Heroes According to J.R.R. Tolkien

There are many views of heroes. When someone says the word “hero” you might think of a superhero like Superman, Spiderman or Captain America. These superheroes have special powers which make them recognizable. But what about the heroes that don’t have super powers? Do we overlook them? Do we think they are boring? J. R. R. Tolkien loved the hero, and the qualities of his type of hero are reflected in the Lord of the Rings.

Aragorn is the heir to the throne of Gondor, but he has decided to remain in exile for over 70 years. His ancestor, Isildur, failed to resist the One Ring and Aragorn is now afraid that he might also. When he learns that the Ring that caused Isildur’s death has been found, he joins the Fellowship. Their mission is to destroy this Ring of power.

One of the characteristics of a hero from Tolkien’s view was that everyone makes mistakes, but they learn from them and become better and wiser people. In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn tries to take over the role of the leader of the Fellowship after Gandalf falls in Moria. He makes a lot of mistakes along the way, but perseveres, and learns from them. That is what is important. His friends continue to trust him because they believe in him. In the end, he returns to Gondor and takes up his rightful role as King. True heroes are truly rare, because not everyone learns from their mistakes. Aragorn did.

Frodo was a very respectable hobbit in the Shire, but always longed for adventures like his uncle Bilbo had been on. In the end he got one, but not like what he had expected at all. And it wasn’t a little, insignificant one either. He was chosen to carry the One Ring to its destruction. He was not really prepared for this. On his journey he would despair, do foolish things, and in the end even fail to let the Ring go into the fires of mount Doom. But he became a hero by being able to carry the burden of the Ring. He persevered. Frodo did the most unlikely thing imaginable, and kept on going.

Another unlikely hero is Sam, Frodo’s faithful companion. He had been no more than a gardener, but had a brave and courageous heart. He helped Frodo make it to the end of their journey. “Frodo wouldn’t have gotten very far without Sam,” said Frodo in the Lord of the Rings film by New Line Cinema. It’s very true. If Sam wouldn’t have been with him, Frodo would have given up long before. But Sam was always there to cheer him up, to give him hope. In the Return of the King, you could say that he is one of the main characters, if not the main character. He did a lot. He had to make huge decisions, rescue Frodo from the tower of Cirith Ungol, and even carry Frodo up the slopes of mount Doom. This is a true hero. Sam was one of the bravest hobbits ever. He had courage to stick with Frodo, even though sometimes Frodo would fall into the lure of the Ring.

Another of Tolkien’s view of a hero comes within the context of friendship. Sam could have left Frodo to go alone to Mordor, but he didn’t. He promised to Gandalf that he wouldn’t lose him. He kept this promise. After going through so many things together, Frodo and Sam’s friendship would be like no other.

Gandalf may have had powers, but he didn’t use them very often. If he did, it was to make fireworks for parties in the Shire. That’s how the hobbits recognized him. But there was much more to him than that. He was sent to Middle Earth to fight against Sauron with four other wizards. For years Gandalf tried to find clues about Sauron’s whereabouts, and especially about the One Ring. Since Sauron had been building up his forces for quite some time, he had to act quickly. Gandalf knew that Bilbo had found a ring in Gollum’s cave 50 years earlier, but could it be the One? After a long time of searching for clues, he found out that this was indeed the One. It had been under his nose for years.

Eventually, he becomes the leader of the Fellowship, until he falls in Moria. He kills the mighty Balrog, and passes away. But he is sent back in a new body to finish his task, to fight Sauron to the bitter end.

The hero characteristics Tolkien was trying to show in Gandalf were his leadership abilities and his persistence. He took the role of leader of the Fellowship, which put great stress on him. But because of his leadership skills, he led his companions to safety, even though he himself fell into a great abyss in Moria. A true hero will also never give up; he will fight, even if it means his end. This is what Gandalf did. Fighting against evil in Moria, he passed away, yet because of his persistence, he was sent back, more powerful than before.

Merry and Pippin are best friends. Getting into trouble, making jokes and being obnoxious is their game. But during LOTR Merry and Pippin go through a lot of changes. Even though Pippin can be very foolish sometimes, he learned from it. Merry may still be funny, but he learned to be serious when he needs to. Thanks to both of them, the Ents (the good tree herders) were roused from their lazy slumber. At an “Entmoot”, a meeting of Ents, Treebeard decides to attack Saruman in Isengard. Due to Merry and Pippin’s effort, this would make a huge difference in the war against Sauron. Even though they didn’t feel like they were making a difference, they continued doing what they felt was right, which in the end resulted in the overthrow of Sauron. Merry and Pippin have the characteristic of perseverance as does Frodo. Through this they too are heroes.

In the Lord of the Rings, characteristics of heroes echo in every chapter. Merry and Pippin persevere. Sam is courageous by being loyal to Frodo. Frodo takes the responsibility and burden of the Ring and perseveres until he completes his task. Gandalf is a leader and persists. And Aragorn learns from his mistakes to be a better person. Tolkien believed that these were the traits that made a true hero.