Treebeard, also known as Fangorn, was the oldest of the Ents, a tree-like being who was a sort of "shepherd of trees". Very tall and stiff-limbed, with bark-like skin and leafy hair, he befriended Meriadoc Brandybuck ("Merry") and Peregrin Took ("Pippin") after they escaped from Orcs. He lived in Fangorn Forest, which was named after him (or he after it).

Like most Ents, Treebeard took a long time to make up his mind. He repeatedly spoke of not "being hasty". Treebeard is described as the oldest being in Middle-earth, which is the cause of some confusion as Tom Bombadil is also called "Eldest". Treebeard however said that there were trees in Fangorn that were "older than he." The general consensus is that Treebeard was the oldest living thing in Middle-earth, as Tom Bombadil is not exactly a member of any race.

It has been theorized that many of Treebeard's mannerisms were based on Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis, a loud, bombastic man known for his powerful stride and overwhelming presence.

Quickbeam was one of the younger Ents of Fangorn Forest belonging to the people of Skinbark. His name (a translation of Elvish Bregalad) was given because of uncharacteristic hastiness. He was the first ent to make his mind up at the Entmoot. He sheltered, in his home, the two hobbits, Merry, and Pippin while the other ents made up their minds at the entmoot. The rowan-trees in his keeping suffered greatly at the hands of Saruman's Orcs, and he played a great part in the Ents' resulting attack on Isengard. Quickbeam was almost completely edited out of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and never named, only to be recognized by Tolkien Fans.

Early life
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 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 cousin, Bilbo Baggins, adopted him and made Frodo his heir.

Later life
In 2989, Frodo came under the guardianship of Bilbo Baggins, whom he thinks of as his uncle (though Frodo was actually his first and second cousin once removed, since his mother is Bilbo's first cousin, and his father is Bilbo's second cousin). Frodo was 21 years old at the time, still far short of his coming of adult age at 33. The childless Bilbo chose Frodo as his adoptive heir, and brought him to live at Bag End.

Bilbo and Frodo share a common birthday on September 22 but Bilbo is 78 years Frodo's senior. At the opening of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Bilbo are celebrating their 33rd and 111th birthdays, respectively, on September 22, T.A. 3001.

War of the Ring
Frodo was entrusted with the keeping of the One Ring when Bilbo left for Rivendell after the celebration. 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. Together with Peregrin Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck and later Strider, they made it to the House of Elrond. 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.

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 and a phial carrying the light of the star Eärendil to aid him on his quest.

Two years after the Ring was destroyed, 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.

Bilbo Baggins was born on September 22, 2890 of the Third Age, the son of Bungo Baggins and Belladonna Took. In 2941, he joined Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield and his twelve Dwarves on the quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. This led to an adventure which took Bilbo and his companions to Rivendell and through Mirkwood, eventually reaching the Lonely Mountain. Here, after the mountain was reclaimed by Thorin Oakenshield, the Battle of Five Armies took place.

During his adventures in The Hobbit, Bilbo also found the One Ring, and escaped from Gollum when he won a riddle competition with the question "What have I got in my pocket?" However, during the contest, he also revealed the names of "Baggins" and "The Shire" to Gollum. Bilbo was the Ring-bearer for many decades with no idea of its significance, and it prolonged his life beyond normal limits and slowed his aging. He used this ring to its fullest ability when the expedition was captured by spiders in Mirkwood, and also when Thorin and his companions were imprisoned by the Mirkwood Elves. At the Battle of Five Armies, Bilbo used the ring to prevent himself getting hurt. This meant it was difficult to find him after the battle, but eventually he regained consciousness and took the ring off himself. He further remarked to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings that it was useful for hiding from the Sackville-Bagginses when they came to visit.

In The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo left the Shire on the day of his eleventy-first (111th) birthday, (September 22, 3001), leaving the Ring and all the rest of his estate, including his home Bag End, to his relative and heir Frodo. His disappearance at his party caused him to be later remembered as "Mad Baggins". He traveled to Rivendell, accompanied by three dwarves, where he lived a very pleasant life of retirement: eating, sleeping, writing poetry, and working on his memoir, There and Back Again, known to us as The Hobbit. He also wrote a book called Translations from the Elvish, which formed the basis of what is known to us as The Silmarillion.
At the end of The Return of the King, Bilbo accompanied Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, and Elves to the Grey Havens, there to take ship for Valinor across the sea, on September 29, 3021. He had already celebrated his 131st birthday, becoming the oldest Hobbit in Middle-earth.

