Samwise Gamgee

Sam is a simpleminded, guileless Shire gardener. As a hobbit, he is fond of the simple pleasures of life such as a mug of ale after a hard day’s work. Nevertheless, deep inside Sam there has always been a hunger for adventures outside the conventions of a regular hobbit life. For a long time, listening to old Bilbo’s songs and some occasional versemaking provided an outlet for these feelings, which appeared to be all the more strange because of the fact that Sam was but a gardener in Bag End. One day, as Sam was working in the garden, he happened to overhear a conversation between Frodo and Gandalf – a conversation involving the One Ring. When Gandalf spotted him, he could think of one way of dispensing with the gardener’s knowledge – having Frodo take him along.

So it happened that Samwise Gamgee trod the paths of the Fellowship to Bree and to Weathertop, on to the Council of Elrond, down to the vales of Anduin and eventually to Mordor – as Frodo’s friend and most trusted advisor. When Frodo was held captive in Cirith Ungol, Sam got his share of the burden of the Ring, and It was in fact due to his ingenuity that Gorbag and Shagrat – or Gollum – never got their hands on it.

On his return to the Shire, Sam married Rosie Cotton. They had 13 children, the eldest of who, Elanor the Fair, was made maid of honor to Queen Arwen. Samwise himself was elected Mayor of the Shire seven times; and held his office until the venerable age of 96. After his wife’s death, Samwise was seen riding out of Bag End, and heading towards the Tower Hills, where he entrusted the Red Book into Elanor’s care. It is said that afterwards he went to the Gray Havens, and departed over the Sea, the last Ring-bearer in Middle-earth.