Who is the Greatest hero of all ages?

morgoth- he overcame a lot of adversity to almost become ruler of middle earth. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

[Lush]

The key word here being 'almost.' [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
For me,
Beren & Luthien-the nerve of these two! The daring! The dedication! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Sam & Frodo-two wee hobbits trudging into Mordor! Mind-boggling!
Aragorn-the heir to the throne of Men had to go through a lot to get where he ended up! Wise too, incredibly wise. And restrained.
Eowyn-Magnificent woman. Enough said.
Gandalf-He wrestled a Balrog, for Eru's sake! He stood up to the Witchking of Angmar! He rode Shadowfax! Go Gandalf!
Overall though? When I really, really think about it? Beren & Luthien still hold out on top.

[Airetauriel]

It has to be Sam every time because the question is who is the greatest hero? - not who was the bravest, or who killed the most trolls, or whatever.

Defining hero, to be heroic, is to be selfless, bravery plays a part, loyalty too. Sam was the most heroic of all. Frodo was too, but not so much. He had no choice but to undertake the journey, and though at any point he could have given up, Sam had that option right from the start. Do you think Frodo could have done it without Sam? No!
But, if Frodo had have been killed by Shelob, who of you would doubt that Sam could and would have destroyed the ring alone? I wouldn't doubt it. Sam had the strength of mind and strength of heart to do anything he set his mind to. He still had the power to make Frodo laugh right up unitl the end. Without Sam, Frodo would have succumbed to the ring's power long before he did. Sam searched for water whilst Frodo slept, gave Frodo the lion's share of the food, water and sleep, fought off Gollum twice, and carried Frodo on his back up the slopes of Mount Doom. And yet he was so good at heart he could go back to normal, to be whole again, to raise a family and bring peace back to the Shire. Sam was the hero of all ages.

Airetauriel

i think that the ultimate hero has to be Aragorn, not frodo. frodo is daft, he is forever being saved by others, aragorn got them all out of holes, saved frodo and is the ultimate king! there is no doubting his heroism!

[Gorin Icearms]

My vote has to go to Sam. I mean, how many people would go on a suicide mission just because your buddy's going? And he had the important skills too. He could cook, he could carry stuff, make rope, garden, and he carried Frodo up to Sammath Naur (for the most part).

True, Frodo has the most difficult part of the story. Wrestling with the ring as it tries to overpower his will. But he's a pansy. He'd totally be dead without Sam.

(I'm not trying to argue with anyone by the way. Each to his/her own.) [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[lathspell]

In my opinion all characters mentioned here are hero's in one way or another, but i think you forget the one who did the greatest deed of all times.
Eärendil, he was the one sailing the seas and finding the land shut for them. If he didn't do this deed, all other deeds would have been in vain for Morgoth was winning at the time. Even Doriath and Gondolin were no more. I guess this deed has earned him the title of 'Greatest Hero of all Ages'.

I think if one took enough time, one could name all the heroes of middle earth and all their great deeds, but it would probably take less time just to read all the books.

For the greatest hero of all ages i would have to say Fingolfin for being the only person ever to challenge morgoth in direct combat without the help of the valar.

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

Well, I am a ture fan of Sam and Frodo, and Eowyn, and Aragorn, and Gandalf, and shoot... check out my signature. I agree with it [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Oh wow what a hard question for me to answer but I will have to make my vote(s) on the following

Bilbo's ancestor Bullroarer Took
Gandalf - ohh come on!
Fingolfin
for good measure..Frodo and Sam
and I believe that's it..

~Daisy Grubb

[Menewilwarin of Mirkwood]

Well, i've only read The Hobbit and LOTR (so far) - there is doubtless loads of very heroic bods in other books and stuff...but mine have to be...
Gollum
Bilbo
Frodo
Sam

They (between them) destroyed the ring. If bilbo hadn't got it off gollum Frodo wouldn't have had it and Frodo wouldn't have made it to Mordor without Sam. Also, Gollum destroyed the ring in the end - Frodo would have claimed it and been destroyed by Sauron.

[doug*platypus]

Frodo Baggins.

