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What characters, in all the Ages of Middle Earth, do you see as the most heroic? And why? I'll chime in once the discussion gets going. I don't want to lead it any particular way. I'm just curious to see what y'all think.

In the tales told of the First Age of Middle-earth in The Silmarillion, I would say that Beren proves himself to be the most heroic. A mortal man, he dares to stand before the Elf king, Thingol, and declare that he wishes to marry his daughter, Luthien Tinuviel. When Thingol says that he can, only if he brings to him a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth, he could have refused to go on such an impossible, perilous quest, instead he went on it, alone. In the end, he achieved the Quest of the Silmaril. In doing so, he proved himself to be a hero. A hero is defined by the choices he makes. One choice is to remain safely as he is, the other is to try to do the impossible. Beren could have remained as he was, living with his own people, instead he took the perilous path to the throne of Thingol, to ask his permission to marry his daughter, Luthien Tinuviel, then to Thangorodrim, to wrest a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth, knowing that Thingol was sure he would die in his attempt to achieve the quest. In the tale of the end of the Third Age, as told in The Lord of the Rings, I think that Frodo is the most heroic character. Gandalf was sent to Middle-earth to be the enemy of Sauron, as he says himself, so in being so, he is but fulfilling his destiny. In the same way, it is the destiny of Aragorn to be the King of Gondor, so however heroic he may seem, all he does is to fulfil that destiny. Frodo, however, was meant to live in Bag End in Hobbiton, peacefully, until he died. At the Council of Elrond, Frodo knows he has the choice of returning safely to the Shire, having brought the Ring to Rivendell. Instead, he decides to take the Ring to Mordor, to destroy it in the fire of Mount Doom. To the others present at the Council, he says: "I will take the Ring," he said, "though I do not know the way."
That was the declaration that made Frodo heroic. He did not have to go to Mordor, but he did. His three hobbit companions, Sam, Merry and Pippin, prove themselves to be brave in the War of the Ring, of course, but it is Frodo who is the true hero of them all.

Philip wrote: "In the tales told of the First Age of Middle-earth in The Silmarillion, I would say that Beren proves himself to be the most heroic. A mortal man, he dares to stand before the Elf king, Thingol, an..."

Nice answer! I think I'm inclined to agree with Beren for a 1st age hero, for all the reasons you mentioned.

Frodo is of course, a solid choice and I agree with the reasons you've given. It's splitting hairs, I reckon, but I personally think that among the characters in LOTR and The Hobbit, Sam stands out to me as the most heroic. Frodo, while certainly a hero, in a certain sense loses some of his 'choice' the moment the Ring comes to him. He is then also 'fated' to carry it. How far is he fated to carry it is the question. I suppose he could have said 'no' at the Council, and his decision--made of his own free will--is a very heroic one.
For me, the definition of bravery and heroism is not the lack of fear, which of course Frodo had in bundles, but the strength of character to keep going in spite of fear. For me, Sam Gamgee is the most cautious and fearful of all four hobbits. He is the most ordinary of all the characters. He's not book smart. He has no spcial powers. He lacks the Tookishness that Bilbo and Frodo have. He's older than Merry and Pippen, who rely somewhat on their ignorance and youthful inquisitiveness to get over their fears. Sam, however, it seems to me, is driven by his loyalty to Frodo, over anything else, but he also comes to a realization that he is playing a part in a larger story, and that if he fails, or if Frodo fails, then everything that he believes in will also fail. So in spite of his fears, he just pushes on. He is the last to surrender his optimism as well. Sam is my favorite. But there are plenty of heroes. I also love Eowyn! But I'll save that one for later, lol.

In ways I think that every character shows a bit of heroism. Last year my language arts teacher told us that we would each get a call to heroism. We could chose to take it then or if we delayed it it would show up again some other time. But I agree that Sam is very heroic. He never chose to come with Frodo when he was eavesdropping, but then in the council of Elrond instead of choosing to go back to the Shire. I also think that Arwen is heroic. She chooses to stay with Aragorn instead of sail from the Grey Havens like the other Elves. She loves Aragorn so much that she would rather stay in Middle Earth to live with him knowing that he will die. Than go to the Grey Havens and not ever see him again.

Bilbo

Steve wrote: "Philip wrote: "In the tales told of the First Age of Middle-earth in The Silmarillion, I would say that Beren proves himself to be the most heroic. A mortal man, he dares to stand before the Elf ki..."

