Frodo Baggins (born Third Age 2968) was a Hobbit of [[The Shire]], the adoptive heir of [[Bilbo Baggins]], and the protagonist of the War of the Ring. Unlike the great warriors of the age, Frodo’s strength lay in his resilience, his pity, and his ability to endure a spiritual corruption that would have claimed a lesser soul in days.
The Inheritance
After Bilbo’s departure from [[Bag End]] in 3001 Third Age, Frodo inherited his uncle’s estate and his most secret possession: a plain gold ring. For seventeen years, Frodo lived a quiet life until [[Gandalf]] the Grey returned with the terrifying truth—the trinket was actually [[The One Ring]] of the Dark Lord [[Sauron]].
At the age of fifty, Frodo fled the Shire accompanied by [[Samwise Gamgee]], [[Merry Brandybuck]], and [[Pippin Took]]. His journey was immediately beset by the [[Nazgul]], and at [[Weathertop]], he was struck by a [[Morgul-blade]], a wound that would never fully heal and would forever tie his spirit to the wraith-world.
The Choice at Rivendell
Upon reaching [[Rivendell]], Frodo was healed by [[Elrond]]. During the subsequent council, when the great powers of the world argued over the Ring's fate, Frodo famously stood and took the burden upon himself:
"I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way."
As the leader of [[The Fellowship of the Ring]], he traveled through [[Moria]] and [[Lothlórien]]. However, after the breaking of the Fellowship at [[Amon Hen]], Frodo realized the Ring's corruption was already affecting his companions. He chose to strike out for [[Mordor]] alone, though he was followed by the ever-loyal [[Samwise Gamgee]].
The Ordeal of the Waste
The latter half of Frodo's journey was a descent into physical and mental agony. Accompanied and guided by the treacherous [[Gollum]], Frodo crossed the [[Emyn Muil]] and the [[Dead Marshes]]. The Ring grew heavier with every step, a "Wheel of Fire" that began to erase his memories of the Shire, food, and even the sun.
His mercy toward [[Gollum]]—driven by his own understanding of the Ring's shadow—ultimately saved the quest. Though Frodo finally succumbed to the Ring’s power at the Cracks of [[Mount Doom]], claiming it as his own, it was Gollum’s intervention and subsequent fall that resulted in the Ring's destruction in 3019 Third Age.
The Passing of the Grey Havens
Frodo returned to the Shire and helped lead the [[Scouring of the Shire]], but he found he could no longer find peace in his old life. He suffered from recurring pain from his various wounds and the psychological trauma of his burden.
As a Ring-bearer, he was granted the ultimate grace: passage to the West. In 3021 Third Age, Frodo joined [[Bilbo Baggins]], [[Gandalf]], and the Keepers of the Three Rings at the [[Grey Havens]], sailing into the [[Undying Lands]] to find the healing he could not find in Middle-earth.