The Fate Of Each Fellowship Member In The Lord of the Rings

The story of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is one that is well-known to most people. Nine companions are selected to help escort Frodo Baggins on his quest to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom, which will end evil in Middle-earth for good. These nine companions are known as the fellowship of the ring, and they each go on many adventures before the ring is eventually destroyed.

Many fans of the source material and movies are aware of what each of these characters goes through during the events of The Lord of the Rings. However, few know what happens to each surviving member of the fellowship after their quest is complete.

8 Frodo Baggins

Gets The Ultimate Reward

• Leaves Middle-earth due to incurable injuries.

Frodo Baggins is the most important member of the fellowship. After inheriting his uncle Bilbo’s magic ring, this hobbit is unexpectedly thrust into an adventure that sees him having to carry the One Ring from The Shire all the way to Mordor. Fortunately, Frodo is able to overcome much of the evil of the ring and destroys it in the end, but not without gaining a few scars.

Upon returning to The Shire, though, Frodo and his fellow hobbit companions discover that the evil Saruman and his band of ruffians have taken over and enslaved much of their home. Fortunately, the return of Frodo and his friends is enough to rally the rest of The Shire to take back their land in a war known as The Scouring of the Shire. After Saruman is defeated once again, Frodo is given permission to leave Middle-earth and journey to the Undying Lands.

7 Samwise Gamgee

One Of The Shire’s Most Famous Inhabitants

• Remains in The Shire and eventually joins Frodo in the Undying Lands.

Samwise Gamgee is the only member of the fellowship who follows Frodo all the way to Mount Doom in the end. It is only due to his bravery, optimism, and heroic actions that the One Ring is finally destroyed, and he even has to carry the ring for his master for a brief part of the journey. Sam also gets to show his bravery once again by fighting as part of The Scouring of the Shire, but he does not leave Middle-earth alongside his master straight away.

Instead, Sam stays in The Shire and marries his long-time crush, Rosie Cotton. Together, the pair lives in Bag End and have thirteen children, and Sam becomes the longest-running mayor in the history of The Shire. Sadly, Rosie eventually dies of old age and Sam gets on a boat to join Frodo in The Undying Lands.

6 Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)

A Fierce Leader

• Chooses to stay in Middle-earth and eventually dies of old age.

Starting out as a mischievous hobbit alongside his best friend, Pippin, Merry goes to perform one of the most heroic deeds during the War of the Ring by confronting the Witch King on the fields of Pelennor. Bolstered by this success, Merry returns to The Shire to lead the hobbits during The Scouring of the Shire. He is the most active and heroic hobbit during this war and is the one who rallies his old friends to overthrow Saruman.

Not much is known about Merry after these events. He spends years as The Master of Buckland after Frodo leaves, and he visits Rohan and Gondor often in his final years. Instead of leaving Middle-earth like his friends, Merry finally dies of old age and is buried in Gondor alongside King Elessar.

5 Peregrin Took (Pippin)

Remains Loyal To His Friends

• Like Merry, Pippin remains in Middle-earth and later dies of old age.

Pippin follows a similar path to his best friend, Merry, after the events of The Lord of the Rings. He plays a big part in leading the hobbits during The Scouring of the Shire and then settles in the region once Saruman is overthrown. Pippin gets married to a woman, Diamond, and the two have a child that they name after Pippin’s old friend in Gondor, Faramir.

He also journeys across Middle-earth with Merry to visit both Rohan and Gondor again. Remaining in Middle-earth for the rest of his years, Pippin also dies of old age and is buried in Gondor alongside his best friend and the king.

4 Gandalf

Leaves Middle-Earth Alongside Frodo

• Before leaving for the Undying Lands, Gandalf spends several years with Tom Bombadil.

The story of Gandalf is followed very closely in the events of both the books and the movies. Gandalf the Grey sadly passes in Moria after fighting a Balrog, but he is reincarnated as Gandalf the White by his master as he is the only Istari sent to Middle-earth who remained true to his goal of stopping Sauron. In his new guise, Gandalf helps his other companions rally the free people of the West in the war against Sauron, and he is present at the gates of Mordor when the ring is destroyed.

With his task complete and Sauron defeated, there isn’t much left for Gandalf to accomplish in Middle-earth. As such, the wizard spends several years living with the oldest person in the land, Tom Bombadil, before boarding a boat with Frodo and sailing to The Undying Lands.

3 Aragorn

Lives The Life Of A King

• Rules Gondor for 122 years before dying of old age.

As the heir of Isildur, Aragorn has a second duty as part of the fellowship. He swears to protect Frodo on his journey to Mount Doom, but he is also tasked with returning to Gondor and taking up the mantle of king to unite the men of the west against Sauron. Both these missions are a success, and Aragorn is finally crowned as King Elessar and marries his beloved Arwen.

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Together, the pair rules Middle-earth during one of the longest eras of peace, and they bring a son, Eldarion, into the world. After ruling in Gondor for over one hundred and twenty years, Aragorn passes away of old age and is buried alongside his old companions, Merry and Pippin.

2 Legolas

Remained Close With Gimli

• Settles in Ithilien before journeying to the Undying Lands.

As the person in the fellowship who is chosen to represent the race of elves, Legolas starts his journey with a hostile attitude toward the dwarf, Gimli. However, they eventually become friends and remain loyal to each other throughout the events of The Lord of the Rings.

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Once the ring is finally destroyed, Legolas travels much of Middle-earth with his friend, Gimli. The pair visits all the places they promised to see together on their journey to Mordor, including The Glittering Caves and Fangorn Forest. After this, Legolas establishes himself in Ithilien on the borders of Gondor, and he lives here to maintain a strong alliance between men, elves, and dwarves. It is only after Aragorn dies that he boards a boat with Gimli and sails to The Undying Lands.

1 Gimli

Unites The Dwarves Of Middle-Earth

• Becomes Lord of the Glittering Caves before leaving for the Undying Lands.

Gimli is a stubborn dwarf who does not like being in a fellowship with an elf at first. Fortunately, he grows to respect Legolas, and he journeys with the elf for many years after Sauron is defeated.

Once Legolas establishes himself in Ithilien, Gimli decides to unite the rest of the dwarves of Middle-earth from the Glittering Caves behind Helm’s Deep. Once successful, he rules as Lord of the Glittering Caves until he leaves Middle-earth with Legolas to become the only dwarf in history to be deemed worthy of entering the Undying Lands.

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