All those hero types such as Húrin, Aragorn or Eärendil were basically made for that sort of thing. They're superhuman. Frodo on the other hand was just a wee little hobbit, who accomplished more than many of the heroes of old in terms of conquering fear and fighting off relentless evil. I don't think anyone was pursued as closely as Frodo was. Sauron was absolutely desperate to find him and the One Ring. Frodo never gave in to fear, never shirked the burden, even though he was not under any real obligation to do so, at least while the Fellowship lasted.

Sam is truly a great hero, but did not have to sacrifice all that Frodo did. He could have his cake and eat it too, being both a hero and a happy, family hobbit. Gandalf came close to getting my vote, but as a Maia of Arda I believe he had somewhat of an obligation to do what he did. It was his job, you might say, even though he was much better at it than all the others.

frodo is daft, he is forever being saved by others

But he's a pansy. He'd totally be dead without Sam.

I'm thinking of a word starting with 'B' and ending in 'arrow'. I guess even then he did get bailed out by someone else, though. But his personality and charm was what enabled him to get so much help from Bombadil, Gildor, Galadriel, Sméagol and all the rest.

[willkill4food]

im gonna just give possible choices for best hero of different catagories, because, its just to hard otherwise...

Elves:
Male:
Greatest - Feanor followed by Maeglin
Greatest Deed(s) - Fingolfin, Earendil, Elrond, Gil-Galad, Cirdan, Turgon, Maedhros, Finrod, Fingon, Feanor, Olwe, Elwe, Finwe, Ecthelion, Glorfindel, and probably a bunch more I cant remember
Best Looking - Dior
Female:
Greatest: Luthien, Arwen, Galadriel
Greatest Deeds: Luthien
Best Looking: Luthien, Arwen, Galadriel

Men:
Male:
Greatest - Turin, Beren
Greatest Deeds - Turin, Beren, Tour, Huor, Hurin, Aragorn
Best Looking - No idea...

Female:
Greatest - Eowyn...
Greatest Deeds - Eowyn...
Best Looking: Eowyn...
(Im not an Eowyn freak, but how many other female humans are in LotR?"

Dwarves:
Greatest: Dain II, Gimli, Thorin II
Greatest Deeds: Gimli, Thorin II, Dain II
Best Looking: Gimli (no doubt about it)

Animals:
HUON ALL THE WAY!!
or maybe Thorodor

-willkill

[Gurthang]

Greatest? Meaning the most great in action and character I assume. In which case I would have to go with Gandalf.(uncontrollable booing from angry mob of hobbit sympothizers)

Gandalf qualities:

Wisdom: Who wouldn't have taken the Ring when it was offered? Who wouldn't have jumped at the chance to rule the world? I know who didn't.

Courage: Standing up to a Balrog to save your friends when you could just outrun them.

Trust: Leaving a simple hobbit to do a task that should take ten thousand men, knowing his odds are like...er?,well...just not good at all.

Heart: Facing legions of orcs when there is no hope.

And that's not metioning his fighting skills, his sense of humor, and his stunning good looks!

[Potatothan]

maybe not the best hero, but I do think that Fëanor showed he had the most guts when he confinced a huge host to turn away from their own gods.

Biggest hero to me is Beren. It takes something to return from the halls of Mandos and take from the one person who can even match Manwë in strength.

And legolas for lsaying a mumakil and snowboarding on it, but that is a different subject:P

~Potatothan

I agree with Allafinwen. Thats right over all and ultimately Aragorn is the hero of Middle-earth. He is the savoir.

[Gil-numen]

Isildur because he saved the White Tree and beat up Sauron.

----------------------------
"Show it to me"
Thingol to Beren

[TheSquireof Aragorn]

I think heroes are defined by their deeds, based on what was expected of them. For example, Gandalf didn't exceed the expectations of a Maia that much. One wouldn't expect anything less from him. Going on this i would have to say Sam based on him exceeding the expectations of a Hobbit in just about every way.

[thephantomcredits]

Arwen, for bringing Frodo to Rivendell!! My real answer would be Eowyn. She had not been exposed to creatures of such great evil as many of the famous elves and men had been. On her first encounter with a truly great enemy she stood firm and fought.

[Potatothan]

True, but Eowyn was helped by Merry, who's blade was made for that purpouse many years back. And Eowyn too, was meant to defeat the witchking. I think Sam was the one that was the biggest hero come to think of it. Most heroes were meant to do the deeds they did. It was all written out, they are remarkeble for doing it anyway, but sam was not meant to do anything. He just aided frodo, but his assistence was vital to the survival of the ring. Well, survival troughout the journey ofcourse.

