There were nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring in The Lord of the Rings, and though each was key to the group’s success, not all their roles were equal. The purpose of the Fellowship of the Ring was to secretly take Sauron’s One Ring to Mordor, where it could be destroyed. This was a plan that the Dark Lord would never have suspected since he anticipated that the beings of Middle-earth would attempt to use the One Ring against him. Ultimately, the Fellowship’s mission was successful, and each member contributed to this in The Lord of the Ring.
The fact that every member of the Fellowship contributed value to the mission is proof that destiny was at work here. The characters of The Lord of the Rings arrived at Rivendell for their own purposes. Legolas came with the message that Gollum had escaped Mirkwood. Boromir traveled to Rivendell after having a prophetic dream, while Gimli arrived to seek Elrond’s council. None of them knew what attending the Council of Elrond would mean for them, but each served a purpose of varying importance in the fight against the Dark Lord Sauron.
9
Boromir
Boromir Died Before The Fellowship’s Mission Succeeded
Boromir is easily the most complicated member of the Fellowship of the Ring. He wound up attacking Frodo in an attempt to steal the One Ring, but this isn’t to say he wasn’t important to the Fellowship’s overall mission. Aside from protecting the Hobbits on several occasions during the first leg of their journey, Boromir’s actions taught Frodo an important lesson about the influence of the Ring on otherwise good people.
Still, it’s difficult to say that Boromir’s role was any more important than the other eight members of the Fellowship. He died early on and, therefore, didn’t come close to seeing the mission through to its end. What’s more, Boromir’s mission was never quite the same as everyone else’s in The Fellowship of the Ring since he always hoped they would end up bringing the One Ring to Gondor.
8
Pippin
Pippin Played A Small (But Important) Part In Gondor
Pippin was the youngest member of the Fellowship, but he still managed to prove himself in The Lord of the Rings. Just his decision to leave the Shire in the first place was a great testament to this Hobbit’s bravery and determination. When push comes to shove, he didn’t contribute quite as much to the Fellowship’s central mission to destroy the One Ring. Still, his actions in Gondor trickled down to ᴀssist Frodo.
After Boromir’s death, Pippin dedicated himself to Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. As the man’s servant, Pippin saved Faramir’s life, thus strengthening Gondor itself. This was ultimately beneficial to Aragorn, whose position as king was key in distracting Sauron from Frodo’s efforts. Any shift in these goings-on could have had a disastrous impact. So, while Pippin wasn’t directly necessary in the Ring’s destruction, he ultimately contributed more than Boromir.
7
Gimli
Gimli’s Big Moment Came During The Battle Of Helm’s Deep
Gimli is another Fellowship of the Ring member who wasn’t necessarily instrumental in the One Ring’s destruction. However, he was a key support figure in the Fellowship of the Ring. Gimli was a determined fighter and contributed greatly to every battle he participated in. It’s difficult to say whether Frodo could have successfully delivered the One Ring to Mount Doom without the victories at Helm’s Deep or Pelennor Fields, both of which Gimli contributed.
Gimli’s greatest moment in The Lord of the Rings was during the Battle of the Hornburg when he was driven into the caves by Helm’s Deep by Saruman’s army. Gimli, along with Eomer, took advantage of their position to take the Uruk-hai laying siege to the Hornburg by surprise. If not for this, Rohan might not have held off the enemy until liberation arrived.
6
Legolas
Legolas’ Involvement With Gollum Had Consequences
Legolas was an excellent fighter and a steadfast friend to Aragorn and Gimli. He never attempted to claim the One Ring from Frodo and wasn’t too proud to follow any orders from his superiors within the Fellowship. Like Gimli, Legolas was instrumental in the victories at Helm’s Deep and Pelennor Fields and, therefore, ᴀssisted in Frodo’s ultimate victory. Still, the elf’s true value came before the Fellowship was even formed.
Before the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Legolas and the Elves of Mirkwood were tasked with keeping Gollum prisoner, but the creature ultimately escaped. Legolas was sent to Rivendell to report this, which is how he wound up at the Council of Elrond. By a strange twist of fate, the One Ring would never have been defeated if Legolas and his fellows hadn’t failed at keeping Gollum prisoner. After all, it was this creature who fell into the fires of Mount Doom with Sauron’s great weapon.
5
Merry
Merry Helped Defeat The Witch-King Of Angmar
Throughout most of The Lord of the Rings, Merry contributed about the same toward the Fellowship’s mission as Pippin. However, this Hobbit had a grand, shining moment during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. When Eowyn faced off with the Witch King of Angmar, she was given an opening to victory thanks to Merry’s swift attack on the Nazgul’s inner knee.