A gardener by trade, Sam seemed to be a simple Hobbit of plain speech. However, his love for Elves, his gift for poetry, and his belief that the world contains greater wonders than most hobbits are aware of (all nurtured by his tutor Bilbo Baggins) set him apart from the beginning. It was Sam who first introduced the theme of the Elves' sailing from Middle-earth, a subtle foreshadowing of Bilbo and Frodo's final journey across the Sea. He lived with his father, Hamfast Gamgee, better known as "The Gaffer", on Bagshot Row in the Shire, close to Bag End. Sam's mother was Bell Goodchild; he had five siblings: Hamson, Halfred, Daisy, May, and Marigold.

As "punishment" for eavesdropping on Gandalf's conversation with Frodo regarding the dangers of the One Ring, Sam was made Frodo's first companion on his journey to Rivendell in the beginning of The Lord of the Rings. Sam saved Frodo's life more than once during the quest to destroy the Ring, and he accompanied him all the way to Mount Doom.

After Shelob attacked and seemingly killed Frodo, Sam took the Ring, intending to complete the quest. Because he held the Ring for a time, he is considered one of the Ring-bearers.

After the War of the Ring, he married Rose "Rosie" Cotton back in the Shire. They had thirteen children: Elanor the Fair, Frodo, Rose, Merry, Pippin, Goldilocks, Hamfast, Daisy, Primrose, Bilbo, Ruby, Robin, and Tolman. After Will Whitfoot resigned his post as Mayor of Michel Delving (the largest town in the Shire and the "unofficial capital"), in Fourth Age 7, Sam was elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive 7-year terms.

After his wife died in Fourth Age 61, Sam entrusted the Red Book to Elanor and left Middle-earth to sail across the Sea and be reunited with Frodo in the Undying Lands, (though it should be noted that as they were both born mortals, they would still eventually die a mortal death).

He was a good friend of Frodo Baggins, who eventually became the Ringbearer, and Peregrin Took, a young relative. He was one of the few (if any) who saw Bilbo, Frodo's uncle, actually use the One Ring. He also managed to read, at least in part, Bilbo's book: There and Back Again, where he learned about the Ring.

He can easily be recognized as a very sharp Hobbit, and his tone throughout The Lord of the Rings depicts him as practical, loyal, resourceful, and the best able to cope with the sudden happenings that drew him out of his peaceful home. He was also praised by Aragorn II as having a 'stout heart'. He was apparently much trusted by Frodo, who sent him along with Fatty Bolger to Crickhollow to prepare his newly-bought home.

<b>Actions during the War of the Ring</b>
He was a part of and apparently led the Conspirators, a group of Frodo's friends (namely Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, Fredegar Bolger, and himself) who sought to protect him (and the Ring). Eventually, they revealed themselves to him, and demanded to be taken along when Frodo left Crickhollow. Merry had already arranged for provisions and ponies, so they were able to start right away.

During the following trip to Bree, Merry seemed to have a greater knowledge of the Old Forest than any of the other Hobbits, and with them encountered Old Man Willow, a Barrow-wight, and Tom Bombadil.

Upon reaching Bree, Merry had an encounter with the Black Riders, and bravely followed them until he passed out from exposure to the Black Breath. During the trip through the wild with Aragorn, then known as Strider, he often saw the most deeply into the others. After Frodo was wounded on Weathertop, he became the one who consulted most with Strider, and in a way became the spokesman for the Hobbits.

After reaching Rivendell, he, with Pippin, insisted on not being left behind on the Quest of the Ring. Therefore they were chosen as the eighth and ninth members of the Fellowship of the Ring.

At the gate of Moria, he was commended by Gandalf for being "of all people" on the right track with the riddle (though this was hardly his fault). His impetuosity in Moria was such that he nearly fell into an ancient well running ahead with Pippin.