Gollum is far from a hero, he did it all because of selfgane, and lost his life by it. For Gollum I only say: What comes around, goes around.

~Potatothan

P.S. I really hope you DO know that it wasn't Arwen who saved frodo in the book, but Glorfindel. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[doug*platypus]

My choice for Greatest Hero is still Frodo Baggins, but Finrod was always one of my favourite possibilities, for his nobility and loyalty as much as his bravery. However, I have just finished reading The Silmarillion for about the 6th time (or so). Some extra things come out every time I read that incredible book. In the song written about the duel of Sauron with Finrod, Sauron is able to penetrate the disguises of Finrod and Beren. This is because of an evil deed from Finrod's past: the Kinslaying at Alqualondë.

It is tempting to blame Fëanor for the ruin of the Noldor, and the deaths of so many immortal Eldar. However, each of the Noldor that rebelled and left Aman, and especially those that drew swords against the Teleri, came under the Doom of Mandos for their own actions. Although many of them, Finrod especially, did great deeds to atone for their past mistakes, I would still not consider them among the very greatest heroes. Hey, there's a lot of competition out there (Aragorn, Gandalf, Elrond)!

Sorry to seem like a hater, but I thought it was interesting to note that many of these "heroes" aren't as perfect as they may seem. The Silmarillion is actually a much grittier and more adult book than The Lord of the Rings for exactly that reason. There's a lot going on underneath the glossy exterior of many of the characters.

[Evisse the Blue]

There's a lot going on underneath the glossy exterior of many of the characters.

You're right. LOTR is more straight forwardly heroical, unblemished heroes and all that.

I vote for Frodo Baggins too. He is clearly the hero of ME. Why? Because he is the chosen one. Because his goodness and willingness to do the right thing makes everyone help him along the way (Just because he is helped along the way doesn't make him less of a hero). And you have it straight from the mouth of Gandalf that no one could have achieved the task except for him.

[Bombadil]

the heroes of middle earth (at least in the 3rd age) are the hobbits, and in particular:

-Merry
-Pippin
-Sam
-Frodo
-Bilbo

without bilbo, the ring wouldve stayed with gollum. without merry and pippin it wouldve been much harder to take over isengard and trap saruman. without frodo and sam...well i dont even ned to explain why there. Merry was part of the killing of the witchking, and pippin diverted sauron's attention my looking in the palantir. And in conclusion, the hobbits of the shire teamed up to fight back against the ruffians and sharky.

[starkat]

Sam- loyal, unconditional friendship, and hope.

[Osse]

I'd have to say my favourites are: (though their feats may not have been as impacting as others...)


Huor, Tuor, Earendil, Fingolfin, Elendil, and of course the tragic hero of any true weeper's dreams; Feanor...


Huor was a loyal, utterly inconquerable man who was willing to die for his lord... the battle of innumerable tears was really his apex eh?

Tuor... such a legend, both a saviour and a trigger for the unfolding of Gondolin, WAS FAVOURED BY ULMO... a real bloke with a real sword... none of this black rubbish like his cousin.

Earendil... enough said!!

Fingolfin, wise, valiant, brave, loyal and a general nice fella... musta scared the jeebs outta morgoth i can tell you.

Elendil... all the virtue and worth of the edain, that was all but lost in Numenor... good looking too

Feanor: now you guys might say: why him, that shmuck started all this fuss, he was a self absorbed twit!!! - well i happen to like him


As for sam and frodo.... coughflukecoughcough


Aragorn might be just off the list, as would Glorfindel, Elrond and Imrahil.

[Gorwingel]

Frodo ( and no, I am not a hobbit fancier by any means )

Because he is the one who gave up the most to complete his task, and if he hadn't, Middle Earth would have most definitely been lost forever.

All those other characters are very heroic, and they should all be very proud of their accomplishments... But as many have said they were in a way born and bred to be heros, to go into battle etc...

But Frodo had no idea when he was just a young little hobbit that he would get involved with something so much bigger than him. He never knew that he would travel to places that he never thought he would go to, and he never thought that he would basically give up his life to save Middle Earth and all the peoples of it.

