#samwise gamgee

[voyaging-too]

People often say LOTR is a story about hope. (I'm reminded of it because someone said it in the notes of my Faramir post.) And that's true, but it's not the whole picture: LOTR is in large part a story about having to go on in the absence of hope.

Frodo has lost hope, as well as the ability to access any positive emotion, by Return. He is already losing it in Towers: he keeps going through duty and determination and of course Sam's constant help.

For most of the story, Sam is fueled by hope, which is why it's such a huge moment when he finally lets go of the hope of surviving and returning home, and focuses on making it to the Mountain. To speed their way and lighten the load, he throws his beloved pots and pans into a pit, accepting that he will never cook, or eat, again.

When Eowyn kills the Witch King, she's beyond hope and seeking for a glorious death in battle. It's possible that in addition to her love and loyalty for Théoden, she's strengthened by her hopelessness, the fear of the Nazgúl cannot touch someone who's already past despair.

Faramir is his father's son, he doesn't have any more hope of Gondor's victory or survival than Denethor does, he says as much to Frodo. What hope have we? It is long since we had any hope. ... We are a failing people, a springless autumn. He knows he's fighting a losing war and it's killing him. When he rejects the ring, he doesn't do it in the hope that his people can survive without it, he has good reason to believe they cannot. He acts correctly in the absence of hope.

Of course LOTR has a (mostly) happy ending, all the unlikely hopes come true, the characters who have lost hope gain what they didn't even hope for, and everyone is rewarded for their bravery and goodness, so on some level the message is that hope was justified. But the book never chastises characters who lost hope, it was completely reasonable of them to do so. Despair pushed Théoden and Denethor into inaction, pushed Saruman into collaboration, but the characters who despaired and held up under the weight of despair are Tolkien's real heroes.

(In an early draft of Return, Frodo and Sam receive honorary titles in Noldorin: Endurance beyond Hope and Hope Unquenchable, respectively. Then he cut it, probably because it was stating the themes of the entire book way too obviously, because this is what Tolkien cared about, really: enduring beyond hope. Without hope.)

Also, people who know more than me about the concept of estel, feel free to @ me.

[mlgmtn]

Biblically accurate modern hobbits

[thedailyshire]

I cant express enough how this changed my life and helped me keep going

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)

[oatmealaddiction]

Anyway this is a post about how I would like more Sam fanart please.

[jo-gakky]

guys i love lotr i love the hobbits i love all the characters so much UGHHHH IM INSANEEE

[just-your-tolken-riverhalfling]

Sam and Frodo with magic using fellowship members

"She's a witch! Send her to the Mages' Guild so she can get formal education!"

[mxliv-oftheendless]

Do you guys ever think about how in Two Towers Frodo draws his sword at the beginning of the movie to protect Sam and then at the end of the movie Frodo draws his sword to attack Sam?

[silme-lorien]

slime what is your favourite samfo headcanon

thank you for the ask beloved moot 🧎🏻‍♀️‍➡️

i have a few so buckle up i suppose

frodo (post quest) has obviously lots of nightmares/injuries and sam helps him through it always

sam loves cooking and does it for frodo often

frodo always encourages sam in anything he does, since sam (esp in the books) has a tendency to talk down to himself, frodo usually helps him with it

they write poetry and/or love letters to each other

sam never stopped gardening in bag end

bilbo teases them LITERALLY all the time

frodo likes to pull little pranks on sam

sam putting flowers in frodos hair SUPREMACY

legolas/gimli/aragorn/gandalf/elrond/merry know they’re in love before they themselves know it. and when they realize it they think they’re being very discreet but they’re basically staring into each others eyes 24/7

galadriel also knows like girl..

sam draws and frodo writes (this gives me an idea.. author/illustrator au? anyway)

thats all i have to offer for now <3 ik you asked for my favorite but i feel like a proud parent im not allowed to pick favorites

[frodosrings]

gandalf is the ultimate gatekeeping mansplainer

[honourablejester]

I’ve said before that one of the things I love about old school fantasy art is the expressions. Because Sam’s face here is less fear or desperation, and more ‘fuck, eldritch spiders are heavy’. That faintly annoyed grimace of effort, you know? It’s amazing.