Merry’s knife, which he acquired at the Barrow-downs with Frodo and the other Hobbits, just happened to be among the few weapons that could do damage to the Witch King’s phantom-like body. The injury Merry dealt the wraith left it vulnerable to Eowyn’s attack. If this woman and Hobbit hadn’t defeated Sauron’s greatest lieutenant, it’s difficult to say whether Frodo’s mission could have been a success.
4
Aragorn
Aragorn Distracted Sauron At The Black Gate While Frodo Destroyed The Ring
There’s no question that Aragorn was among the most important members of the Fellowship of the Ring. As the future king of Gondor, he was the Lord of the Rings character that Sauron most feared. The Dark Lord ᴀssumed that Aragorn would claim the One Ring for himself and attempt to use it against him. This is exactly what Boromir hoped that Aragorn would do. However, what made the heir of Isildur so important was his willingness to stand aside.
Aragorn knew it wasn’t his job to be the hero, making him even more valuable.
Despite his rightful position as king of Gondor, Aragorn wasn’t too proud to stand aside and let the true hero of The Lord of the Rings take Sauron’s One Ring. Instead of championing himself, Aragorn served as a distraction. He challenged Sauron at the Black Gate, ensuring the Dark Lord would overlook the Hobbit traveling through Mordor. Aragorn knew it wasn’t his job to be the hero, making him even more valuable.
3
Sam
Sam Supported Frodo Every Step Of The Way
Sam never saw himself as a particularly important member of the Fellowship of the Ring, but he could not have been more mistaken. Gandalf knew when he found this Hobbit listening to his early conversation with Frodo that destiny had placed Sam in the right place at the right time. He would be key to Frodo’s success. Beyond that, there would have been no hope of Sauron ever being defeated if it wasn’t for Sam Gamgee.
The gardener’s love for Frodo allowed him to endure pain and temptation, and when the time came, it allowed him to carry the Ring-bearer up the slopes of Mount Doom
Frodo was the only hobbit who could have carried the One Ring for as long as he did, but he still would have utterly failed if Sam hadn’t been there to support him. The gardener’s love for Frodo allowed him to endure pain and temptation, and when the time came, it allowed him to carry the Ring-bearer up the slopes of Mount Doom. While he wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for Gandalf’s orchestrating, there is no version of success for the heroes of The Lord of the Rings without this Hobbit.
2
Gandalf
Gandalf Orchestrated The Entire Victory
Arguments could be made about whether Gandalf or Frodo were ultimately more instrumental in destroying the One Ring. The wizard was an Istar—an agent of the deities of The Lord of the Rings sent to Middle-earth to guide the beings there in the fight against Sauron. Gandalf was not allowed to take action against the Dark Lord himself, and could only push and prod characters like Frodo and Aragorn based on the designs of destiny. In the end, Gandalf was the only of his kind who was successful in this.
The reason that Gandalf was the only Istari out of Saruman, Radagast, and the Blue Wizards to achieve his goal is that he was willing to step aside and leave the saving of Middle-earth to its people. Gandalf was a pᴀssive character, not the hero of Middle-earth. The wizard himself would have claimed that Frodo was more instrumental in Sauron’s downfall, so that’s precisely how these Fellowship members should be ranked.
1
Frodo
Frodo Was The Ring-bearer Who Successfully Delivered Sauron’s One Ring
Frodo was the primary Ring-bearer of The Lord of the Rings and was, therefore, the most important member of the Fellowship. It was to him that the other characters pledged their weapons and for him that they traveled across Middle-earth and risked their lives. The Fellowship was willing to do this because they recognized what Frodo sacrificed to carry the One Ring to Mordor. There was no question to anyone that this mission would likely cost Frodo his life.
In the end, Frodo was unable to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom—but then no one possibly could have willingly.
In the end, Frodo was unable to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom—but then no one possibly could have willingly. Frodo succeeded in getting Sauron’s weapon where it needed to be, and destiny did the rest of the work through Sam and Gollum. The Fellowship’s victory in Lord of the Rings would have been impossible if it hadn’t been for Frodo’s sacrifice.
The Lord of the Rings
- Movie(s)
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The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- Created by
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J.R.R. Tolkien
- First Film
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The Lord of the Rings (1978)
- Cast
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Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt
- TV Show(s)
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Character(s)
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Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows
