; for he thought to make a great shield-wall at the last, and stand, and fight there on foot till all fell, and do deeds of song on the fields of Pelennor, though no man should be left in the West to remember the last King of the Mark.
* LikeASonToMe: Although Théoden calls him "sister-son" at first, he decides to call Éomer just "son" after a while, since Théodred has died and Éomer is now his direct heir, on top of Théoden having raised him since the death of his sister and brother-in-law.
* LeeroyJenkins: His reaction to seeing his sister apparently dead was to charge headlong at the enemy, resulting in the above mentioned Last Stand.
* MeaningfulName: "Horse-famous" in Anglo-saxon. Presumably his real (untranslated) name had the same meaning.
* NamedWeapons: Gúthwinë
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: When he finds Théoden dead, and believes Éowyn to be dead as well.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: Orphaned at a young age, raised by [[ParentalSubstitute his uncle]].
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: like most of the Rohirrim.
* PutTheLaughterInSlaughter: He was having a lot of fun on the Pelennor fields, singing and laughing.
--> For once more lust of battle was on him; and he was still unscathed, and he was young, and he was king: the lord of a fell people.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He listens to what Aragorn has to say when he catches him with Legolas and Gimli in Rohan, and helps them by giving them mounts.
* RedOniBlueOni: His sister (the icy IronLad) is the blue and he (TheBerserker raging warrior) is the red. He's also the Red to Aragorn's Blue, given Aragorn is much more "kingly" composed.
* RousingSpeech: He gives one of these twice in a row to the Rohirrim: right after [[spoiler:finding the bodies of his uncle and sister on the battlefield]], and again when he realizes they're surrounded and probably going to die.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething[=/=]WarriorPrince: He's the nephew of Théoden, and grandson of the previous king Thengel.
* TheStoic: When he's not in battle.
* UnstoppableRage: When he sees [[spoiler:his sister's body]] on the battlefield.
* WarriorPoet: He improvises some rather dark verses when he sees the carnage of the Pelennor Fields.
--> ''Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising''\\
''I came singing in the sun, sword unsheathing.''\\
''To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking:''\\
''Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!''
* YouAreInCommandNow: He becomes King of the Mark when Théoden falls at Pelennor.
* WillNotTellALie: His words: "the Men of the Mark do not lie, and therefore they are not easily deceived."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Éowyn]]

Éomer's sister, and much beloved of Théoden... as well as [[StalkerWithACrush Gríma]]. Éowyn yearns to fight for her country and win honor like her brother and uncle, and falls in love with Aragorn. When both desires are rejected and the victory of Mordor seems inevitable, she becomes a DeathSeeker, hoping to fall valiantly in battle before Sauron conquers everything.
----
* ActionGirl: Women have to stay behind while the men go to war? [[SweetPollyOliver Screw that]]!
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: To Aragorn.
* BadassNormal: Compared with all the elves, dwarves, wizards or other super-powered men of exalted lineage in this book, Éowyn was just a normal woman. It didn't keep her from taking down the Witch-King with the help of Merry, an even more "normal" badass.
* BerserkerTears: There were tears on her cheek when she was facing the Witch-King of Angmar.
* BetaCouple ''and'' BirdsOfAFeather: With Faramir.
* BigDamnHeroes: Her and Merry saved the Day in a big CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* BrokenBird: She has been forced to nurse an ailing uncle and endure the sexual harassment of his EvilChancellor for years. Not to mention her ParentalAbandonment issues, her cousin dying in battle, her beloved older brother being imprisoned, and of course [[DespairEventHorizon a war coming that may destroy them all]]...
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: She literally broke her arm in the struggle against the Witch-King, but it was her ''other'' arm that was the problem--mere contact with him through the sword nearly killed her.
* CallToAgriculture: After Sauron is defeated, Éowyn no longer desires to be a slayer and even possibly a queen, instead resolving to be a healer who loves "all things that grow". Faramir proposes that they start a garden somewhere.
* DeathGlare: At the Lord of the Nazgûl. [[StaringDownCthulhu He was not amused]].
* DeathSeeker: Already a GlorySeeker, she becomes this as well after Aragorn chides her for LovingAShadow. Her expression is described as "the face of one who goes seeking death, having no hope."
* DefrostingIceQueen: She was [[EmotionlessGirl cold]] before, but in the Houses of Healing she slowly warms up to Faramir, eventually falling in love with him.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Goes up against the Witch-King of Angmar and, with Merry's help, defeats him.
* DontYouDarePityMe: She says this to Faramir with the line, "I desire no man's pity." (Faramir responds with a rare defense of pity: "Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart.")
* EmotionlessGirl: She seemed very cold and dispassionate to the other characters before she went to battle, and she stays cool and collected even while facing the Witch-King.
* FamilyThemeNaming: "Éowyn" is a mix of her parents's names Éomund and Théodwyn, and her brother is Éomer.
* GlorySeeker: Since she's from a ProudWarriorRace, she frets at missing out on all the great deeds in battle because she's a woman. Amplified by becoming a DeathSeeker, since death in battle is most glorious for the Rohirrim. Even after she's injured killing the Witch-king, she doesn't like being stuck with the medics while the army of Rohan confronts Sauron.
* TheGoodChancellor: Théoden left her in charge of the kingdom in his absence, possibly leaving her the throne if he and Éomer didn't return. However subverted as she followed him to war in disguise.
* GoThroughMe: She stood before the Lord of the Nazgûl to protect her uncle.
--> A cold voice answered: ‘Come not between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye.’
--> A sword rang as it was drawn. ‘Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may.’
* LadyOfWar: She manages to keep an air of grace and beauty usually associated with [[ProperLady Proper Ladies]] while still being a very capable warrior.
--> Still she did not blench: maiden of the Rohirrim, child of kings, slender but as a steel-blade, fair yet terrible.
* LikeADaughterToMe: Théoden initially refers to her as "sister-daughter" but eventually drops that and simply calls her daughter.
* LovingAShadow: This is how Aragorn describes her attachment to him to her brother, comparing it to a soldier's love for a valiant captain. [[spoiler: He proves it via calling out to her borderline comatose self as he heals her with ''athelas'', and then telling Éomer to do the same when she doesn't reply. Éomer easily succeeds where Aragorn fails, and Aragorn takes it as a proof.]]
* MamaBear: Inverted. When Théoden is attacked and defeated by the Witch-King, she steps between them and says that she'll kill the Nazgûl if he gets close to her uncle, and demonstrates the credibility of her threat by effortlessly [[OffWithHisHead decapitating]] his mount when he mocks her.
-->"Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, [[YouShallNotPass I shall smite you, if you touch him."]]
* MeaningfulName: "Horse-joy" in Anglo-Saxon. Presumably her "real" (untranslated) name meant something similar.
* MyGirlBackHome: She was this for her father, brother and uncle until she decided to go with them instead.
* NervesOfSteel: The Nazgûl's main ability is the power to inspire fear in the heart of the bravest of men: their cry and shadow can reduce experienced soldiers to a broken crying mess, trained warriors flee before them. The Witch-King is the worst of them. But when he threatens Éowyn, standing alone before him, to an eternity of torture in the houses of lamentation beyond all darkness, she doesn't even flinch. And then ''she laughs at his face''.
* NoManOfWomanBorn: Aside from ''Macbeth,'' probably the most famous example of this trope. The Witch-King is quite smug, quoting that prophecy in 'Dernhelm's' face...
* NotSoStoic: She breaks for a moment when she falls on her knees and begs Aragorn to take her with him on the Path of Death, in desperation. She also has a little moment of weakness when she is asking Faramir to order the healers to let her go.
* ParentalAbandonment: Orphaned at a young age, raised by [[ParentalSubstitute her uncle]].
* PairTheSpares: With Faramir. Accomplished uncommonly well.
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: "But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter, and you stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you if you touch him."
* PrettyPrincessPowerhouse: This King's niece fights for her country and takes down the leader of the Ringwraiths himself.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Rohirrim are a proud, fierce and war-loving people, who value courage, loyalty and truthfulness above all and hold warriors in the greatest of honor. Éowyn shares this worldview (at least at first), which is why it is even more unbearable for her to just sit and wait as others do all the fighting.
* RebelliousPrincess: Although she doesn't carry the title of "princess", her uncle the King raised her as his daughter and she is his second in line of descent after his son's death. When he leaves for war, she chooses to disobey him and follow him into battle.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: She's the Blue Oni to her brother's Red Oni.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She is of the Royal House of Rohan and she will ''not'' be left behind.
* SamusIsAGirl: She took up the alias of "Dernhelm" to go to war. However, it may be that the soldiers around her knew but looked the other way.
* SecondLove: She ends up with Faramir after having had a short [[LovingAShadow soldier crush]] on Aragorn.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She falls in love with Faramir for his more admirable qualities after [[LovingAShadow having pursued Aragorn for the wrong reasons]].
* SpiritedYoungLady: We see this side of her when she is teasing Faramir on the walls of Minas Tirith in particular.
* StaringDownCthulhu: Her eyes grey as the sea were [[DeathGlare hard and fell]] and made the Witch-King, Captain of Despair, spear of terror in the hand of Sauron, doubt himself.
* StayInTheKitchen: For years she is relegated to tending Théoden and being stalked by Wormtongue while the men ride off to war. When Théoden himself finally rides off to war she wants to go too, but she's left in charge in his absence. Later she wants to follow Aragorn, but is rejected. She goes in disguise to the Battle of Pelennor Fields anyway where she kills the Witch-king. When Éomer wonders why she did such a thing, Gandalf and Aragorn point out that at least he could relieve his stress and despair by going out to kill Orcs while she had no such option.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Aragorn, Legolas and Merry describe her as [[EmotionlessGirl cold and stern]] when we see her in Rohan, but she shows a [[DefrostingIceQueen much warmer and affectionate side]] to Faramir in the Houses of Healing, even before he declares his love for her.
* SweetPollyOliver: Dresses up as "Dernhelm" so she can sneak into the army.
* ThreatBackfire: No living man may hinder the leader of the Ringwraiths... but Éowyn is a woman.
* TranquilFury: Before the Lord of the Nazgûl. Calm and deadly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Grí­ma Wormtongue]]

A man of Rohan who was seduced by Saruman's promises of power, Wormtongue was King Théoden's adviser. He used clever words and "leechcraft" to wear down the aging king's mind, weakening the kingdom and allowing Saruman's armies to run rampant.
----
* DirtyCoward: Despite repeated offers of forgiveness from the good guys, he is too spineless to leave Saruman -- especially when proving his loyalty to Rohan requires saddling up and joining the army at Helm's Deep.
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Killing Saruman once he has had enough of his mistreatment]].
* EvilChancellor: To Théoden, as an agent of Saruman.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: [[spoiler:Frodo offers him a very-undeserved chance to turn his life around, and he seems to want to accept it; then, Saruman reveals what Grí­ma ''[[IAmAHumanitarian did]]'' to Lotho Sackville-Baggins, and everything just goes to hell.]]
* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:The way Saruman treats him, especially after the fall of Isengard.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: Though how much of that was Saruman's ideas isn't clear.
* MeaningfulName: "Grí­ma" is an Old English word meaning both mask and spectre/goblin/nightmare.
* TheMole: In Rohan, the spy and agent of Saruman.
* ObviouslyEvil: Everyone in Rohan is blond, tall, and broad. Grí­ma is described as dark-haired and generally... slimy-looking.
* OhCrap: Realizing that his men failed to confiscate Gandalf's staff. In ''The Unfinished Tales'', Tolkien's notes reveal he had a run in with the Nazgûl while he was on his way to see Saruman - whom they had just been interrogating on the whereabouts of the Shire - and was so terrified that he revealed Saruman had lied to them.
* TheQuisling: He turned traitor on Rohan after Saruman promised him money and/or power.
* SmugSnake: He loses control as soon as Gandalf enters the scene and flies back to hide behind his master.
* StalkerWithACrush: To Éowyn.
* SycophanticServant: To Saruman, especially towards the end.
* TreacherousAdvisor: Saruman planted him in Rohan solely to weaken the king so the country could be easily conquered.
[[/folder]]

!!Men of Gondor
See also Boromir above.

[[folder:Faramir]]

Boromir's younger brother, but the two are quite different; while Boromir is constantly tempted by the Ring and succumbs to it, Faramir [[IncorruptiblePurePureness rejects it on principle]] without even seeing it. (This was changed [[RuleOfDrama for dramatic reasons]] in the films.) He becomes even more central in the third novel, as the action moves to his homeland of Gondor.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: Men have deemed him second to his brother Boromir all his life, being more gentle and scholarly, less flamboyant than his brother in times of war when warriors were honored above all (even his father loved Boromir most). And after the War, he became second best to King Elessar. Note that he never grew bitter about his eternal second place (quite the opposite really).
* AuthorAvatar: Tolkien has stated that Faramir is the character the closest to his personality except in courage. This was shaped by Tolkien's experiences in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI.
* BadassBookworm: Far more scholarly than his brother Boromir, and far more interested in the history and lore of Gondor, but a very capable soldier and commander as well.
** When he meets LoveInterest Éowyn, the PrettyPrincessPowerhouse of a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Race]] that includes [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu herself]] ''and'' her Berserker brother, they're both recovering from serious illness, and Faramir still comes off as one of the greatest warriors of the age:
--> And she looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and yet knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark would outmatch in battle.
* BetaCouple: With Éowyn.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Faramir is one of the sweetest, gentlest characters in the setting, but see the entry for BadassBookworm above.
* BlueBlood: The Stewards have always been very powerful Blue Bloods in Gondor (which is why they managed to keep the title in the family at all, until it eventually became hereditary), without ever being "royalty".
* TheCaptain: Of the Rangers of Ithilien, played straight.
* CallToAgriculture: Sounds like he's having such a call when he and Éowyn confess to each other. At that point, his demotion from "Ruling" Steward was imminent. But later the newly-crowned king Aragorn makes him Prince of the province of Ithilien.
* TheCreon: Unlike his brother Boromir, Faramir seems to have no intentions of grabbing any power - rejecting an overwhelming opportunity and motive to become the Ruling Steward of Gondor or even the King.
* CulturedWarrior: Offers a history lesson to the Hobbits after having taken them prisoners in the aftermath of a bloody battle with the Haradrim.
* DreamingOfTimesGoneBy: He often dreams of the Downfall of Númenor, the isle that sank under the sea three thousand years ago. It is based on Tolkien's own of a land being drowned beneath a rushing wave.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: The {{Unfavorite}} son who lost his beloved older brother, fighting a doomed war against the Dark Lord, and nearly becoming the victim in a murder-suicide by his own dad. Gets better, gets a princedom, gets true love.
* FamilyThemeNaming: Faramir and Boromir.
* HalfHumanHybrid:
** Several (dozen) generations removed. He and Boromir (as well as their maternal uncle, Prince Imrahil) actually are descended from elf maiden Mithrellas, the legendary Nimrodel's handmaiden who married a Prince of Dol Amroth. May explain why many characters think they appear noble and regal like the ancient Dúnadan kings.
** Word of God also has it that the Steward family is somehow descended from Anárion (Elendil's second son and Isildur's brother) - probably through a daughter since they have no claim to the throne. That would make them far ''far'' away descendants of Elros Half-Elven and ultimately Lúthien, like Aragorn.
* AFatherToHisMen: His men are extremely loyal to him because they know he cares for them and puts their welfare ahead of his own and will not waste their lives seeking for glory. Heck, he even inspires great loyalty in soldiers who ''aren't'' under his command.
* {{Foil}}: To his brother Boromir. They have very different ideologies in the book and make very different choices, most notably with the Ring. Although the brothers loved each other dearly, Faramir knew Boromir well enough to guess that the Ring found him easy prey.
--> "[Boromir] was a man after the sort of King Eärnur of old, taking no wife and delighting chiefly in arms; fearless and strong, but caring little for lore, save the tales of old battles. Faramir the younger was like him in looks but otherwise in mind. He read the hearts of men as shrewdly as his father, but what he read moved him sooner to pity than to scorn. He was gentle in bearing, and a lover of lore and of music, and therefore by many in those days his courage was judged less than his brother’s. But it was not so, except that he did not seek glory in danger without a purpose."
** Also to his father, Denethor. Both are noble and powerful pure-blooded Númenóreans with the abilities to read the hearts of other men and to command over them, who share a love for ancient lore and other scholarly pursuits over feats of arm. Yet [[LikeFatherLikeSon all these similarities]] only highlight their differences: the son is warm, gentle and understanding where the father is cold, harsh and scornful. Although both are very insightful into others' characters, Faramir pities and loves others, while Denethor looks down on them. Faramir chooses to keep on fighting despite having lost all hope, Denethor succumbs to despair. Faramir demonstrates humility and open-mindedness, Denethor displays arrogance and stubbornness, etc...
* GentlemanAndAScholar: Highly intelligent and scholarly, he is also a gracious host and very pleasant individual, able to have a good and friendly conversation with various people from very different cultures and background (Frodo, Sam, Éowyn, Merry, etc...).
* TheGoodChancellor: He comes from a whole line of those: despite being actually better rulers than their royal predecessors, none of the Ruling Steward ever tried to take the throne for themselves, and instead they did everything they could to preserve the realm against the growing threat in Mordor in the Name of the King. Faramir went on to be Aragorn's loyal Steward, his First Adviser and Head of the Council of Gondor.
* IGaveMyWord: In ''The Two Towers'', he rejects the temptation of the Ring in part because of this: "Not if I found it on the highway would I take it, I said. Even if I were such a man as to desire this thing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thing was when I spoke, still I should take these words as a vow, and be held by them."
* MartialPacifist: Violence is a last resort for him, which is why he spares even Gollum and treats him as well as he can while he is his prisoner. His men are also forbidden to harm animals.
* MeaningfulName: "Faramir" is Quenya for "jewel of the seashore", from "fára" (seashore) and "mírë" (jewel) - his mother was fond of the sea. Mardil Voronwë, the last Steward to a King and first Ruling Steward, was also the last of the stewards to have a Quenya name until Faramir, the last Ruling Steward and first Steward to a King since Mardil.
* TheMenFirst: The first time we saw him in ''The Return of the King'', he was ready to face five Nazgûl riding their fell beasts, alone on horseback, to protect three of his men who had fallen to the ground. Later, while holding the outer defenses against the armies of Mordor, he wouldn't leave his men behind and return to the safety of Minas Tirith, arranging instead for Gandalf himself to escort the wounded back. In the end, as captain, he was the last one to enter the city (or be carried in as it happens).
* MissingMom: His mother Finduilas died five years after his birth.
* NiceGuy: He treats Frodo and Sam very well, in the circumstances, and is kind to Éowyn in the Houses of Healing.
* OfficerAndAGentleman: Extremely honorable (to the point he wouldn't lie even to an orc) and impeccably courteous (even toward his war prisoners).
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: Has these sometimes. His repeated dream about seeking the Sword That was Broken was what impelled Boromir to seek out Rivendell. His repeated dreams of the Downfall of Númenor was based on Tolkien's own dreams of a land being drowned beneath a rushing wave.
* PsychicPowers: Like his father, he is repeatedly said to be able to "read the heart of men", and demonstrates this ability when he sees in Gollum's mind (which apparently has a lot of "locked doors and closed windows, and dark rooms behind them").
* RageBreakingPoint: He breaks for a second after his father admits to him he wishes Boromir - his most loyal son - had lived in his stead, resulting in TranquilFury: "For a moment Faramir’s restraint gave way. ‘I would ask you, my father, to remember why it was that I, not he, was in Ithilien. On one occasion at least your counsel has prevailed, not long ago. It was the Lord of the City that gave the errand to him.’" Precise and chillingly polite, yet adorned with that ironic ''my father'' to maximize impact. He goes straight for the jugular, blaming his father for his brother's death (and in the end it was one of those things that made Denethor snap - guilt over his sons' deaths).
* RavenHairIvorySkin: A Númenórean trait. Both he and his brother are said to be attractive.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He provides assistance to Frodo and Sam once he learns of their quest (after making them sweat a bit) and shows mercy to Gollum when Frodo vouches for him (though Gollum doesn't realize it).
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Boromir's Red.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Faramir is the sensitive one in this pair. And being the ''sensitive'' one of the pair he is shown leading a commando team well behind enemy lines, holding troops together with nothing but charisma while the Nazgûl are hovering above him, and defeating a great warrior in single combat. From all of which you will infer, he is part of a BadassFamily.
* SiblingYinYang: With Boromir; see {{Foil}}.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: He and his brother are described this way.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: He is the Prophet in the Denethor-Boromir-Faramir trio, the wise one despite being also the youngest.
* TheUnFavorite: Note that his brother Boromir (who was the favorite) deeply loves him and Faramir, far from being jealous, feels exactly the same. As the books themselves describe:
--> 'Between the brothers there was great love, and had been since childhood, when Boromir was the helper and protector of Faramir. No jealousy or rivalry had arisen between them since, for their father's favour or for the praise of men. It did not seem possible to Faramir that anyone in Gondor could rival Boromir, heir of Denethor, Captain of the White Tower.'
* WarriorPoet: Despite being a more than competent warrior, Faramir is first a scholar and devotes a lot of time to philosophy, lore and music.
--> "War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom."
* WarriorPrince: Though not technically royalty, he's the son of the Ruling Steward and ''de facto'' king of Gondor. He becomes a real Prince after the war when King Elessar offers him Ithilien as a principality.
* WillNotTellALie: Even to ensnare an orc. He does use [[HalfTruth half-truths]] and omissions however (against both Frodo and his father).
* WellDoneSonGuy: Subverted in that, while Denethor makes it clear he is a disappointment to him, Faramir ''doesn't'' compromise himself in trying to get his father's approval. Which actually is one of Denethor's major complaints about him.
--> "Your bearing is lowly in my presence, yet it is long now since you turned from your own way at my counsel."
* TheWisePrince: Practically his defining trait.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Denethor]]