Art by • Ted Nasmith

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

Do you think we will have a scene similar to Sam carrying Frodo? But it would be Mike carrying Will.

Oh, wonderful question

Truth is, I have no idea!

I mean, we kinda got that in s2, no? When will was possessed in the hospital and mike carried him (with struggle) until hopper took over. Maybe I should add that to my masterpost, after all, both Mike and hopper have Sam parallels.

Especially considering: mf possession= the ring and its effects

But I do would love to see it again, for longer, a more obvious parallel. I do think they will be samfroding in s5 (which is to say, going separate from the rest of the group at some point, just both of them). Maybe we get a scene of injured!will and Mike carrying him or maybe even the opposite (Mike also has Frodo parallels), but no, I think if we have this scene again it will also be mike carrying Will. Could be a cool parallel to s2, specially if Mike is able to actually lift him up now.

God, when I think about it, has there been a scene between Sam and frodo they haven't paralleled already? The scene of them flirting talking about how people in the future will want to hear about them and their quest in the future, I guess. Maybe we also get a parallel to this with byler.

I do definitely think we'll get a parallel to frodo leaving the fellowship and Sam following him. Specially because in s5 all the leaks point to scenes with them together, possibly alone, and in S4 they already established that they'll return to be "a team. Friends. Best friends." We also know the importance of Will and his connection to the ud. Will will realize vecna is after him specifically and will try to get away from the rest of the party to not get them in danger, or to not ruin their plans to kill vecna, or maybe he'll get tired and try to kill him himself (remember the rooftop leak, he's acting angry, not like himself... (also a frodo parallel might I add, remember the effects of the ring in the movie)) and mike will realize and follow him... Oh I can't wait. Specially if will goes to the ud (because: ud = mirkwood, but perhaps also mordor) (unless vecna's mindscape = mordor, because there do are signs pointing towards it. Both Mike AND Will being vecna'd proof?? Crazy together and what not)

But yeah mike will be in the ud at some point, I can't wait. Will will probably volunteer to go since he already went there and knows it better that anyone else and mike, with his saviour complex and survivors guilt, is not letting will out of his sight again, no, he's following him. Perhaps that's when we get the sam carrying frodo parallel. Injured!Will, by a demogorgon or vecna or smth. Oh what if instead of Sam carrying frodo (further into mordor) it’s mike carrying will (outside of Mordor, taking him out because he's too weak/injured to escape alone).

In the scene with Sam carrying Frodo there was also gollum jumping on them to stop them… Mike carrying Will in the ud but a demogorgon appears? (Or Vecna. Smth smth Henry/gollum parallels. Gollum attacks Sam, Mike carrying Will but then getting vecna’d? Ok this is a bit wild I don’t really believe this, but!)

I also definitely need to see a “I’m glad to be with you, samwise gamgee, here at the end of all things” scene with byler.

[ardashitposting]

[oogsterboogster]

Oooohhhhhh heheeee oohh weeeeee

[willaminabaggins]

I’m surprised Frodo kissing Sam’s forehead at the Grey Havens wasn’t mentioned here.

absolutely the gayest thing i've ever seen

[shinraalpha]

i love how Gandalf invested in Hobbits in year one and has been pushing them ever since. Thorin, i hear you need help with a breaking and entering. Can I recommend one of these little cunts? Silent as fuck, trust me. Elrond my dude i know you're skeptical but these four chucklefucks just transported a weapon of mass destruction all the way here. Theoden, you've gotta get yourself a hobbit man, I've got a spare one here. Denathor you big prick, take a hobbit - literally this is the bottom of the range but listen to him sing. Beautiful little bastard.

[stanboromir]