Tolkien's "S" Characters Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sauron

Probably the mightiest of the Maiar, Sauron was not always evil. He learned how to create things under the Vala Aulë, and was disdainful of waste. However, he saw Melkor as a means to his end and fell under his sway. He rose quickly in the ranks of the original Dark Enemy and was equal in rank to Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs. When Melkor was taken and cast into the Void, Sauron began amassing the remnants of Melkor's followers and settled in Mordor. To ensnare all of the Free Folk, Sauron was instrumental in the forging of the Rings of Power, and to rule them all, the One Ring.

Sauron was eventually brought down in the War of the Ring by the most unlikely of heroes, a Hobbit named Frodo. When the One Ring was cast into the Cracks of Doom, Sauron's power was undone and his physical form was cast away. His spirit began to float above Mordor only to be blown away by the wind. While it does not explicitly state that Sauron died, we do learn that when the source of his power was destroyed, he ceased to be mighty.

'Sauron' is a Quenya word meaning 'abhorred'.

Answer: Shadowfax

The first of the Mearas was Felaróf, the horse that killed Léod, father of Eorl the Young, the first Lord of the Mark. Eorl eventually tamed Felaróf and he became the first of the Mearas, the horses of kings. They would only bear the Lord of the Mark and they were wise horses, said to understand the speech of men, long-lived, fleet of foot, and very intelligent.

Gandalf was the first outsider to successfully tame one of the Mearas. The horse that he chose was Shadowfax, the greatest of the Mearas, and he rode him throughout the entire War of the Ring and afterward as well. While Tolkien never explicitly declares what fate befell Shadowfax, in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien" it is implied that Gandalf took him over the sea to the West.

Answer: Shelob

Shelob was a giant spider who lived in the caves beneath Cirith Ungol. The orcs who kept guard in the tower above definitely knew of her presence and would occasionally send a hapless morsel for her to eat. However, when Frodo and Sam attempted to enter Mordor, Shelob went to work.

She stung Frodo and paralyzed him, and Sam assumed he was dead. However, before she could eat Frodo, the orcs had carried his body up to their guard-tower. Sam was still in the caves at this point, and Shelob attacked him.

When she attempted to crush Sam with her great bulk, he held Sting, the short-sword, upright and her own weight drove its point deep into her body. Wounded, she retreated back into her lair.

Answer: Gollum

Sméagol was a regular Hobbit, a Stoor, most likely, living along the banks of the Anduin River, when his friend, Déagol, was dragged into the river and found a simple gold ring. When Sméagol saw it, he coveted it, and demanded it as a birthday present. When Déagol refused to hand it over, Sméagol killed him and took the ring. He eventually discovered the One Ring's invisibility power and began to spy on his folk, but was shunned and he began making a sound in his throat that gave him his more common name - Gollum. He eventually retreated beneath the Misty Mountains to get away from everyone.

Underground, he lived for years in the dark until he was met by Bilbo Baggins. He lost the One Ring at that time, Bilbo having accidentally put his had on it in the dark. When he discovered that it was gone, Gollum set out after Bilbo to retrieve the One Ring. For years he was unsuccessful, however, when the One Ring was passed to Frodo, Gollum again saw an opportunity. Frodo managed to avoid losing the ring to Gollum and prophesized that if Gollum would touch the One Ring again, he would be cast into the Cracks of Doom. This actually came to pass and thus, Sauron's power was broken.

Answer: the Worm

Scatha the Worm was a dragon who inhabited and terrorized the Grey Mountains and the area. He was a Long-worm, meaning it is likely that he had a long serpentine body with wings that were probably not used for flight very often. Scatha was eventually slain by a northern Man, Fram son of Frumgar, an ancestor of the people of Rohan. He recovered the hoard of the dragon, which was said to be extensive, but the treasure was also claimed by the Dwarves of that region. This sparked a dispute between the two races.

It is said that the silver-and-green horn that Merry receives as a present from Éowyn was from the hoard of Scatha.