Denethor is the Steward of Gondor, ruling the nation from Minas Tirith in the absence of the King. He is used to being in charge, and does not like the idea of having to give up power to the (possibly) rightful claimant to the throne. Denethor denies Aragorn's kingship on the basis that he is not Anárion's heir, whom the council of Gondorian nobles has always held the be only proper holder of the title 'King of Gondor.' Aragorn does descend from Anárion through Fíriel, daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor, but he is not a direct male-line descendant.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: Despite being very competent himself, in his youth Denethor was always placed second to captain Thorongil not only in the hearts of men but also in his father's love and esteem. He grew really bitter about this and rather insecure. By the time of the War of the Ring, he couldn't bear the thought of being second best to Gandalf in his son's heart and respect (whether this was true or not), nor second to Aragorn in honor and glory, which ended rather tragically for him.
* ArmchairMilitary: He is the supreme commander of Gondor's troops but never steps on the battlefield himself.
--> Denethor laughed bitterly. ‘Nay, not yet, Master Peregrin! [Sauron] will not come save only to triumph over me when all is won. He uses others as his weapons. So do all great lords, if they are wise, Master Halfling. Or why should I sit here in my tower and think, and watch, and wait, spending even my sons? For I can still wield a brand.’
* BlueBlood: The Stewards have always been very powerful Blue Bloods in Gondor (which is why they managed to keep the title in the family at all, until it eventually became hereditary), without ever being "royalty".
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:He loses his wife, both his sons, his city and people, and ends up lighting his own pyre in madness and despair.]]
* BurnBabyBurn: [[spoiler:How he meets his end.]]
* TheCaligula: Gradually devolves into this. Although he starts out as tough but reasonable -- lighting the beacons, sharing in the rationing -- his slide into despair erodes his sanity, and he starts becoming more paranoid and unreasonable.
* TheChessmaster: He thinks of the war as a duel between him, Gandalf and Sauron, and the participants as his pawns or theirs. He has been setting up his pieces into place for years, waiting for Sauron to finally strike. According to [[Literature/UnfinishedTalesOfNumenorAndMiddleEarth Unfinished Tales]], he did a rather good job.
--> Thus Sauron tested the strength and preparedness of Denethor, and found them more than he had hoped.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Faramir's apparent death]] and an extremely large invasion force at his doorstep, along with visions in the palantír which caused him to believe that Sauron had captured Frodo and thus obtained the ring:
--> "[Gandalf's] hope has failed. The Enemy has found it [the Ring], and now his power waxes; he sees our very thoughts, and all we do is ruinous."
* {{Determinator}}: It's often overlooked, but he used the palantir for ''years'' to contest his will against Sauron's, but was not overpowered the way Saruman was (despite Sarumon being a Maia, a being on the same order as Sauron). The reason Sauron shifted from attempting to dominate Denethor directly to pushing him over the DespairEventHorizon was ''because'' Denethor's will was too strong. It is also stated that Denethor was protected from corruption by the fact that he, as Steward ruling in the king's stead, possessed the legitimacy to use the palantir, something that Saruman lacked.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:And he very nearly takes Faramir with him.]]
* TheEeyore: The man lives on Sauron's doorstep... and his main information source is being manipulated by Sauron. Is it any wonder he's a pessimist?
* FallenHero: The tragedy of his fall lies in how great he could have been, had he been a little less proud and a little less desperate.
* FamilyThemeNaming: Most of the names in the family tree of the Stewards of Gondor belonged to First Age heroes (Húrin, Túrin, Echtelion...). Denethor was named after the leader of the Laiquendi (the Green-elves) in Ossiriand during the Years of the Trees, and he married Finduilas of Dol Amroth, who was named after the daughter of King Orodreth of Nargothrond (another first-age elf).
* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}} and Despair.
* {{Foil}}:
** To Théoden. While Théoden managed to pull himself out of his despair and find the courage to save the day, Denethor went mad from grief after having seemingly lost both his sons and Gondor. He's also a whole lot more haughty and unforgiving (and from a much greater lineage) than the noble but kindly Théoden.
** To Gandalf. They represent two different ideologies and two different images of "stewardship". In particular, Denethor is TheChessmaster moving his pawns and watching over the board from his tower, while Gandalf is TheStrategist fighting on the field and personally overseeing the realization of his plans. Both are terrible and powerful old men with a short temper (Pippin even thinks Denethor looks more like a wizard than Gandalf).
** To Faramir. Both are nearly pure-blooded Númenóreans, windows on ancient Númenor, but Denethor represents its fallen glory, the pride and envy that led to its downfall, whereas Faramir stands for its greatness and wisdom. While Denethor ends his life in fire and despair, Faramir embraces hope, love and life, and dies at the advanced age of 120 years old.
* GoodIsNotNice: He is willing to sacrifice anything for Gondor, although [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation this depends]] on [[KnightTemplar how "good"]] you consider him to be.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: vs. Sauron, via the palantír. Sauron looked back.
* InsufferableGenius: He is after all a great lore-master and a competent ruler, though not a very charming or nice one.
* {{Jerkass}}: To a degree, but he's given enough positive traits to balance him out to GoodIsNotNice, such as knighting Pippin and being overall a strong-willed and forceful leader.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Very deep down, but he does love both his sons.
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Although he has nearly as much authority as a king, and he begrudges the little authority he doesn't have...
* LivingLieDetector: Gandalf mentions it is difficult to deceive him, as he can perceive much of what is in the mind of men, and dangerous to try. His son Faramir seems to have inherited this ability, as he is able to immediately detect when Gollum lies to him.
* MurderSuicide: [[spoiler:Burns himself alive and very nearly takes a comatose Faramir with him]].
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: In one of his letters Creator/JRRTolkien points out that Denethor thought of Sauron primarily as a threat to Gondor rather than as evil, and if he had won by force of arms he would have tried to become an imperialistic conqueror over Sauron's former empire. And in ''Unfinished Tales'' it is said that Denethor loved Gondor too much to be pushed into treachery in the manner of Saruman; he could only be pushed over the DespairEventHorizon by becoming convinced that Gondor was doomed. [[BatmanGambit This is precisely what Sauron does.]]
%%* ThePatriarch
* ProphecyTwist: The Ships of Umbar. [[spoiler: The palantír didn't tell him that Aragorn had captured the ships, driven off the Corsairs, and loaded them with thousands of soldiers from coastal Gondor.]]
* TheProudElite: A man of high lineage and status, tall, intelligent and competent. He also comes off as arrogant, cold and disdainful.
* PsychicPowers: He is repeatedly said to be able to read the mind of men to some extent, and indeed he does seem to understand much more in conversation than what other characters willingly reveal.
* RegentForLife: He knows Aragorn is coming to reclaim the throne, but refuses to cede authority as long as he lives. [[spoiler:Which isn't long.]]
* ReleasingFromThePromise: He does this to Pippin just before his sanity goes. Pippin refuses to accept it.
* TheResenter: He's been resenting Aragorn ever since they were rivals in his father's court and Ecthelion openly favored the stranger over his own son.
* SanitySlippage: It's been happening gradually for a while now, but he only breaks after the seemingly fatal wound of his second son.
* SelfImmolation: [[spoiler:He lights his own funeral pyre]].
* SourSupporter: He agrees with Gandalf that they need to cooperate, but still makes it clear he isn't happy at all with his plan and thinks it's doomed to fail.
* TallDarkAndSnarky: Denethor's Númenorian lineage make him be quite a tall, foreboding figure. He's also ''very'' acid with his words.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: The Lord in the Denethor-Boromir-Faramir trio. He struggles to maintain his position when it is threatened (by Sauron or by Aragorn), to find a balance between risking too much and not enough.
* TwentyFourHourArmor: Seen as a symbol of his stubbornness and pride, but also redeeming values thereof.
-->[Denethor] stood up and cast open his long black cloak, and behold! he was clad in mail beneath, and girt with a long sword, great-hilted in a sheath of black and silver. ‘Thus have I walked, and thus now for many years have I slept,’ he said, ‘lest with age the body should grow soft and timid.’
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Imrahil]]

Denethor's brother-in-law and the Prince of Dol Amroth, a fiefdom of Gondor. Imrahil is a noble man with a bit of elven blood who leads the knights of his city to the defense of Minas Tirith. He becomes the acting ruler of Gondor after Denethor's suicide but promptly recognizes Aragorn to be his king. After the War of the Ring, Éomer marries his daughter Lothíriel.
----
* BlueBlood: The Princes of Dol Amroth are a very important family in Gondor, and the rulers of their own fiefdom in Belfalas.
* CombatMedic: While nowhere near as good a healer as Aragorn, Imrahil was the one who removed the arrow that felled Faramir. (He also cleaned the wound.) Notably, he was also the one who discovered that Éowyn was NotQuiteDead.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Many generations removed. One of his distant ancestors married Mithrellas, an elf-woman. Legolas bows to him on sight.
* HumbleHero: Unlike Denethor, he immediately recognizes Aragorn as the Heir of Isildur and the legitimate ruler of Gondor.
* TheJuggernaut: Along with Aragorn and Éomer, he emerges from the Battle of the Pelennor Fields without a scratch despite being in the thick of the fighting. Later, when the army of the West is surrounded at the Black Gate, Imrahil and his men are stationed facing Mordor and the heaviest part of the assault.
* KnightInShiningArmor: Played straight.
* TheRemnant: Imrahil and his people are actually a unique case among the fiefdoms that make up Gondor. Dol Amroth is one of precisely two still-extant mainland kingdoms of Númenórean origin that pre-date the Fall of Númenor and the founding of Arnor and Gondor (the other being Umbar). When Gondor was established, Dol Amroth willingly became part of the larger kingdom. As such, the Princes of Dol Amroth are afforded a special degree of respect among Gondorian nobililty.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: During the Last Debate with Gandalf and company, he raises some very important questions regarding the defense of Minas Tirith.
* ReluctantRuler: While not strictly reluctant to rule, he’s quick to recognize Aragorn as his king and shows no hesitation about returning the Stewardship of Gondor to Faramir.
* SupportingLeader: To Aragorn, although Imrahil appears relatively little: even while officially remaining interim Steward of Gondor, he insists that Aragorn’s his king (despite the latter’s deliberate refusal to claim the title until after Sauron’s defeat) and takes his suggestion of marching on Mordor as a direct order.
* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: Despite supporting Gandalf’s BatmanGambit, Imrahil questions whether Sauron will really fall for it.
* TheWisePrince: Plays this trope completely straight. He even offers to personally escort Legolas and Gimli to the Houses of Healing to visit Merry, although Legolas politely declines and sends him to participate in the Last Debate instead.
* YouAreInCommandNow: Gandalf places him in command “in the Lord’s [Denethor’s] absence,” and once he learns that said absence is in fact [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]] due to SanitySlippage (and that Faramir is also in no shape to rule), he assumes the role of interim Steward of Gondor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Beregond]]
A common man of Gondor who serves as a soldier in Minas Tirith. Beregond is appointed Pippin's guide to the city and quickly becomes close friends with the hobbit, as does his son Bergil.
----
* ArsonMurderAndLifesaving: During the siege of Minas Tirith, he deserted his post and killed the porter with the keys to the Silent Street, as well as two members of the Guard. However, he only did this to protect Faramir from a premature funeral pyre, and only slew the others because [[PoorCommunicationKills they would not listen to him]] and attempted to kill him first. After the crowning of King Elessar, Beregond is brought before the new King. King Elessar spares him from execution because of the circumstances, but discharges Beregond from the Guard and orders him out of Minas Tirith... so that he may be reassigned to Faramir's newly formed personal Guard in Ithilien as its captain.
* TheEveryman: Beregond represents the average citizen of Gondor.
* OddFriendship: Strikes one up with Pippin.
* PromotionNotPunishment: As a result of the "[[ArsonMurderAndLifesaving Lifesaving]]" above.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Stay at his post knowing what's going on, or ditch it (and risk the death penalty) to go save Faramir from a premature cremation? Not that it's much of a question in the moment, it just comes back later.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Faramir. Even though Beregond isn't under his actual command, he still admires him greatly and considers him to be the best Minas Tirith has to offer.
* YouShallNotPass: He leaves his post in order to pull one of these to stop Denethor from succeeding in lighting Faramir's pyre.
[[/folder]]

!!Elves
See also Legolas above.

