Frodo Baggins
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Frodo Baggins | |
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Hobbit | |
Biographical Information | |
Other names | See Names below |
Location | Bag End, Hobbiton, Valinor |
Birth | September 22, T.A. 2968 |
Death | Date unknown, Valinor |
Family | |
Parentage | Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck |
Physical Description | |
Gender | Male |
Height | Taller than most Hobbits |
Hair color | Brown |
Gallery | Images of Frodo Baggins |
Frodo Baggins was a Hobbit of the Third Age, the most famous of all Hobbits in the histories for his leading role in the Quest of the Ring. During this epic quest, he bore the One Ring to Mount Doom and there destroyed it, giving him renown like no other Halfling throughout Middle-earth. He is also peculiar for being, as a Ring-bearer, one of the three Hobbits who sailed from Middle-earth to Aman, there to die in peace.
History
Main Article: History of Frodo Baggins
Frodo was born to Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck on September 22nd, Third Age 2968. He spent much of his youth at Brandy Hall in Buckland, the home of his mother's family. He was considered something of a rascal, particularly by Farmer Maggot from whom Frodo stole mushrooms. In 2980, when Frodo was only twelve years old, he lost both his parents who took a boat out onto the Brandywine River and drowned. With no siblings, Frodo was taken in by the Brandybucks to live at Brandy Hall until his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, adopted him and made Frodo his heir.
War of the Ring
Frodo was entrusted with the keeping of the One Ring when Bilbo left for Rivendell after the celebration of his 111th birthday. Gandalf warned Frodo that the Ring must never be used and should be kept secret. (At the time, he was not yet certain that it was a Ring of Power.) Frodo kept the Ring hidden for seventeen years, until T.A. 3018, when Gandalf returned to confirm that it was indeed the One Ring. Gandalf sent him away with Sam Gamgee, who was Frodo's gardener and eventually his dearest friend. Frodo pretended to go live at a new house at Crickhollow, to make his going away seem more legitimate. It was there that his friends Peregrin Took (also called Pippin) and Meriadoc Brandybuck (also called Merry) forced Frodo to allow them to go along with him. The hobbits went into the Old Forest, where they got lost. However, a man named Tom Bombadil rescued them and brought them to his son, later sending them along the right road again. The hobbits made it to Bree, where they met a man named Strider, who seemed to know more about the danger they were in then they did themselves. The Ringwraiths, servants of the Dark Lord Sauron, caught up with the group at Weathertop, where Frodo was stabbed by a Morgul blade. Frodo almost faded and became a servant of the Dark Lord, but he was brought to House of Elrond, Elrond healed him. There, at Elrond's Council, it was decided that the Ring must be destroyed by casting it into the Crack of Doom. A Fellowship was formed to protect Frodo as the Ring-bearer. His quest to destroy the Ring forms a large portion of The Lord of the Rings. Eventually, he succeeded in reaching Orodruin, where, at the last moment, he attempted to claim the Ring, whose power had grown too great for him. However, at that moment he was attacked by Gollum, who seized the Ring and then fell into the fire with it, thus destroying the Ring.
Two years after the destruction of the Ring, still troubled by the wounds he received during the War of the Ring, Frodo and Bilbo as Ring-bearers were given the right to travel to Valinor where, though remaining mortal, they might rest and be healed, together with Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel. They boarded a ship from the Grey Havens and passed over the sea on September 29, T.A. 3021. Having no children of his own, Frodo left his estate and passed on the Red Book to Samwise Gamgee who followed Frodo across the sea 61 years later, following the death of his wife Rose (nee) Cotton.
Frodo's struggles
Frodo Baggins never actually killed anything in the course of his Quest. He did, however, stand up to fight against some formidable adversaries. He foolishly attempted to fight the Nazgûl at Weathertop, and he stabbed a troll in the foot in Moria to keep it from forcing open a door.
Frodo was wounded several times in his Quest. The first came when he tried to fight the Nazgul at Weathertop and was stabbed with a Morgul blade. He was later knocked out by an orc's thrown spear in Moria, but the mithril armor Bilbo Baggins had given him saved his life. He was poisoned by Shelob in the pass of Cirith Ungol and later questioned (and whipped) by orcs in the tower. Finally, Gollum bit off his finger to obtain the One Ring as they struggled inside Mount Doom.
Description and equipment
The only real description of Frodo's appearance is given only once by Gandalf in his letter to Barliman Butterbur, in which he is declared a "stout fellow with red cheeks, taller than some [hobbits], and fairer [more light-haired] than most", with a cleft chin, a bright eye, and a perky personality.
Frodo carried a small Elven sword (actually a dagger) called Sting and wore a coat of Dwarven chainmail made of Mithril under his clothes, both given to him by Bilbo. At Lothlórien, Galadriel gave him an Elven cloak that blends him in with the natural surroundings and a phial carrying the light of the star Eärendil to aid him on his quest.
Before Frodo went back to the Shire (after the Quest of the Ring was completed), Arwen Evenstar, wife of Aragorn and daughter of Elrond, gave Frodo a white stone to wear around his neck.
Etymology and translations
The name Frodo Baggins is an English translation of his Westron name Maura Labingi. The name Maura has the element maur- (wise, experienced), which Tolkien equivalated to the Germanic element frod- of the same meaning. Frodo's name in Sindarin was Iorhael ("old-wise") although in some instance he is mentioned as Daur (probably lenited form of taur).
