Middle-earth Journeys

I admit I voted for Aragorn, too. He and the other human heroes (Boromir, Faramir, Beomir) is the main reason why I watch the DVDs so often
although I admire Gandalf for his appearance and dignity (the latter lacking to me...

I voted for Frodo.

He may seem to be the most obvious character to pick, but you always have to remember that Frodo was the one carrying the burden the whole time. He was the one who saw the eye of Sauron and had to live through it. Truly, if it were me, I never would have volunteered to take the ring. He also lived through a spider attack. Spiders!

Yay! I voted for Frodo to for the same reasons. Though Sam besting Shelob with a tiny sword still ranks as the bravest thing ever as far as I'm concerned. I can't even pick one up if it scuttles across my floor even though I'm the 'giant' .

What about heroines?? I'd vote for Eowyn! (Besides Aragorn, of course, but this is something different).

You bring up a good point, Athelin. The killing of the Witch King is one of the most thrilling scenes in LOTR! "Begone, foul dwimmerlaik . . ."!

But are there other heroines in LOTR? I'm thinking Arwen doesn't count as a heroine, but I might be wrong.

Why not? Waiting ages and ages for her King is quite heroic, don't you think? And Galadriel, refusing the Ring? Equally heroic, in my eyes.

But of course you are right, maybe I should have said "female characters". The funny thing is, when discussing females in LOTR, all authors sooner or later end up with Shelob (!), as there aren't many more options, and compare it to Grendel's mother.

Guess if there had been a female orc or warg character, they'd be glad to discuss it, too!

Gee, I forgot about Galadriel! (Sure sign of Alzheimer's!)

I've read a couple of articles, too, that Shelob is the ultimate female character in LOTR because she acknowledges her hunger and goes for it while the other women deny their needs. Give me a break!

Oh, those militant feminists!

I'm not one of them. I think there's still enough work to do in providing women with their proper place in life and history - and not trying to turn the universe upside down. That's why I've specialised on women's history.

I agree. If Shelob is to be the model for the true feminine, let me out of it!

Female heroes?

Arwen giving up her immortality & fighting her father's wishes & giving up her connection with the rest of her family & people -- she has been an elf for 2900 years and only known Aragorn for 87 (committed to him when? at his 18 years, or 39?) -- patiently? waiting for him to find & follow his path -- brave enough to travel to visit Lorien despite what happened to her mother -- she's a hero to me!

I chose Sam because, of all of the characters in the trilogy, he exemplifies what the quest is all about.

Sam is a gardener and would seem to be the last individual to be a part of such an important quest but, he carries the ring when Frodo cannot, and he carries Frodo when he cannot go on.

Without Sam's selfless devotion to the duty imposed on him by Gandalf, the ring and Frodo would not have made it to Mordor and all would have come to nothing.

Well put. It goes without saying the Professor always has held the common man to be the hero. Let's face it without the common man no wars would be fought or consumerism would fail. It's the monetarily poor who carry the weight of the world.

It's good to have you here shieldmaiden.

shieldmaiden wrote:I chose Sam because, of all of the characters in the trilogy, he exemplifies what the quest is all about.

Sam is a gardener and would seem to be the last individual to be a part of such an important quest but, he carries the ring when Frodo cannot, and he carries Frodo when he cannot go on.

Without Sam's selfless devotion to the duty imposed on him by Gandalf, the ring and Frodo would not have made it to Mordor and all would have come to nothing.

Always, Sam has been the hero of LotR to me. But even Pippin -- who is so blind to what is going on around him for so much of the story -- when he finds his courage, it is brilliant! (Even the throw away sentence during the trek through Moria, where it takes so long for him to find the courage to jump the 6 foot gap over an abyss.)

I have always believed that the Hobbits are the true heroes of the trilogy. By nature, they are peace loving, unassuming creatures. Even though they may dream of other lands as Frodo does, they would much rather remain at home in the Shire amongst family and friends.

Like most of us, they don't what they're made of until they're thrown into the proverbial deep end of the pool. Unlike the other "heroes" of the trilogy, they haven't undergone years of training to prepare them for their tasks. Like we have had to do in times of duress, they must seek a place they never knew existed, to find the courage and resolve to conquer seemingly overwhelming odds.

While we can admire the Swordsmen, the Archer, the Axeman and the Wizard, it is the Hobbits with whom we truly identify.

well said, Sheildmaiden!