Gandalf's favourite Hobbit

[Inderjit Sanghera]

Who do you think Gandalf's favourite Hobbit was? Though I think he would never admit it, it was probably Pippin.

[eleanor_niphredil]

My fave hobbit is definatly Pippin, but I think that I would say Gandalf prefers Frodo. Why else would he visit him so often in the shire?

[MLD-Grounds-Keeper-Willie]

I think he really began to like Pippin at the end, after he looked in the Palantir. And he always liked Frodo. I really don't think he had a favorite. That would be very hard for him. He could most likely narrow it down to four. But I'd say it would be Bilbo. But then again it might be the Old Took. The Old Took and Gandalf were good friends, but I don't think it ever said how good. But Gandalf chose Bilbo out of all the Hobbits. Then chose Frodo. But I think it goes like this. Either Bilbo or the Old Took is Gandalf's favorite, whoever isn't is second, Frodo is third, and Pippin is fourth.

[Diamond18]

Hmmm...well, the thing he liked about Bilbo was the spark of Tookishness in him, but Pippin had too much Tookishness for his tastes. I read that in Unfinished Tales.

Something to note is that he reacts favoribly to Merry at times when he would have snapped at Pippin.

For instance, compare these three passages:

"What are you going to do then?" asked Pippin, undaunted by the wizard's bristling brows.

"Knock on the doors with your head, Peregirn Took," said Gandalf. "But if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little patience from foolish questions, I will seek for the opening words."

Merry: "...One has a chance of putting a question a second time. Are we riding far tonight?"

Gandalf laughed. "A most unquenchable hobbit! All Wizards should have a hobbit or two in their care—to teach them the meaning of the word, and to correct them. I beg your pardon. But I have given thought to even the simple matters. We will ride for a few hours, gently, until we come to the end of the valley. Tomorrow we will ride faster..." [This is followed by a whole nother paragraph, as he gives Merry a very long and patient answer.]

"But I should like to know—" Pippin began.

"Mercy!" cried Gandalf. "If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?"

So, whether or not Gandalf had a favorite, there is proof that he favored Merry over Pippin. I haven't forgiven him yet. smilies/wink.gif

[Dorathain_Flamesword]

True, I must agree, that at times, he favored Merry overall, but when Pippin and he finally made it to Minas Tirith in Gondor, and Pippin swore loyalty to Denethor, and all of that mess with the battle of the Pelennor Fields, through all of Pippin's questions, senseless or intellegent, Gandalf began finally to like Pippin a lot more than he ever had.

[Eruwen]

Whoa, I didn't know the whole "What are you going to do then" scene was in the books. Wow I really need to go read them again.

Anyway, I'm not really sure if I can say whether Gandalf had a favorite or not. I think he liked all Hobbits in general. Yes, he might have leaned towards one or the other at different times, but to choose between Bilbo, the Old Took, Frodo, and many others, I just don't think he could have done it.

I think the ones he was closest to were Bilbo and Frodo. Bilbo because of the whole Dragon thing and Frodo probably just because he happened to live with Bilbo and see Gandalf everytime he comes to visit. The other Hobbits of the Shire would probably come next, though. But deciding a favorite? I just don't know if Gandalf even had one.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Grounds keeper -- I agree with you. The Old Took and Bilbo might be tied for first. Remember the gift that Gandalf gave the Old Took?....Diamond studs that would button and unbutton themselves. Plus, if you look in Unfinished Tales, we learn that Gandalf has been keeping an eye on Bilbo since he was a young lad.

There was a long time after the Old Took's death when Gandalf did not visit the Shire or show off his fireworks to the hobbits. He came back to prod Bilbo into going on an adveture. After that adventure, Bilbo became the light in the Shire which Gandalf used to start knocking the younger hobbits out of their complacence, and their reluctance to head out on adventures. Who knows what would have happened if Bilbo had not been there to tell his tales, teach Sam his letters, etc.?

Frodo...Frodo was different. He was probably the hobbit over whom Gandalf shed the most tears. And I don't doubt that he did shed tears, since he had to heap such a great burden on him so that Frodo would never find true healing in Middle-earth or live a hobbit life again.

[Gorwingel]

I have only read LOTR and The Hobbit so those are the only things I know about. It seems to me Frodo was not his favorite, but was the one that he felt the most sorry about. Pippin he seemed to like some times but then Pippin would do something dumb, but they would still have a friendly relationship. Bilbo also he seemed to like a lot, but maybe since Gandalf lived so long that the one he spent the most time with would change with the generations.

[anduin angel 44]

frodo had 2 have been his favorite...he visited him a lot in the shire and he protects him

[MLD-Grounds-Keeper-Willie]

anduin angel 44:

frodo had 2 have been his favorite...he visited him a lot in the shire and he protects him

What about Bilbo? Usually when he was visiting Frodo, he was actually coming to visit Bilbo, not Frodo. And he protected Bilbo too, he would have on the journey the whole time but he had more pressing issues at hand. The only reason he constantly protected Frodo up until Moria was because Frodo was carrying the ring. And what about the Old Took? I don't mean to say that you're wrong, but please read the other posts first, or else what you say could sound stupid (not saying your post was stupid either, just giving you a heads up for the future). smilies/smile.gif

[elvenjedi]

The hobbits of the fellowship? I'd have to say Frodo, for obvious reasons, though it could have possibly been Pippin...

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Well, it does say in the book that Gandalf thought Frodo the best Hobbit in the Shire.

[MLD-Grounds-Keeper-Willie]

Gandalf thought Frodo the best Hobbit in the Shire.

Well, when Gandalf said this, was Bilbo in the Shire? And does the Old Took count? Was he buried in the Shire? And if he was, I don't think he would count because he's dead (his soul isn't with him). And best does not always mean favorite.

I'm not saying that you said this means Frodo was the favorite,
I'm just trying to argue against what you said. To me it looks like propaganda in a way. Please don't get mad. smilies/smile.gif

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

How could I get mad at my favourite estranged Scotsman?

It says that Bilbo (and Gandalf) had thought Frodo the best Hobbit in the Shire. This implies that they thought it when things were still normal at Bag End. (Translate 'normal' however you want to!)

But you're right; did dead Hobbits count? Hmmmm.....I'm going to go with no, probably not. But I still think Frodo was his favourite, even ahead of the Old Took.