[ainur]

I have to start with Gollum. He had the toughest row the hoe. Yet, even at the very brink of Mount Doom, he was still a Hobbit in some small way. Most of us could not claim that much strength. I don't know anyone who is that strong. No One! That's a hero!
My favorite, though is Galadriel. She is probably the oldest elf in the story of "The Lord of the Rings" and has been through so much more than you can understand if all you've read is "The Lord of the Rings." She was guilty of collusion in the Kinslaying at Alqualonde, and yet she did not go on the stolen ships back to Middle Earth. She struggled through the Helcarax on foot with all the rest. Her story is the story of Middle Earth, more than anyone else you could meet there. If I recall correctly, she was born in Valinor, but until the end of 'The War of the Ring,' she can never go back there. She is still under the sentence of The Valar because of the Kinslaying. Her general efforts in the war (She went into southern Mirkwood and battled with the Nazgul who were still holding onto Dol Guldur,) and, more importantly, her refusal of The Ring when Frodo offered to give it to her (The Mirror of Galadriel), garnered her a pardon from the Valar. She was the only guilty one left from the Kinslaying still in Middle Earth by the time of "The Lord of the Rings." Many reviews have noticed how mean and evil she seemed in the movie in 'The Mirror of Galadriel' scene in the movie. I think that Peter Jackson just realized how important this was to her (imagine the deciding moment in a ten-thousand year life.)
That's why Galadriel is my favorite. It's the only 'sincere' offer Frodo makes to give up The Ring, (all other offers were strictly out of his own fear and desire to remain unchanged and be relieved of the burden of It.) It's also the most dangerous, since she is the one most likely to consider accepting It. The fact that she doesn't is what makes her a hero. The greatest because she is the oldest, and because she learns wisdom from such as Frodo.