September 28, 2003

Hero Question
feigm

I think "Who's the greatest hero in LotR?" is a great question. Of course, as many posts have said, there are a dozen heroes in the book, most of whom do not start out the story that way. The ennoblement of a common person must fascinate Tolkien, because he never gets tired of watching his characters go through the process of facing adversity and becoming more heroic and noble.

With that said, I do feel there is a somewhat definitive answer to the question. Clearly, when you ask us fans of LotR (people outside the story) who the greatest hero is, you hear several names thrown out. But if you asked the characters of LotR themselves, you would get only one response. Who would Aragorn or Pippin or Faramir or Galadriel say faced the greatest challenge and is the true hero of the War of the Ring? Frodo, the ringbearer, the one who - not alone, but more than anyone else - brought about the destruction of the One Ring.

(Maybe I'm cheating a little. I suppose some characters might respond "Frodo and Sam" as a pair. It is pretty hard to separate the accomplishments of the two.)