History Characters / TheLordOfTheRingsFilmTrilogy

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the novel he starts of as a wise ruler dedicated to his people who personally has the beacons lit and the civlian population of Minas Tirninth evacuated, though its balanced out by his verbally abusive treatment of Farmair, though he does admit this later on. In the film he's a paranoid Jerkass fromt he start, sends Farmair on a suicde mission and never reallt shows any redeeming qualities.

* CoolSword: One he receives from Tom Bombadil, which turns out to have been specifically designed to harm the foe he fights in his CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

** BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: He, along with Eowyn (who also literally breaks her arm), nearly dies from contact with the Witch King.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: With King Théoden

* TheStraightMan: To Pippin.

* TricksterArchetype: With Pippin.

* IncorruptablePurePureness: Just about the only character in the story who the Ring cannot tempt.

* {{Bishounen}}: For the movies at least, he's very pretty; in the books, hobbits are more friendly-looking than handsome.

* [[{{Hobbits}} Hobbit]]

* SimplemindedWisdom: Sam is protected by the power of just a little Hobbit common-sense.

* TenderTears: More prominent in the movie adaptaion, though.

* {{Bishounen}}: for the movies at least; in the books, hobbits are more friendly-looking than handsome.

* HiddenDepths: This applies to all the hobbits.

* 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.

These are the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in PeterJackson's [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings film trilogy]].

For the original versions in [[TheLordOfTheRings the book]] by JRRTolkien, see [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRings here]]. For characters in TheHobbit, go [[Characters/TheHobbit here.]]

* PaleSkinnedBrunette

* {{Immortality}}: Most likely Type 2 (Undying), like the Elves they were supposedly created from, but it isn't fully clear.

** HighOctaneNightmareFuel: and Gandalf and Saurman were right.

!The Witch-king of Angmar (Bret McIntyre / Lawrence Makoare, voice by AndySerkis)

* FallenAngel: Believe or not that demon who just snared and just happen to have a sword and whip, [[spoiler: belonged to a race of hyper-intelligent warriors from hell that made the RingWraiths look like pansies]].

For the original versions in [[TheLordOfTheRings the book]] by JRRTolkien, see [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRings here]].

* RegentForLife: "Word has reached my ears of this [[KingIncognitio Aragorn son of Arathorn]] and I tell you now... '''I will not bow to some ranger from the north!'''"

* EstrogenBrigadeBait: At least in the films.

* GreyEyes

* GreyAndGreyMorality

* UnwittingPawn: Marching up to the Black Gate was a XanatosGambit and he walked right into it.

* [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Really Sixty-five Hundred Years Old]]

* [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Really Twenty-seven Hundred Years Old]]

* ElephantsChild

* ElephantsChild

* TookALevelInBadass: Went from a timid gardener who had never wandered further than a few miles from home to maiming giant spiders and beating orcs in a fight.
* PowerTrio: Samwise represents the Superego

!Éomer (KarlUrban)
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Eomer_1812.jpg]]

* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Éowyn, his sister.
* DemotedToExtra: More or less just there to fight in the movies.
* ParentalAbandonment: orphaned at a young age, raised by [[ParentalSubstitute his uncle]].
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* WarriorPrince

* NoOntologicalInertia / IllGirl: Film only.

!Gollum (AndySerkis)

* LoneDalek

* [[WasOnceAMan Was Once A Hobbit]]

* BigBad

* TakeOverTheWorld

* UnwittingPawn: Marching up to the Black Gate was a XanatosGambit and he walked right into it.

* CompellingVoice

* WeaksauceWeakness: Sunlight, fire.

!Faramir (DavidWenham)
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Faramir3_3072.jpg]]

* BadassBookworm
* BetaCouple: With Éowyn.
* BreakTheCutie: Especially in the movie. You can see how near the tears he was when his father says he wished he was dead instead for Boromir.
* TheCaptain: Of the Rangers of Ithilien, played straight.
* EarnYourHappyEnding
* MissingMom
* PairTheSpares: With Éowyn.
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* 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
* TheUnFavorite
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In the film version, his capturing Smeagol after Frodo coaxes him out of the Forbidden Pool leads to him thinking Frodo betrayed him, and plotting to kill him and take back the Ring (in the book, Gollum had that one planned out already.)
* WarriorPoet
* WarriorPrince
* WellDoneSonGuy

!Éomer (KarlUrban)
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Eomer_1812.jpg]]

* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Éowyn, his sister.
* DemotedToExtra: More or less just there to fight in the movies.
* ParentalAbandonment: orphaned at a young age, raised by [[ParentalSubstitute his uncle]].
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

* PairTheSpares/HookedUpAfterwards: With Faramir.

