The Lord of the Rings tells an epic story that desperately needs brave heroes. Whether in the books or in the movies – Tolkien himself knew who the bravest and most important hero in Middle-earth is.
What would The Lord of the Rings be without the many heroic characters who, despite many hopeless situations, ultimately save the day? When one thinks of Middle-earth, the obvious names probably come to mind first.
Frodo, who carries the Ring from the Shire to Mordor and suffers under its weight. Aragorn, who rises to become king and leads entire armies into battle. Or Gandalf, the powerful wizard who leads the Fellowship and has his fingers in every pie in Middle-earth.
However, according to the writer and Middle-earth creator J.R.R. Tolkien, another character is the true hero.
Size isn’t everything after all
Who is the true hero? Those who have been paying attention to The Lord of the Rings might already have an idea. Tolkien particularly highlights Frodo’s friend Samwise “Sam” Gamgee among all the characters he created.
The hobbit stumbles rather reluctantly into the grand adventure and travels with Frodo to Rivendell, and from there to Mordor – a bad, but perhaps not the worst place in Middle-earth. When the Fellowship is separated, the two hobbits are left to fend for themselves.
Sam stands by Frodo loyally and helps him as best as he can. In dire situations, he even saves his life, for example in the situation with the spider Shelob. When Frodo falters, Sam also encourages him with strong words. In the end, he even carries him by hand to the Fire of Mount Doom, where the One Ring is to be destroyed.
In short: whether Frodo would have succeeded in his mission without Sam by his side is questionable. Tolkien knew that as well.
In the author’s letters, which can be read online at bibliothecaveneficae.com, he writes about Sam: ‘Sam Gamgee from my story is a highly heroic figure who is now loved by many readers, even though he comes from the countryside.’
Where did the idea for Sam come from? The interesting thing is that Tolkien did not simply invent Sam. He was inspired by his own dramatic experiences as an officer in World War I. At that time, he had a so-called officer’s batman by his side.
So an assistant who supported his superior even in dangerous situations and showed great courage. And that, despite receiving little recognition for it.
Similarly, Sam serves his master loyally but does not appear as a great, shining hero in the end. However, Tolkien knew how important such a companion can be and processed his own experiences into the character.
The fans of The Lord of the Rings have recognized that Sam is incredibly strong – even though he is just a hobbit from the Shire. Also interesting is that the films left out a 5th hobbit who appears in the books: There is actually a significant 5th hobbit in the universe of The Lord of the Rings, but he does not appear in the films