Answer: Gardener

Samwise Gamgee started out as Frodo's gardener, but when he overheard Gandalf and Frodo deep in conversation about exotic things, Gandalf sends Sam to accompany Frodo. In Rivendell, when the council is meeting in secret, Sam sneaks in to hide and listen and gets sent off as one of the Fellowship of the Ring. Sam stands by Frodo no matter what, and when Frodo decides to break off from the main group, Sam guesses his intentions and follows him blindly.

In Cirith Ungol, when Shelob stings Frodo and Sam thinks him dead, Sam is determined to see out the quest of destroying the One Ring, so he takes the ring for himself, even wielding it. However, after he rescues Frodo from the Orcs, he returns the ring.

After the War of the Ring, Sam settles in Bag End, gets married to Rosie Cotton, and has thirteen children. He gets elected as Mayor of the Shire a record seven times, and lives in Hobbiton until his wife died. At that point, he passed on the Red Book of the Westmarch to his daughter, Elanor, and it is said that he too passed over the sea to be reunited with Frodo in the Undying Lands, on the basis that he was also a Ring-Bearer, if for just a short time.

Answer: Shagrat

Shagrat was an Orc-Captain, and it was his patrol that found Frodo's body lying at the entrance to Cirith Ungol. He understood his orders to be as given, to bring any prisoners to the tower, search their body, and to send their belongings to Barad-dûr. Also, that all prisoners are to remain unharmed.

His companion, Gorbag, was a bit looser in his interpretation, and wanted Frodo's armour, made of mithril, for himself. Gorbag eventually stabs Shagrat over this, but Shagrat succeeds in killing Gorbag, and taking Frodo's possessions to Sauron.

Answer: Sackville-Baggins

The Sackville-Baggins were Hobbits that were related to Bilbo Baggins, but disliked generally around the Shire because of their haughty attitude and their insistence that they would inherit Bag End, Bilbo's home and a status symbol, since Bilbo was childless. However, when Bilbo adopted Frodo, this foiled their plans and made them hate Frodo.

When Bilbo left the Shire after his eleventy-first birthday party, he gave out presents and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins got the remainder of the silver spoons, most of which she had already probably stolen. Otho, her husband remarked: "And after waiting sixty years. Spoons? Fiddlesticks!" since he, too, coveted Bag End. However, when Frodo left the Shire during the War of the Ring, Otho and Lobelia's son, Lotho, allied himself with Saruman. Lotho was eventually killed by Gríma Wormtongue and this ended the Sackville-Baggins line.

Answer: Shirrif

Robin Smallburrow comes from a small family of Hobbits, probably from the Eastfarthing. He joined the shirrifs before the War of the Ring, meaning that he entered the service because he wanted to taste beer at many of the taverns in the Shire. However, his service is continued under Saruman's takeover, probably out of fear.

When the four Hobbits of the Fellowship return to the Shire after the war, Sam is the one that calls him out for being a lackey for the wrong side. It is likely that Robin Smallburrow joins the Hobbits' side when the Scouring of the Shire occurs and Saruman's oppression is broken.

Answer: Saruman

When the Five Wizards were sent to the Middle-earth to fight the growing darkness spread by Sauron, the first to arrive was Curumo. His age and wisdom earned him the role of the leader of the Istari and he went into the east with the two Blue Wizards, only to return alone. Upon his return, he gained the Elvish name Curunír, which, translated into the tongue of Men, was Saruman, which means 'man of skill or cunning'.

Saruman was eventually elected as the leader of the White Council, the group who wanted to stem the spread of evil from Mordor. He was installed in Orthanc, a tower in Isengard on the outskirts of Rohan. It was there that he found the palantír which put him under the influence of Sauron. Saruman's mind began to twist and Sauron corrupted him for sinister purposes. During the War of the Ring, Saruman's treachery was revealed and he was brought down by his servant, Gríma Wormtongue.