Captured with Pippin by Uruk-hai, they were separated from the rest of the Fellowship. Merry aided Pippin in an attempt to deceive Grishnákh into thinking they had the One Ring, and he could have it. During the attack by Éomer and his Outriders they escaped into Fangorn Forest, meeting Treebeard. They thus became the first mortals for many centuries to encounter the Ents of Fangorn Forest. They were present at the Entmoot, and the resulting destruction of Isengard.

While Pippin and Gandalf headed away to Minas Tirith, Merry stayed with Aragorn and the Rohirrim, developing a close friendship with King Théoden. Out of love for him, Merry offered the King his service, which Théoden warmly accepted. "As a father you shall be to me", Merry said at that time, and Théoden responded "For a little while".

Merry was forbidden -- firmly but gently -- by the King to ride with them to the aid of Minas Tirith because he could not ride the mighty horses of the Rohirrim so fast and so far. Merry was disappointed until a young rider named Dernhelm offered to bear him on his horse. In this manner he rode to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, having a secret understanding with Elfhelm and several others of the Rohirrim.

During the charge and the commencement of the battle he was almost useless, hiding behind Dernhelm and shaking with fright and nausea. However, Dernhelm's steed, Windfola, threw them both upon the coming of the Witch-king. Affected by the Black Breath, Merry lay almost senseless on the ground, hearing the voice of Dernhelm standing over the body of Théoden -- who had been mortally wounded by the Witch-king -- defying the Nazgûl. He was startled as he opened his eyes to find that Dernhelm was really Éowyn, the King's niece. After Éowyn was thrown down, perhaps mortally wounded, Merry rose to attack the Witch-king to protect her. He stabbed the Witch-king through the calf with the Barrow-blade he still bore, thus breaking the spell of invulnerability surrounding the Wraith. He fainted as Éowyn finished off the Witch-king with a thrust into the head.

Almost killed by the Black Breath, he was revived with Éowyn by Aragorn in the Houses of Healing. Because of his condition he was unable to go to the Battle of the Morannon, but attended afterwards the burial of Théoden, at which he wept greatly. Upon his departure for the Shire, he was given a special horn by Éomer and Éowyn as a parting gift.

Upon the return to the Shire, he was, with Pippin, the primary leader of the uprising against Sharkey and his Ruffians. He was afterwards known as Meriadoc the Magnificent, and lived to be Master of Buckland. He lived to a ripe old age, coming down to Rohan (presumably after the death of his wife Estella Bolger) at the request of King Éomer, having lived 102 years. After the King died, he went to Gondor with his likewise aging friend Pippin, where they both died several years later, and were laid in Rath Dínen. It was said that they were laid beside King Elessar upon his death.

He was born in the Third Age 2990 to Paladin Took II and Eglantine Banks, thus heir to the title of Thain. He had three older sisters, Pearl Took, Pimpernel Took, and Pervinca Took. His true Westron name was Razanur Tûk.

<b>Actions during the War of the Ring</b>
He was a part of the Conspirators, and eventually joined Frodo Baggins on his quest to destroy the One Ring, along with his friends Meriadoc Brandybuck and Samwise Gamgee. At Bree, his 'Tookish' qualities got the group into trouble, when he inadvertantly caused the One Ring to fall upon Frodo's finger.

After reaching Rivendell, he, with Merry, insisted on not being left behind on the Quest of the Ring. Therefore they were chosen as the eighth and ninth members of the Fellowship of the Ring.

In Moria, Pippin carelessly dropped a stone down a well, possibly alerting the orcs which had inhabited the mines of the Company's presence.

Captured along with Merry upon Amon Hen by a band of Uruk-hai, Pippin displayed a keen sense of intelligence by leaving a trail of footprints and dropping his Lórien brooch for Aragorn to find. They eventually escaped to become the first mortals for many centuries to encounter the Ents of Fangorn Forest.

Pippin was also present at the destruction of Isengard, but was soon taken by Gandalf to Minas Tirith, after looking into the palantir of Orthanc and being mistaken by Sauron for the Ringbearer. There he pledged allegiance to Denethor and became a Guard of the Citadel. During the Siege of Gondor, he helped save the life of Faramir, and at the Battle of the Morannon he slew a troll in defense of Beregond.

