# Who's your favorite Lord of the Rings character? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 10, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244 "2014-08-10T16:42:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/21 "2014-08-11T05:16:07Z")
Gandalf for me. Interestingly, Tolkien said the character he liked the best was Gollum! That statement is from a track on the 2-CD set “JRR Tolkien: An Audio Portrait”. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/22 "2014-08-11T12:40:04Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > How can Shadowfax possibly be a favorite character? I mean, he’s significant as horse-kings go, but he’s just a way for Gandalf to get from point A to B faster than everyone else. Some people just [really, really like horses](http://www.rookiemag.com/2013/01/horse-girl/). (SFW). Ridiculously safe. ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/23 "2014-08-11T17:30:09Z")
The interlude with Bombadil and his old lady was great, but had nothing to do with the story. Wish T had found a place for them, my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/24 "2014-08-15T02:36:27Z")
Pippin was the one I related to most in the books and the movies so I chose him. ---
**Author:** ![CodeB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@CodeB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CodeB)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/25 "2014-08-15T02:43:19Z")
I always liked Saruman. Thought he was an interesting bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/26 "2014-08-15T02:53:43Z")
> [@Hermione](#): > > Frodo and Sam, the writer went on to say, seemed to be modeled after the types of soldiers Tolkien saw in the Great War. Frodo did what needed to be done up to a point, but was broken by it, like many of those soldiers were. > > Sam, on the other hand, was like many of the farmers or villagers Tolkien saw drafted as soldiers–unassuming, simple, but rose to the occasion when duty demanded and were capable of great courage and loyalty. I’ve been deep in Great War stuff lately, and yeah… this does give me a chill or two. Frodo particularly… > [@Knorf](#): > > I answered Bill the Pony, only somewhat facetiously. He was so important to Sam, who was clearly the hero of the story. Hey, nothing wrong with that; he was amongst my choices as well. Sometimes you’ve just gotta dig a pony. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/27 "2014-08-15T03:01:15Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Gandalf. I’m glad to be the first to vote for him. 🙂 Bah. So-called wizard that learned “Affect Normal Fires” but not something like “Magic Missile” “Fireball”, “Lightning Bolt”, or “Cloud Kill”. Fast forward a few levels and he learned “Power Word-Stun”, but still, really sub-par DPS. Did invent the retributive strike function on his Staff of the Magi, though, so there’s that. I voted for Bombadil. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/28 "2014-08-15T04:43:54Z")
Faramir - proven himself to be one quietly strong-willed sunuvabitch, able to keep on keeping on without much hope at all, just determined to just keep doing the right things. And winds up with Eowyn. Score one big one for the ordinary heros in life. Score a big one for both of them. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/29 "2014-08-15T22:59:53Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Hey, nothing wrong with that; he was amongst my choices as well. Sometimes you’ve just gotta dig a pony. Well, you can indicate anyone you see. Yes! You can indicate anyone you see. I told you so. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/30 "2014-08-16T09:12:05Z")
I can’t resist proposing an “other” character: I’ve always had a soft spot for Ugluk. He’s evil, of course; however, he is an Uruk-hai (human / orc cross-breed). While pure orcs are totally, utterly foul and despicable in all respects; it seems that the Uruk-hai can’t help but get, in their make-up, some admirable – even likeable – human traits. Ugluk is concerned for those under his command – including the detachment of orcs from Mordor, annoying and inept though he finds them – and wishes to accomplish the mission with as little loss of life as possible for his side. And he’s a worrier and a pessimist, anxious that his band may not come out on top in their running fight with the Rohirrim – and of course, he proves to be right on the money there. I’ve always felt a bit uncomfortable with the thing in Tolkien of a race of sapient beings, i.e. orcs, who are invariably 100% evil in every way; so am happy to come across an orc, or part-orc, with even a very few traits with which the reader can identify and empathise. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/31 "2014-08-16T11:27:47Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > Faramir - proven himself to be one quietly strong-willed sunuvabitch, able to keep on keeping on without much hope at all, just determined to just keep doing the right things. > > And winds up with Eowyn. Score one big one for the ordinary heros in life. Score a big one for both of them. I’m always really, really pleased these two get together, in a quiet time amongst a background of dread, both injured in ways physical and mental, with a simple grace, and a light touch. I know the Tolkien grave is inscribed with “Beren” and “Luthien”, but it may well have been “Faramir” and “Eowyn” - the author clearly wanted things to work out for that pair too. I doubt Tolkien ever saw himself as Beren or Faramir, but Edith was his Luthien, and his Eowyn. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244/32 "2014-08-16T15:59:34Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > This is a poll about the novel, not the movie. [pedantic jackass who needs to be punched in the nads] “Romance,” not novel. [/pedantic jackass who needs to be punched in the nads] 😃 It will surprise no one who knows me that my answer is Éowyn, even though I wouldn’t want her to appear more than she does; Tolkien hit the sweet spot with her frequency of appearance. But I don’t understand why the Barrow-wights were listed as characters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-lord-of-the-rings-character/695244.md?page=1)