Five Hobbits and a Ring Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bilbo

The story of how Bilbo Baggins gained possession of a magical ring that allowed him to become invisible was told in 'The Hobbit', a book which Tolkien wrote before 'Lord of the Rings', which picked up the story as Bilbo plans to leave the Shire, passing on all his possessions to his young cousin Frodo. Frodo, of course, becomes the protagonist of the story.

The Prologue serves to give viewers a sense of the significance of the Ring even before Gandalf realizes that Bilbo's ring is indeed the Ring of power, known as Isildur's Bane.

Answer: Frodo

The action of the film proper starts with Frodo curled up under a tree reading a book, when he spies a wagon arriving, and recognizes his old friend Gandalf. As they ride together, they catch up on events since their last meeting, and we get an idea of why Gandalf is so popular in the Shire when he sets off some of the fireworks he is bringing for Bilbo's party, to the excited glee of the youngsters following him with interest.

Answer: Bilbo

As Bilbo and Gandalf catch up while smoking some of the best Shire pipeweed, viewers are given a chance to find out something of what is about to happen. Bilbo is going to leave, heading to the house in Rivendell which he had visited during his earlier adventure.

There he plans to finish writing the book recounting that journey - most of which is still in note form on bits of paper. He will finish it, and pass it on to Frodo - who will in turn leave it with Sam at the end of the trilogy.

Answer: Bilbo

Bilbo's birthday party provides a chance for us to glimpse a number of characters who will become more significant later on. More importantly, we see the carefree life of the hobbits living in the Shire, which makes a stark contrast to events in the outside world, as the film reveals. Dark forces are gathering, and Middle Earth is in danger of annihilation. But here in the Shire, whose inhabitants are homebodies who rarely venture outside their own region, there is still plenty of time for fun and games.

Bilbo uses his party speech to say farewell to all, then stages a spectacular departure by slipping on the Ring and disappearing. Of course, Gandalf meets him inside his house, knowing the plan, and makes sure that Bilbo does leave the Ring behind as he goes. He does, but with some reluctance. This bit of dramatics is to have far-reaching consequences, as it makes Sauron aware that the Ring has not been lost, and he starts his search to gain it and become absolutely powerful.

Answer: Sam

You have to listen really carefully to catch her name, but it is Rosie Cotton with whom Sam dances at the party, after being shoved over to her by Frodo. Later in the trilogy, Sam will tell Frodo that not being able to see her again and maybe have a family with her is his only regret. At the very end, we will see him with her and some of their children.

Answer: Merry and/or Pippin

In 'The Fellowship of the Ring', we mostly see Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrine Took being playful and mischievous youngsters. They develop their more heroic (and individual) identities in 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King'. Our first glimpse of them sets the tone. Pippin stands guard (munching an apple) while Merry climbs into a stash of fireworks planned for the grand display and grabs one that will resemble a dragon.

They set it off, to the consternation of the more staid adult hobbits, and the glee of the younger ones.

Answer: Frodo

Gandalf, uneasy about Bilbo's ring, does some research to help him determine whether or not it is the missing Ring of Power (lost at the death of Isildur in the Prologue). He returns to Bag End to test it by heat, which should reveal the hidden inscription. He is at first relieved when that does not happen, then horrified when the inscription does slowly reveal itself, as the Ring rests in Frodo's hand: "One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

Gandalf immediately informs Frodo that he must leave the Shire, as Sauron knows (from having tortured Gollum) that the Ring's location is related to the words Shire and Baggins. He tells Frodo to go to Bree, a town near the border of the Shire, and meet him. He is to travel by day and avoid the roads, as Dark Riders have been sent out to find him and retrieve the Ring.

Answer: Sam

We learn Sam's name (Samwise Gamgee) when Gandalf springs him eavesdropping on the conversation with Frodo. Sam denies having heard anything except ... and then recites all the most significant and secret bits!

Sam is aware of his transgression, and fears the anger of the wizard, begging Gandalf, "Please, don't turn me into anything unnatural". Gandalf decides that the most appropriate punishment will be to have Sam accompany Frodo. Sam is the hobbit who finds it hardest to participate in the journey, as his sense of adventure is much less than his love of home. Nevertheless, once they are on the way, his loyalty to Frodo ensures he will continue, even though (a very short way into the trip to Bree) he stops and hesitates, announcing that one more step will take him further from home than he has ever been.

Answer: Merry and/or Pippin

As Frodo and Sam are making their way through a cornfield, Merry and Pippin come tumbling out and crash into them. They are on the run from Farmer Maggot, whose fields they have been raiding, as seems to be a habit: Pippin starts to list all the reasons the farmer has to be chasing them, including the carrot that Merry pulls out of his back pocket, having broken it in the fall.