* SwissMessenger: In the film version, his capturing Smeagol after Frodo coaxes him out of the Forbidden Pool leads to him thinking Frodo betrayed him, and plotting to kill him and take back the Ring (in the book, Gollum had that one planned out already.)

* [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Really Older Than The Sun And Moon]]

* {{Bishounen}}: for the movies at least.

These are the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in PeterJackson's [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The lord of the Rings film trilogy]].

* FryingPanOfDoom: In the PeterJackson movies, Sam uses this to whack some goblins in Moria.

* TheFinalTemptation: At the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-piARxy4U pass of Cirith Ungol]].

* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: Wonders about this when he sees Men killing Men (rangers of Gondor vs. the Haradrim) for the first time.

* TheMagnificent: Later named Meriadoc the Magnificent as Master of Buckland.
* TheMedic
* TheSmartGuy: Of the hobbit foursome.

* WeaponOfChoice: An Arnorian witchblade, designed to hurt Nazgûl.

* BadassBoast: When Saruman's lackeys mock Frodo and company when they return to the Shire, Pippin lets them know who 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!"

** BadassBookworm: Even being of the lesser Maiar, he was one of the wisest.

* BigOlEyebrows: Said to stick out over the brim of his hat.

* CoolSword: Glamdring, which he found during ''TheHobbit''.

* ElementalPowers: Narya, The Ring of Fire.
** ElementalBaggage: [-"I cannot burn snow."-]
* FamousLastWords
* 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.

** CallToAdventure: Pictured in ''TheHobbit''.

* IHaveManyNames: "Many are my names in many countries: Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkun 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 Grey, Gandalf the White, Grey Pilgrim, Grey Wanderer, Greybeard, White Rider, and The Enemy of Sauron. Plus the insults Grey Fool, Lathspell, and Stormcrow.

* ManipulativeBastard: He pulls all manner of gambit, from [[BatmanGambit Batman]] to [[XanatosGambit Xanatos]] and is not above using both friend and foe as [[TheChessmaster pieces on his chess board]].

* NamedWeapons: Glamdring, meaning ''foe-hammer'' in [[ConLang Sindarin]].

* StoryBreakerPower: He's a Maiar, an angelic being of the same order as Sauron, but he's actually forbidden from using his full strength by the Valar. The victory over Sauron must come from normal people, Gandalf and the other Istari can only act as their guides & advisors.

* BadassBoast: [-"I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and am called Elessar, Dunadan, 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!"-]

* GrayEyes
* 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."-]

* {{Homage}}: Aragorn is a ShoutOut 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.
* KingIncognito
* KissingCousins: Somewhat justifiably. Although he married a first cousin, the fact that it was a first cousin '''sixty-seven times removed''' makes it something of a moot point from a genetic standpoint.

* MeaningfulName: Contains the element "ar-" meaning "king".

* MementoMacGuffin: The Ring of Barahir, over ''six thousand'' years old, originally given to Aragorn's very distant ancestor by [[TheWisePrince Finrod]] [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Felagund]], King of Nargothrond; it had many bearers, always leaders of the Dúnedain, and of the 'faithful' factions who never listened to Sauron (like Ar-Pharazon did), and it was given to Aragorn by Elrond when the former was told his real name and ancestry.

* MenDontCry: [[SubvertedTrope The hell]] [[ManlyTears they don't.]]

** Winged Crown of Gondor
** Scepter of Annúminas

* StellarName: Elessar ("Elfstone").

* DeadpanSnarker: More so in the books.

* IconicCharacters: Orlando Bloom's portrayal in the film version

* OhCrap: "Ai, Ai! A Balrog is come!".