[[folder:Elrond]]

The Half-Elven, Master of Rivendell, father of Arwen, and bearer of one of the three elven Rings, Vilya the Ring of Air, given to him by Gil-galad before the latter's death at the end of the Second Age. He was a great warrior during the Second Age, and is a great healer and scholar as well as a cunning strategist; however, he also acts as opposition to Aragorn from a much less lofty post: that of OverprotectiveDad.
----
* AlliterativeFamily: Elrond's brother is Elros and his sons are Elladan and Elrohir.
* BittersweetEnding: The Fellowship defeated Sauron, restored the kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, and saved Middle-Earth. But Elrond had to part with his daughter Arwen ''forever'', even beyond the end of the world. His sons [[ShrugOfGod may have]] become mortal as well, which would leave him with no surviving children.
** It's said in the Appendices that for Elrond, "all chances of the War of the Ring were fraught with sorrow." Either Sauron prevailed, or Aragorn became king and he lost Arwen.
** Read his backstory in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and the Appendix to ''The Lord of the Rings''. Elrond was separated from his parents, his brother chose to be a Man, and his wife was so thoroughly traumatized by being tortured by Orcs she had to leave for Valinor. Even his foster-father Maglor, whom he seems to have been happy with despite the way they met, eventually vanished when Elrond was a young adult. Elrond's experiences with his family is nothing ''but'' this trope.
* CulturedBadass: A renowned loremaster, he also led Gil-galad's army against Sauron in the Second Age.
* DivineParentage: His ancestor Melian is a Maia.
* ElementalPowers: The Ring of Air presumably gives him these, though his main demonstration is in making the river Bruinen flood.
* HappilyAdopted: By Maglor. Rather remarkable, considering that Maglor took him and his brother prisoner (when they were about five years old), and was among the people who tried to kill his mother and successfully killed his grandparents. See StockholmSyndrome below.
* HealingHands: Though a capable commander in wartime, his skills and inclinations run mostly towards medicine. He's good enough to prevent the Morgul-knife wound from turning Frodo into a wraith.
* HeinzHybrid: Hence Elrond the Half-Elven. (Technically he's 9/16 elven, 3/8 Man, and 1/16 angelic, but that was too long for a nickname.)
* HeroicLineage: His ancestors were mostly famous heroes in Beleriand in the war against Morgoth. His brother Elros became the first King of Númenor, so he's also closely related to the HeroicLineage that produced Aragorn.
* ParentalAbandonment: His parents were both chased out of his homeland by an invasion when he was a little kid, and his father then became the Morning Star. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* ParentalSubstitute: For Aragorn, whom "he came to love as a son." He also fostered several of Aragorn's ancestors.
* ThePhilosopherKing: People of all races and from all around Middle-Earth will go to Rivendell to seek his counsel.
* PsychicPowers: He communicates without speaking with Galadriel, Celeborn and Gandalf using {{Telepathy}} at the end of the book.
* OverprotectiveDad: Demanded that Aragorn become king of both Arnor and Gondor before marrying Arwen. At the time the books take place, Gondor hadn't had a king for almost a thousand years, and Arnor hadn't even ''existed'' for more than a thousand years.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: More like Sixty-five Hundred Years Old.
* StellarName: "Vault of the Stars" or "Star-dome."
* StockholmSyndrome: In ''The Silmarillion'' he and his brother Elros were taken in by Maglor, one of the Sons of Fëanor, who led the invasion that killed their grandfather and raided their home in pursuit of a Silmaril. Maglor was kind to them, and only he and Maedhros showed remorse for the actions they took in pursuit of their Oath.
* ThemeTwinNaming: Theme Twin Naming is a thing with Half-Elven twin boys, one he kept up with his own sons.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Aragorn is The Hunter, seeking a place for himself in this world and to prove himself worthy to get what he wants, Elrond is The Lord, well-established, striving to maintain a balance and preserve what he has, Gandalf is The Prophet, the guide who tries to impress his wisdom on the young ones.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arwen]]

Arwen Undómiel, the Evenstar, is a half-elven woman of great beauty whom Aragorn hopes to marry. Unfortunately, she shows up in only three chapters of the story, the second one being her wedding to the King of Gondor. Tolkien rectified by including more about her romance with Aragorn [[AllThereInTheManual in the appendices]].
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* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Arwen and Aragorn.
* AuthorAppeal: Of the RavenHairIvorySkin variety. She's the second-most beautiful woman ever born (after her ancestor Lúthien, whom she greatly resembles) and like Lúthien, her hair is very black and her skin very white.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: While Aragorn aged fairly normally (for a 200-year-old guy), Arwen remained youthful right up until her death. She still hadn't become weary of Middle-Earth by the time Aragorn died.
* BittersweetEnding: She gives up her immortality to stay with Aragorn, but it's indicated that he eventually dies, and she follows him not long afterward.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses
* MyGirlBackHome: For Aragorn during most of the book.
* HeinzHybrid: 25/32 elven, 3/16 Man, and 1/32 angelic.
* HeroicLineage: Descended from Galadriel, Celeborn, Eärendil, Tuor, Idril, Dior, Beren, Lúthien, Barahir, Turgon, Fingolfin, Thingol, and other famous characters.
* HerosMuse: She functions in this role for Aragorn: the driving force behind his striving to regain his crown is his love for Arwen and the fact that he can only marry her once he is king.
* TheHighQueen: Of Gondor.
* TheLadysFavor: Wove a flag for Aragorn; gave him the Elfstone via Galadriel.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: With a mortal, leading her eventually to give up the Elvish immortality which she'd had for the past 2700 years.
* MissingMom: Her mother Celebrían, unable to endure the woes of Middle-Earth any longer, had sailed West centuries ago.
* PrincessClassic: Not really a princess in title, but in everything else.
* ProperLady: nearly her defining trait.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: A family trait.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Twenty-seven hundred years, to be precise. And like an elf, she looks eternally youthful.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: When Aragorn decided to die of old age 120 years after the War of the Ring, she finally understood how unpleasant dying of old age can be. But by then it was too late to change her mind.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Literally (after Lúthien died).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Galadriel]]
-->''"In Dwimordene, in Lorien''
-->''Seldom have walked the feet of Men,''
-->''Few mortal eyes have seen the light,''
-->''That lies there ever long and bright.''
-->''Galadriel! Galadriel!''

-->''Clear is the water of your well,''
-->''White is the star in your white hand,''
-->''Unmarred, unstained is leaf and land,''
-->''In Dwimordene, in Lorien,''
-->''More fair than thoughts of Mortal Men."''

The Lady of Light, Galadriel is a Noldorin Elf who co-rules Lothlórien as the Lady of Lórien, with her Sindarin husband Lord Celeborn. One of the oldest, mightiest and wisest Elves in Middle-Earth, she is a powerful sorceress (possibly; magic is very rare in Middle-Earth, and her true power, and its nature, are only hinted at) and wields Nenya, the Elven Ring of Water, which aids her people in their fight against Sauron's forces.

See the character sheet for ''Characters/TheSilmarillion'' for tropes that apply to her in that work.
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* ActionGirl: In her youth. According to one version in ''Unfinished Tales'', she fought for the Teleri in the first Kinslaying. And ''that'' she was an ActionGirl actually means a lot more than it sounds like — the elves believed [[WhiteMagicianGirl women had a special role as healers]], a task no less critical than that of warriors, most of whom were men. Women ''could'' fight (and certainly trained to know how), but it was believed that the act of fighting endangered their abilities as healers. And it's hinted in the novels that she ''still is'' an ActionGirl, if [[spoiler:single-handedly destroying Dol Guldur in the War of the Ring]] is anything to go by.
* BattleCouple: Galadriel and Celeborn. While Frodo and Sam are on their way to Mordor, Celeborn marshals the forces of Lórien to cross the Anduin and lay siege to Dol Guldur. After a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down its walls and purifies it.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: You would ''not'' want her to take the One Ring, not at all.
* BigGood: Frodo even offers her the Ring because of this, although this turns out not to be a good idea. Her title of "the Lady of Light" also puts her in direct thematic opposition to the BigBad Sauron, who is known as "the Dark Lord".
%%%* DeusExitMachina
* [[{{DreamWeaver}} Dream Weaver]]: Owns a magic pool that shows the person who looks into it visions of the past, present, and possible futures.
** Not to mention that she was single-handedly responsible for the transformation of a fairly ordinary woodland realm into the Golden Wood of Lothlorien (a name that even means "Dream Blossom" or "Land of Dreaming Blossoms") a living memory of old Eldamar in which the effects and even perception of time are neigh nonexistent.
* TheDulcineaEffect: Has this effect on Gimli, despite that whole ElvesVsDwarves thing.
* ElementalPowers: Wields Nenya, the elven Ring of Water, and uses its power to keep her kingdom more or less frozen in time.
* TheFairFolk: The Rohirrim think of her as this, and she isn't entirely sure she isn't one herself.
* FantasticLightSource: The phial that she gifts to Frodo contains water from her mirror that has been infused with the light of the star of Eärendil which itself is a [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmaril]] being pulled around the night sky in a chariot by Elrond's father, Eärendil. The phial ends up being invaluable to Frodo and Sam later on as they use it to escape Shelob's lair.
* TheFinalTemptation: When Frodo offers her the Ring, she speculates what she could become if she took it.
* FisherKing: Over Lothlórien, thanks to Nenya. When the Rings fail and she leaves, its beauty and enchantment quickly fade.
* {{Foil}}: In several ways she's ''Sauron's'' mirror opposite. Both she and Sauron rule over mighty regions primarily kept running by their own power, both are immensely powerful creatures whose spiritual influence echo through Middle Earth and affect character's psyches often and both possess rings of power. This is most noticeable when Frodo and Sam are making their way through Mordor, and they often describe a dark influence storming their spirit (implicitly, Sauron's will echoing) but also a light power arising within them (implicitly, Galadriel's influence).
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: The description of her in the books is clearly meant to evoke this trope. Her famous hair is of the deepest gold woven with silver and she primarily wears flowing white gowns of the deepest white adorned with jewellery made from gold and/or {{Mithril}}. It is clearly meant to symbolise her divinity as one of the oldest, wisest and most powerful beings in all of the realm and perhaps the sole being (other than Gandalf himself) in Middle-earth that Sauron actually fears. Due to her own powers combined with her ring Nenya he cannot see into her mind without the power of the One Ring. Also, she is the Lady of Light and LightIsGood.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Galadriel's temptation shows that she ''could'' be this, but she resists.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Like all the House of Finarfin. They were the wisest and kindest of the Noldorin royal houses (though Galadriel is still badly tempted by the One Ring), the most friendly to mortals, and the ones least guilty of wrongdoing in the rebellion. None of them took part in the Kinslaying even by accident. In his last writings Tolkien even decided that Galadriel didn't participate in the rebellion at all, but left Valinor separately.
* HiddenDepths: She too lusts after the Ring, but overcomes its temptation.
* TheHighQueen: Technically she is not a Queen as she and Celeborn did not wish to take royal titles, but she is still the leader of Lothlórien.
** As the daughter of Finarfin and the highest ranking Noldorin Elf left in Middle-earth, she ''could'' have become the actual High Queen after the death of her kinsman Gil-galad, but neither she nor Elrond (a descendant of her cousin Turgon) succeeded as monarch for unknown reasons.
* IHaveManyNames:
** Artanis, "noble woman," was her father-name, or the name given to her by her father Finarfin.
** Nerwen, "man-maiden," was her mother-name, or the name given to her by her mother Eärwen. This was in reference to her unusual tall height and strength for a woman.
** Alatárielle, "maiden crowned with a radiant garland," was given to her back in Aman by her Telerin lover [[HaveAGayOldTime Teleporno]], in reference to her silver-gold hair.
** Altáriel was the Quenya semi-calque of Alatárielle. The full calque would have been Ñaltáriel, but this was not used as her Quenya form.
** Galadriel was the Sindarin calque of Alatárielle, after she and her husband went to Middle-Earth. Teleporno took the name Celeborn, the Sindarin calque of his own name, presumably to stop everyone from [[HehHehYouSaidX snickering]]. If your name was Teleporno, you too would want to change it to ''anything else''.
** Her titles include Lady of the Golden Wood.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Played with. Galadriel ''seems'' so perfectly good that Frodo offers her the Ring (apparently forgetting Gandalf's reaction to the same offer). She reveals that she is not incorruptible -- that Frodo has unthinkingly presented her with a terrible temptation. She overcomes that temptation long enough to send the Ring away.
* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: She gives each of the Fellowship a gift at their parting, and specifically hints that the Phial of Light she gave to Frodo may be much more useful than it looks. It is. Subverted with her gift to Sam (a box of soil from her garden "for [the] little gardener and lover of trees"). She even lampshades that, saying that it is a gift that will only ever be useful if he ''completes'' the quest.
* ItsPersonal: Galadriel had even more reason than most to want Sauron destroyed as he was directly responsible for the death of her older brother [[TheHero Finrod]] and [[Literature/TheSilmarillion much of the rest of her family (including her other brothers Angrod and Aegnor) were slain in the many battles against his former master, Morgoth]].
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Galadriel and Celeborn made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
* LastOfHerKind: Not the last Elf, but the last of the – named, at least – Noldor who were exiled from Valinor. Also, incidentally, the only one to return (without dying first).
* TheLadysFavor: Three golden hairs from her head. Which is more than [[{{Ubermensch}} Fëanor]] got, incidentally...
* LightIsNotGood: She's referred to as the Lady of the Golden Wood or Lady of Light, and while firmly on the side of good for the purposes of the story, has serious implicit (and in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' explicit) [[DrunkWithPower power trip]] tendencies.
* MeaningfulName: Galadriel is Sindarin for 'maiden crowned with a radiant garland'. It's actually not her birth name (her father-name was Artanis and her mother-name was Nerwen), but was instead bestowed upon her by Celeborn.
* ThePhilosopherKing: Probably one of the wisest still in Middle-Earth.
* PsychicPowers / {{Telepathy}}: She greets each of the Fellowship with a searching telepathic question, which greatly unnerves some of them. She also communicates without speaking with Gandalf, Celeborn and Elrond using {{Telepathy}} at the end of the final book.
** Appears to be a family trait, her brother Finrod could not only communicate telepathically, but was actually able to full-on read people's minds ([[MundaneUtility he used it to become an omniglot]]).
* ReusedCharacterDesign: Literary example: the terms and attributes she is described with make her resemble strongly Goldberry, who was introduced before her and might even have been created earlier in Tolkien's mind.
* RoyalBlood: Galadriel is of quite a complex mixed royal Elven heritage. She is the only daughter of Finarfin, who was at the time of her birth a prince of the Noldor who eventually ascended to be the High King of the Noldor in the Undying Lands. Finarfin himself is of both Noldorin blood (from his father Finwë's side) and Vanyarin blood (from his mother Indis's side). Also, Galadriel's mother and Finarfin's wife is Eärwen who (being the daughter of Olwë) was also a princess of the Teleri in the Undying Lands. Therefore, despite being identified as a Noldorin Elf, she is actually descended from the royalty of three separate Elven houses and is really part Noldor, part Vanyar and part Teleri. This is most likely how she got her infamously beautiful silver-gold hair when the Noldor are usually identified as being dark haired. The gold would be from her Vanyarin heritage and the silver from her Teleri heritage.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She's one of the bearers of the three Elven Rings (Nenya the Ring of Water), and has kept Lothlórien free of stain for centuries with it. She also regularly assists in repelling Orc attacks against her realm and during the War of the Ring, she and Celeborn marshal their forces and cross the Anduin to lay siege to the armies of Dol Guldur where, following a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down it's walls and purifies it of its evil.
* RulingCouple: Galadriel and Celeborn have been HappilyMarried for ''thousands'' of years and co-rule Lothlórien together. The wood elves that they rule over seem to revere and love them both, most likely because they have made the Golden Wood a peaceful, safe and prosperous place to live for millennia.
* SacredHospitality: Galadriel and Celeborn aid and shelter the Fellowship in Lothlórien.
* ShroudedInMyth: She seems to have developed something of legend status amongst Dwarves and Men alike. Even some of the Elves who live in other realms of Middle-earth don't appear to know if she actually exists or is just a myth. Éomer comments that the people of Rohan call Lothlórien 'Dwimoden, the Haunted Vale' because every once in a while a member of the Rohirrim will go wandering in the Golden Wood and, if they return at all, they are 'changed somehow'. No non-Elf (besides Aragorn) had entered into the heart of Lothlórien for centuries until the Fellowship were allowed access by Galadriel and Celeborn.
* SpiritAdvisor: Her "spirit" shows up to guide Frodo during his bout with Shelob.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's described as being incredibly beautiful and at, around 6'4, one of the tallest Elf women ever born.
* TimeAbyss: Definitely qualifies, being older than the sun and the entire Man race. She was born in the Year of the Trees 1362, before the First Age of the Sun and the awakening of mortal Men. When the Fellowship meet her (depending on the length of First Age years and Years of the Trees), she's between 8,370 and over 13,000 years old.
* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman:) Galadriel's granddaughter Arwen was often said to be the most beautiful Elf in Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Ring, but Galadriel's great beauty was every bit as much the stuff of legend. Tolkien described her as being 'the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth'. The subject of Galadriel and Arwen's beauty and whose was greatest actually nearly brought Gimli and Éomer to arms. Éomer, having seen them both, preferred Arwen to which Gimli (also having seen them both) replies, ''"You have chosen the Evening; but my love is given to the Morning."''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Celeborn]]

The great-nephew of Elu Thingol, High King of the Sindar, Celeborn was a prince of Doriath who is the Lady Galadriel's husband and Lord of Lothlórien. He and his wife aid and shelter the Fellowship on their quest. After the destruction of the One Ring, he and Galadriel lead an attack on Sauron's citadel of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood, destroying and purifying the last of the Dark Lord's strongholds. The prologue states that Celeborn was the last of the 'Wise' to sail west for the Undying Lands and with him left "the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth".
----
* BattleCouple: Celeborn and Galadriel. While Frodo and Sam are on their way to Mordor, Celeborn marshals the forces of Lórien to cross the Anduin and lay siege to Dol Guldur. After a long battle, Celeborn captures the fortress and Galadriel throws down its walls and purifies it.
* BigGood: With Saruman defecting from the White Council and Gandalf killed by the Balrog, Celeborn and his wife take over as the strongest forces of good.
* TheGoodKing: To both the Elves of Lothlórien and those who live outside of his kingdom's borders. One of the main reasons why Celeborn and his wife remain in Middle-earth is to prevent Sauron from returning, and they assist both the Fellowship and surrounding kingdoms of Men at numerous points.
* HeroicLineage: He's a Sindarin prince of Doriath and the nephew of Elu Thingol, who was the Elven Lord of Beleriand and instigated the Quest for the Silmaril.
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Celeborn and Galadriel made the decision not to take royal titles (which is why they are the Lord and Lady of their realm rather than the King and Queen) as they saw themselves as the guardians of Lothlórien rather than it's rulers.
* MeaningfulName: Celeborn in Sindarin means 'Silver Tree' (Celeb = Silver, Orn = Tree) referring to his silver hair and great height. He may have also been named for the White Tree in Tol Eressëa (home of the Teleri in Valinor) which is also called Celeborn.
* ThePhilosopherKing: Known as one of the oldest and wisest Elves in Middle-earth, Galadriel calls him 'Celeborn the Wise'.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Celeborn's a former prince of Doriath and the Lord of Lothlórien, and he's more than willing to team up with his wife to assist the Fellowship and kingdoms of Men in destroying the One Ring. He also defends the Golden Wood against numerous Orc invasions and leads the final attack on Dol Guldur, beating the enemy into submission while Galadriel razes Sauron's stronghold to the ground.
* RulingCouple: Celeborn and Galadriel have been HappilyMarried for ''thousands'' of years and co-rule Lothlórien together. The wood elves that they rule over seem to revere and love them both, most likely because they have made the Golden Wood a peaceful, safe and prosperous place to live for millennia.
* SacredHospitality: Galadriel and Celeborn aid and shelter the Fellowship in Lothlórien.
* TimeAbyss: Although Celeborn's exact age is uncertain, he was born some time before the First Age, which puts him at around the same age or slightly younger than his wife. And since most estimates place Galadriel's age at around 10,000 years, it's likely that Celeborn is also one of the oldest elves still left in Middle-earth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Glorfindel]]

