Aragorn II a.k.a. Strider, Elessar Telcontal, Dunadan, born in T.A. 2931, is a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. At the age of two after his father’s death he was taken into the care of Elrond in Rivendell. He doesn’t know his real name and the elves call him Estel, which means “hope” in Sindarin. Aragorn is undoubtedly the last hope to restore the House of Isildur. His renowned ancestor cut Sauron’s finger together with the Ring off in 3441. Since Elendil, Isildur’s father, was the 1st king of Gondor and Arnor, Aragorn, in his turn, is an heir-at-law to the throne. However, for the time being, no one suspected that, and Stewards ruled the Kingdom.

Boromir, born in T.A. 2978, son of Denethor II, Steward of Gondor, is a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. He was named after the 11th Steward of Gondor who repulsed orc’s attack on the Ithilien lands in T.A. 2475.
He always wanted to become a great warrior and, therefore, learned the art of fencing as well as the military theory. At last, Boromir was appointed as the Commander of Gondor. In June 3018 he defeated Sauron’s attack on Osgiliath, which means “Star Citadel” in Numenorean. At that time he had a vision-like dream. To seek the meaning of that dream he set out to Imladris (or Rivendell) and found himself at the Council of Elrond.omir.

Frodo Baggins, born on September 22, 2968 T.A., is the key figure of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy "The Lord of the Rings". Like the other hobbits from the Fellowship of the Ring, he dwells in the Shire. Frodo is the only son of Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck. Not much is known about his father, who is characterized by Gamgee as "a decent hobbit; there was never much to tell of him, till he drownded". As to his mother – the youngest daughter of the Brandybuck’s – it is known that she was Bilbo Baggins’ cousin. Bilbo, a respectable hobbit, is undoubtedly well-known not only from "The Lord of the Rings", but also from "The Hobbit".

Gandalf the Grey, an immortal being, is a wizard, one of the five Istari (i.e. “wise” in Kvenian) and a maiar. Before coming to Middle-earth (T.A. 1000) like any other maiar he was subject to the Volar. He can appear both in visible and invisible form.
Gandalf is also known as Mithrandir (i.e. “grey wanderer” in Sindarin) and Olyrin, a name given to him in Valinor. In “The Silmarillion” wisest of the Maiar was Olyrin who dwelt in Lyrien. His ways took him often to the house of Nienna, and of her he learned pity and compassion. This gives grounds to believe that Gandalf and Olyrin was one and the same person. In Middle-earth the wizard sympathized with the weak and those who heard his prayers were awakened from despair and ceased thinking about Evil. In “The Silmarillion” very little is said about the wizard but “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” definitely shed more light on his personality.

Gimli, born in T.A. 2879, is a dwarf from the Darin’s clan, a son of Gloin who took part in the quest to the Lonely Mountain. Gimli spent his childhood in the Blue Mountains.
We get acquainted with Gimli at the Council of Elrond which he attended together with his father. The dwarf speaks about Moria and the hard life of people living under the Mountain. Frodo notices that Gimli’s speech is particularly interesting for him, unlike other stories about the wide lands east of the Mountains. A special part of Gimli’s tale is dedicated to the tidings of Sauron’s messengers. The dwarf has never suspected the existence of the Ring before. But having known the great importance of the journey to Orodruin, he agrees to join the Fellowship of the Ring.

Legolas (whose name in Sindarin means “Greenleaf”) is an elf of the Sindar, a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. Like any other elves he is immortal.
Legolas has extremely good hearing as well as eyesight – all elves are renowned archers able to hit a bird’s eye from a long distance. At the very beginning of the journey the members of the Fellowship find themselves in Hollin, a dwelling place of the elves who went northwards. There Legolas hears the moans of stones while the others hear only the sound of the wind blowing. At that time such qualities of Legolas made him priceless for the Fellowship.

Meriadoc Brandybuck a.k.a. Merry, A hobbit of the Shire, born in T.A. 2982, was the son of Saradoc Brandybuck. He belonged to the most respectable family in the Shire. In 710, according to the chronology of the Shire, his ancestors populated Buckland and began to build their estate, to accommodate all the members of the family. Merry is a great friend of Pippin, Frodo and Sam. Along with them he sets out to Rivendell, where thanks to his persistence Pippin and he were allowed to join the Fellowship of the Ring. If it were not for Gandalf who believed that the loyalty of a true friend was of more value than the might of a warrior, Pippin and Merry would have never done their feat of arms and would never have become famous in Middle-earth.

Peregrin Took a.k.a. Pippin, born in T.A. 2990, was a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. He was named a Counsellor of the Northern Kingdom and made the Thain of the Shire. He was also known as Ernil i Pheriannath, which means the “Prince of the Halflings”.
In many ways his fate and character are similar to those of Merriadoc Brandybuck’s. He constantly shows signs of impatience and strives to poke his nose into other hobbit’s and not only hobbit’s business. Pippin likes to wake up early (see an episode of the journey through the Shire) and never loses an opportunity to toss off a glass of beer. When talking, Pippin is somewhat eccentric, able to demonstrate his thoughts not only through words but also through his facial expressions and gestures. At first, like the other hobbits he is terribly frightened by the Black Riders, but, nevertheless, he looks artificially cheerful and his voice trembles a little.

Samwise Gamgee a.k.a. Sam, A hobbit of the Shire, son of Hamfast Gamgee and Bell Goodchild, born in T.A. 2980, is a friend of the Ring Bearer, Frodo Baggins, as well as his man-servant and side-kick. After the end of the War of the Ring he was made the Master of the Shire seven times.
Sam spent his childhood and adolescence at Bag End, Bilbo Baggins’ estate. Bilbo Baggins, an old and wise hobbit, taught Sam to read and told him stories of his many journeys outside the Shire. Sam took great liking to those stories and dreamt of meeting elves, dwarves and other beings in real life. Like Pippin and Merry, he liked adventure and was very inquisitive. At the beginning of the trilogy when Gandalf was telling Frodo about the Ring, outside Sam happened to be working in the garden. Gandalf, of whom Sam was terribly afraid at first, pulled him out by his ear. As a punishment the wizard gave Sam a special task – to accompany Frodo on his quest to Rivendell. But that only made Sam happy.