That's an interesting take on Arwen. I don't think I had thought about her that way before. Hmmm. I'm gonna have to roll that one around in the brain for a bit. I have to agree. Giving up your family and your people for love. Yeah, that's pretty heroic.

Anne Marie wrote: "Luthien for the 1st age - she rocks - why people say Tolkien does not have strong females in his stories is beyond me. Sam for the 3rd age (with Frodo a very close second). But there are many other..."

Thanks Anne! Yeah, Luthien is a good one!

I like Eowyn, for the female characters. For one, she has no super powers of any kind. She's not immortal. She's human. Yes, she's royalty, but not the queen. She's feisty, which I love! Not only does she face off against the captain of the Ringwraiths, but she has to buck social norms to even BE in the position to DO IT!

I think it's highly significant that it is a woman who faces off the embodiment of Fear in LOTR. In fact, it's BECAUSE she's a woman that she is even able to do it! She is just freakin awesome. That scene is quite possibly the climax of the book for me. It is so intense that every climax that comes after it seems to pale in intensity. I also think it's significant that her comrade is none other than a young Hobbit, who sneaks up from behind and distracts the Witch King long enough for her to recover from his blow to her shield arm. Of the female characters in all of Tolkien, she's the strongest, I think. LOVE HER! And Jackson did a great job recreating it in the movie.

A bunch of good answers, I liked Beren especially, but I have ways thought of Turin as a great hero. Yes he is deeply flawed and his story is tragic, even fatalistic at times, but it is Turin's struggle against his own flaws and the fate/curse that daunts him that makes him heroic. Beren, Sam, Frodo, Faramir, etc always make the right choice and we almost come to expect heroism out of them. The sum of Turin's heroism doesn't measure up quantitatively but it is the difference from where he started and the struggle that gets him to his heroic end that makes him the best/my favorite hero.

Matthew wrote: "A bunch of good answers, I liked Beren especially, but I have ways thought of Turin as a great hero. Yes he is deeply flawed and his story is tragic, even fatalistic at times, but it is Turin's str..."

I love Turin! Love the entire story! Very tragic indeed. I agree that he is an heroic character precisely because he's so flawed. His flaws, however, are a product of the curse on his family, thanks to his father's own heroism and refusal to cave to Morgoth. I identify with Turin a lot. He carries around a very dark story, which drives him into even darker places. It's a great example of how negativity can breed more of the same, and lead to tragic ends. Turin was swept up in the negative story of his father and family, and could never seem to break free of it. We must all break free of our own negative stories, the ones we tell ourselves constantly. If not, there be dragons...

Well said Steve, glad to know there are other Turin fans. Throughout Tolkien's work there are dozens of characters who are typical heroes, but as I said earlier their actions are so consistently hero-typical that I always saw Turin as the protagonist in a uniquely heroic/tragic story. I always saw him as Achilles as Tolkien must have seen him. Trapped by a fate that he cannot overcome and unable to transcend the human condition/our baser emotions in a way that mirrors our own limitations.

Matthew wrote: "Well said Steve, glad to know there are other Turin fans. Throughout Tolkien's work there are dozens of characters who are typical heroes, but as I said earlier their actions are so consistently he..."

Yes! I see Turin much as I did Boromir, also one of my favorites. Both had flaws, but managed to redeem themselves in some way. Boromir loses his control in the presence of the Ring, but immediately regains it and stands in defense of Merry and Pippen. His flaw was similar in some ways. He was fated to be the son of the Steward, and as such the champion of Gondor--a heavy weight to bear. It was this drive to defend his city, to fulfill his fate that lured him to the Ring.

Well said Steve and great connection with Boromir, I definitely agree. As an aside, I saw on your profile that you are a Viking scholar and I must admit that while medieval history is one of my favorites Viking culture is one of my blind spots. If I was going to fill in this hole in my medieval learning what one primary source translation and one secondary source would you recommend as must read introductions on the subject?

As a primary source, I'd go with the Annals of St. Bertin, which have been translated. I'm going to publish a translation of the Annals of St. Vaast at some point. It was my master's thesis.

As for secondary, I'd start with Gwyn Jones' A History of the Vikings, /book/show/6.... It's a good overview. Also good is John Haywood's Penguin Atlas... /book/show/2...

Thanks for the off topic help Steve, you're the resident Viking expert so I'm sure they'll all be great. I'm particularly interested in widening my knowledge of primary sources. I love reading something that is historical and literary and has a history and mind of it's own.