An Elf-Lord of Rivendell.
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* BackFromTheDead: [[WordOfGod Tolkien's]] letters stated that Glorfindel from Gondolin and Glorfindel from the Lord of the Rings was the same elf, just reincarnated.
* CoolHorse: Asfaloth.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: Dialog states that he was possibly the most powerful elf in Rivendell at the time the fellowship was there. Elrond implies that for the Fellowship's mission of stealth, his degree of power would have been a case of CursedWithAwesome: too obvious to avoid attention from Sauron and not powerful enough to overcome him.
* TakingYouWithMe: His death in the backstory.
* YouShallNotPass: When the refugees of Gondolin were escaping, he barred the way to the group of orcs and the Balrog that were chasing them. He killed most of the orcs and killed the Balrog as well, at the cost of his own life.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gildor Inglorion]]

The leader of a band of wandering Elves of Eriador.
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* BigDamnHeroes: In one of the calmest examples of this trope, Gildor and his companions [[spoiler: save Frodo and the other Hobbits from a Ringwraith]] simply by wandering by and and singing.
* ForestRanger: He and his companions have the trappings of Woodelves; they know the secret paths of the forest, have contact with nature spirits like Tom Bombadil and seemingly transform a clearing into something like a hall for feasting by their mere presence. However, they are in fact Noldor(or at least Gildor is)
* MagicMusic: Uses Elven song and the invoking of the Name of what amounts to the Patron Saint of the Elves to [[spoiler:chase away a Ringwraith]]. This is not surprising considering his possible lineage (see below.)
* MultipleChoicePast: Introduces himself as "Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod", which depending on where in Tolkien's notes you look could make him the son of the legendary King of Nargothrond and brother to [[TheHighQueen Galadriel]] and/or [[TheHighKing Gil-Galad]] or Galadriel's (great-)nephew, or the son of a servant of the King of Nargothrond. Cue much fan speculation and fan fiction concerned with his identity.
* MysteriousInformant: In the typical elvish way he seems to have knowledge about what is going on in the Shire, despite never being seen. He also spreads information about Frodo's journey as far as Rivendell and Tom Bombadil, which is even weirder given that he and his group are explicitly traveling in the exact opposite direction.
* OurElvesAreBetter: Serves as a new reader's first introduction to the charm, magic and wistfulness of Tolkien's Elves.
* TimeAbyss: A standard trope with Elves in the Lord of the Rings, but Gildor spells it out to Fordo and the other Hobbits when he reminds them "But it is not your own Shire, others dwelt here before hobbits were; and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more."
* TheEndIsNigh: Continues the above quote with: "The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.” thus somewhat foreshadowing [[spoiler:Saruman's takeover of the Shire]]. It could also be a read as a simple warning, but Tolkinian Elves often have a knack for prophecy.
* WackyWaysideTribe: One of many in this early part of the story. The Hobbits spend an evening with Gildor and his Elves and never see them again until the end of the story, though they are mentioned a couple of times.

[[/folder]]

!!Other Characters

[[folder:Bilbo Baggins]]

The main character of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', who inadvertently sets ''The Lord of the Rings'' in motion with his discovery of the Ring. Frodo's "uncle" (really his older cousin) and father-figure, Bilbo's 111th (and Frodo's 33rd) birthday opens the story; Bilbo, feeling the Ring's effects on him, leaves the Ring to Frodo and sets out on his last adventure. Years later, Frodo meets Bilbo again in Rivendell, where he has retired.

See ''Characters/TheHobbit'' character sheet for tropes that apply to him in that work.
----
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Why he found the Ring in the first place, according to Gandalf.
* BenevolentBoss: To his gardener, "Gaffer" Gamgee (Sam's father).
* CoolOldGuy: He's 110 years old at the beginning of ''Fellowship'', and fond of entertaining young hobbits with tales of his adventures and giving out gold as a party favor.
* DecoyProtagonist: Going solely by the first chapter, one could easily assume that Bilbo was the central character, until the focus shifts to Frodo in the second.
* DubNameChange: "Bilbon Sacquet" in French; became "Bilbo Bessac" in the newer translation of the books.
* EccentricMentor: He is this to his nephew Frodo, much to the despair of the majority of the respectable hobbits of the Shire.
* FamilyThemeNaming: An odd theme. Bilbo is the son of Bungo Baggins son of Mungo Baggins son of Balbo Baggins.
* GentlemanAdventurer: In contrast to his attitude in ''The Hobbit''. He's a scion of the upper-class Took family, and by the time he retires from "adventures" he's had several.
* HeroicWillpower: The One Ring has been with Bilbo for DECADES by the time of the Fellowship of the Ring. Considering the fact that the ring eternally tries to corrupt its owner and Bilbo only started feeling the effects of the ring after that time before passing it to Frodo, it shows just how moral of a man he is. That he spared Gollum when he first got the ring might've helped...
* HiddenDepths: During Frodo’s first meeting with Aragorn, Frodo receives a letter from Gandalf that mentions Aragorn and contains a few lines from a poem. (Aragorn’s referring to this poem, without seeing the letter, is a strong hint that he really is who he says he is.) Later, during the Council of Elrond, Bilbo reveals to Frodo (and the reader) that he ''wrote'' the poem — about Aragorn.
* InTheHood: When he leaves Bag End, he wears his old hooded Dwarven cloak from ''The Hobbit'' as he is "on the road" again.
* MyGirlBackHome: He is this to Frodo during the Quest to Mount Doom, being his only relative.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Of ''The Hobbit''.
* {{Hobbits}}: Bilbo is the UrExample.
* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: He is the in-universe author of ''The Hobbit'', and translated ''The Silmarillion'' out of Elvish.
* NoImmortalInertia: The Ring was starting to corrupt him as it had Gollum long ago, and when it is destroyed his 131 years catch up with him.
* OlderThanTheyLook: At the beginning of the story, he is 110 years old but looks only 50 due to the Ring's influence. After he gives up the Ring, age begins to rapidly catch up to him, until he looks his age (131) at the end. [[AllThereInTheManual The Appendices reveal]] that he’s older than Aragorn's ''mom''.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Frodo, after his parents drowned in a boating accident.
* PassingTheTorch: When he disappears to go travelling again, he wills his house and most of his possessions, including his "lucky ring", to Frodo. Later, he gives Frodo his old sword and armor from ''The Hobbit'', which he wore on the road, to protect Frodo on his own journeys.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Gandalf's friendship and concern is what ultimately helps him give up the Ring of his own free will.
* StillWearingTheOldColors: Bilbo puts on his old gear from ''The Hobbit'', down to his borrowed Dwarven cloak, when he leaves home again.
* ShroudedInMyth: After he came back from [[Literature/TheHobbit his journey to Erebor]] (and more so after vanishing from his birthday party), hobbits started telling tales of "Mad Baggins" who would "vanish with a bang and a flash and reappear with bags of jewels and gold."
* ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil: Due to the Ring's influence he became [[NotSoDifferent Gollum-like in his mannerisms]], as pointed out by Gandalf. No, he has not begun to ''look'' Gollum-like just yet ([[spoiler:well, if you've read the books, he thankfully never does reach that stage]]), but his hunger and his growing obsession over the Ring is certainly a stepping stone towards reaching the Gollum stage. When he sees the One Ring in Frodo's possession in Rivendell, he briefly falls under its power again, causing Frodo to perceive him as “a little wrinkled creature with a hungry face and bony groping hands.” However, Bilbo quickly comes to his senses again, and he immediately apologizes and requests that Frodo never show him the Ring again.
* UnclePennybags: His share of the treasure from ''The Hobbit'' (as well as coming from a wealthy family) kept him ''very'' well-off for the rest of his life, and he was very generous toward poorer hobbits.
%%* WhereTheresAWillTheresAStickyNote
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gollum]]

A seemingly minor character from ''Literature/TheHobbit'' who played a key role in the series. Sméagol, [[AllThereInTheManual once a member of a clan of Stoor Hobbits that lived alongside the Anduin river]], was fishing with his cousin Déagol when they encountered the One Ring. They both immediately coveted it and Sméagol murdered Déagol for it. Eventually banished, he retreated for over 600 years deep into the mountains and became a degenerate creature named Gollum (after a horrible noise he makes in his throat), feared by the goblins and driven insane due to solitude and the Ring's influence over him. The Ring, having a mind of its own, slipped from Gollum's fingers intending to be found by a goblin, but it was instead found by Bilbo, who used it to confound Sméagol and escape his current danger. When Bilbo had the chance to strike down Gollum, he pitied him and let him live.

In the time since then, Gollum has been hunting for the Ring, travelling to his old home on the Anduin and then to Mordor, where he was captured and personally interrogated by Sauron himself, who released him. Gollum eventually catches up with the Fellowship in Moria, stalking them until Frodo left most of his companions behind. At this point, Gollum attempts to reacquire the Ring, but failing and being taken prisoner, he serves as a guide for Frodo and Sam, earning the fleeting hope of redemption before ultimately betraying his new masters. He nevertheless plays a key role in the completion of the quest.
----
* AccidentalHero: [[spoiler:Stealing the One Ring from Frodo was for his own selfishness and corruption, but then he slipped and fell into the lava, fulfilling the Quest that Frodo could not.]]
* AntiHero: Briefly sides with Frodo in ''The Two Towers'' before slipping back to his old ways.
* AntiVillain: Most characters believe him to be this, as they're under the impression that Gollum was an innocent twisted by the Ring's power. However, Gollum was a rather nasty character even before he fell under the influence of the Ring: "Gollum was pitiable but ended in persistent wickedness. His last act worked good but of no credit to him... The Ring was too strong for Sméagol but he would never have had to endure it if he had not already been a mean sort of thief. His dawning love for Frodo was too easily withered by jealousy of Sam before Shelob's lair and he was lost."
* ArchEnemy: He holds a grudge against the Bagginses for tricking him. Since Frodo and Sam spend most of their journey away from the rest of the characters, Gollum serves as his main antagonist and foil.
* AscendedExtra: In the first edition of ''The Hobbit'', he was a pretty unimportant side-character. Then Tolkien realized that Ring was much more than it seemed, and his role expanded hugely.
* CainAndAbel: Murders his friend Déagol to steal the Ring from him.
* CargoShip: Canon in-universe with the One Ring. Though seeing as how the Ring ''is'' the ultimate corrupter and ReallyGetsAround, it's not really his fault.
* CantLiveWithoutYou: Without the One Ring, Gollum's five-ish centuries of existence would catch up to him and he'd age into dust.
* CatchPhrase: "My Precioussss", and "Gollum, Gollum!"
* ChronicVillainy: Skulking, treacherous, murderous, depraved. He'll behave as long as you watch him like a hawk and make it clear that punishment will be swift and terrible.
* TheCorruption: He wasn't a nice guy to begin with, but the Ring ate away what decency and humanity he had and really, really messed him up.
%%* CowerPower
* CreepyLongFingers: Is described as having long, bony, unnaturally strong fingers.
* DayHurtsDarkAdjustedEyes: He got that way thanks to living for centuries underground (probably exacerbated by the Ring to give him glowing eyes). And apparently can't adjust back.
%%* TheDarkSide
* {{Determinator}}:
** Drawn irresistably to the Ring, he follows Frodo from Moria to the Cracks of Doom. He will climb up and down cliffs (head first!), wade through the Dead Marshes, whatever it takes to get the thing back.
** Taken UpToEleven by Gandalf’s exposition, ''[[AllThereInTheManual Unfinished Tales]]'', and a bit of FridgeLogic. Gollum has racked up an ''incredible'' [[WalkingTheEarth travel log]]: sneaked through Mirkwood ''and back'' without getting caught by the Wood-elves? Check. Tracked Bilbo to Esgaroth (Lake-town), and then to Dale (at the feet of the Lonely Mountain)? Check. Discovered a way through the supposedly impassable Dead Marshes? Check. Went to Mordor and discovered the secret stairs to Cirith Ungol? Check (although that didn’t go so well for him). Entered Moria through the East-gate, managed to survive the Orcs infesting the eastern area, and somehow made it all the way through to the West-gate? Yup, check that too.
** Ironically, his escapades come to a complete halt when he can’t figure out how to open the West-gate of Moria (and even if he had figured out that the gate could be opened from the inside simply by pushing it, he wouldn't have the strength to do so). In fact, he’s said to be starving, as all the food (along with all of the aforementioned Orcs) is in east Moria — and then a certain Fellowship comes blundering in…
** And, lest we forget, by the time of the trilogy, Gollum is several-hundred years old. Holding onto the One Ring extends its bearer's life by "stretching them out," as the narrative sometimes refers to it. However, once the bearer loses (or relinquishes) the Ring, all that extra time catches up to them fairly quickly, as it did with Bilbo. However, note that all of Gollum's travels listed above took place ''after'' he lost the Ring, which he'd been holding onto for ''centuries''. Yet none of that slows him down in the slightest. He just keeps chugging along, all for the sake of reclaiming his Precious.
* DisneyVillainDeath: At the Cracks of Doom he falls into the fires along with the One Ring.
* EatsBabies: In ''Fellowship'', he's accused of this during his period of wandering between leaving Mordor and following Frodo. Don't put it past him.
* TheExile: Was cast out of his community for his trickery and murdering his cousin.
* EvilCounterpart: He was a formerly a hobbit himself, and shows what could happen to Frodo if he allowed himself to be corrupted by the ring [[spoiler: which it eventually does]].
* FamilyThemeNaming: Sméagol and Déagol.
* FamousLastWords: "Precious!", screamed as he falls into Mount Doom.
* FangsAreEvil: He sharpened his six remaining teeth into fangs.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: His eyes are described as luminous and lamp-like, with their color changing depending on which personality is in control: [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience Green is for Gollum, yellow is for Sméagol]].
* GollumMadeMeDoIt: TropeNamer. Gollum (SplitPersonality of Sméagol) often asserts his influence to force Sméagol to do his bidding.
* {{Hobbits}}: Originally, he was a Stoor Hobbit.
* HandyFeet: During the Council of Elrond, Legolas notes that Gollum has demonstrated the ability to hang from trees by his feet as well as by his hands.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Was about to repent after seeing Frodo sleeping, when Sam shouted at him.
* HiddenDepths: Arguably, all Hobbits possess (to some extent) an extraordinary resilience to the evil of the Ring, but it’s particularly notable in Gollum: Gandalf notes that, even after 500 years of mental enslavement, Gollum still controls a tiny portion of his mind. ''[[AllThereInTheManual Unfinished Tales]]'' takes it UpToEleven by revealing that, while personally torturing Gollum, ''Sauron himself'' noticed this trait.
* ImAHumanitarian: Intended to eat Bilbo if he won (and even if he lost) the riddle game in ''The Hobbit''.
* LostFoodGrievance: Any time his raw meat gets cooked.
* ManBitesMan: Chomps off Frodo's finger to get the One Ring back.
* MadnessMakeover: Went from a Hobbit to a shrivelled skeletal creature with fangs and GlowingEyesOfDoom thanks to the One Ring.
* MonsterSobStory: The reason why Frodo (and, later, Sam) decide to spare his life.
--> '''Frodo:''' Now that I see him, I do pity him.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Gandalf remarks that the murder of Déagol haunted Gollum, prompting Gollum to make excuses for it.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: In the climax of Return of the King, Gollum seizes the Ring from Frodo, before falling into the lava in Mount Doom.
* NoImmortalInertia: Pleads with Frodo not to destroy the Ring because without it he would crumble to dust.
* NotSoDifferent: He was once a hobbit himself, making him this to Bilbo and Frodo under the power of the Ring.
* OddFriendship: With Frodo. As Frodo becomes increasingly aware of the terrible nature of the Ring, he can empathize with Gollum's tortured mind; while Gollum, wicked and hopelessly addicted, clings to Frodo's kindness with a pathetic desperation.
%%* PowerTrio: Gollum represents the Id.
* PreInsanityReveal: Originally a hobbit named Sméagol, he was corrupted mentally and physically by the Ring by the time Bilbo meets him in The Hobbit.
* PrimalStance: He moves on all fours.
* PsychopathicManchild: Gollum and Sméagol (particularly Sméagol) are both rather childlike creatures despite being utterly insane.
* RaisedByGrandparents: Sméagol was raised by his grandmother.
* ReformedButRejected: Sam never completely trusts Smeagol, even after he starts having doubts about betraying them. [[ProperlyParanoid But Sam was right to have doubts]].
* SanitySlippage: The ring slowly drove him mad over 500 years in the Misty Mountains. He may have gotten slightly better in ''The Two Towers'', but then got even ''crazier'' at the very end.
* ShadowArchetype: Gollum is a shadow to both Bilbo and Frodo. He is the {{Foil}} to Sam.
* {{Sssssnaketalk}}: Among his other speech peculiarities is a habit of hissing like this.
* SoleSurvivor: Of the clan of Stoor Hobbits living beside the Anduin river.
* SpannerInTheWorks: "Even Gollum may have something yet to do..."
* SplitPersonality: Less so than in the movie, where the Sméagol/Gollum schism is greatly played up, but still present. Sam even names the “duo” Slinker and Stinker.
* SympatheticMurderer: He murdered his best friend, but only because of the Ring. Its corrupting effect on him was terribly swift, but maybe after five hundred years corrupting nothing more than fish, it seized hard on the first two ''people'' it found.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Everyone who says that it would have been better to kill him from the start ends up sparing his life when it's in their hands.
* ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil: This is your Hobbit on Ring of Power.
* TortureAlwaysWorks:
** When Sauron realized the "Precious" Gollum was talking about was the One Ring, he interrogated Sméagol personally, learning of the existence of Hobbits and the Shire in the process.
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''Unfinished Tales'': Gollum doesn’t know where the Shire is, but he pretends that it's near the Gladden Fields where ''he'' grew up, causing Sauron to send the Nazgûl on a wild Baggins chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Raw "fisssh." He also likes orc flesh.
* TragicVillain: For all that he started out as a murderer, it was the Ring that made him the horrible person he became, while mentally torturing him and destroying his identity. His near-repentence in ''The Two Towers'' is particularly tragic.
* VerbalTic: "My Precioussss", and "Gollum, Gollum!"
* VerbalTicName: Gollum is the noise he habitually makes in his throat.
* WallCrawl: He climbs head-first down a sheer cliff face, though exactly ''how'' isn't addressed.
* WasOnceAMan: Smeagol was once a Hobbit before the One Ring corrupted him.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Although there are ''many'' TimeAbyss characters who are older than Sméagol, he's not meant to be immortal. Though his relentless addiction drives him onward, there are signs that the 'real' Sméagol is weary beyond imagination.
%%* WolverinePublicity
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: After centuries of misery and torment, he nearly destroys the quest (dooming Middle Earth to tyranny) because of a HeelFaceDoorSlam. Ironically, [[BreakTheCutie Frodo]] [[spoiler:knowingly claims the ring after suffering months of psychological torment because of it]]. Fortunately, [[DramaticIrony the quest would have failed]] without his [[ProphecyTwist attempt to prevent it]]. Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam taking pity on Gollum was [[BecauseDestinySaysSo necessary]] for the Ring's destruction; and expressly choosing ''not'' to attack and kill him on four separate occasions, even on the slopes of Mount Doom...
-->'''Frodo:''' But do you remember Gandalf's words: "Even Gollum may have something yet to do?" But for him, Sam, I could not have destroyed the Ring. The Quest would have been in vain, even at the bitter end. ''So let us forgive him!'' For the Quest is achieved and now all is over. I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.
* {{Yandere}}: He 'both loves and hates the Ring.'
--> '''Smeagol:''' [[MurderTheHypotenuse "My one... my own...]] [[CargoShip my Precioussss..."]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tom Bombadil]]

A strange... ''person'' who lives in the Old Forest just outside the Shire. Tom is the forest's "Master" and nothing can harm him within its borders. His nature is a mystery -- he was old even when the first Elves entered his part of the world. He lives in a little house with his wife, the river-spirit Goldberry. Tom was the first person the hobbits met after leaving the Shire and he provided them safe passage along the early part of their journey. He also gave them their swords after he rescued them in the Barrow-downs. He refuses to get involved in the War of the Ring and sits the whole thing out.

