Frodo Baggins may come across as a bit distant on the big screen, but he's being consumed from
the inside out as he tries to step up and save the world. Here's the complete backstory that
led to this humble Hobbit playing such a crucial role in Middle-earth history.
In order to understand Frodo’s origins, it’s worth taking a step back to consider the culture he grew
up in. The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien goes to great lengths throughout his writing to
highlight the quiet yet profound differences that make Hobbits distinct from the Dwarves,
Men, Elves, and Wizards that they share Middle-earth with. Though it's rumored
that Hobbits are distantly related to human beings, they rarely fraternize with them.
Early in their history, Hobbits were split into three large subgroups. The Stoors get along
with Men fairly well. They enjoy boating, an activity that is uncommon for Hobbits,
and can even grow facial hair. The Harfoots are close friends with the Dwarves,
and are the first Hobbits to initiate the custom of living underground.
The Fallohides like the Elves and are the most adventurously tempered of the bunch.
Hobbit culture is well known for its relaxed, rural nature. They’re not big fans of machines
or industry, preferring a humble life with plenty of access to good food and drink.
Despite their aversion to new things, Hobbits are still quite skilled and industrious when they need
to be. They have better vision than humans. Their thick feet make navigating rough terrain a breeze,
and their famously short stature comes in handy more than you might think.
The history of the Hobbits stretches back to the earliest days of the Third Age. At this time, they
lived in the northeastern region of Middle-earth, between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains.
As life becomes dangerous for them, the different clans begin to move west in search of greener
pastures, eventually migrating over the Misty Mountains. It’s likely that a few of the Stoors
stayed behind, settling near the great river, Anduin . This sets the stage for Gollum’s life
centuries later, a distant Hobbit relative of the Stoors, and his discovery of the One Ring.
As they move west, many Hobbits settle in the area around Bree. But it’s not until the year
1601 of the Third Age that the Halflings finally colonize the area that becomes known as the Shire.
Once settled, the Hobbits and their descendants live comfortably for centuries, until the events
of the War of the Ring force them to take their place among the peoples of Middle-earth.
As they arrive in the Shire, the Hobbits become part of the dying kingdom of Arnor,
a nation of men and the sister kingdom of Gondor. Some Hobbits even claim to
have sent archers to help in one of Arnor’s wars. However, when the nation crumbles 500
years later, the Shire Hobbits declare their independence which lasts for a thousand years.
As an independent people, they begin to elect a leader, called a Thain, to help guide them.
The first Thain, Bucca of the Marish , ultimately founds the Brandybuck family.
After a few hundred years, one of his descendants leads the Brandybucks from
the Shire to colonize a neighboring region that becomes known as Buckland. Though
closely connected to the Shire, Buckland operates as its own independent entity.
Frodo’s mother, Primula Brandybuck, hails from this small colony of Hobbits.
Fans of the movies will recognize the name Buckleberry, Buckland's main village.
It's mentioned in The Fellowship of the Ring as Frodo and his companions
flee from the Black Riders and cross the river on the Bucklebury ferry.
While his mother grew up in Buckland, Frodo’s paternal family traces its roots completely
to the Shire. His father’s family is much younger, historically speaking.
The first Baggins, Balbo Baggins, shows up not much more than a century before Bilbo is born.
The Bagginses establish themselves quickly,
but mostly concentrate around the village of Hobbiton. They intermarry with several
powerful Hobbit families. Bilbo Baggins calls out several in his famous speech.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers!"
This actually makes Frodo, and his companions Pippin and Merry distant cousins.
While the Baggins family has a less prestigious pedigree than the Brandybucks, Frodo's father's
family is still a well-known Shire staple by the time the Ringbearer shows up on the scene.
Frodo Baggins is born to Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck on September 22,
in the year 1368 of the Shire Reckoning.
Frodo’s family spends a good deal of their time in Buckland. This
is largely due to the fact that Frodo’s father is a great patron
of food, and the Master of Buckland is famous for his elaborate dinners.
Unfortunately, one evening Frodo’s parents decide to go boating in the moonlight after dinner. While
on the water, their boat tips and both drown. It isn’t long before several versions of the events
of the evening begin to circulate. Some claim that Drogo’s enormous weight sank the boat,
while more sinister rumors claim that Primula pushed her husband in, and he pulled her along
with him. Whatever the specifics, the event leaves Frodo orphaned at a very young age.
After the death of his parents, Frodo spends much of his youth in Brandy Hall, a massive
underground Hobbit enclave that is always filled with hundreds of his Brandybuck relatives.
While there, Frodo establishes himself as a bit of a troublemaker. In The Fellowship of the Ring,
Farmer Maggot recollects that Frodo was one of the worst rascals he’s known,
probably due to his repeated attempts to steal from the farmer’s crop of prized mushrooms.
In his early twenties, Frodo is adopted by his wealthy cousin Bilbo who brings him
back to Hobbiton to live with him at Bag End. Their age difference is significant however,
and Frodo ends up calling his older relative "Uncle Bilbo."