Then Merry spies some mushrooms along the roadside, and all except Frodo get sucked into the feast. Frodo, however, is aware of the need to get off the road, and manages to get them all hidden in the roots of a nearby tree before a Black Rider comes past.

Answer: Sam

After the hobbits escape the Dark Riders by taking the ferry (Pippin's suggestion, the first useful thing he has done) they continue to Bree, where Frodo is worried when Gandalf is not there to meet them. They all have a beer and discuss what to do next. Sam notices an unkempt man looking at them from the corner, and Frodo finds out that his name is Strider, and that he is a Ranger, a member of a group that help keep the peace.

When Pippin uses Frodo's real name, rather than the alias of Mr Underhill that Frodo had been told to use, things start to go awry. The Ring manages to get onto his finger, alerting the Dark Riders to his location, and Frodo faces the Eye of Sauron. Strider pulls Frodo aside and takes him to a small room where he makes it clear that they are still in real danger. When the other three arrive to rescue Frodo, they eventually all agree to stay there under Strider's protection. Good thing, because the beds in which they were supposed to be sleeping were thoroughly torn apart by the Dark Riders - destroying pillows instead of hobbits.

Answer: Merry and/or Pippin

As Strider is escorting the hobbits to Rivendell, Pippin asks when they will stop to eat, and Strider responds that they already had breakfast. Pippin's response is, "What about second breakfast?" - a phrase that has become a byword in my family. Pippin's distress grew as he enumerated all the other important meals of the day of which Strider seemed unaware: elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. Hobbits may be small, but they eat well!

Answer: Frodo

As the group rest overnight on a (relatively) secure high spot, they are attacked by the Dark Riders, led by the Witch-king of Angmar, who stabs Frodo with a magically-powerful dagger. The blade tip is embedded in Frodo's shoulder, and leaves him in danger of becoming a wraith like the Dark Riders. That is, if he even survives the initial attack. He is so badly injured that Strider cannot save him, even with the help of the Athelas (plant with mystical healing powers) he send Sam to fetch. Fortunately, Arwen arrives and carries him on her white (of course) horse to Rivendell, where the powers of her father, Elrond, will eventually help him recover. While he recovers sufficiently to plan for his return home, the last bit of the dagger is still there, and causes him pain at inconvenient times throughout the rest of the trilogy.

In cinematic release, this is the point where sometimes an interval was placed, because three hours is a long time to sit in a movie theatre!

Answer: Frodo

After several weeks, Frodo wakes up to find Gandalf at his bedside, and Sam overjoyed to find him awake when he returns from a brief break in his own vigil. The hobbits prepare to return home as soon as Frodo is strong enough, but we see that other plans are underway, as Elrond and Gandalf discuss the dire situation. A council is called, with representatives of the races of Middle Earth.
Men are represented by Strider, who is now revealed to be Aragorn, the heir of Isildur and the true king of Gondor, and by Boromir, the son of the Steward of Gondor who rules until the return of the king; Dwarves by Gimli and Elves by Legolas. These four are joined by Gandalf (representing the Wizards) and Elrond, the Half-Elven master of Rivendell.

After Frodo places the Ring on a stone in the council room for all to see, it stirs up discord among them, and they all argue over the best course of action. After Gandalf and Elrond convince them that the ring must be destroyed in Mount Doom, as Isildur refused to do long ago, the disagreement about who should do it becomes heated, and nears the point of violence. Frodo realises that he must be the one who accepts the task of destroying the Ring. The others offer him their various forms of support: Gandalf's guidance, Aragorn's sword, Legolas's bow, Gimli's axe, and Boromir's shield. Then Sam (eavesdropping once again) rushes in to interrupt and demand that he be allowed to go with his friend; he is followed closely by Merry and Pippin, who proclaims, "You need people of intelligence on this sort of quest" as he and Merry rush in. So the Fellowship is formed.

Answer: Sam

The nine members of the Fellowship set off on their long and dangerous journey. Their first decision is how to cross the Misty Mountains: the route they finally choose is blocked by Saruman, and they then decide to go under instead of over, making their way through the dwarven mines of Moria. Gandalf's reluctance to do this suggests that he knows more than he has revealed about what they will discover, that all the dwarves have been killed by orcs (and other evil creatures dwelling in the depths under the mountains).

When they reach the entrance, Gandalf knows the spell to make the door visible, and can read the message written there, but it takes a hobbit (Frodo, in this case) to recognise that it is a riddle, and solve it by uttering the single word required, "Friend". Meanwhile, Sam has bid a sad farewell to Bill the pony, who has been carrying their belongings, but who cannot pass through Moria. As they enter, Frodo is grabbed by a tentacled monster in the pool beside the entrance, and they have to fight their way in. This also means they are committed to pushing on, no matter what they encounter, as they cannot go back.