Matthew wrote: "Thanks for the off topic help Steve, you're the resident Viking expert so I'm sure they'll all be great. I'm particularly interested in widening my knowledge of primary sources. I love reading som..."

You're welcome! I also have a Viking history 'shelf' on my page. Lots of stuff on there, some of which I've reviewed. I also have the Be a Hobbit shelf, of stuff related to Tolkien and sustainable living.

Sounds interesting! I'll have to take a look. Circling back to the hero discussion... What does everyone think about Faramir? Another one of my favorite atypical heroes. He blends physical bravery and derring do with abnegation and wisdom beyond the scope and intensity of those around him. His conviction and moral instincts lead him to make decisions that other more martial or typically heroic characters fail to do. His discussion with Frodo and Sam in particular shows the largesse of his character and that he knows his and the more general human limitations.

I agree with Steve about Eowny. She did a Jack-a-roe and in the Battle of Pellenor Fields (with Merry's help) slew the Witch-King as he prepared to finish off Theoden. Courage doesn't come any stronger than that!

As I am reading the Silmarillion now, and as I have reached the chapter "Of Beren and Luthien" I would say that my 3 favorite heroes became Huan - For its loyalty and Brave Heart, Luthien - for her commitment and love towards Beren, and also bravery as well, Beren - For being so resistant against evil and dedication to his cause (which is also his great emotion/love for Luthien) ... :]]]

I'm a big fan of Faramir, too. He serves as the foil to his brother, who because of his martial mentality was susceptible to the pull of the Ring to a greater degree. As Anne pointed out, Faramir would prefer to be in the library studying with Gandalf and living in peace, but takes up the sword in defense of his homeland. He holds no love of violence, however. It is only a tool to protect the peace. He strongly resists the pull of the Ring. As much as I enjoyed the movies, I absolutely HATED what they did with Faramir's character. It was ruined and degraded by even allowing him to contemplate bring the Ring back to his father. Never happened in the book. It just makes him little better than his brother. It was a stupid change and an unnecessary one.

I agree Steve, the movie Faramir is a complete farce and I don't understand what changing his character was supposed to establish that hadn't already been earlier by different characters/events.

Matthew wrote: "I agree Steve, the movie Faramir is a complete farce and I don't understand what changing his character was supposed to establish that hadn't already been earlier by different characters/events."

Exactly. It accomplished nothing positive. Kind of like Dwarves and Elves having love affairs....but don't get me started on that one, lol.

Watching the Hobbit movies so far has been a unique experience for me... One side of my brain feels compelled to observe and try to remember every detail (in essence not to be too much of a purest snob) and the other is rapidly trying to delete the horrors of what it's seeing from my memory haha. I haven't tried reading the hobbit since the movies have come out, but if in the attempt I see Sony Go-pro barrel rides and giant molten gold dwarfish patriarchs I am going to throw a serious fit.

Matthew wrote: "Watching the Hobbit movies so far has been a unique experience for me... One side of my brain feels compelled to observe and try to remember every detail (in essence not to be too much of a purest ..."

I'm actually not a purist snob type when it comes to movies. As an historian I'm often appalled at the inaccuracies in historical fiction, though I usually let it slide in the interest of 'truth', whatever that is. Same goes for Tolkien and Jackson's movies. I enjoyed the crap out of LOTR series, but much less The Hobbit. They've just taken so many liberties with the films. I actually don't mind the scenes of Gandalf and Radagast and the necromancer stuff, since most of that is either 'in' the appendices to LOTR, the History series, or implied somewhere within the stories. But dwarves and elves falling in love? And the barrel ride, gratuitous action scenes, is just ridiculous. Of course, movies aren't made for us old farts these days anyway. They're made for kids under the age of 18, and for the foreign market, where dialogue isn't that important.

The only way that I enjoyed the LOTR films (and now the Hobbit films) is to divorce them from the books. If I were to compare them, the movies would be a bitter disappointment. Instead, I enjoy them on their own (Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, and Cate Blanchett are all great artists to watch), and remember that the books are far superior. Greater depth, greater meaning, greater stories. And yes, Faramir is a joke in the movie - very different than the book.

Walter wrote: "The only way that I enjoyed the LOTR films (and now the Hobbit films) is to divorce them from the books. If I were to compare them, the movies would be a bitter disappointment. Instead, I enjoy the..."

Yes, that's pretty much the way I approach the films. I'm not overly critical of them, though I certainly could be. I enjoy seeing Middle Earth on the screen. The visuals are quite pleasing.

Eowyn {shield maiden of Rohan} is a character whom I greatly admire.

