The Lord of the Rings trilogy tells the epic quest of Frodo to destroy the One Ring in Mordor and save Middle-earth from the threat of the Dark Lord Sauron. Though he’s the only one capable of bearing the Ruling Ring without succumbing to its dominance, he doesn’t do it alone.
Sure, the story focuses on Frodo and the other main characters, but several others have come to his aid to ensure victory.
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From the more minor roles whose achievements are often overlooked to the warriors who have made great sacrifices to face Sauron’s armies, here are the top five unsung heroes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Treebeard
Also known as Fangorn, Treebeard is the oldest of the Ents living in Middle-earth. The ancient tree-like being is the “shepherd of the trees,” who protects the forests from Orcs and other dangers.
Though his scenes with Merry and Pipping were dubbed as “the boring part” of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, it was good to note that their slow and methodical ways were the reasons that they remained alive. They were the oldest creatures in the land, anyway.
But without his help, Merry and Pippin couldn’t have survived their fight against Isengard. The two clung to his branches to attack the fortress of Gondor.
The trees also flooded the area and washed the Orcs away. This made Saruman watch in horror as he stood in his tower and couldn’t do anything.
Though it took him a while to decide what to do, Treebeard helped save the heroes and significantly impacted the war.
Elrond
Elrond, the mighty Lord of Rivendell, knew the threat the Ring posed, so he wanted it destroyed in Mount Doom.
Though he failed to convince Gondor King Isildur to cast the One Ring to the fire ages ago to end the war after bringing him there, he made up for it by letting Frodo be the Ring-bearer and naming the hobbit and his companions the Fellowship of the Ring.
Elrond tried to ensure the Ring of Power would be destroyed in Mount Doom to defeat Sauron.
A great example is when he helped heal Frodo after the Witch-king stabbed him so that he could continue his journey.
He, too, was the one who sent help to Theoden and Helm's Deep and reunited the line of Gondor kings through the Sword of Elendil.
In addition, he pointed Aragorn and the remaining Fellowship members to the direction of the Dead Men of Dunharrow, helping win the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Eowyn
As the niece of King Theoden, Eowyn’s role was to look after the people of Rohan. But despite being surrounded by men, she didn’t let her gender get in the way of helping their people, family, and Middle-earth.
After telling Aragorn, “Those without swords can still die upon them,” she broke free to join the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, albeit in disguise in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
She finally wielded a sword to fight and protected Merry while singlehandedly batting a Mukamil. The shieldmaiden also faced the Witch-king of Angmar to save King Theoden.
Though the Witch-king declared, “No man can kill me,” Merry stabbed him from the back and dramatically took off her helmet, saying, “I am no man.”
Indeed, no man could kill him but a woman.
Arwen
Arwen played a significant role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, especially in The Fellowship of the Ring. However, she fought as hard as other heroes in the movies, and her role as a saviour was often overlooked.
When Frodo got stabbed by a Morgul blade at Weathertop, no one from Sam or Aragorn could save him.
Though Aragorn offered to take him to Arwen’s father, Elrond, to be healed, she refused and did it herself. She was a faster rider, anyway.
Arwen bravely brought Frodo to Rivendell while being followed by several Nazgul. She said, “I do not fear them,” with conviction and summoned the water to sweep Nazgul when she reached the River Bruinen.
On the verge of death, she managed to save Frodo so that he could continue his journey to destroy the Ring.
Samwise Gamgee
Frodo might be the ring bearer, but Samwise Gamgee, also known as Sam, was just a hero himself—if not more than Frodo.
This overlooked hero of the saga was the one behind Frodo’s success. If Frodo carried the burdens that came with the Ring, Sam faced all the hurdles that came Frodo’s way.
Determined to accompany his best friend, he conquered his fear and kept Frodo safe.
He stood between Frodo and the evils around him. He even rescued Frodo from the Shelob after Gollum brainwashed him to hate Sam.
And despite the dangers that loomed, he carried Frodo upwards to the entrance of Mount Doom to destroy the Ring.
Indeed, no one deserves to be the No. 1 unsung hero of The Lord of the Rings trilogy but Sam.
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