The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes in The Lord of the Rings, an epic set
in the
fictional world of Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings is an entity named Sauron, the Dark Lord,
who
long ago lost the One Ring that contains much of his power. His overriding desire is to reclaim
the Ring
and use it to enslave all of Middle-earth.
The story of The Lord of the Rings begins with several events that take place in The
Hobbit. While
wandering lost in a deep cave, Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit—one of a small, kindly race about half
the size
of Men—stumbles upon a ring and takes it back with him to the Shire, the part of Middle-earth
that is
the Hobbits’ home. All Bilbo knows of his ring is that wearing it causes him to become
invisible. He is
unaware that it is the One Ring, and is therefore oblivious to its significance and to the fact
that
Sauron has been searching for it.
The Fellowship of the Ring opens with a party for Bilbo’s 111th birthday. Bilbo gives his
ring to
his heir, his cousin Frodo Baggins. When the time comes to part with the ring, however, Bilbo
becomes
strangely reluctant to do so. He gives up the ring only at the determined urging of his friend,
Gandalf
the Grey, a great Wizard. Gandalf suspects that the ring is indeed the One Ring of legend. After
confirming his suspicions, he tells Frodo that the Ring must be taken away from the Shire, as
Sauron’s
power is growing once again.
Frodo sets out from the Shire with three of his Hobbit friends—Sam, Merry, and Pippin.
Along the
way, they are pursued by the nine Ringwraiths, servants of Sauron who take the form of
terrifying Black
Riders. The hobbits spend a night in the company of wandering Elves, who promise to send word
ahead to
friends who will protect the hobbits. Barely out of the Shire, the hobbits get lost in the Old
Forest,
where they have to be rescued from a malevolent willow tree, which swallows up Merry and Pippin,
and
then from an evil tomb ghost. The hobbits’ rescuer is Tom Bombadil, a strange, jovial entity
with great
powers who is the oldest creature in Middle-earth.
The hobbits make it to the town of Bree, where they meet Aragorn, a Ranger who roams the
wilderness
and who is the heir of the Kings of the ancient Men of Westernesse. Those who do not know
Aragorn’s true
name call him Strider. Frodo tries to keep a low profile at the inn in Bree, but he ends up
causing a
scene when while taking part in a rollicking rendition of a song he falls, accidentally slips
the Ring
onto his finger, and vanishes.
That night, Aragorn advises the hobbits not to sleep in their rooms at the inn. In doing
so, he
saves their lives—for the first of many times. A letter Gandalf left at the inn months before
advises
the group to head for Rivendell, a realm of the Elves. Aragorn sets out with the hobbits the
next day,
and with his help they avoid the Black Riders for some time. However, at the top of the hill
Weathertop,
the Company is forced to defend itself against the attacking Riders. Frodo is wounded during the
skirmish.
Frodo’s wound, made by a weapon of a servant of Sauron, plagues the hobbit as the Company
makes its
way eastward. Aragorn is greatly concerned about the power the wound might exert over Frodo.
Near
Rivendell they meet the Elf-lord Glorfindel, who has been out looking for them. At the last ford
before
Rivendell, Frodo, riding Glorfindel’s horse, outruns the ambushing Black Riders, who are swept
away in a
flood created by Elrond, the master of Rivendell.
Elrond heals Frodo and then holds a meeting to discuss what to do about the Ring. During
this
Council, Frodo learns the full history of the Ring. Frodo accepts the burden of taking the Ring
to the
only place it can be destroyed—the place where it was forged. It promises to be a long, nearly
impossible journey, as the Ring was forged in the Cracks of Doom, part of the fiery mountain
Orodruin in
the very heart of Sauron’s realm of Mordor.
At the end of the meeting, the Council creates a group to help Frodo in his quest. In
addition to
Frodo, the Fellowship of the Ring includes Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, an Elf named
Legolas, a
Dwarf named Gimli, and a Man from the south named Boromir.
The Fellowship heads south and attempts to pass over the Misty Mountains via the pass of
Caradhras.
Their way is blocked by snow and rock slides, and they are forced to divert their path through
the Mines
of Moria—the ancient, underground realm of the Dwarves. During the journey through Moria,
Gandalf falls
into the chasm of Khazad-dûm while protecting the Company from a Balrog, a terrible demon.
The rest of the party continues on to Lórien, the forest of the Galadrim Elves, where the
Lady
Galadriel tests their hearts and gives them gifts to help them on the quest. Frodo, spellbound
by
Galadriel’s power and wisdom, offers her the Ring. She refuses, however, saying that, despite
her
intentions, the Ring would corrupt her; ultimately, she would only replace Sauron.
Leaving Lórien, the Fellowship travels by boat down the Great River, Anduin. At night, they
spot
Gollum—a deformed creature that had once owned the Ring but then lost it to Bilbo Baggins in The
Hobbit—following them. When they reach the Falls of Rauros, the Fellowship must decide whether
to head
toward Mordor on the east or toward the safety of the city of Minas Tirith to the west.
Boromir, overcome by the Ring’s power and desiring the Ring for himself, confronts Frodo.
Frodo
fends off Boromir and decides that he must go on to Mordor rather than to the safety of Minas
Tirith.
However, Frodo cannot bear the thought of imperiling his friends on the dangerous journey or
allowing
the Ring to corrupt them, so he attempts to leave secretly and continue the quest alone. Frodo
does not,
however, manage to elude Sam, so the two of them set out
this text is invissible