She tirelessly cared for her loving father all the while suffering from depression, plus having to endure the poison of her father's advisor Grima.


Within the 'gospel according to Tolkien' (literature), there are two instances of fearless bravery to note. One being Eowyn's heroism during the battle on Pelennor fields [fighting for women's' rights.. yeah!!]. The second is during the acquisition of true courage, (with letting go of her false notions in relation to Aragorn), only when her rancour is transformed by her love for Faramir.

She runs with her emotions through love and war, all the while fighting for the freedom of Rohan's people but her own too.

Exquisitely encapsulated in the following --


[What do you fear my Lady? Aragorn questions]
"A cage. To stay behind bars_ and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire."

'Éowyn is the strongest, quite frankly, because of her weakness: she's only human. She has no special powers, no immortality, only her innate grit and drive to be something more than just a shield-maiden. And nothing whatsoever will stay her on her course.' -Steve Bivans (author) opinion.



Secondly, I would have to say that another true hero whom I regard highly is Frodo [Hobbit of the Shire, Ring Bearer].

He has an archetypal hero's journey, accompanied by intelligent loyal and loving companions who aid him on his way. There is nothing particularly remarkable about him visually, yet it is his heart and inner spirit that continues to confound. For he is mightier than an entire army of mortal men, Kings, Knights etc. Indeed as Lady Galadriel states 'even the smallest person can change the course of the future!'.

For, it is not within great power or strength but rather the steadfast tenacity of those ordinary folk who press on in adversity, (aware of what must be done and the hardships of such a burden to bear) that encapsulate heroism of extreme's.
He has many chances of turning back, only he didn't for [as Samwise enunciates..] how there is so much good in this world -- and it is worth fighting for!!.

Of course, who could forget Samwise Gamgee?! He's a true hero..

1. He beat a man-eating giant spider demi-god in single combat

2. single-handedly stormed a tower full of hostile orcs to save his friend's life

3. was the only Ringbearer to steadfastly resist the temptation of the One Ring


and literally carried another man up the side of a volcano for the fate of the world while starving and suffering from dehydration!!!

Hell, yeah!!


Heads up, as Sam does truly epitomise a hero {flaws an' all}, for his steadfast courage and unwavering love is so commendable.

He's on the warpath to achieving victory by Frodo's side and nothing will stop him -- when their in the pits and ready for Quittin' he keeps on going!

Well, that's what I'm Tolkien about!!


In the movie, I just simply LOVE this speech..

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The one's that really mattered, full of darkness and danger they were.

Sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when there's so much bad that had happened?

But in the end it's only a passing thing, the shadow, even darkness must pass..








...Sam also reminds us that as a mortal being it is okay to cry sometimes, as staying strong all the time is really hard!

Plus, at the end of all things he shows how those who truly love you will always be there for you -- no matter what!!

Lucinda wrote: "Of course, who could forget Samwise Gamgee?! He's a true hero..

You captured him perfectly.

Thank you!! :) He's an awesome character x

AGREED!!!!

My favourite heroic character is definitely Turin Turambar
In LOTR it's a tough call between Frodo and Aragon

After reading some of the comments I fell there is no one person who could be called most heroic all who opposed evil however small are heroes in their own rights

I agree that Samwise was every bit as much a hero as Frodo and the other LOTR characters.

Lucinda wrote: "Of course, who could forget Samwise Gamgee?! He's a true hero..

1. He beat a man-eating giant spider demi-god in single combat

2. single-handedly stormed a tower full of hostile orcs to save his ..."
Oh. My. God. That. Is. AMAZING!!! His loyalty never wavered throughout the story.

For me Sam is the most heroic person/hobbit/living being in all of Middle Earth, all of Eä and every novel (Tolkien or otherwise) I've ever read combined. That's just my personal opinion but seriously, he was a gardener who had never even left Hobbiton, he was so young and really could have turned around and walked home at any time but he stayed and carried on for the sake of his best friend, he stayed so light hearted through the whole thing and I could go on for pages about how much I love him. Also, although he is presented as young and possibly the least ideal person to be chosen for an adventure, his strong will and just everything he does shows how he is completely the opposite.

Moving on, I love all the female characters. Lùthien of course. She literally invaded Sauron's fortress riding a giant talking dog and defeated werewolves and saved her boyfriend, if that isn't the true representation of a strong female character I don't know what is.