For me being a hero is not just being extremely strong, or amazingly talented in the many tasks required in battle. It is how much you will give up, and how brave you will be to get a task done, or affect someones life (or a whole bunch of peoples lives).

Frodo is the hero who is the greatest of all the ages because he gave up the most that he could possibly give up (basically he gave up his future), and he did something that was totally unexpected of him and his kind

[Saraphim]

One word: Fingolfin.

If I had money, I would fund a Silmarillion movie just to see Melkor and Fingolfin fight to the death. It's my favorite scene in the whole book.

Here are some more heroes that I'd give a round of applause to:

Thorondor, Luthien, Beren, Huan, Idril, Tuor, Turin, Hurin, Huor, Morwen (one heck of a family there), Finrod Felagund, Glorfindel, The entire Fellowship, Eowyn, Elendil, Isildur, Beleg and a ton more.

[Meneltarmacil]

I would consider Frodo and Sam the greatest heroes of Middle-Earth. Despite all the praise the heroes of the First Age have recieved, it seems to me that their heroic deeds in battle only helped to keep evil at bay for a while and didn't really accomplish much beyond that. But look at what these two hobbits did that a bunch of great warriors could not! They took on the most dangerous task ever and with all odds against them, they perservered through friendship and courage to bring Sauron's power to an end, something that could not be achieved by victories in battle.

I think they deserve to share in this honor because neither one could have done it on his own. They depended on each other to keep going.

And I also believe that Gollum should be recognized for the part he played at the very end, even if it was done for his own evil purposes, as Frodo could not have destroyed the Ring without him.

[Mad Baggins]

Frodo and Sam, for one. They defied all odds and went into Mordor, beat Shelob (which, mind you, even strong Orcs could not do! Then again, they had the power of the Elves on their hands...) and saved Middle-earth to boot.

For another, Finrod, Luthien and Beren. They too defied all odds and retrieved a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. They did what others could not, and that is what makes them all heroes.

[Gothmog]

There are so many great heroes through the history so I can't choose one... You guys (and girls ) have covered most of them (if not all), and I agree with most of you that what Frodo and Sam did is hard to beat.

BUT (hobbit-lovers, please don't kill me ) I must say that I'm more impressed by the elves and men of before... People like Fingolfin, Fingon, Finrod, Gil-Galad, Húrin, Túrin, Huor, Tuor, Eärendil, Beren & Luthien etc etc, well if it weren't for them then there wouldn't be any hobbits by the time of the War of the Ring. If the old heroes would have failed, Middle-Earth had become Morgoth's kingdom to rule, and I don't think he would have liked the hobbits (imagine Morgoth Bauglir walking around in the Shire smelling flowers ).

[Numenorean]

Saraphim -

One word: Fingolfin. If I had money, I would fund a Silmarillion movie just to see Melkor and Fingolfin fight to the death. It's my favorite scene in the whole book

Same here! That and the Nirnaeth Arnoediad would be almost too epic.
For greatest Hero and heroics though, I'd have to salute Beren Erchamion & Lúthien.

[Etharius]

Having only read LotR i haveto say...probably...Gandalf or Aragorn?

[samwise8504]

first age: Fingolfin,Beren,Turin and Earendil
second age: Gil-Galad, Elendil and Isildur.
Third age: Frodo,Sam,Gandalf, Aragorn.
Overall: Frodo and Sam.

[Orophin]

Isildur has to be one of the greatest heroes of all time. He not only escaped the downfall of Numenor with the white tree but also he cut the ring from Sauron's hand. Not to mention he helped found and lead the two entire kingdoms. It is true that he did not destroy the ring but that does not make his other accomplishments worthless.

[The_Hand]

The greatest hero of all time??

Frodo did destroy the One Ring, but without Sam he probaly wouldn't have...
Turin did slay Glaurung, but he was very lucky with it... getting him from underneath...
Gil-galad slayed a Balrog, but so did Gandalf...
And so so so many more I can mention...

I pick Turin because his story is so tragic and heartbreaking.

I would say Isildur. I don´t know if he was the greatest of all heroes but very important person beacuse he at last cutted the ring from Saurons hand.
Of course we have to remember that after that he didn´t destroy the one ring when he got opportunity but he is still a great hero I think.