Tom was originally Tolkien's doll, and later became the star of a humorous poem Tolkien wrote in 1934 that had no connection to Middle-Earth. He only appeared in ''The Lord of the Rings'' as a sort of guest-star. He later got his own spinoff in 1962, ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'', a book of poems presented as in-universe poems from the Shire.
----
* AdaptedOut: The three chapters where he appears were completely left out of the film (his name isn't even mentioned), although a few of his lines were given to Treebeard in the extended cut of ''The Two Towers''.
* AlmightyIdiot: It's telling that smuggling Hobbits into Mordor with only nine persons who barely worked together is considered better odds than convincing Bombadil to do something, even keeping the One Ring he is immune to until they sort things out.
* AmbiguouslyHuman: He looks sort of like a Man, and sort of like a Dwarf. Whatever he ''is'', he isn't either of those.
* ArcadianInterlude: The time the hobbits spend with him is a light-hearted happy sequence full of singing and eating in his idyllic patch of country.
* CallOnMe: He instructs the Hobbits to call upon him with a silly rhyme if they need his help, which they most definitely do when confronted by the Barrow-Wights. He shows up almost immediately to save them.
* TheCameo: As mentioned above, Tom's presence in the book is a nod to one of Tolkien's older poems.
* EccentricMentor: Tells stories to the four Hobbits, and is rather bonkers.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Except badgers. And Old Man Willow.
* GreatGazoo: A silly, oddly-dressed fellow who goes around singing nonsense... who can cow [[WhenTreesAttack Old Man Willow]] and [[OurGhostsAreDifferent barrow-wights]] just by said singing, and can put on [[ArtifactOfDoom The One Ring]] as if it was just any piece of jewelry. Even Gandalf speculates that, were Sauron to triumph over the forces of good, Bombadil's territory would be the last place to fall.
* HappilyMarried: To Goldberry, daughter of the river.
* IHaveManyNames: "Tom Bombadil" is just what the Hobbits and the Men of Bree call him, though he does call himself this way before the main characters, presumibly for this reason. He has many other names, including Iarwain Ben-Adar ("Oldest and Fatherless") to the Elves, Orald ("very ancient") to the Northmen, and Forn (not said, but presumably a similar meaning) to the Dwarves. If he has a real name, we never get to see it.
* ImmuneToMindControl: The Ring does not strictly control minds, but it does have a strong ability to influence them, enhancing their greatest desire and, given enough time, warp whoever is wearing it into an evil mutant of what they once were. Not Tom Bombadil, however. Tom is not impressed by the Ring at all, and casually plays with it before handing it back to Frodo. It seems he can even see Frodo when he's wearing it.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: More like Incorruptible Pure Neutrality. The Ring has no power over him -- possibly because he has no ambition to speak of, even less than the Hobbits.
* InexplicablyAwesome: He can banish evil trees, barrow-wights, and it's implied even Nazgûl. Also, he can apparently teleport, the Ring has no effect over him, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking has some damn catchy songs.]] It is notable that even the Valar are unable to understand exactly what or who Tom is. It is said that after immediately they had created the world, they discovered, much to their puzzlement, that Tom already existed in it. The Valar were all sure that they were not responsible for creating Tom, and therefore could not explain his existence; he just was ''there'' all of a sudden.
* JustEatGilligan: Subverted. Someone ''does'' suggest giving the Ring to Bombadil since it has no effect on him whatsoever, but Gandalf shoots him down because Tom would probably lose the damn thing specifically because it's no big deal to him. (Also, even Tom's power couldn't keep out the entire host of Mordor indefinitely once Sauron learned its location.)
* MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast: Rather, savage trees.
* NatureSpirit: This is more-or-less the closest we can come to a guess at what he's supposed to be, helped by a cryptic hint in ''Letters by J. R. R. Tolkien''.
* NiceHat: "Bright blue is his hat." Also has a feather in it.
* OffScreenTeleportation: He appears outside the barrow as soon as the hobbits sing his calling rhyme.
* RhymesOnADime: Is prone to breaking out into song. Even when not rhyming, he almost always speaks in poetic meter.
* SingleSpecimenSpecies: He's not a Vala, not a Maia, not a Man, not an Elf. What he is is up for debate, but one thing's for sure: with the possible exception of Goldberry, he's the only one like him that we see.
* TimeAbyss: He is apparently as old as Arda, if he is not Arda itself as suggested above.
* WackyWaysideTribe: The time with Bombadil is an interesting and amusing interlude, and the possibility of leaving the Ring with him is discussed later at the Council of Elrond, but it doesn't really contribute much to the story besides world-building and giving the hobbits barrow-blades, and the tone is much lighter than the rest of the narrative. It is worth mentioning that Sam wished he was present when they encountered Shelob. Which led him directly over to the memory of Galadriel's lamp.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Goldberry]]

Tom Bombadil's wife, also known as the "River-woman's daughter", who lives in the Old Forest along with him. A figure as misterious as him, if not actually more, she appeared for the first time in ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'', where he captures her into hisbride.
----
* AdaptedOut: Just like Tom, she is absent from all film adaptations.
* AmbiguouslyHuman: She looks like a human, but is clearly not.
* DuelOfSeduction: A sort of lyric variation in their first meeting with Tom: she tried to lure Tom to the river, but it's him who lured her into his clutches at the end.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Has golden hair and is a helpful and good-natured character.
* HappilyMarried: Her marriage with Bombadil is described by authors quoted in TheOtherWiki as "the only functioning one in The Lord of the Rings". Which is ironic, given that it started with Tom kidnapping her.
* NatureSpirit: Tolkien considered her as "the seasonal changes in nature".
* SatelliteCharacter: While Tolkien left Tom's nature open as a deliberate enigma, he bothered even less with Goldberry, whose main characterization seems to be Bombadil's wife and possibly a NatureSpirit on her own.
* TimeAbyss: She is clearly very ancient. Possibly not as much as Tom, though: she notably avoids describing herself in the same terms of immeasurable age as him, and refers to him as oldest than any other being in Middle-Earth, implying she is counting herself among them.
* UglyGuyHotWife: While Tom's not explicitly ugly, he still looks like an intermediate step between Men and Dwarves; meanwhile, Goldberry is described as an Elven-like beautiful human.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radagast the Brown]]

The third wizard mentioned in ''The Lord of the Rings'', though he only appears second-hand, through Gandalf's account. Radagast is of the same order as Gandalf and Saruman, though he has mostly retreated from the world of Men and Elves to look after the birds and beasts of Middle-Earth. He lives in Mirkwood, in a dwelling called Rhosgobel. Saruman uses him as an unwitting dupe to lure Gandalf to Isengard, but Radagast also unwittingly rescues him by sending an eagle to report news to Saruman.
----
* CrypticBackgroundReference: In ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Gandalf only briefly mentions him as an old friend and "cousin" (not literally, as it turns out), with whom Beorn is also acquainted.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: In the {{Backstory}}, he was chosen by Yavanna, the Vala of all plants and animals.
* TheGhost: In ''Literature/TheHobbit'' he only receives an off-hand mention, and in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' he appears only in a flashback, both told by Gandalf. The reader never gets to see Radagast on page.
* TheHermit: He lives isolated at his home Rhosgobel, somewhere in Mirkwood, and doesn't seem to get involved in much of anything unless called upon by another Wizard.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: The Wizards are really angels disguised as humans.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Radagast was sent by Saruman to ask Gandalf to rush to Isengard. (This was a Spanner for Gandalf's plans.) Then he was sent by Gandalf to ask Gwaihir the Eagle to rush to Isengard as well. (This was a Spanner for Saruman's plans.)
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He can communicate with birds.
* TimeAbyss: Like all Wizards, he's technically older than the whole universe.
* UnwittingPawn: To Saruman’s plot to get Gandalf into Isengard. In a delicious twist of irony, he winds up [[SubvertedTrope unwittingly foiling the plot as well]].
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: According to Gandalf, Radagast is “a master of shapes and changes of hue.” That's pretty vague, but it definitely sounds like some power of shapeshifting, glamour or both.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The last we hear of him was that he wasn't at home. Tolkien's answer seems to be that he [[GoingNative went native]] among the flora and fauna and neglected the affairs of the Free People, but changed his mind over whether this was a failure of his mission[[note]]in the Istari mission to defeat Sauron[[/note]] or fulfillment of it[[note]]Yavanna picked him specifically to guard the wildlife[[/note]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Treebeard]]

An old Ent, and master (and namesake) of Fangorn Forest.
----
* BadassGrandpa: One of the oldest living beings in Middle-earth, Treebeard is still more powerful than most of them.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Under all ordinary circumstances, Treebeard is a GentleGiant. When he realizes that his forest's survival is at stake, he turns his (enormous) strength and patience against Saruman.
* FantasticRacism: Downplayed, but notably present: Treebeard appears to hold Wizards in significant esteem (ordinarily), but he repeatedly calls both Gandalf and Saruman "young" in a condescending way, as if he was older and wiser than them, when in reality they are ''much'' older than he is.
* ConstantlyCurious: Downplayed. Treebeard thinks he's SeenItAll, so when anything genuinely new comes along (such as hobbits), he's fascinated.
* GreenAesop: Treebeard's message (both in and out of universe) is very clear: Don't mess with the forest or the forest will ''absolutely destroy you''. Tolkien was, after all, a dedicated environmentalist.
* HeroicNeutral: He regards the rest of the world as "none of my business," and only worries about Fangorn.
-->'''Treebeard:''' I am not altogether on anybody's ''side'', because nobody is altogether on my ''side'', if you understand me; nobody cares for the woods as I care for them, not even Elves nowadays.
* HiddenDepths: At first the hobbits take him for some strange monster. Then they discover that he's kindly, if rather long-winded and indolent. And after persuading him that Saruman is a threat, they discover that his wrath is fearsome.
* NeutralNoLonger: After seeing the devastation Saruman has wrought, Fangorn leads the Ents and their trees to war. Stone walls are ripped to fragments. Armies disappear into the trees and ''are never seen again.''
* NameThatUnfoldsLikeALotusBlossom: A major Entish cultural trait. Taken UpToEleven, as Ent names are lengthy summaries of their whole lives.
* OutsideContextProblem: Treebeard and his Ents were left out of Saruman's calculations when he decided to TakeOverTheWorld.
* OverlyLongName: His real name is the story of his life, according to him. Like most Ents, he is therefore [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Only Known By His Nickname]]. One of which is his Sindarin name, Fangorn. Yes, the ''whole forest is named after one guy''.
* TimeAbyss: Perhaps the third-oldest physical creature ([[OurAngelsAreDifferent Maiar]] don't count) in Middle-Earth. Círdan, having awoken with the first generation of Elves at Cuivienen way back in the [[TheTimeOfMyths Years of the Trees]], is older still, and Tom Bombadil is older than the world.
* {{Treants}}: As the primary Ent character in the books, he has one of the stronger claims for being the TropeMaker. The books mostly depict him as a giant but otherwise fairly standard humanoid whose anatomy and appearance are reminiscent of plant life (unless one goes for the interpretation of the first Ents having originated as spirits that fused with living trees).
* VerbalTic: Hoom, hmm, don't be hasty, now...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Halbarad]]
A Ranger of the North and kinsman of Aragorn. At the urging of Elrond, Halbarad leads the Grey Company, a squad of thirty Rangers (plus Elrond's sons, Elladan and Elrohir) to bring Aragorn the standard Arwen made for him and urges him to enter the Paths of the Dead. Halbarad becomes Aragorn's standard-bearer and follows Aragorn until the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where he dies, never to see Eriador again.
----
%%* TheLancer: To Aragorn.
* ProphecyTwist: Upon arriving at the door to the Paths of the Dead, Halbarad declares that “[his] death lies beyond it.” While technically true (he does indeed die some time after entering the Paths), he survives the Paths of the Dead and seems to be doing perfectly fine until the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He shows up for the first time shortly before the Paths of the Dead and dies on the Pelennor Fields just a few chapters later.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ghân-buri-Ghân]]

Leader of the Woses (or Drúedain), a primitive tribal population of indigenous people that lived around the lands of Rohan and had a deep contact with the forests and wielders of a very powerful and intrinsic magic. They are very mysterious and elusive, but ultimately good people who refuse to side with Sauron and prove to be invaluable allies.
----
* BadassNative: The Woses may not like fighting but Ghân (and his people likewise) is a fierce man whose deep power over nature is not to be trifled with.
* CrypticBackgroundReference / MysteriousPast: We know next to nothing about the Woses in Lord of the Rings aside of a scant few throaway references. In ''Unfinished Tales'', we get a few glimpses of their cultures from the perspective of Elves and men of Rohan, but it's still very distant.
* DarkIsNotEvil: They look very fearsome and not at all aesthetically pleasing, with their odd proportions, but they're unambiguously heroic.
* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: Despite the fractured speech, Ghân is very wise and perceptive, and even has a few poetic turns of phrase that are only brought down by his YouTakeNoCandle speech.
* EnemyMine: Ghân doesn't seem ''too'' fond of the Rohirrim given the long history of racial tension between them and his people, but he immediately hurls that aside because he ''loathes'' Orcs, same as the Rohirrim.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Ghân and the Woses seem patterned around various Indigenous people across history.
* HiddenElfVillage: Woses aren't elves (far from it), but they likewise live in a secluded area in Rohan.
* JungleDrums: The Woses are initially unseen but their foreboding drums can be heard, which scares the Rohirrim. Despite this, it's clarified their drumming is their way of warning that the Orcs are getting dangerously near and greeting the Rohirrim. The prose mentions that after the War of the Ring, the Rohirrim would never again fear the drums of the Woses, and rather rejoice when they hear them.
* MagicalNativeAmerican: The fantasy equivalent of it. Ghân and his people are a very tribalistic and technologically primitive people who nonetheless know more about nature and magic than all of Rohan and Gondor combined.
* MartialPacifist: Ghân states the Woses don't fight, though they do hunt and have the weapons to defend themselves if need be.
* NobleSavage: Ghân is a wise and noble leader, as is his people. They are all unaffected entirely by Sauron's dark influence.
* PoisonedWeapons: The Woses poison their arrows, which makes them quite foreboding according to the Rohirrim.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Ghân has keen knowledge of events unfolding ''very'' far away because the Woses are ''just that good'' at reading tracks.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Ghân shows up for one chapter, but it's entirely his doing that the Rohirrim arrive on Gondor on time. Without him, the Rohirrim would have been late and Gondor would probably have fallen by the time they arrived.
* StaffOfAuthority: Ghân goes around with a wooden staff that seems to indicate his rank among the Woses.
* StealthExpert: The Woses can blend (and find pathways) in the forest like nobody's business. They manage to sneak the entirety of the Rohirrim past Sauron's eyes, and Ghân himself pretty much vanishes on the spot after talking with Theodén.
* StealthHiBye: The literal second Ghân finishes doing his job and talking with Theodén, he vanishes in the forest and out of sight without anyone noticing.
* YouTakeNoCandle: Ghân speaks in a fractured, odd manner of speech, evidently because Westron isn't his mother tongue and he's not used to conversing with outsiders. Despite this, he's rather perceptive.


