The Lord of the Rings Online: the Shadows of Angmar official site has been updated with character profiles of the five most famous hobbits in the Shire.
More often than not, great events in Middle-earth occur because of individuals willing to sacrifice all in order to bring about change for the better. In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the most unassuming of characters, the diminutive Hobbits, are the focal points amid legendary events. A scholar chronicling the great heroes of Middle-earth might easily overlook the Hobbits, but that would be a mistake. Hobbits are considered strong for their size, yet they are not as strong as Dwarves or Men. They are also fleet of foot and able to move in complete silence through even wooded lands. It is the intangible qualities of Hobbits, however - their resistance to corruption, strong bonds of kinship, loyalty to friends, love of simple pleasures and the giving of gifts, and a sense of what is important in life - that truly sets them apart as an influential force during the War of the Ring.
In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, five Hobbits in particular assume primary roles in the quest to destroy the One Ring.
Bilbo Baggins was well-known as peculiar among Hobbits, having travelled some years before on a mysterious adventure only to return far wealthier than when he left. For many years afterward, events in Bilbo's home at Bag End were a popular topic of conversation and gossip throughout the Shire. If only half of the stories told were half-true, old Bilbo would be one of the most unusual hobbits in history! For the most part, though, Bilbo lived a pleasant and unremarkable existence in Bag End ... except for occasional visits from Dwarves or sightings of Gandalf, the wandering wizard, at the door of Bag End.
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Read about the other four hobbits here.