<b>After the war</b>
Along with Merry, he led the victory at the Battle of Bywater, and eventually married Diamond of Long Cleeve. They had a son named Faramir.

Pippin retired to Gondor in the year 64 of the Fourth Age, and when he died his bed was laid beside that of Merry and the King Elessar.

Fredegar Bolger was one of the Conspirators, a small group of Hobbits who knew that Frodo had the Ring. Fatty was a descendant of Hildibrand Took (T.A. 2849–2934), one of the many sons of the Old Took. He was the son of Odovacar Bolger and Rosamunda Took.

When Frodo Baggins, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to take the Ring to Rivendell, Fredegar stayed behind in an attempt to keep up appearances and delay news of their departure. He was frightened half out of his wits by the arrival of the Nazgûl but escaped unharmed. Fredegar could have gone with Frodo and his companions into the Old Forest, but was terrified of the stories about it. Though Merry tried to persuade him that the Old Forest would be nothing compared to meeting the Ringwraiths, Fatty was adamant, so the other Hobbits went into the forest with only the knowledge of Merry to aid them.

Fatty was born in 2980. He had a younger sister, Estella Bolger (2985–?), who married Meriadoc Brandybuck.

During Saruman's rule of the Shire he led a group of partisans fighting against the Ruffians around the hills of Scary, before eventually being captured. He was imprisoned and starved, meaning that after his release nobody could call him Fatty any more.

In earlier drafts of The Lord of the Rings, Fatty Bolger played a much larger role, but this was later abandoned. His role survives as a minor anomaly in the book — before the Hobbits go into the Old Forest, they have five ponies prepared — but only take four. Bolger was originally supposed to go with them.

Gerontius Took
Thain of the Shire, famed for his great age, for which reason he was popularly known as the Old Took.


(Thain for 72 years to III 2920) - The famous Old Took, who held the office of Thain for a total of seventy-two of his one hundred and thirty years, and had a total of twelve children. During his Thainship, the Shire suffered the dreadful privations of the Fell Winter, and invasions of White Wolves. He was succeeded by the eldest of his many sons.

Bungo Baggins (T.A. 2846 - 2926, died aged 80) was the eldest child of Mungo Baggins and Laura Grubb.

Bungo, a well-to-do hobbit, married into the Took clan when he wed Belladonna Took, daughter of the Old Took, in 1280. Bungo and Belladonna had only one child together, the infamous Bilbo Baggins.

Apart from fathering Bilbo, Bungo's other achievement is that he built an excavated the rather luxurious Bag End in the Hill in Hobbiton in around S.R. 1220.

There is an indirect mention of Bungo in The Fellowship of the Ring as the person who laid down some Old Winyards who were given to Old Rory Brandybuck.

Otho Sackville-Baggins (T.A. 2910 - 3012, died aged 102) was the only child of Longo Baggins and Camellia Sackville.

Longo Baggins was Bilbo's uncle, meaning Otho was Bilbo's cousin and heir. He and his wife Lobelia Bracegirdle eagerly anticipated their inheritance: Bilbo's home at Bag End.

Otho would never inherit that smial, though, because Bilbo changed his will to make Frodo his heir. Eventually, Frodo sold Bag End to Lobelia, but Otho had died six years earlier, and never owned the home he had coveted throughout his life.

Otho and Lobellia had one child together, Lotho, who was born in S.R. 1364.

Gaffer Gamgee was the father of Samwise Gamgee, who was more properly called 'Hamfast'. He presumably acquired the name 'Gaffer' later in his life, because it implies a person of advanced years. This was certainly true of Hamfast, who was old enough to remember Bilbo's return from Erebor, and was no less than ninety-two years old when his son Sam left the Shire with Frodo.

'Gaffer' has another meaning, too, which is no doubt also relevant. In British slang, a 'gaffer' is a foreman, a person who supervises a job. At the time of Bilbo's Birthday Party, we're told that Hamfast, who was then seventy-five, oversaw the gardening at Bag End, but was helped by his son Sam. In that sense, then, Gaffer Gamgee actually was a 'gaffer'.

The name may have been inspired by Joseph Gamgee, the inventor of "Gamgee Tissue" (better known as cotton wool) who was known to have lived opposite Tolkien on Stirling Road, Birmingham, England.