In the German translation he is called Frodo Beutlin, in Spanish, Frodo Bolsón, in French, Frodon Sacquet, in Norwegian, Frodo Lommelun, in Danish, Frodo Sækker, in Faroese, Fróði Pjøkin in Finnish, Frodo Reppuli and in Dutch, Frodo Balings. In one of three Polish translations he is called Frodo Bagosz, but he keeps his original name in the other two.
Names and epithets
- Frodo Baggins - fród means "wise by experience" in Old English. Baggins may have been a reference to Bag End or may come from "bagging" which means "eating between meals" in northern England.
- Ring-bearer - he bore the One Ring to Mount Doom.
- Elf-friend - given to him by Gildor Inglorion.
- Mr. Underhill - used during his stay in the Prancing Pony to conceal his identity.
- The Halfling - a name used for him from Boromir's dream.
- Master - given to Frodo by both Samwise Gamgee as Sam was his gardener, and Gollum, as Frodo was the Master of the Precious.
- Nine-fingered Frodo\Frodo of the Nine Fingers - given to Frodo after Gollum bit off his finger.
- Deputy Mayor of Michel Delving - he was the Deputy from November 3019 through Mid-Year's Day in 3020
- Daur - which translates to "noble" and was given to Frodo at the Field of Cormallen.
- Iorhael - the Sindarin name for Frodo which comes from ior meaning "old" and hael meaning "wise,"
- Maura Labingi - the Hobbit name for Frodo.
- Bingo Baggins - Frodo's name in the early drafts of The Lord of the Rings.
- Bronwe athan Harthad - a name given to Frodo by Gandalf in an early version of The Lord of the Rings, revealed in The History of Middle-earth. It means "Endurance beyond Hope".
Genealogy
Balbo Baggins | Berylla Boffin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mungo Baggins(grandfather of Bilbo) | Largo Baggins | Tanta Hornblower | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dora Baggins | Drogo Baggins | Primula Brandybuck | Dudo Baggins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frodo Baggins | Daisy Baggins | Griffo Boffin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayal in adaptations
Frodo in The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
Frodo in The Return of the King (1980 film)
- Frodo Elijah Wood.png
- Frodo One Ring viv lotr.JPG
Frodo as a Lego minifigure
Films
1978: The Lord of the Rings (1978 film):
- Frodo was voiced by Christopher Guard.
1980: The Return of the King (1980 film):
- Frodo was voiced by Orson Bean, who had previously played Bilbo in The Hobbit (1977 film).
2001-3: The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy:
- Frodo is played by Elijah Wood. He is portrayed as slightly younger than his character in the book. He is also depicted with black hair, though the one (very brief) description of Frodo in the books said that he had fairer hair than most Hobbits (i.e. from light brown to dirty blonde).
2012-3: The Hobbit films:
- Elijah Wood will reprise his role as Frodo Baggins.[1]
Radio series
1955: The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series):
- Oliver Burt provided the voice of Frodo.
1978: The Lord of the Rings (1978 film):
- Frodo was voiced by Christopher Guard. Sharon Baird was the model for Frodo in the live-action recordings Bakshi used for rotoscoping.
1979: The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series):
- The voice of Frodo is provided by James Arrington.
1981: The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series):
- Frodo is voiced by Ian Holm.
1992: Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series):
- In two episodes telling of the meeting of Frodo and Tom Bombadil, Nigel Planer provided the voice of Frodo.
Games
2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game):
- Frodo is one of the playable characters, his story doesn't significantly differ from the book. He is voiced by Steve Staley.
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game):
- Frodo is present in all missions from Sam's perspective: escape from Osgiliath, Shelob's Lair, Cirith Ungol and the Crack of Doom. Completing the game allows to replay those missions from Frodo's perspective.
2004: The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring:
- Frodo is a "Hero" unit of the Free People, his ability to use the Ring and turn invisible make him ideal for scout missions.
2004: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth:
- Unlike most other characters, Frodo and Sam make no appearance in Skirmish battles - they only appear in the storyline campaign.
2006: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II:
- Frodo and other Hobbits are no longer permanent units, they are now a temporary power boost available to Free People forces.
2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- Frodo can be first met in Rivendell, preparing for departure. Later, he is found on Cerin Amroth in Lothlorien, weary from the loss of Gandalf. As a notable event, a Hobbit actor portrays Frodo Baggins in a Hobbit-made theater play "The Disappearance of Mad Baggins".
2011: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North:
- Frodo is mentioned as "Frodo the Ringbearer", one of the much honored heroes of the War of the Ring, in the introduction of the game.
In The Prancing Pony Aragorn tells that he is waiting on a Hobbit with an important burden, this refers to Frodo and the One Ring.[2] - Latter in the game, Frodo appears in Rivendell, but interactions with him do not affect the main plot.
See also
Preceded by: Bilbo Baggins |
Ring-bearer September 22, T.A. 3001 - March 13, 3019 |
Followed by: Samwise Gamgee |
Preceded by: Samwise Gamgee |
Ring-bearer March 14, 3019 - March 25, 3019 |
Followed by: Gollum |
Members of the Fellowship of the Ring |
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Frodo · Sam · Merry · Pippin · Gandalf · Aragorn · Legolas · Gimli · Boromir |
References
- ↑ Peter Jackson, "Production begins in New Zealand on The Hobbit" dated 20 March 2011, Facebook (accessed 23 December 2011)
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Prologue