They’re two peas in a pod, and they settle into a life of comfortable bachelorhood at Bag End. They
spend more than a decade together in an uneventful existence before Bilbo’s fateful 111th birthday.
Frodo and Bilbo share the same birthday: September 22. In fact,
in The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo even states this as a condition for why he feels Frodo should
come live with him. By living together, they can comfortably share their birthday parties.
The bachelors have quite the annual to do and go about hosting joint birthday parties.
When Bilbo’s 111th, and Frodo’s 33rd birthday fall on the same year, they decide to plan for a
special celebration. One hundred and eleven years old is a particularly respectable age for a Hobbit
to reach, and 33 is the point at which Hobbits consider their young ones to have come of age.
The event becomes a bigger deal than anyone expected however,
because unbeknownst to them, Bilbo has decided to leave.
"Gandalf, my old friend. This will be a night to remember."
Bilbo chooses to abandon his comfortable life again in the most dramatic fashion. He
completely destroys his already shaky reputation by using his magical ring
to vanish before the eyes of all of the party guests.
When the dust settles, Frodo finds himself in possession of Bilbo’s ring, and the unexpected
new owner of Bag End, where he continues to live his carefree life for another 17 years.
Everything changes for Frodo when he turns 50 years old. It’s at this point when Gandalf the
Wizard arrives at his doorstep. Gandalf explains that the ring Frodo has held on to for so long
is actually the One Ring, forged originally for Sauron, the Dark Lord. This revelation is
the start of a grand quest that leads the reluctant Hobbit to the village of Bree,
seeking counsel in Rivendell, through the dark mines of Moria, across the lands of Gondor,
and ultimately to the bleak land of Mordor, the foreboding domain where the ring was forged.
On his journey, Frodo learns to overcome his fears and accept his calling as the
Ringbearer. He is tasked with carrying the One Ring back to Mount Doom and casting it
into the fires of the volcano. It’s the only way to destroy the powerful relic,
and the only hope for the Free Peoples of the world. Along the way he tames Gollum, and uses
the miserable wretch as a guide to help him and his friend Samwise find their way into Mordor.
Meeting Gollum proves vitally useful. Because when Frodo finally stands at the Cracks of Doom,
he finds that he doesn’t have the will to destroy the powerful golden ring. Instead,
he succumbs to temptation and claims it as his own. Also consumed by desire,
Gollum chooses that moment to attack the Ringbearer. He bites off Frodo’s
ring finger before slipping and falling, ring in hand, into the fiery depths below.
After his harrowing adventures that span much of The Lord of the Rings,
Frodo makes his way back to his home in the Shire. Unfortunately, when he arrives,
Frodo and his friends don’t find the idyllic landscape that they left behind.
The Shire has become overrun by ruffians backed by a man calling himself Sharkey.
This criminal leader is none other than Saruman, the fallen Wizard who has fled to the
Shire after his defeat at Orthanc by Gandalf. In response, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin use their
newfound experience as warriors to rally their fellow Hobbits. Together, they overthrow their
oppressors. The conflict ends with the brigands forced from the Shire, and the demise of Saruman.
After the Scouring of the Shire comes to an end,
life begins to settle down again. However, on the anniversary of being stabbed by
one of the Black Riders on Weathertop, Frodo admits that the wound still aches.
"It's been four years to the day since Weathertop, Sam. It's never really healed."
More significantly, each year, on the anniversary of the destruction of the One Ring,
Frodo falls into a despondent sickness and despair. The spiritual toll of bearing the
ring was so great, that Frodo realizes that he will never find true peace in Middle-earth.
Though Frodo’s personal life is filled with sorrow and pain during these years,
the retired adventurer doesn’t remain idle. Along with helping to restore his home,
he spends a period of time serving as the interim Mayor of Michel Delving, capital of the Shire.
He also spends a great deal of time working on the Red Book of Westmarch.
This famous tome was begun by Bilbo who used it to record, among other things,
the story of his own adventures. Frodo organizes the manuscript and then adds
his own accounts of the War of the Ring. He gives the book an appropriately epic title:
The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King. While Frodo is the
primary author of the Red Book, his friends Sam, Pippin, and Merry add to it in various ways.
Exhausted and worn down, Frodo finally makes the hard decision to leave Middle-earth. After
the War of the Ring, Arwen Evenstar, daughter of the great elf Elrond, now the Queen of Gondor,
chooses to become mortal and stay with her husband, Aragorn. Her ability to make this
sacrifice stems from her grandfather’s efforts to save the world as chronicled in the Silmarillion.
Arwen’s mortality means she can no longer travel to the West with the rest of the Elves. She gives
Frodo her spot as a passenger on one of the ships that will take him to the Blessed Realm,
a sort of heaven on earth for the immortal beings. Few mortals are allowed to make this trip,
but given their roles in the destruction of the One Ring,
both Bilbo and Frodo are awarded this special privilege.
And so, Frodo leaves his friends and Middle-earth behind. Tolkien doesn’t
provide any more clues about what Frodo’s life is like on the other side of the water.
Instead he leaves us with the single tantalizing line near the end of The Return of the King:
"And then it seemed to him that…the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was
rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise."
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