The Fellowship of the Ring

For the fellowship, home and exile are concepts that elucidate their sense of purpose in destroying the Ring. Frodo’s love of the Shire motivates him to sell his beloved home, Bag End, and leave Hobbiton. He realizes, “This would mean exile,” and he is willing to risk his life so those in the Shire can remain “safe and comfortable” (61). The theme of exile runs throughout the history of each member of the fellowship. The Dwarves long to return to the city of Khazad-dûm, the ancient home lost when the Balrog awoke. Gildor and his “Wandering Companies” introduce themselves as “Exiles” (79) and allude to their original home in Valinor, west of the Sea, in song. The Elves sing,

We still remember, we who dwell

In this far land beneath the trees

Thy starlight on the Western Seas (78).

Galadriel also references the exile status of Elves in her parting song to the Company and refers to Middle-earth as “these lands of exile” (369). Finally, Aragorn is also an exilic figure, living in secrecy in the wilderness. His “home” is more symbolic, as he wishes to unite the ancient kingdoms of his ancestors, Arnor and Gondor, and wed his true love, Arwen. This longing also ties to his identity, as he wanders through Middle-earth under different names and guises, his identity severed from his ancestral roots.

Despite the sorrow and loneliness of their exilic status, the members also demonstrate the rewards of navigating and adapting what it means to have a home. Legolas’s roots are in Middle-earth, and he holds Lórien as the “fairest of all the dwellings of my people” (326). When he sings “The Song of Nimrodel,” he expresses not a longing for Valinor, but the sorrow of the Elves who “left their dwellings and departed” (332) Lórien. Sam also recognizes that the Elves of Lórien have made Middle-earth their home. He tells Frodo, “Now these folks aren’t wanderers or homeless, and seem a bit nearer to the likes of us: they seem to belong here, more even than Hobbits do in the Shire. Whether they’ve made the land, or the land’s made them, it’s hard to say” (351). The prospect of Sauron’s defeat is bittersweet for many of the Elves, as his destruction hastens the end of their time in Middle-earth. Like Frodo’s love of the Shire, the Elves’ love of Middle-earth motivates them to do all they can to save it, even if it means they will eventually leave and never return.

Though exiled, the characters have also found strength and unity in their wanderings. Frodo admits, though not to Gandalf, that a part of him wishes to see the larger world. Hobbits traditionally have been least invested in engaging the outside world, as they are self-sufficient and happy in their own realm. However, Frodo “began to feel restless, and the old paths seemed too well-trodden. He looked at maps, and wondered what lay beyond their edges” (42). By leaving their homelands, Hobbits, Men, Elves, and Dwarves forge a stronger bond among themselves and become no longer strangers. When he meets Frodo, Gildor expresses delight at hearing Elvish “from the lips of other wanderers of the world” and bestows upon him the title of “Elf-friend” (83). Aragorn finds that in his secret wanderings, he has been the most successful in resisting Sauron’s forces. Throughout his life, Aragorn has gone by other names: Strider, Ranger, Elessar, Estel, the Dúnadan, and Thorongil. His various names, rather than solely signifying a fractured identity, also reflect the diverse realms in which he feels at home and is welcomed; “Not all those who wander are lost” (241) is Bilbo’s verse for Aragorn, and the line suggests Aragorn has found many places to call home and is all the wiser for it. As a juxtaposition, not wandering and remaining stationary for too long can be a weakness. The isolationism of Lórien keeps the Elves from learning different languages and cultures and perpetuates division and mistrust. Haldir comments, “We live now upon an island amid many perils, and our hands are more often upon the bowstring than upon the harp” (339). Sam even feels discomfort in Lórien despite feeling “[i]t’s like being at home and on a holiday at the same time” (352). He is anxious to leave and continue their quest because the Elves seem content to remain detached and cloistered.

Gandalf, the oldest and wisest in all Middle-earth, epitomizes the power that wanderings hold. He, too, is a wanderer, far from his home in Valinor. His Elvish name, Mithrandir, means “Grey Pilgrim” (350), and in his travels throughout Middle-earth he has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and compassion. Not incidentally, he mentions to Frodo, “Among the Wise I am the only one that goes in for hobbit-lore: an obscure branch of knowledge, but full of surprises” (47). Plotwise, Gandalf’s extensive study of the Ring’s history and of Hobbits allows the fellowship to strategize. Figuratively, wandering is a metaphor for venturing beyond boundaries to gain wisdom and enlightenment.