!!The Forces of Evil

[[folder:Sauron]]

The eponymous Lord of the Rings. The lieutenant of Morgoth, the original Dark Lord, Sauron was responsible for much suffering of Elves and Men in the Elder Days. When Morgoth was banished, Sauron ultimately picked up in his place. His first gambit was to teach the Elves to craft magic rings (ultimately the three for the Elves, seven for the Dwarves, and nine for Men). He then crafted his own One Ring as an extension of his being through which he meant to dominate each race. However, the elves were on guard against this evil and the dwarves were too focused on material wealth. Sauron made his first bid through force but was routed and his body destroyed. However, his ring anchored him to our realm and would allow him to return.

In the narrative, he is simply the BigBad, an ominous evil presence that grows stronger as the heroes near his realm. If he reclaimed the One Ring, the doom of Middle-Earth would be swift and final. Even without it, he seems poised to win, leaving the destruction of his Ring as the only means of defeating him.

See the character sheet for ''Characters/TheSilmarillion'' for tropes that apply to him in that work.
----
* AchillesHeel: The One Ring.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He represents ambition, and his ambition lead to his corruption.
* AndIMustScream: His ultimate fate. The destruction of the ring crippled him completely, leaving him nothing but a 'spirit of malice', unable to ever assume physical form or influence anyone or anything ever again.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: A downplayed example since Sauron's greatest strengths were his strategic mind and his magical abilities. His physical strength, while immensely superior to most Men and Elves, was fairly average for a Maia; he could hold his own against Elendil and Gil-Galad at the Siege of Barad-dûr, but was wounded in the process. It's a common theme throughout all his appearances in Tolkien's works: Sauron will only engage in physical combat when all other options have been exhausted... and he will almost always lose.
* AxCrazy: Much of Saurons' perceived motiveless malice can be explained by him being batshit crazy. While Tolkien considered Morgoth the madder of the two due to being an OmnicidalManiac, Sauron is no shining example of sanity either and has long abandoned any constructive goals he might once have held. His plan to conquer Middle-Earth and run it into the ground stems from overwhelming, impotent rage at how life has turned out for him, and while he is often capable of taking AFormYouAreComfortableWith when it suits his purposes, behind these fair forms is an entity consumed with self-loathing and hatred for all things well beyond the point of reason. The ''slightest'' rejection or criticism can provoke him to torture and kill you even if it serves no purpose to do so (or is even counter-productive to his larger plans) and well before the end he loses the ability to feel any genuine emotion beyond anger, hatred and fear.
* BigBad: The moving force behind nearly all evil in ''The Lord of the Rings''.
* BlackSpeech: Sauron at one time made an artificial language as a way to communicate across his empire and his allies earlier in the backstory. Thousands of years after being killed in the final battle of the [[TheAlliance Last Alliance]] and getting a new form, the Nazgûl, Olog-hai, and many Orcs still use it.
* TheChessmaster: Used disguises and clever tactical planning to make the Elves create the Rings, and to later undermine Númenor until its downfall.
* ClassicVillain: Sauron represents Ambition and Greed.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Inflicted on several unfortunates who have information he wants. Unlike Morgoth, it isn't made clear whether he also tortures people for fun in his spare time, but don't put it past him.
* CurbStompBattle: He gets his angelic ass handed to him by Eru for meddling with the lives of mortal men. He does not look [[CameBackWrong divine when he eventually recovers and reforms]].
* DarkIsEvil: Darkness is his big visual motif, as with Morgoth before him. Black are his flags, darkness is what he spreads from Mordor to shield his sun-phobic armies, and of course he's the Dark Lord.
* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: He has spent so much of his power on evil pursuits and attempts to subjugate Middle-Earth that by the time he infuses his essence into the One Ring he becomes incapable of sustaining himself without it. As long as the Ring survives, so does he - but as soon as it is destroyed, he is instantly and irrecoverably undone.
* DirtyCoward: He hates fighting unless he either really has to or he thinks his opponent is no match for him; the reason he survived so long is that he ran like Hell every time battles were not going his way or if he ever got wounded. He has no compunction about torturing and beating upon helpless, defenceless prisoners, however, especially if they were warriors themselves.
* TheDreaded: It's quite literally his name... well, one of his names, anyway. Fear is one of his greatest weapon, and his most powerful servants and creations have the power to inflict fear upon those around them.
* EmperorScientist: As Morgoth's servant he was engaged in many "scientific experiment", most notably, he had a heavy hand in the creation of orcs. And of course after Morgoth's downfall he created the Rings with the help of the elves.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** One of the reasons the whole gambit to destroy the Ring works. Sauron believes that anyone who possesses the ring would use it for themselves, leaving them susceptible to its corruption. Only when it's too late does he realize that his enemies wish to destroy it. But...[[SubvertedTrope he turns out correct in the end]], as ''nobody'' actually has the resolve to destroy it willingly. Instead, it gets undone as an unforeseen consequence of Bilbo and Frodo's act of pity, [[DoubleSubverted something else his evil could not comprehend]].
** More generally, Sauron in his fall utterly lost the ability to comprehend or empathise with anyone who wasn't as evil and selfish as him, and couldn't imagine any non-selfish motivation. He convinced Denethor that Gandalf wanted to take over Middle-Earth for himself because that's what Sauron ''genuinely believed''.
* EvilGenius: He's one of the smartest beings in Middle-Earth from the very beginning.
--> '''Gandalf:''' Let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy! For he is very wise, and weighs all things to a nicety in the scales of his malice.
* EvilIsBurningHot: Literally, as his physical form emanates enough heat to kill anyone just by touching. In general, he is associated with fire as well.
* EvilMentor: To Celebrimbor in Eregion, tricking him into forging the Rings of Power.
* EvilSorcerer: As the Necromancer, people mistakenly thought he was one of these.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: He considers free will to be the root of chaos, and as a being who desires perfect order above all else he cannot tolerate it.
* EvilOverlord: The TropeCodifier for modern fantasy.
* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower.
* FaceHeelTurn: Originally, Sauron was an angelic being and servant of Aulë, the godlike patron of craftsmen and maker of the physical aspect of the Earth; this is how he became such a master at creating items of power. However, he was corrupted by the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, with promises of power.
* FallenAngel: He once was a good Maia, though that was tens of thousands of years ago.
* FacelessEye: He appears as a great eye of fire in the minds of those who perceive him. Unlike in the Jackson movies, in the books this is not his actual physical form -- which is hideous but humanoid, complete with a missing ring finger.
* FantasticRacism: Sauron has made destroying the Númenóreans one of his major goals.
* FatalFlaw: Pride. See EvilCannotComprehendGood. His pride kept him from even considering that anyone would ''want'' to destroy his pet ArtifactOfDoom.
* FateWorseThanDeath: He ends as a bodiless spirit too weak to influence anyone ever again.
* TheGhost: Tolkien never gave a clear description of what Sauron [[NothingIsScarier actually looked like]] in the original books. Pippin sees him in person, but he doesn't want to describe him.
* GodEmperor: He sets himself as a god-king in Mordor.
* {{Foil}}: To Gandalf, who was sent to Middle-Earth specifically to be his adversary.
* TheHeavy: Though not present for much of the story, his actions drive the plot.
* HeelFaceTurn: He did this at the end of the First Age, when he mostly reformed and wanted to help rebuild Middle-Earth...
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: ...but the threat and fear of punishment was too great, and he didn't resist the temptation to use "reconstruction" as an excuse to to conquer the world.
* IHaveManyNames: Sauron's other names are these: Annatar, Gorthaur the Cruel, Thû, [[UnusualEuphemism The Nameless Enemy]], Dark Lord of Mordor, Lord of the Rings, Base Master of Treachery, the Dark Power, Lord of Barad-dûr, [[RedEyesTakeWarning The Eye]], Ring-maker, and TheNecromancer. Also the Lord of Werewolves back in his shapeshifting days and Tevildo, [[CatsAreMean Lord of Cats]] (!) in [[Literature/TheHistoryOfMiddleEarth another version]].
* ISurrenderSuckers: How he caused Númenor to fall. See the ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' characters page for more.
* {{Irony}}: As chancellor to Ar-Pharazôn, he was known as Tar-Mairon. In other words, the entity that was responsible for taking the corruption of Númenor to its logical conclusion rendered his name in Quenya, the language of the Faithful.
* KeystoneArmy: Raised — and lost — several.
* LightIsNotGood: In his guise as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, he appeared as an angelic being of incredible beauty. This was how he deceived the Elves and corrupted the Númenóreans.
* LoadBearingBoss: His malign will was functioning as his EvilTowerOfOminousness' foundation, not to mention the primary motivating and dominating force of his slave armies.
* TheMagnificent: Referred to as Sauron ''the Great'' by his followers. Also, before he turned evil, he was called Mairon ("Admirable").
* MindRape: His specialty. [-"Thy flesh shall be devoured and thy shriveled mind left naked to the Lidless Eye."-] Brrrrr.
* MonstrousHumanoid: After he lost his beautiful Annatar form in the fall of Númenor, he was stuck in a humanoid but horrendously monstrous form for the rest of his existence.
* MotiveDecay: Justified in-universe: his original motivation was to give order and peace to the world. As his [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget evil grew]], he lost sight of this goal - a desire for order became a desire to dominate everything, and a desire for peace became a lust for revenge against those who resisted him - the Eldar, the Númenóreans, and lastly the men of Gondor. His goal remains 'order' but his motivations change.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Sauron" is Quenya for "abomination." His less-often-seen Sindarin name, Gorthaur, means "terrible dread."
* TheNecromancer: It's one of his titles and the alias he used while recuperating at Dol Guldur, and his specialty as a Maia was in manipulating the connection between minds and physical bodies/objects. However, he does not seem to have the 'stereotypical' Necromancer's entourage of rotting animated corpses.
* NotQuiteDead: Gandalf notes that, even with the destruction of the Ring, Sauron isn't actually dead as he is a Maia whose essence cannot truly perish. Instead, he's just reduced to an impotent "spirit of malice" that can never again grow or take form.
* ObviouslyEvil: After the Downfall of Númenor, he can only take shape as something hideous that wears all his hate and corruption on the outside, where everybody can see it plainly.
* OhCrap: Understandably, he ''freaks the hell out'' when he realizes that his ring is ''in the very place it can be destroyed.''
* OrcusOnHisThrone: He never engages anyone in physical battle after his previous defeat by the Last Alliance. Though this isn't to say that he's inactive. His Eye is always on the move, as are his servants, propelled by his malevolent will. Justified in that, while he is immensely powerful, physical strength is not his forte. If Sauron is personally coming out to fight, like he did at the end of the Second Age, it generally means he's on the brink of defeat and getting rather desperate.
* OrderVersusChaos: When Sauron was originally created as a good being, the greatest virtue that was instilled in him was a love of order and perfection, leading him to dislike anything he considered wasteful. Over time though, this virtue became twisted and corrupted as Sauron began to seek to impose order upon everyone and ''everything'' and came to view unrelenting tyranny as [[EvilIsEasy the easiest way to do so]], leading him to fall from the side of good and join Morgoth as his lieutenant.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Sauron, like the Wizards, is an angel in humanoid form. Unlike them, however, he possesses his full power and knowledge.
* OutGambitted: He Out Gambits everyone, and then is in turn Out Gambitted by Gandalf. See UnwittingPawn below.
* TheParanoiac: Both he and his master Morgoth fit this disorder, particularly as they got progressively weaker over the Ages and increasingly spiteful, envious, controlling, petty and grandiose as a direct result of that. Sauron especially, as by the end he simply wants to control absolutely everything and is completely enraged by any challenge to his. It also causes Sauron to have a cautious streak, both personally and as a strategist. Like his master, he generally does not attack unless assured of success, and heavily hedges his bets; his assault on Minas Tirith, for instance, only involves a fraction of his forces, with the bulk remaining in Mordor. His defeat there causes Sauron to fall back and regroup, when a second assault would likely have conquered the city easily.
* PlayingWithFire: His DarkLord form is described as looking very dark, like it is blackened from the immense heat of his body, and anybody who gets too close is burned by him.
* PresentAbsence: Sauron is never present in a scene, and very few of the characters have actually been in his presence. His only lines are spoken to Pippin when he looks into the ''palantír'', and we only know them because the incident actually happens off-page, with Pippin telling the rest of the characters about it after the fact.
* RedEyesTakeWarning. Does appear yellow at one point, however.
* RedRightHand: He cannot grow back the ring finger he lost at the end of the Second Age. [-"There are only four fingers on the Black Hand, but [[TakeOurWordForIt they are enough]]."-]
* ShadowArchetype: Sauron is a Shadow to both Gandalf and Galadriel.
* ShapeshifterModeLock: After the destruction of Númenor, he can never again assume a form that isn't hideous, hateful, and Obviously Evil.
* SinisterSurveillance: Of Mordor and the surrounding lands, with his thought ("Eye") alone [[spoiler:and with the Palantír from Minas Ithil.]]
* SuperOCD: This was the beginning [[StartOfDarkness of his downward spiral]]. Even when he was once good, Sauron hated what he perceived to be disorder and complexity. All things having their own free-wills and destiny, frustrated him. He wanted all creation to pull in one direction, one way. ''His way''.
* TakeOverTheWorld: His goal, literally. And if he gets his Ring back, he probably can thanks to his enemies being far weaker than they were in the Second Age.
* TreacherousAdvisor: Sauron was this to Ar-Pharazôn and Celebrimbor, as well as an EvilChancellor.
* UltimateBlacksmith: Sauron is one of the most skilled craftsmen in all of existence, which is one reason the Ring is so incredibly hard to destroy. While there are smiths of similar or greater skill, most of them live in Valinor, outside the reach of Middle-Earth.
* UltimateEvil: In the book itself, he's a quintessential go-to example of UltimateEvil. The fact that there's a BiggerBad in the BackStory is therefore UpToEleven. Then again, Tolkien states that Sauron at the height of his power was more powerful than Morgoth during the War of the Jewels when compared to their respective opposition. Interestingly enough, he's ''not'' motiveless [[MadeOfEvil Evil Incarnate]]: his StartOfDarkness was motivated by a desire for order and control. This helps explain the reactions of Gandalf and Galadriel when Frodo offers ''them'' the ring.
* TheUnfought: Due to PresentAbsence. Sauron always sends his minions to do the fighting for him. This may be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] as he usually gets the worst of any fight he actually takes part in.
* UnwittingPawn: Marching most of his army up to the Black Gate was a trap and he walked right into it.
* VillainsNeverLie: While normally a huge liar, this is how he corrupts both Saruman and Denethor. Sauron uses his own ''palantir'' seeing-stone against his enemies by controlling what they see through their own; while the ''palantir'' cannot show false images, Sauron can subtly guide the other side into seeing what he wants them to see. Sauron used this to show off his immense armies and power, to both [[BreakThemByTalking drive his foes to despair]] and tempt them to join his side.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Before his physical body was destroyed in the fall of Númenor. Even afterwards he's implied to still possess the ability, though he never really gets a chance to use it -- he just can't conceal his evil nature any more, meaning it's no longer useful as a disguise.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: His goal at the beginning was to [[OrderVsChaos establish a lasting order]] in Middle-Earth. By the time of the novel, he's long since lost any good intentions and now just wants absolute power for the sake of it.
* WoundThatWillNotHeal: According to Gollum, even after regaining his physical form he's still missing the finger that Isildur lopped off.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The One Ring]]

Yes, the One Ring ''is'' a character: the one around whom everyone in the series bases their actions. Sauron made it, lost it, and wants it back. Gollum is addicted to its presence. The White Council want to destroy the Ring, Frodo volunteers, and the Fellowship of the Ring protect him on his quest. The thing is animated from afar by Sauron's will and malice, and seeks constantly to tempt its bearer to do evil and/or get itself back to Barad-dûr.
----
* AllYourPowersCombined: To the other Rings, though it doles out power based on its wielder's native abilities and strength of will.
* AffectionateNickname: It likes being called "precious", as evidenced by both Gollum and Bilbo calling it that.
* AmplifierArtifact: It will increase the native power of whoever wields it, in proportion to what they had before. A mere Hobbit like Gollum or Frodo gets invisibility, a certain sharpness of hearing, and not much else, but somebody like Galadriel or Gandalf would be terrifyingly dangerous wielding it.
* ArtifactOfAttraction: Even looking at it can bring weaker-willed people under its power.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The Ring is treated as a [=WMD=].
* BattleAura: Bestows one to Sam and later Frodo, terrifying an orc {{Mook}} and Gollum.
* BlackSpeech: The hidden inscription on it.
* BrownNote: Possessing the ring for extended periods of time will corrupt the bearer.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: It will betray anyone who wields it and take another bearer at the worst possible moment, always seeking to get back to its true master, Sauron.
* CompellingVoice: It's indicated a few times that it can talk to people (it does in the films), and its voice is always used to corrupt and tempt whoever has it.
* TheCorruption: It can and will corrupt anyone and everyone that takes it.
* ClingyMacGuffin: It ''wants'' to be found. It ''wants'' you to keep it.
* HappyFunBall: It looks like a golden ring, but is the SoulJar of an evil angel.
%%* HatePlague
* InvisibilityCloak: Wearing the Ring makes you invisible in the normal world, but you become visible in the Wraith-World, where you can be seen by Sauron and his Ringwraiths. Like the Nine Rings, this also has the effect of corroding non-immortal wielders until they fade from the world and become wraiths themselves - a process that Hobbits (and Dwarves, according to the [[AllThereInTheManual Appendices]]) are partially resistant to.
* LoyalPhlebotinum: To Sauron, and Sauron only. It allows its current bearer to access some powers, but only Sauron can make it work to its full strength. And if it is ever separated from its master, it does everything in its power to return. Nevertheless, according to Elrond at the Council of Elrond if one of the Wise, someone with great native power, were to wield the ring and use it to successfully overthrow Sauron, they would then set themselves on Sauron's throne and a new Dark Lord or Queen would appear; the implication here is that the Ring's loyalty would also change to the new Dark Lord or Queen, but they would be thoroughly corrupted and end up just as bad as Sauron, or even worse, because unlike Sauron previously they would have the Ring in their possession and could wield it at will. Because of this, it's dangerous even to the Wise as Elrond said.
* LustObject: Once you've had it, you will lust after it forever.
%%* MagicAIsMagicA
* NighInvulnerability: It can only be destroyed in the same furnace where it was made -- the volcanic depths of Orodruin.
* NothingIsScarier: The full capabilities of the Ring are never really explained or understood, to the characters or the reader. This is because it, like its creator Sauron, is not truly of Middle Earth: its nature [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow is beyond mortal comprehension]]. This becomes all the more scary as the Ring's power and sentience grows as it nears its source, and its malignant influence begins to find footholds in Frodo's mind.
* PhlebotinumBreakdown: In order to gain complete physical mastery of the world, Sauron an angelic being, had to intertwine his very spirit, malice, and will to dominate, with Arda. He poured it all into The One Ring, thus ensuring his hold and power remains, his spirit endures, even if he is defeated. He will return. This evil plan though would have [[AchillesHeel profound implications and consequences]]. If the One Ring is destroyed, he loses the lion's share of his god-given strength. He will end up reduced to a mere shadow that gnaws itself in darkness, unable to create or reform again.
* RingOfPower: ''[[TropeCodifier The]]'' Ring of Power.
* SoulJar: The better part of Sauron's power is sealed in it.
* ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil: A very good person who has possession of the Ring will gradually succumb to restless paranoia. An evil person will grow much worse.
* UnholyHolySword: In ''Literature/TheHobbit'', it's a seemingly innocuous magic ring Bilbo finds that makes him invisible and proves to be useful on his journey. Imagine the surprise when it's revealed later that it's the Dark Lord's SoulJar.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Saruman]]

The leader of the Wizards and the White Council, Saruman the White possessed great knowledge and skill at crafting, but was proud and haughty. He dwelt in the tower of Orthanc at Isengard. Saruman was originally a steadfast enemy of Sauron, but in time came to envy Sauron and began searching for the One Ring. At first he steered the White Council away from opposing Sauron, hoping that the Dark Lord's rise would bring the Ring back into the open, but Sauron ensnared him through his use of the Seeing-stone of Orthanc and Saruman became his servant. Saruman raised an army of Orcs and subverted the land of Rohan through his minion Wormtongue, but still searched for the Ring in hopes of betraying Sauron and claiming his power.