* WeaponOfChoice: Bow and long knife.
** DualWielding: In the films, he has ''two'' long knives.

* WarriorPoet

* ChewingTheScenery/ MilkingTheGiantCow: In the 1970's cartoon. Just look at him with his over the top gestures!
* CoolBigBro: Well, at least in the [[Film/LordOfTheRings films]] he was.

* MeaningfulName: "People-king".

* PairTheSpares: With Faramir. Very well done in the books, [[HookedUpAfterwards not that well in the movie, at least not in the theatrical version.]]

* SamusIsAGirl: In the books she took up the alias of "Dernhelm", and supplementary materials to the movie suggest that she chose a helmet that would hide her face.

* AuthorAvatar: Tolkien has stated that Faramir is the character is the closest to his personality except in courage. This was shaped by Tolkien's experiences in WorldWarI.

* BreakTheCutie: Specially in the movie. You can see how near the tears he was when his father says he wished he was dead instead for Boromir.

* GenreSavvy: He's wise enough to understand that it's probably better to have as little as possible to do with a weapon designed by the Enemy. ...In the books.
* GentlemanAndAScholar
* GrayEyes
* HalfHumanHybrid: Several (dozen) generations removed. He and Boromir (as well as their maternal uncle, Prince Imrahil) actually are descended from elf maiden Mithrellas, the mythical Nimrodel's handmaiden who married a Prince of Dol Amroth. May explain why many characters think they appear noble and regal like the (pureblooded) Dúnedain kings of old.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: One of the few characters not even tempted by the idea of The Ring. In the book, at least...

* NiceGuy: Again, in the book.
* NonActionGuy: He's an excellent strategist but was taught by Gandalf to value peace, not war.

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: Faramir is said to look like Boromir's twin, despite being a younger non-twin sibling. Much of this twin-like similarity is lost in the films though.

* TheWisePrince: Practically his defining trait.

* GrayEyes

** To a degree in the book as well, but there 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.

* MyCountryRightOrWrong: In one of his letters JRRTolkien points out that Denethor thought of Sauron primarily as a threat to Gondor rather then 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 TheUnfinishedTales 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 convincing him that Gondor was doomed.

* TheBerserker

* DemotedToExtra
* HotBlooded
* MeaningfulName: "Horse-famous".

* TheWisePrince

* DivineParentage
* ElementalPowers: The Ring of Air.

* ParentalAbandonment

* StellarName
* StockholmSyndrome: In ''TheSilmarillion'' he and his brother Elros were taken in by Maglor, one of the Sons of Fëanor, who 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

* AuthorAppeal: Of the RavenHairIvorySkin variety.

* GreyEyes

* ProperLady: In book
* PrincessClassic: In book

* ElementalPowers: The Ring of Adamant

* [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Really Older Than The Sun And Moon]]: She was born in the Year of the Trees 1362, before the First Age of the Sun. Her exact age is unknown, but a conservative estimate is 8000.

* FamousLastWords

-->'''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.

* EvilMentor: To Celebrimbor.
* EvilChancellor: To Ar-Pharazon.

* 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 {{the Necromancer}}. Also the Lord of Werewolves back in his shapeshifting days and Tevildo, [[CatsAreMean Lord of Cats]] (!) in [[TheHistoryOfMiddleEarth another version]].

* LargeAndInCharge: In the movie he appears to be a good 15 feet tall, at least. From the books it can be inferred that his size, like his shape varied greatly during his long existence, but it's unknown how big he was in his final form as the Dark Lord of Barad-dûr.
* 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.

* MotiveDecay: Justified in-universe: his original motivations to impose order on the world decay due to his evil corrupting his nature and the trauma of him losing multiple incarnate forms to the Downfall of Númenor and Isildur in rapid succession.
* NamesTheSame: No, he is not that pterodactyl guy from X-Men.

* TheNecromancer: It's in his title, and his specialty as a Maia was in manipulating the connection between minds and physical bodies/objects.

* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Sauron, like the Wizards, is an angel in humanoid form

* 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 Red Eye Take Warning]]. Does appear yellow at one point, however.
* RedRightHand: [-"There are only four fingers on the Black Hand, but [[TakeOurWordForIt they are enough]]."-]
* TheShapeshifter: Backstory only due to ShapeshifterModeLock, but it was previously Sauron's primary "power".
* ShapeshifterModeLock

* TreacherousAdvisor: Sauron was this to Ar-Pharazôn And also an EvilChancellor
* UltimateEvil: In ''[[TheLordOfTheRings the book itself]]'', he's a quintessential go-to example of UltimateEvil. The fact that there's a BiggerBad in the BackStory is therefore BeyondTheImpossible. Then again, Tolkien states that Sauron at the height of his power was more powerful than Morgoth during the War of the Jewels. Interestingly enough, he's ''not'' motiveless [[MadeOfEvil Evil Incarnate]]: his StartOfDarkness was motivated by a desire for order and control.

* AllYourColorsCombined

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: All the orcs we see, although Main/WordOfGod is that it may not be ''completely'' the case. In any event, Tolkien was good enough to give all named orcs distinctive (though [[PlanetOfHats still evil]]) personalities.
** Orc-hood is almost as much a state of mind as it is genetic (cf. Tolkien's statement that "We were all orcs," re: WorldWarOne). Some speculate that if an orc stopped being evil, it would no longer be an orc.

* AllTrollsAreDifferent: Tolkien's trolls are giant-like monsters with rocky hides and beast-like intelligence. (The talking trolls in ''TheHobbit'' may or may not have been artistic license on Bilbo's part.) They permanently turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. The exceptions are Sauron's Olog-hai, more intelligent trolls that are immune to sunlight.

* GiantSpider
** In the book just a spider-like monster, described to have pincers in her feet and great insect-like eyes, among other taxonomical oddities.

** Her mother Ungoliant in ''TheSilmarillion'' could talk, as could her descendants in ''TheHobbit''. All told, makes Shelob herself being able to talk seem pretty likely- she probably just didn't have anything to say to her dinner.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Durin's Bane". Also, "Balrog" is the Sindarin form of the Quenya term ''Valarauko'', "Demon of Might".

These are the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' by JRRTolkien, along with the actors playing them in the PeterJackson [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings film trilogy]].

Frodo Baggins is a principal protagonist of ''TheLordOfTheRings''. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from his Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in Mount Doom.

Frodo was born on September 22, 2968 in the 3rd Age of the Sun, to Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck. He spent much of his youth at Brandy Hall in Buckland, the home of his mother's people. He was considered something of a rascal, particularly by Farmer Maggot from whom Frodo [[NoodleIncident stole mushrooms]]. In 2980, when Frodo was still a child, his parents took a boat out onto the Brandywine River and were drowned. Frodo had no siblings, so he was left alone in the crowded tunnels of Brandy Hall until his cousin Bilbo Baggins adopted him and made Frodo his heir.

* AcheyScars: Frodo's tend to ache on the anniversary of their infliction.
* AntiHero: Heavily Type I as Return of the King progresses, as 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.
* AudienceSurrogate
* BadassNormal: Usually overshadowed by the other hobbits, but Frodo has quite a few badass moments earlier on in the book. None of these survived the transition to film.

* IconicCharacters: "Frodo Lives"

Samwise Gamgee, Frodo Baggins' loyal servant, was determined to follow his master wherever he went even when he was not invited. Sam proved to be a brave and loyal companion and became Frodo's closest friend. His Hobbit-sense and his love for Frodo saw them both through danger and hardship to the end of the quest. Sam was unwilling to give up hope even when things seemed darkest.

Unlike his three hobbit companions, Sam was not a gentlehobbit. His father Hamfast, known as the Gaffer, had been the gardener at Bag End for over 40 years, and Sam was his assistant. Sam had learned to read and write from Bilbo Baggins and he listened eagerly to Bilbo's tales about his adventures, particularly the ones about Elves. The Gaffer found his son's preoccupation with Elves and such a bit worrisome.

* TheHero: There are many debates as to who, Frodo or Sam, is the real hero of the story; most people agree that they are equally deserving of the title. WordOfGod is that Tolkien favored Sam as the story's "Chief Hero" (In his ''letters'' #131).