Also, Finrod is amazing. I know he's overlooked sometimes because he's not the most exciting character but he made friends with the men and helped them in nearly everything they did. And he died for Beren. He could have gone 'this is a man, I am a very important elf, I'm worth so much more than him let him die' but no he decided to sacrifice himself so Beren might get a chance to have a life with Luthien.

And Fingon. Who finds out Maedhros is being held in Angband and even though their fathers hate each other's guts and he really should not be friends with Maedhros, he goes 'screw this we have an ancient friendship I'm going to save him.'

Tuor is cool too, he caries a message from Ulmo to Turgon halfway across Middle Earth when he could have given up (along with Voronwe honestly those two have an amazing bromance).

Finally, Beleg. I won't say Turin is heroic because he really isn't, but Beleg stuck by his side (almost) the whole time (until Turin killed him but still).

Sorry I wrote so much. I could continue.

XD Thank you!!!

One more I forgot: Bill the Pony.

Bill is incredible. He travels all the way to Rivendell after being abused by his former master, he continues until Moria whilst carrying the whole of the fellowship's luggage and manages to find his way back to Rivendell. He has an amazing relationship with Sam and when they get back to Hobbiton he kicks his old master and helps defeat Saruman and Grima and there is so much more that I won't go into now.

Bill would survive the Silmarillion.

Bill the Pony for president of Middle Earth.

those who say Tolkien doesn't have strong females have no idea what they are talking about with Luthien as you point out and Eowyn too.

Not forgetting Idril - probably my favourite character in the whole legendarium. She's capable of thinking ahead and acting on it, and saves a city full of people as a consequence.

a) I think Beren is heroic, but the decision to get a Silmaril from Morgoth when he could have just told Thingol to straighten out, fought off his men, and ran into the woods is pure stupidity. Luthien would have found him and they could run off together to Gondolin or Nargothrond or something. No one sneaks into Angband and steals the Silmaril OFF OF MORGOTH'S VERY HEAD and lives to tell the tale. Except for Elves. Although for them it's worse because they're enslaved for all of eternity and if they escape are shunned by their peers. Also except for Beren. Forgive me but I do think it's just a TEENSY bit unrealistic that he accomplishes this only losing his hand.
b) The most heroic character I believe in the legendarium was Samwise Gamgee. Just think. He endured countless hardships out of loyalty to Frodo whom he admired greatly, and you didn't hear
a peep out of him in complaint. He did some very brave (bordering on stupid) acts to keep his master alive and in one piece like attempting to sneak into the Tower of Cirith Ungol, giving him his portions of food, and even carrying him up the slopes of Mount Doom. Why look for a hero when such an obvious, yet unappreciated one is staring you right in the face? Sam has always been my favorite character even since I was 7 years old. And JRR Tolkien agrees with me. He said that Sam was in his opinion the main hero of the Lord of the Rings, and the character was influenced by Tolkien's conscription into World War I. Sam was modeled off of Tolkien's comrades that endured countless hardships without complaint (seeing a trend here?) and fought bravely at great personal risk.
Edit: and also Bill the Pony
Vote Bill the Pony for promotion to Valar and Supreme Ruler of the Universe!

I don't have a definitive answer to this question but I want to weigh in I why I believe Frodo is heroic. A comment was made in support of Sam by saying he shows heroism due to him overcoming fear and that Frodo lacks fear. While true for Sam I disagree about Frodo. Frodo understands the most out of all the hobbits and could be argued among all the characters in LOTR the evil he wears around his neck. "Wearing" the ring for the duration he does has exacted a heavy toll on his body and mind. He was wounded by the Witch-King of Angmar before the Council of Elrond, which I think is highly important to note. Meaning before he made his choice to continue bearing the ring he got a taste of what would happen if he was caught by the enemy and that taste was terrible. I haven't read the books in some years so I'm not positive when Frodo realized but I've always gotten the impression Frodo at some point realized the quest would take his life. Walking to your death and accepting that requires a great deal of courage and heroism. With all this, until the very end of his journey he has resisted the constant temptation of the ring's desire to return to the hand of Sauron. Frodo displays a deep level of heroism that can never be overstated.

I don't know if she's the most heroic, but for me Eowyn is certainly one of Tolkien's most admirable characters ~

Come on, you guys! People like Fingon and Glorfindel and Ecthelion are in severe need of some recognition here 😂❤️❤️

Fingolfin

A wrote: "Fingolfin"

Yasss! That's the spirit!

From the original LOTR, Sam is greatly underestamiated.

Samwise Gamgee is the most heroic. Or Aragorn.