Answer: Merry and/or Pippin

The monster at the entrance and the orcs that greet them are only the start of problems in the trip through Moria. Gimli is devastated to find his people dead, including their leader, Balin. While the group is gathered at Balin's tomb Pippin knocks against a skeleton, sending bits falling into a deep hole, and the deep rumbling which the dwarves had recorded during their final stand starts. Later we discover that this portends the reappearance of the Balrog, a monstrous creature who had slumbered in the depths of the mountain before being disturbed by dwarf miners and killing many of them, and forcing the rest to flee hundreds of years earlier. Balin's was the latest of multiple attempts to retake control of the mines; each time the Balrog was disturbed, disastrously.

Answer: Frodo

As the members of the Fellowship fight the orcs that flood the mine, they initially experience success; then a cave troll arrives to support them, and things get more frantic. Frodo is stabbed several times by the troll, and collapses; everyone thinks him dead. When they gather to collect his body, he amazes them by sitting up. It turns out that the shirt of mithril (the metal the dwarves were mining in Moria) that Bilbo had passed on to him back in Rivendell lived up to the reputation the dwarves had gained for crafting fine armour. The blade had been turned aside, and Frodo emerged bruised and shaken, but very much alive.

The orcs once again surround the Fellowship, but scatter as an orange glow at the entrance to the hall signals the approach of something even they fear - the Balrog.

Answer: Merry and/or Pippin

Rushing to reach the far side of Moria, the Fellowship came to a deep chasm crossed by a narrow bridge which was already starting to crumble as the mountains shook with fighting. When they reached a gap in the middle, Legolas leapt across first, followed by Gandalf. Aragorn then grabbed Pippin and Merry, one in each hand, and threw them across to be caught, followed by Sam. Gimli, however, refused to be thrown ("Nobody tosses a dwarf"), and leaped under his own power, to have Legolas pull him up by his beard when he didn't quite make it. As the pieces of the bridge moved again, the gap closed briefly, allowing Aragorn and Frodo to cross before it collapsed.

As the Balrog approaches, Gandalf sends the others on their way, and turns to confront it. He does send it tumbling into the chasm, but has been so weakened by the confrontation that he, too, falls. The Fellowship that emerges from Moria is reduced by one, and deeply saddened (as well as significantly weakened) by the loss.

Answer: Frodo

Aragorn takes the remainder of the Fellowship to Lothlorien, the realm of the High Elves Galadriel and Celeborn, to recuperate. While they are there, Galadriel invites Frodo to look into her mirror (a basin of water), which shows (according to her) not only what is, but also what was, what will be, and what might be. There he sees the Shire being destroyed, and is heartbroken; the vision makes him even more sure that he must complete the task of destroying the Ring to make sure that future does not eventuate. She warns him that someone in the Fellowship is being corrupted by the presence of the Ring, and will try to take it from him.

As they depart to continue on their quest, Galadriel gives Frodo a small globe, containing water from that which forms her mirror and light from Eärendil's star, which will provide him light in the darkness he is to face.

Answer: Merry and/or Pippin

They leave Lothlorien in three boats, with Aragorn paddling the boat in which Sam and Frodo ride, Boromir carrying Merry and Pippin in his boat, and Legolas and Gimli in the third. They pass into Gondor through the Gates of Argonath, two enormous statues that Aragorn notes as representing his ancestors, then disembark on the southern end of the lake. Here Boromir does indeed attempt to take the Ring from Frodo, who escapes by putting it on; unfortunately, this alerts both Sauron and Saruman as to his whereabouts. The immediate consequence is the arrival of the Uruk-Hai (a new breed of orcs developed by Saruman, larger and able to operate during daylight) who had been sent to fetch the hobbits to Saruman's tower.

To help Frodo escape, Merry and Pippin leap out of their hiding spot and divert the attention of the Uruk-Hai, and are taken captive. Boromir recovers his true self, and fights to defend the hobbits, but he is slain by the leader of the Uruk-Hai. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli give him a warrior's funeral, laying his arrow-riddled body in a boat that they send over the enormous Falls of Rauros. Meanwhile, Sam is chasing Frodo through the woods. The Fellowship has been shattered.

Answer: Sam

Frodo, following Galadriel's advice that his is a quest that must be taken on his own, sets off in one of the group's boats, determined to put as much space between himself and his former companions as possible. Sam, however, refuses to be left behind, and wades determinedly into the water, ignoring the fact that he cannot swim. Frodo pulls him into the boat, and they decide to continue together. The quest to destroy the Ring is not yet at an end, despite the breaking of the Fellowship.

With the hobbits split into two groups, the other three remaining members of the Fellowship set off to fight orcs and rescue Merry and Pippin. The saga continues in the second instalment, 'The Two Towers', and will culminate in 'The Return of the King'.