Meriadoc Brandybuck was a sensible Hobbit whose concern for his cousin Frodo Baggins led him to mastermind the "conspiracy" that ensured that Frodo embarked on his quest with his friends at his side. Merry became a Knight of the Riddermark and played a significant role in the War of the Ring. Through his loyalty and courage he helped to defeat one of the Dark Lord's most terrible servants.

Peregrin Took was just in his tweens when he announced his intention to accompany his cousin Frodo Baggins on his quest. Pippin's youth and curious nature got him into trouble on occasion, but his steadfast friendship and unquenchable cheerfulness helped carry him and his companions through the darkest times. During the quest, he grew up quickly and became an important member of the Fellowship and a Knight of Gondor.

The modern archetypal wizard. When the Valar (basically greater angels) retreated to the Undying lands, five Maiar (basically lesser angels) were left to watch the movements of Sauron clothed in the forms of Wizards and forbidden to use their power directly against Sauron. Of these, two fled east and were never heard from again. Of the remainder, Gandalf embodied wisdom, Saruman knowledge, and Radaghast nature. Though Saruman is presented as the head of the Council of the Wise, the elves originally wanted Gandalf who declined the position. They nevertheless entrusted him with Narya the Ring of Fire (one of the three rings of the elves.)

Known as the grey rider, throughout both TheHobbit and this series (along with the prior thousand years) Gandalf rode from place to place in the world giving counsel and guidance 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.

Aragorn is the chief of the Dunedain, Rangers of the North. One of the dying breed of Numenoreans, 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, to be the best he can in order to pursue his destiny.

As a ranger, Aragorn 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 Numenorean 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 but exists here as a subversion of that longstanding trope.

Son of Denethor the steward of Gondor. Boromir is a mighty warrior of his people and their champion.

King of Rohan, uncle of Eowyn and Eomer. Theoden is betrayed by his servant Grima who enfeebled and confused him. When Gandalf helped him break the curse, the damage had already been done. His armies were in disarray, bands of wild men ransacked the countryside and his only son and heir was dead. Theoden 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.

!Éomer (KarlUrban)
[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Eomer_1812.jpg]]

* TheBerserker
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Éowyn, his sister.
* HotBlooded
* MeaningfulName: "Horse-famous".
* ParentalAbandonment: orphaned at a young age, raised by [[ParentalSubstitute his uncle]].
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* WarriorPrince
* TheWisePrince

A seemingly minor character from ''TheHobbit'' who played a key role in this book. Smeagol, once of a race not unlike the Hobbits, was fishing with Deagol when they encountered the ring. They both immediately coveted it and Smeagol murdered Deagol for it. He retreated for over 600 years deep into the mountains and became a degenerate creature named Gollum (after a throat noise he makes) feared by the goblins. The ring, having a mind of it's 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 Smeagol 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, he has been hunting for the ring eventually catching up with the Fellowship and stalking them until Frodo left most of his companions behind when he made his move. Failing and being taken prisoner, he served 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.

!Tom Bombadil
* AmbiguouslyHuman
* ArcadianInterlude
* CallOnMe
* EccentricMentor
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Except badgers. And willow trees.
* GreatGazoo
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: More like Incorruptible Pure Neutrality. The Ring has no power over him--possibly because he has no desires to speak of, even less than the Hobbits.
* MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast
* NatureSpirit
* NiceHat
* RhymesOnADime
* ShrugOfGod: Tolkien deliberately left his true nature obscure.
* SingleSpecimenSpecies: Possibly.
* TimeAbyss: He's older than the world.
* WackyWaysideTribe

A Maiar spirit, servant of Melkor, the greatest and most evil of the Valar, and the titular Lord of the Rings. When Melkor was banished, Sauron ultimately picked up in his place. His first gambit was to teach the elves to crafts the magic rings (ultimately the 3 for elves, the 7 for dwarves, and the nine for men.) He then crafted his own 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 regather.

In series, he is simply the BigBad, an ominous evil presence that grows stronger as the heroes near his realm. If he reclaimed the 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.

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 power. The White Council want to destroy the Ring, Frodo volunteers, and the Fellowship of the Ring protect him on his quest.