Amazon’s Rings of Power series premiers this year on September 2nd, expanding the story of The Lord of the Rings. While there may be some trepidation about how the story will unfold, fans hope that it will align with the original tale’s themes of bravery while bringing Tolkein into the modern era.
Tolkien himself put it best: “In sorrow we must go, but not in despair.” At its heart, The Lord of the Rings is ultimately about people, particularly the Fellowship, fighting what is all but an assured losing battle. The bravery on display in the beloved epic tale is defined by that very notion. To be sure, every member of the Fellowship is brave, but some certainly had to raise more courage than others.
Boromir
Unfortunately, Boromir was never going to come out higher than the bottom spot. His falling to the One Ring’s seduction made certain of that. His redemption, however, must be commended, as he sacrifices himself trying to save Merry and Pippin, and uses his dying words to express admiration to his former rival Aragorn, his captain, his king.
It would’ve been easy for him to flee from the Fellowship after what he’d done, but facing responsibility for what he did is most definitely a sign of bravery.
Legolas
Legolas, particularly in the movies, is something of a superhero-meets-extreme-athlete. While Legolas has the unmistakable trait of courage and heroic feats throughout the trilogy, he’s never exactly overcoming fear. And why should he? He’s an immortal elf and a skillful warrior.
So perhaps one must look to his social interactions to really see how brave he is. He, along with Gimli, put aside millennia of racism to fight a common enemy, and even become best friends. Each side harbored such a stigma and prejudice against the other, and that they were able to put aside those differences is beautiful, most certainly brave.
Gimli
Speaking of, Gimli is also an accomplished and skillful warrior, constantly in contest with Legolas on the battlefield as they each try to get the best kill-count. Brave? Sure, but he’s hardly overcoming any sense of fear, even with a stature closer to the Hobbits.
As such, his bravery is comparable to Legolas’ in that respect, overcoming the stigma and racism his culture harbors to the elves to overcome Sauron’s threat, as well as make a legendary, bridge-crossing friendship. Gimli also places a bit farther than Legolas for asking for a strand of hair from Galadriel.
Gandalf
“There was never any hope. Only a fool’s hope.” Gandalf’s words perfectly sum up the situation, as there had never been a more impossible, hopeless task than destroying the One Ring. That said, he never gives up. He knows, however impossible the task is, it must be undertaken all the same.
Granted, he may be the second-most powerful wizard in Middle-earth (or fourth, if fans ever find out what the deal with the blue wizards are), but knowing how outclassed he is against Saruman and Sauron and facing them anyway takes an immense amount of courage.
Merry
To be blunt, Meriadoc Brandybuck’s bravery initially comes from foolishness. It’s arguable that neither he, nor Pippin, understand how dangerous their task is until Gandalf falls.
However, that foolishness matures into true bravery over the course of the trilogy, as Merry survives both being kidnapped by Uruk-hai and goblins as well as the tree-ents’ assault on Saruman and still continues to rush into a battlefield. He believes it’s the right thing to do, that he has an indisputable place in the fight, proving his bravery without any doubt.
Pippin
Much of what was said about Merry can, of course, be applied to Peregrin Took. Dubbed by Gandalf as a “fool of a Took,” Pippin makes a variety of regrettable decisions throughout the trilogy. However, like Merry, Pippin also matures throughout the course of the trilogy.
He faces his mistakes later, particularly after looking through the Pilantir, as well as pledging his life to Denethor to honor Boromir’s sacrifice, and later riding with Gandalf to save Faramir from the funeral pyre. Pippin is most surely out of his depth for all of the trilogy, but he always rises to the occasion, and his bravery too must be commended.
Aragorn
Particularly in the context of the films, Aragorn faces an uphill battle. Even with his lineage, he is seen as a lowly ranger, and perhaps because of his lineage, he is seen as capable of corruption, if only by himself. When he embarks on the Fellowship’s journey, initially it’s just to help protect Frodo.
However, after they part, he realizes the true worth he can provide to Frodo’s task is claiming his kingship and uniting the free men of Middle-earth, overcoming the stigma placed on him by himself and many others. Aragorn proving himself to be a worthy king is of vital importance to the world and takes a tremendous amount of bravery.
Frodo
The character with the most screen-time, Frodo always knew the risks of his task on a macro level, but it’s seeing him face the harsh micro realities where his courage evolves. It’s one thing to be hunted by orcs, goblins, and corrupted men, but quite another to face thirst, starvation, and backstabbing on a long journey.
It would have been so easy to use the Ring to survive this over and over again, and to be sure, he does use it a few times. But to resist its temptation all the way into Mt. Doom’s pit is astonishing, and a sure mark of bravery and heart within the Hobbit.
Sam
Not only the bravest character in The Lord of the Rings but Tolkien’s personal favorite. Unlike the other Hobbits in the Fellowship, Samwise Gamgee comes from a far humbler background. While he’s certainly friends with the others, he doesn’t possess their wealth and nobility.
However, Sam is rich in courage, overcoming his physical and social stature to help Frodo all the way into Mordor, and becoming the only person to ever wound Shelob the Spider in the process. Without Sam’s bravery, Frodo would have truly failed his task and the world would have fallen into darkness, and that more than earns him the top spot.