While there are tons of excellent characters acrossThe Lord Of The Rings, one that is likely to forever have adedicated fanbase is Samwise Gamgee. He was a key figure in The War of the Ring and helped Frodo make it to Mount Doom. In fact, if it weren’t for Sam, the journey to destroy the One Ring never would have succeeded in the first place.
Sam is one of the most pure-hearted and dependable figures inThe Lord Of The Rings, which is really saying a lot. Even before Sam is truly aware of how frightening the power of the One Ring is, he’s right thereready to adventure with Frodo. His drive to support his friend never leaves him even when he’s faced with some of the most terrifying evil any being could ever face.
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What Were Sam’s Feats During The Lord Of The Rings?
It has to be saidthat all the Hobbitsfeatured inThe Lord Of The Ring’smain cast are some of the most brave to ever set foot in Middle Earth. The dangers that they all face would strike fear in the hearts of the bravest beings, and somehow, they never back down. That is even more true for Samwise Gamgee, especially when the safety of Frodo Baggins is in question.
There are a few simpler feats that Sam has under his belt like taking onhordes of Goblins and Orcs, sometimes with a frying pan and sometimes with a blade. Considering fully-trained soldiers die to those enemies, Sam shows some prowess in battle through that alone. He also demonstrates immense bravery when he’s willing to stand against the Ring Wraiths to protect Frodo at Weathertop. He doesn’t actually do much against them, but he was ready to put his life on the line.
Then there’s the fact that Sam survived multiple skirmishes, one that included a massive Cave Troll. Outside of that,Sam brawled with Gollum, fought and survived against Shelob, and single-handedly saved Frodo after he’d been captured by a force of Orcs. As far as Hobbits go, Sam might just be the single greatest Hobbit warrior throughout the history of Middle Earth. There aren’t many people who could have fought Shelob alone and lived to tell the tale.
Sam shows bravery throughout the series, but what needs to be highlighted more is how brave he is to be willing to leave the safety of the fellowship to journey with Frodo. Their entire adventure is fraught with danger at every turn,and the two Hobbitsare tasked with walking into Mordor, climbing a volcano, and destroying the most powerful evil artifact in the world, all without being killed by a lord of darkness and his twisted forces. That’s without mentioning Sam taking the influence of the ring on himself for a short period, and being one of the only characters in the entire series to willingly give it up.
Could Frodo Have Made It To Mount Doom Without Sam?
The incredibly short answer to this is no. Frodo likely would have died at nearly every major roadblock the two Hobbits faced if it weren’t for Sam. Without the presence of Sam, it’s likely that Gollum would have gotten the drop on Frodo at some point, killing him and taking the ring for himself. If that didn’t happen, Gollum would have led Frodo into some sort of danger that certainly would have resulted in the Hobbit’s death andGollum’s reclamation of the ring yet again.
If Frodo had somehowmade it to Shelob’s lair, that would have been yet another end to his adventure. Frodo would have been killed and the ring would have been taken to Sauron by the Orcs, or Gollum would have managed to get the ring back. No Sam fan will ever forget the fact that right toward the end of their journey, Sam literally carries Frodo in order to reach the fires of Mount Doom. If it weren’t for Sam’s help and emotional support, there is no way Frodo could have ever made it near Mount Doom.
Could Sam Have Been The Main Ring Bearer?
With how impressiveall of this makes Samwise Gamgee sound, some may wonder whether or not the hobbit could have been the main ring bearer for the journey instead of Frodo. There is a surprisingly easy answer to a question that may seem fairly complex, and that answer is no. The easiest way to determine this would be to look at who Sam was as a character, and it’s fairly safe to say he would never have been the person to offer to take the ring to Mordor while everyone at the council was arguing.
Additionally, the clearest example of whybrave old Samabsolutely should not have been the main ring bearer is when he returns the ring to Frodo inThe Return Of The King. It is a massive accomplishment that Sam is even capable of parting with the ring, but he only actually held it for a short period of time. Over the short period, the ring had managed to twist Sam’s will so much that he initially had trouble giving it back to Frodo. This makes it relatively clear that the ring would have ended up corrupting Sam faster than it did Frodo.
There is also the additional question of how events would have played out if Sam was the one ring bearer. It’s not likely that Frodo would have made the same decision that Sam made to carry on with the journey apart from the fellowship. This means that Sam would be left on his own to deal with the various struggles of the journey, and while he would certainly fair decently, there are a few moments in which he would likely falter.
For starters, Sam probablywould have killed Gollum right away, something that could have aided in his corruption of the ring. Without Gollum in the picture, that means there isn’t anyone around to lead to the ultimate destruction of the ring, because it is likely that Sam would also be unable to destroy the ring in the final moments. He was an incredibly strong-willed Hobbit, but he was different from Frodo, making him a weaker candidate to actually carry the ring.
The Lord Of The Ringsis available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