Saruman was the foremost of the Wizards, but his greatest power was not magic, but his sheer charisma and compelling voice. With these he subverted the White Council and brought Rohan to its knees.
----
* AboveGoodAndEvil: Tries to invoke this by boasting he's not just white, but many colours. His [[BewareTheSuperman terrible actions upon Middle Earth]] by assisting Sauron, demonstrate to cast and audience alike otherwise.
* AllYourColorsCombined: He tries to claim the name 'Saruman of the Many Colours.' Subverted when Gandalf points out that this is in fact ''inferior'' to being 'Saruman the White,' since multiple colors are what come of white light being ''broken''.
* TheArchmage: Chief of the Istari and head of the Council of the Wise.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Leader of the wizards, and the most powerful.
* BigBadWannabe: He wants to replace Sauron as the Dark Lord of Middle-Earth.
* BigGood: He was the most powerful and respected of the Istari and was considered their leader until he had a FaceHeelTurn sometime before the story starts and Gandalf had to take over.
* BreakTheHaughty: The ruin of Isengard by the Ents, people he had completely written off. And then getting a big ShutUpHannibal from Théoden King, and then having Gandalf command him and break his staff. [[spoiler:And, finally, to be killed by Wormtongue.]] He brings all of it on himself.
* CompellingVoice: Even when you bring an army to his ruined doorstep after his ''thorough'' defeat, he can make you doubt your self-worth.
* ConsummateLiar: Coupled with his literally magical charisma, he's also a highly effective liar.
* DirtyCoward: After his army's defeated, he is driven mad with fear of repercussions. He shuts himself inside the Orthanc and refuses to leave, even with Gandalf's pardon; not out of fear of Rohan or the Fellowship, but of Sauron.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: He intended to betray Sauron and claim the One Ring for himself.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: After Frodo spares him following his overthrow at the Shire, Saruman assumes that Frodo did it to force him to live knowing that he's only alive because of his enemy's mercy. This is despite Frodo stating, while standing ''right next to Saruman,'' that he (Frodo) would rather not have a Maia killed, even a fallen one.
* EvilCounterpart: To Gandalf. He even says that he is what Saruman should have been.
* EvilIsPetty: When he takes over the Shire, he orders trees cut down and rivers despoiled solely to spite Frodo and company.
* EvilOldFolks: Like the other Istari, he has the appearance of an elderly man.
* EvilSorcerer: Being a corrupted wizard.
* FaceHeelTurn: He was once on the side of good, before his lust for power got the better of him.
* FallenHero: Was once a Maia, an angel, who came to Middle-earth to help the people fight against Sauron. Then he was corrupted by Sauron, and wound up helping him.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Polite, charming, composed — when he wants to be, anyway. When the mask slips due to pride or rage, on the other hand, he proves himself to truly be arrogant and contemptuous.
* FreudianTrio: With Gandalf and Radagast; is the Superego in the group.
* GadgeteerGenius
** In his speech to the Council of Elrond, Gandalf reveals that Saruman provided the weapons and/or strategy that evicted Sauron from Dol Guldur ([[NoodleIncident an incident that is briefly alluded to]] in ''The Hobbit''). In fact, Gandalf initially went to Isengard hoping that Saruman had discovered an anti-Nazgûl contingency.
** He intends to bring about a one-man industrial revolution to Middle-earth, and he fills the caverns under his tower with gears, pulleys, cogs, and flamethrowers. Treebeard notes that “he has a mind of metal and wheels,” and the narration strongly disapproves of these “improvements.”
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Gandalf, and has been secretly having agents follow him, and imitating him — smoking pipe-weed, for instance. ''Unfinished Tales'' reveals that he's been jealous of Gandalf at ''least'' since they set sail from Valinor for Middle-Earth, probably even before that.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Saruman became too obsessed with using the powers of the Ring against Sauron.
* IgnoredEpiphany: When Gandalf offers him a LastSecondChance, it's clear that he truly wants to leave Orthanc, but his pride, jealousy, and hatred overcome him.
** In ''Unfinished Tales'', he realizes he's in over his head with Sauron and considers asking Gandalf to let him rejoin the good guys. Unfortunately, this comes right after Gandalf escapes Isengard and Saruman's fury at being beaten like that drives the thought of redemption from his mind.
%%%* InsufferableGenius
* IWantThemAlive: And as captured, with no spoiling, to make sure that they still have the item of great value that he wants.
* KarmicDeath: He was killed by Gríma, who he had constantly berated and abused.
* LastSecondChance: He's offered one, and turns it down.
* LightIsNotGood: His "white" robes and title of "the White" are belied by his evil nature.
** Subverted: He's always been "The White", and was good for most of his life. His move to the "Dark" Side involves him claiming to be "Saruman of the Many Colors".
* MageTower: Orthanc, a black tower in the middle of Isengard.
* ManInWhite: Clothed in white robes, he ''is'' Saruman the White after all.
* ManipulativeBastard: He screws over the White Council and tries to be TheStarscream to Sauron, all the while slowly invading the Shire behind everyone's backs.
* NonElemental: Saruman's specialty.
* NotSoDifferent: Upon Gandalf’s return as Gandalf the White, he informs Gimli and co. that he ''is'' Saruman — or, rather, Saruman as he should have been. ''Unfinished Tales'' reveals that, even while publicly denouncing Gandalf’s idiosyncrasies (most notably pipe-weed smoking), Saruman secretly picked up several of them in imitation of him — thus, in this case, ''he'' wasn’t so different from ''Gandalf''.
** Likewise, Frodo notes that Saruman's setup after taking over the Shire is a pale imitation of what Sauron had done in Mordor.
* OhCrap: He panics when he realizes Sauron knows he planned to betray him.
* OneManIndustrialRevolution: A GreenAesop.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: The Wizards are really angels disguised as Men.
* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: But fails to [[WeCanRuleTogether convince Gandalf into joining him]].
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Saruman originally had black hair, which got whiter as he got older (and more evil).
* TheResenter: He pretty much hates Gandalf due in no small part to how much everyone else (notably Varda and Galadriel) aren’t shy about saying Gandalf is the better of the two. The fact that Círdan chose to give Gandalf his elven ring of power Narya instead of him, is something he ''really'' resented.
* TheRival: To Gandalf, due to [[TheResenter the aforementioned resentment of him]]. Gandalf never tries to be a rival to ''him'', though.
* ShadowArchetype: After his FaceHeelTurn, he's this to Gandalf.
* TheStarscream: Intended to betray Sauron.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Saruman's actions have a major effect on the plot and his corruption is one of the major themes of the book. However, he only actually appears in four chapters (out of a total of 62): "The Council of Elrond" in The Fellowship of the Ring (in a flashback recounted by Gandalf), "The Voice of Saruman" in The Two Towers, and "Many Partings" and "The Scouring of the Shire" in Return of the King.
* SmugSnake: He thinks he is a MagnificentBastard but he really can't manage it.
* SmugStraightEdge: In ''Literature/UnfinishedTales'', it's noted that Saruman disparaged Gandalf's use of pipe-weed. However, in imitation of Gandalf, [[{{Hypocrite}} Saruman starts smoking it himself in secret]], hence why Merry and Pippin find some barrels of Longbottom Leaf in Isengard (which also serves as foreshadowing of the Scouring of the Shire).
* TreacherousAdvisor: To Théoden, usually via Wormtongue but also directly. His goal is to weaken Rohan so he can conquer it.
%%* TheUnfettered
* UnwittingPawn: Sauron knew all along that Saruman wanted the One Ring for himself and would betray him.
* VillainDecay: While he's still a threat to the characters by the Scouring, this is mainly because they are a lot weaker than his former enemies. Overall, he goes from a wizarding lord of an ancient fortress with an army strong enough to almost conquer one of Middle Earth's more warlike kingdoms to bullying around a group of hobbits — and, even then, his hold on the Shire falls apart rather quickly.
* VillainousBreakdown: Théoden and Gandalf goad him into one, thereby revealing his true nature and breaking the power of his [[CompellingVoice hypnotic voice]].
* VisionaryVillain: He intended to bring about a one-man industrial revolution to Middle-earth.
* YouCantMakeAnOmelette: This is his entire BatmanGambit. Gandalf warns against it before even knowing exactly what it is.
-->'''Gandalf''': [[KirkSummation He who breaks a thing to discover what it is has left the path of wisdom.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Lord of the Nazgûl]]

The nine Nazgûl were kings of Men to whom Sauron gave nine Rings of Power in the Second Age. Seduced by power, they fell into evil, and eventually passed into a state of undeath. The Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, are extensions of Sauron's will who exist only to do his bidding. They are his most terrible servants, and the greatest among them — known variously as the Black Captain, the Lord of the Nazgûl, and many other names — rules Minas Morgul as the Dark Lord's right hand.

Roughly two-thousand years before the War of the Ring, when Sauron was in hiding, the Lord of the Nazgûl was sent into the north to found the kingdom of Angmar under the identity of the Witch-king. There, he undermined and ultimately destroyed the North-kingdom of Arnor in a series of wars. At that time, it was foretold that no man could slay him. When Sauron declared himself openly, the Witch-king returned to Mordor, conquered Minas Ithil, and slew the last king of Gondor. When the War of the Ring began, he led the hunt for Frodo and the Ring, going so far as to corner him on Weathertop and stab him near-fatally with a Morgul-blade.
----
* BadassBoast: Delivers one to Gandalf during their standoff at the ruined gate of Minas Tirith, and backs it up with a FlamingSword as well. However, the Rohirrim arrive before he can follow through on it.
-->"Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!"
* BlackCloak: Like the other Nazgûl, he wears one while passing himself off as a "rider in black." Apparently this is their idea of looking more normal: Gandalf claims that they use the garments to "give shape to their shapelessness".
* CarryABigStick: Wields a mace against Éowyn in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The movie changes it to a truly ''epic'' [[EpicFlail flail]].
%%* CastingAShadow
* DarkIsEvil: Shrouds himself in a black cloak.
* TheDeterminator: ''Unfinished Tales'' mentions that the Nazgûl are weakened and distracted by sunlight and dislike crossing running water, to the point that Sauron launched an attack on Osgiliath to get them across the Anduin. The Witch King, however, is largely unfazed by both of these and can even keep his fellows from succumbing to them.
* DragonAscendant: After Sauron fell, the Witch-king basically became the interim Dark Lord and launched a brutal (and centuries-long) campaign against the northern kingdom of Arnor, which had played such a large part in Sauron's downfall. Afterwards, he gathered the other Nazgûl, captured the city of Minas Ithil (along with its palantír), ended the line of Gondor’s kings, and participated in the rebuilding of Mordor in preparation for Sauron’s return.
* TheDreaded:
** The Nazgûl all have the ability to inspire terror in others, particularly with their voices, and the Witch-king was particularly good at it. Even ''Saruman'' was terrified of him, as revealed in one of Tolkien's drafts.
** Aragorn tells of an encounter with them, and it's one of the few times we see him shaken by anything.
** Eärnur's entire elite cavalry troop were terrified of him. When the Witch-king road out to ''rend'' Eärnur with his bare hands, his trusty steed was so scared it fled before him, along with many other cavalrymen. Eärnur himself wasn't particularly afraid of the Witch-king, but was still slain by him
* TheEmperor: As the Witch-king of Angmar.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: We just know him by his title. He doesn't have a name proper.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Like the other Nazgûl, his breath and touch feel deathly cold.
** Taken UpToEleven during the his stint as ruler of Angmar, [[AllThereInTheManual per the Appendices]]. According to the Snowmen of Forochel, his power increases during wintertime (and [[InvertedTrope decreases in the summer]]).
* EvilSorcerer: He's not called the Witch-king for nothing.
* TheFaceless: Due to being a wraith, and wearing a black cloak. When Frodo put the Ring on his presence, he saw his true face, and [[NightmareFace didn't like what he saw]]. When he takes off his hood, there is nothing there except for [[RedEyesTakeWarning a pair of red points of light where his eyes should be.]]
* FlamingSword: While it's typically a normal sword, he makes flames run down it when he faces off against Gandalf in Minas Tirith.
* {{Geas}}: It has been noted that while it is not referred to as such, the prophecy that he shall not fall by the hand of Man is functionally a geas.
* GiantFlyer: His later mount, the Fell Beast.
* GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath: The only part of him that can be seen without his cloak are his glowing eyes.
* GrandTheftMe: They were once kings of men. They are now mere puppets to Sauron's will. Only when Sauron is defeated their souls are finally free from the shackles the dark lord placed to keep them tethered to the world. Their wraith bodies, then implode.
* HeroKiller: A formidable, dreadful foe. He kills Théoden, and killed Eärnur, the last king of Gondor before Aragorn. On that note, he also destroyed the kingdom of Arnor and conquered Minas Ithil, both of which made the War of the Ring much more difficult.
* IHaveManyNames: Well, many titles at least.
** The Witch-king of Angmar.
** The Black Captain.
** The Lord of the Nazgûl.
** Lord of Minas Morgul.
* ImplacableMan: He and the other Nazgûl can't be truly killed while the One Ring exists.
* MysteriousPast: His past was never fully revealed. We only get hints of who he used to be. Which is a lot more than we get of his lieutenant, Khamûl the Black Easterling, and the rest of the Nazgûl.
* NameAmnesia / NoNameGiven: He doesn't have an actual name though he presumably did, since he's not truly a person anymore, just an undead finger-puppet of Sauron's mind. Instead he's called Witch-king of Angmar (his alias, used only in the Appendix but remembered by everyone because of how cool it sounds), Lord of the Nazgûl, High Nazgûl, Black Captain, Captain of Despair, Morgul-lord, etc.
* TheNecrocracy: Founded two, the country of Angmar and the city of Minas Morgul.
* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: His anticipated showdown with Gandalf at the gates of Minas Tirith is cut very short by the arrival of Rohan.
* NoManOfWomanBorn: In fact, it's rumored that his death was a TakeThat against Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', whose ProphecyTwist Tolkien thought was a cop-out.
%%%* NotAfraidOfYouAnymore
* OhCrap: When Éowyn reveals [[NoManOfWomanBorn she's a woman]], he's actually struck silent in sudden doubt for a few moments.
* PoisonedWeapons: Stabs Frodo with a Morgul blade, which would have turned him into a lesser wraith if it killed him.
* ProphecyTwist: When you're prophesied to be killed by "no man," it's generally a good idea to notice that the world is full of people who aren't men.
* TheUndead: Wraiths are the remains of Men who have been forced to remain in Middle-earth long, ''long'' past their time, past AgeWithoutYouth, to the point that their bodies don't really exist anymore. They're kept "alive" (and indeed, impossible to permanently destroy) by the One Ring, via their Nine Rings. And their existences are apparently perpetual agony.
* UndyingLoyalty: Rarely is the trope as literal, or as horrible, as this. When Sauron was 'destroyed' at the Battle of Dagor-lad, the Witch-King spent thousands of years preparing for his master's return, acting as the 'chief villain' for most of that time without even dreaming of supplanting him as Sauron supplanted Morgoth. (Sauron started his slide into evil in an effort to end the 'evils' of free will, and it looks like he succeeded in nine cases.)
* WeakenedByTheLight: Gandalf drives him away (and even ''keeps'' him away again later) by shooting a bright white light into his face.
* WeaksauceWeakness: As with the other Ringwraiths, sunlight reduces his 'vision' and the scope of his powers; fire can frighten and injure (but not destroy) him.
* WasOnceAMan: He used to be Man, before his ring twisted him into an undead wraith and wiped out his free will.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Khamúl]]

