List of Middle-earth characters
The following is a list of notable characters from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. The list is for characters from Tolkien's writings only.
A[]
- Aragorn: Descendant of Isildur who was a principal figure in both the Fellowship of the Ring and the War of the Ring. Became king over the reunited kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.
- Arwen: Daughter of Elrond Half-elven and Celebrían, marries Aragorn at the end of the War of the Ring and becomes queen of the reunited kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.
B[]
- Balin: Dwarf companion of Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit. Slain during an attempt to retake Moria.
- Bard the Bowman: Man of Esgaroth who slayed Smaug the dragon.
- Beorn: Skin-changer who resides in the region of Mirkwood and takes the form of a great bear.
- Bilbo Baggins: A hobbit adventurer. Discovered the One Ring after its loss by Gollum.
- Boromir: Member of the Fellowship of the Ring, son and heir to Denethor II of Gondor. Slain by Uruk-hai at Amon Hen.
C[]
- Celebrimbor: Noldorin smith and grandson of Fëanor, who led the creation of all but one of the twenty Rings of Power. Tortured to death by Sauron.
D[]
- Denethor: Steward of Gondor during the events of the Lord of the Rings. Committed suicide during the Siege of Gondor.
E[]
- Eärendil and Elwing: Half-elven couple, heroes of the War of Wrath as well as the progenitors of the royal Númenorean and Dúnedain bloodlines through their sons Elrond and Elros.
- Elendil: Númenorean nobleman whose sons founded the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor in Middle-earth. Slain during the final battle between Sauron and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
- Elrond: Ruler of the elven refuge of Rivendell. Son of the Half-elves Eärendil and Elwing, husband of Celebrian, father of Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir.
- Éomer: Brother of Éowyn, nephew and heir of Théoden, King of Rohan. Son-in-law of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth.
- Éowyn: Sister of Éomer and member of the royal house of Rohan. Slayer of the Witch King of Angmar. Married Faramir after the War of the Ring.
F[]
- Faramir: Son of Denethor II of Gondor, brother of Boromir, and husband of Éowyn following the War of the Ring.
- Fëanor: Son of Finwë and Míriel. The greatest Noldorin smith to have ever lived, he forged the three jewels known as Silmarils. Slain by Balrogs.
- Finrod Felagund: Grandson of Finwë and Elvenking of Nargothrond. He died from wounds sustained by saving his friend Beren from a werewolf.
- Finwë and Míriel: Parents of Fëanor and leaders of the Noldorin migrants to the Undying Lands. Míriel dies at childbirth,while Finwë is slain by Morgoth.
- Frodo Baggins: Cousin (informally, 'nephew') of Bilbo Baggins who bore the One Ring to its destruction in Mount Doom.
G[]
- Galadriel: Co-ruler of Lothlórien alongside her husband Celeborn. Relative of numerous notable characters in Tolkien's legendarium through bloodline and kinship.
- Gandalf: A wizard. A member of the Fellowship of the Ring. Killed in battle in Moria, but returns to play a leading role in the defeat of Sauron.
- Glorfindel: Noldorin elf-lord notable for his death and resurrection within Tolkien's legendarium.
- Gimli: Dwarven member of the Fellowship of the Ring and a major character in The Lord of the Rings.
- Goldberry: Mysterious entity known as the River-woman's daughter, wife of Tom Bombadil.
- Gollum: Possessor of the One Ring until taken by Bilbo Baggins. Falls into the Crack of Doom after retaking the ring from Frodo Baggins.
- Gríma Wormtongue: An ally of Saruman who gave false advice to Théoden, King of Rohan. Slain by hobbit militia during the Scouring of the Shire.
H[]
- Húrin: Human warrior of the First Age, and the father of Túrin Turambar.
I[]
- Isildur: Son of Elendil, and co-founder of the kingdom of Gondor. Took the One Ring from Sauron at the end of the Second Age, but was later slain at the Disaster of the Gladden Fields.
L[]
- Legolas: Elven member of the Fellowship of the Ring and a major character in The Lord of the Rings.
- Lúthien and Beren: The ancestors of the Half-elven bloodline.
M[]
- Maedhros: Noldorin elf lord and eldest of the Sons of Fëanor. Committed suicide after recovering one of the lost Silmarils.
- Melian: Maia who took the physical form of an Elf. Queen of Doriath in the First Age. Wife of Elu Thingol and mother of Lúthien.
- Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck: A hobbit member of the Fellowship of the Ring and companion of Frodo Baggins. Assisted Éowyn in the slaying of the Witch-King of Angmar.
- Morgoth: The first Dark Lord in Tolkien's legendarium, originally known as Melkor. Succeeded by Sauron after his defeat and banishment by the Valar following the War of Wrath.
P[]
- Peregrin "Pippin" Took: A hobbit member of the Fellowship of the Ring and companion of Frodo Baggins. Served as a Guard of the Citadel of Minas Tirith during the War of the Ring.
R[]
- Radagast: one of the Five Istari or Wizards who has an affinity with nature.
S[]
- Samwise Gamgee: Loyal companion of Frodo Baggins during his journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring.
- Saruman: A wizard. Once the leader of the Istari, he attempted to form his own empire as a rival of Sauron and was defeated at the Battle of the Hornburg. Murdered by Gríma Wormtongue during the Scouring of the Shire.
- Sauron: The primary antagonist of The Lord of the Rings. He crafted the One Ring, and was destroyed upon its destruction at the end of The Return of the King.
- Shelob: Monstrous spider and last notable spawn of Ungoliant.
- Smaug: A dragon and primary antagonist of The Hobbit. Slain by Bard the Bowman.
T[]
- Théoden: King of Rohan, uncle of Éomer and Éowyn. Fell in battle during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
- Thingol: Elvenking of the Sindarin realm of Doriath in the First Age. Husband of Melian and father of Lúthien. Slain by dwarves over a dispute concerning one of the Silmarils.
- Thranduil: Elvenking of the Silvan realm of Mirkwood, father of Legolas.
- Thorin Oakenshield: Dwarf noble who led the company of dwarves that retook Erebor from the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit. Slain during the Battle of the Five Armies.
- Tom Bombadil: A mysterious figure who aided the hobbits during their departure from the Shire in The Fellowship of the Ring.
- Treebeard: Leader of the Ents in The Lord of the Rings.
- Tuor and Idril: Heroes of the First Age and parents of Eärendil as the second married union of Men and Elves. Left Middle-earth for Valinor, where Tuor is said to be counted amongst the Elven kindreds.
- Túrin Turambar: A First Age hero who is embroiled in a tragic fate along with the rest of his family and ultimately committed suicide.
U[]
W[]
- Watcher in the Water: A mysterious aquatic creature who lives in a pool guarding the gates of Moria.
See also[]
- List of The Hobbit characters – complete list of characters in The Hobbit
- List of original characters in The Lord of the Rings film series – original characters in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
- List of original characters in The Hobbit film series – original characters in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy
- Middle-earth peoples – descriptions of races and groups in the legendarium
- Women in The Lord of the Rings – analysis of female characters in The Lord of the Rings
Categories:
- Lists of Middle-earth characters
- Lists of literary characters
- Middle-earth characters
- Middle-earth lists