The only other Nazgûl individually known apart from the Witch-King of Angmar and the only one whose name is known. In life, Khâmul was one of the nine Kings of men seduced by the power of the One Ring. In his case, he was a King of the Easterlings, but now a loyal servant to Sauron and second only to the Witch-King in authority among the Nazgûl. Just as the Witch-King ruled over Minas Morgul, Khamúl ruled over Dol Guldur, in the North.
----
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: When he asks about Baggins to Farmer Maggot, the farmer essentially tells him to buzz off. According to Maggot, Khamúl then made sound that sounded somewhat like a laugh before riding off. Presumably he was amused at the sheer gall of the Hobbit to think he could threaten a Nazgûl.
* AllThereInTheManual: His name and role is only present in the Appendices and in the Unfinished Tales.
* CrypticBackgroundReference: A shadowy rider, strongly implied to be a Nazgûl, with a similar description to Khamúl rides up to Erebor and offers Dáin Ironfoot an alliance with Sauron if he'd deliver them Baggins ([[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Dáin refuses]], but it's unclear if this is Khamúl himself, another Nazgûl or even another dark emissary of Sauron like the Mouth of Sauron.
* DarkIsEvil: Between him and the Witch-King, he's far more associated with the night and darkness (thus one of his names being "the Shadow of the East").
* DragonAscendant: He's the Witch-King's dragon (who's subsequently Sauron's Dragon). After the Witch-King falls in Pelennor Fields, he becomes the leader of the remaining 8 Nazgûl, leading them against Aragorn's forces in the Black Gate.
* TheDreaded: The Hobbits soon become absolutely terrified of him.
* EvilDetectingDog: Maggot's dogs (who are normally very ferocious) are cowering in terror when Khamúl rides up.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: It is mentioned the temperature seems to drop severely whenever Khamúl arrives.
* TheFaceless: Khamúl doesn't even have red eyes like the Witch-King.
* HellishHorse: His black steed that Frodo and company gaze upon.
* TheHunter: His primarily role in ''Fellowship'' is hunting down the Ring and he's the one who actually discovers Frodo has it.
* KnightOfCerebus: The story is fairly light-hearted in the preceding chapters in the Shire. Khamúl is the first servant of Sauron to make a appearance in the story, and with him he brings a foreboding dread that will acompany the entire narrative.
* TheNoseKnows: Khamúl is often described as sniffing the air not unlike a hound to pick up the Ring's scent.
* OptOut: When he's confronted by legendary badass Glorfindel, he wisely retreats. Same thing happens when he senses a host of Elves nearby.
* RedBaron: Known as "the Black Rider", "The Black Easterling" and "The Shadow of the East".
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Khamúl is the Ringwraith who tracks down the Ring to the Shire during ''Fellowship of the Ring'' and who hunts Frodo during the early chapters. Frodo makes note he keeps finding them no matter how many detours they take.
%%* SensingYouAreOutmatched:
* UnderestimatingBadassery: None of the inhabitants of the Shire seem to quite realize they are talking with one of the most powerful servants of darkness.
* VillainOfAnotherStory: As the Lord of Dol Guldur, Khamúl was tasked with commanding Sauron's northern forces, which attacked King Thranduil's woodland realms, Mirkwood, Lórien (which resulted in the Battle Under the Trees, which resulted in a great deal of the forest going down in flames) and may even have a hand in the Battle of the Dale, in which the Sauron-allied Easterlings stormed Dale and the gates of Erebor. But since the focus of Lord of the Rings is in the West, we only get rare offhand mentions to this.
* WeakenedByTheLight: He had a severe weakness to sunlight which diminished his powers during the day.
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Gaffer Gamgi says he spoke with "some kind of foreign tone" and Maggot says he sounded "queer", which either refers to the odd, unnatural manner Nazgûl speak or possibly to Khamúl's Easterling origin (i.e he may still speak with a Rhún accent).
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ugluk]]
The captain of a company of Uruk-hai whom Saruman sent to search the area of Amon Hen. He and his orcs kill Boromir and abduct Merry and Pippin. Probably the most detailed orc character in the trilogy.

* BadBoss: Ugluk openly threatens the lesser orcs under his command with execution (and tends to cut a few up whenever things go wrong.)
* BadassBoast: His Uruk-hai clearly think of themselves as a superior cadre.
--> '''Ugluk:''' We are the fighting Uruk-hai! We serve the White Hand - the Hand that gives us man's flesh to eat!
* EnemyCivilWar: He's got a mixed group of Uruk-hai, orcs from Mordor, and Moria-goblins in his command. The factions come to blows a couple of times.
* HiddenDepths: Saruman obviously didn't choose Ugluk on an idle whim. Like all Uruk-hai, he regards himself as an elite BloodKnight: but he's also a capable tactician, skilled in the orcish art of healing, and knows an awful lot about the politics behind all this hobbit-snatching.
* ImplacableMan: He sets a pace of travel that's right at the limit of orcish endurance.
* LargeAndInCharge: The Uruk-hai are considerably larger than other orcs, and Ugluk is described as one of the largest.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: The narration indicates that after Merry and Pippin managed to escape, Eomer confronted Ugluk in a duel to the death.
* PragmaticVillainy: He mends the head wound that Merry received at Amon Hen, so that Merry can be forced to run rather than being carried.
* VillainousValor: While some other orcs in his company attempt to flee, he fights to the last.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Mouth of Sauron]]

The Lieutenant of Barad-dûr, an evil Man of the same high race as Aragorn who serves as Sauron's herald. The Mouth meets the forces of Rohan and Gondor before the final battle of the War of the Ring and tries to convince the remaining Fellowship that Frodo is a captive and at Sauron's mercy.
----
* AssInAmbassador: He spends the entire "negotiation" insulting Aragorn and Gandalf, implying the torture of Frodo, and demanding that all of the West immediately surrender to Sauron.
* ColdBloodedTorture: From his dialogue, one gets the impression that he's the one in charge of actually doing this to people who have offended Sauron in some manner.
* DiplomaticImpunity: Appeals to this while taunting the good guys:
--> "Where such laws hold it is the custom for heralds to use less insolence."
* DirtyCoward: Freaks out when threatened, and ultimately turns and runs when given a DeathGlare.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: 'His name is remembered in no tale for [[NameAmnesia he himself had forgotten it]], and he said "I am the Mouth of Sauron."'
* EvilSorcerer: He's learned the Black Arts (Morgul) from Sauron, which is the extent that Men can learn "magic" at all in Middle-Earth.
* GigglingVillain: Not "giggling" per se, but he laughs incessantly at Aragorn and Gandalf's terms.
* HellishHorse: Rides one, in contrast to the Black Riders who ride ordinary black horses stolen from Rohan.
* IShallTauntYou: Pretty much his whole "negotiation" with Gandalf.
%%* MouthOfSauron: TropeNamer
* NameAmnesia: Narration discloses that Sauron's spokesman had long forgotten his own name; he introduces himself to the emissaries of the West by his function, [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep the Mouth of Sauron]].
* OhCrap: When Gandalf rejects his terms, he starts raving, but when the other representatives of the Free Folk give him a DeathGlare, he turns tail and rides breakneck back to the Morannon.
* SmugSnake: He's quite arrogant.
* WizardsLiveLonger: He's really old, old enough to have [[NameAmnesia completely forgotten his original name]]. Whether his own Black Arts or Sauron's are responsible, he's way past his time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Shelob]]

A monstrous demonic thing in spider shape, the mother of the Spiders of Mirkwood featured in ''The Hobbit'', and the last surviving offspring of Ungoliant from ''The Silmarillion'', who spins her deadly webs in a dark cave in the mountains of Mordor. Shelob is Sauron's "cat" -- he doesn't control her, but lets her prey on would-be intruders (and many unlucky Orcs). Gollum leads Frodo and Sam into her lair.
----
* AchillesHeel: Subverted. Her underside is just as tough as the rest of her body. The book emphasizes that unlike dragons, Shelob has no weak spots save for her eyes. Sam is only able to pierce her skin and tissue because she unwittingly slams on his blade with her own, massive strength.
* AngryGuardDog: The main reason Sauron let her set up shop right on Mordor's back door step. She captures and kills ''everything'' that wanders into her nest, making her a more effective watch than a full gate regiment. Even the orcs don't mess with her.
* AnimalisticAbomination: Like Ungoliant, she is an ancient demonic entity that vaguely resembles a spider.
* CastingAShadow: Like her mother, she weaves webs of darkness that, while not as powerful as her mother's Unlight, are perceptible to the Hobbits, as well as the other creatures that intrude upon her lair.
* DarkActionGirl: A female spirit in the form of a spider who gives Sam a challenge in combat.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Sauron treats her as his pet. Shelob doesn't care. He actually compares her to a pet cat, as she was a pet that rejected his authority.
* EyeScream: Sam stabs her in one eye with Sting during their fight, and then blinded her other eyes with the Phial of Galadriel.
* GiantSpider: Really just a spider-like monster, described to have pincers in her feet and great insect-like eyes, among other taxonomical oddities.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Of the "[[PureIsNotGood pure]] [[InvertedTrope evil]]" variety. She was stated to be immune to the Ring's temptations because power holds no interest for something that just wants to eat everything. Also, similarly to what happened between Sauron's boss and Shelob's mom, the spider's spirit is so purely evil that Sauron has no control over her whatsoever. Doesn't stop him from amusingly considering Shelob as some sort of pet, though.
* MeaningfulName: "Lob" is an archaic English word for "spider." She's female. "She-Lob".
* MonsterProgenitor: Is revealed in the narration of the story to be the mother of the [[Literature/TheHobbit Spiders of Mirkwood]].
* NighInvulnerable: Nothing could pierce her hide, not even the swords of Númenor, until she accidentally put her own weight into the blow.
* OmnicidalManiac: Like her mother Ungoliant, her ultimate goal seems to be to eat ''the whole planet''. Mercifully, she's nowhere near accomplishing that.
* PhysicalGod: Thanks to being the daughter of both an "ordinary" GiantSpider and Ungoliant, who was more or less an EldritchAbomination.
* PrimalFear: Before she reveals herself, Frodo and Sam can feel her presence as a [[NothingIsScarier lurking, stalking menace in pitch-dark tunnels]].
* SpidersAreScary: Especially when they're enormous demonic ones.
* TimeAbyss: Although not to the same extent as her mother, Ungoliant, Shelob is still very ancient. She was born (spawned?) in the First Age, and came to Mordor before even Sauron did. Thus, she would be nearly seven thousand years old at the time of the War of the Ring.
* TheVoiceless: The fact that she was able to work out a deal with Gollum implies she ''can'' speak, but she never does during her appearance in the text. Or just that she understands speech, and relented her attack when Gollum begged for his life and promised to bring her tasty things to eat. Her mother Ungoliant in ''The Silmarillion'' could talk, as could her descendants in ''The Hobbit''. All told, Shelob herself being able to talk seems pretty likely -- she probably just didn't have anything to say to 'food'.
* WeakenedByTheLight: The light from the Phial of Galadriel drove her back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Durin'sBane/The Balrog]]

An ancient and terrible demon who fled deep underground after the Wars of Beleriand in the First Age, the unnamed Balrog was awakened from its torpor in the Third Age when the dwarves of Moria DugTooDeep for mithril. The monster killed the dwarves' king and drove them out of their halls into exile. Centuries later, the Balrog, now known as Durin's Bane, was encountered by the Fellowship as they traveled through Moria. Gandalf held off the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.
----
* CastingAShadow: Though it is a fire-demon at its core, it's surrounded by a vast and terrifying shadow that it can stretch out around it "like wings." When its flames are temporarily extinguished, it becomes a creature of pure darkness.
* DarkIsEvil: As part of the darkness motif of most demons.
* TheDreaded: Overawes the fellowship with its mere appearance. Even Legolas, who casually regards an army of ghosts as harmless, runs away yelling in terror. Gandalf can't bring himself to say the word Balrog after their encounter.
* DualWielding: Sword and whip.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: This particular Balrog is known by his title, [[RedBaron Durin's Bane]]. Presumably he has an actual name, but he's not on a first-name basis with anybody in the story. He's known merely by his (sub)species or by the nickname the Dwarves gave him.
* FallenAngel: ''The Silmarillion'' and assorted other backstory reveal that the Balrog is just one of a race of formerly-angelic creatures that made the Ringwraiths look like pansies. The Balrogath are Maiar, of the same lesser angelic order as Sauron, the five Wizards, and Dragons.
* HeroKiller: He's not called Durin's [[note]]Durin was a name handed down among the dwarf-kings, and Durin VI was ruler of Moria when the Balrog woke up.[[/note]] Bane for nothing. [[spoiler: Since Gandalf the Grey [[MutualKill dies killing him]], he's also responsible for his death as well.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: The story was already serious, but he upped the ante and paved the way for the Fellowship's breaking by bringing down Gandalf. (Of course, Gandalf got better.) It also introduced the epic one-on-one fights that would occur later in the story.
* LargeAndInCharge: Possibly. The descriptions are vague and can be interpreted differently. On one hand, its wings are described as spreading "wall to wall" in a great chamber. On the other hand, he's also described as "like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater." He is certainly much more imposing than the orcs and trolls in Moria, and they seem to be almost as afraid of him as the Fellowship is.[[note]]In the Silmarillion, Balrogs are approximately two times man height, but Tolkien reimaged them later, so he might have changed their size as well by the time he wrote The Lord of the Rings[[/note]]
* LastOfHisKind: Possibly. He's the only ''known'' Balrog to have survived the First Age, but it is possible that more of them did.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Durin's Bane." Also, "Balrog" is the Sindarin form of the Quenya term ''Valarauko'', "Demon of Might."
* PlayingWithFire: The flames are hidden, but he (it?) is still a fire-demon who wields a flaming weapon.
* RasputinianDeath: Falls down a deep pit along with Gandalf, as they try to stab one another as they plummet down to the bottom. Once they land, they are immediately submerged, carried down the stream presumably, race through natural caverns, and climb the [[EndlessCorridor Endless Stair]] to the peak of Celebdil, where they fought until Gandalf manages to pierce its heart, causing it to fall down to its death.
* RedBaron: Durin's Bane.
* TheRemnant: He, like the other Balrogs, was a servant of Melkor, the first Dark Lord, until the latter was captured by the Valar at the end of the First Age. This Balrog was one of the few that survived the War of Wrath, and he becomes the ''de facto'' ruler and deity of Moria's population of Orcs and Trolls, which are also (at least partially) derived from Melkor's defunct armies.
* VillainOfAnotherStory: This horror has nothing to do with Sauron and it was bringing ruin to Middle Earth long before he entered the picture. It served under Morgoth, destroyed the Dwarven kingdom of Moria, and ended the line of Durin kings. As a Maiar, the Balrog could have easily been a BigBad in its own right, but the Fellowship run into it purely out of bad luck.
* WackyWaysideTribe: Though he is unquestionably a terrible threat, the Balrog has nothing to do with Sauron (aside from the two of them serving the same master thousands of years previously). The Fellowship could have avoided him entirely if not for being forced to enter Moria... with Peregrin Took.
* WhipItGood: He uses a flaming whip [[DualWield in conjunction with]] a FlamingSword.
* WingedHumanoid: He can cast a shadow around him appearing "like wings". Whether they are actual, functional wings or just an illusion is left ambiguous.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Watcher in the Water]]

A tentacled monster that guards the western gates of Moria at least since 30 years ago. It is encountered by the Fellowship upon their arrival to the walls of the dwarven realm, and it briefly battles them before closing the doors behind them, leaving the Fellowship trapped in Moria.
----
* AttackOfTheMonsterAppendage: A literal example. Only its appendages are seen.
* CombatTentacles: Pale green, foul-smelling 'tentacles' with fingered tips are all that the Fellowship sees. The text states they are twenty one or so, but this could just be literary license for 'tentacles '''every'''where!'
* EnigmaticMinion: It is not revealed whether the monster serves Sauron or has its own agenda.
* EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods: Tentacles usually come attached to cephalopods, but we just don't know for sure. In fact, Sam initially mistakes them for snakes, and later Gandalf can't even say if they were all part of a single creature.
* GuardianEntity: It appears to guard the western gates of Moria from its pool, and it's implied to have done so for a long time before the events of the story.
* HeroKiller: When it attacks the Fellowship, it goes straight to the Ring-bearer, and some of the better combatants of Middle-Earth can do little more than fending its tentacles off for a while before running for their lives. It's mentioned in the book Gandalf finds as having grabbed Óin (one of the company from ''The Hobbit'') and drowned him.
* NoNameGiven: The book of Mazarbul speaks of a "Watcher in the Water" before the gates, so the reader can assume it is speaking of the monster.
* NothingIsScarier: The Watcher's main body (or bodies - it may be a colony) is never seen, and this has led people writing about the series to speculate about kraken, water-dragons or any number of unwholesome possibilities.
* OutsideContextProblem: It does not appear to have any ties to Sauron, or Saruman, or even the Balrog. It may just be one of those nasty things that lurk in the darker corners of Middle-Earth - another Smeagol or Shelob.

[[/folder]]

%%* BadassAdorable: Frodo is a Hobbit after all.

%%* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:He does not get better.]]

%%* TheHerosJourney: Frodo undergoes the tragic version of the trope at the same time that Aragorn is undertaking the triumphant version.

%%* RedOniBlueOni: He's the Blue Oni to Sam's Red Oni.

%%* BadassNormal: Like all the other hobbits in the Fellowship.

%%* RedOniBlueOni: He's the Red Oni and Frodo is the Blue.

%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pippin.

%%* BigEater: Even more than most hobbits are.

%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Merry.

%%* TricksterArchetype: An innocent version, though this is toned down as he makes his transition to [[BadassNormal badass]].

%%* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking

%%* DotingParent: Towards the younger heroes and warriors in the band.

%%* ElementalBaggage: [-"I cannot burn snow."-]

%%* BoisterousBruiser

%%* HonorBeforeReason

%%* RedOniBlueOni: The Red to Faramir's Blue.

%%* TheBerserker: Shades of this.

%%* RedOniBlueOni: His sister is the blue and he is the red. He's also the Red to Aragorn's Blue.

%%* TallDarkAndSnarky

%%%* GoodCounterpart

%%%* SpiritAdvisor

%%* GollumMadeMeDoIt: TropeNamer.

%%* PsychopathicManchild

%%* GreenAesop

* MurderSuicide: [[spoiler:Attempts to burn himself with his comatose son]].