It’s hard to look at the complete group fromThe Lord Of The Ringsthat was the Fellowship Of The Ring and think that there is no way they could have succeeded in their mission. When the various events of the trilogy played out, it became clear that the path to the destruction of the One Ring wasn’t an easy one. It could even be argued that the group would have had no chance of success if they hadn’t split up after the Battle Of Amon Hen.
Despite the fellowship being made up of some of the greatest warriors known toThe Lord Of The Ringsseries, the group may not have been able to stand against the forces of Sauron without putting in efforts across the lands. A major part of Frodo and Sam’s ultimate success was the diversion thatAragorn and company were able to put onin the final moments of the War of the Ring. It will always be speculation, but it might just be the case that the fellowship wouldn’t have made it had they stayed together.
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Who Was In The Fellowship Of The Ring?
Originallycreated by Elrond in Rivendell, the Fellowship Of The Ring was a group of heroes who were tasked with taking the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it, and in turn, destroy Sauron once and for all. The group was made up of heroes meant to represent the individual races of Middle Earth coming together to destroy their sworn enemy. Without the combined efforts of the group, even after they split apart, it is likely that the One Ring would have eventually returned to Sauron and he would have taken control of Middle Earth entirely.
The group of ninefeatured four Hobbits, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee and the duo most famously known as Merry and Pippin. These four were from The Shire, and while Merry and Pippin weren’t always sure picks for the group, Frodo was as he was designated as the ring bearer thanks to the peace-seeking nature of the Hobbits and the fact that he was generally a selfless individual. Along with the other Hobbits, Frodo wasn’t likely to succumb to the pull of the ring easily due to him both not seeking power and not actually possessing much power. Merry and Pippin would be captured at the end ofThe Fellowship Of The Ring, but Sam would accompany Frodo to the journey’s end in Mount Doom.
There were two Men in the group, with them being Aragorn and Boromir.Being Isildur’s heir, Aragorn was a deeply important warrior for Middle Earth, even if he is a bit more reserved in his desire to take the throne in the film trilogy. Boromir was the son of a steward of Gondor, making him an important figure in his own right, while also standing out as an excellent warrior. Being the two Men of the group, Aragorn and Boromir were arguably most at risk to the pull of the One Ring.
The rest of the group was rounded out by the skilled Elf warrior Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, and the wise wizard, Gandalf. The eventual friendship between Legolas and Gimli was important in proving thatthe Elvish and Dwarvish peoplecould once again return to good standing with one another. Gandalf is a whole different beast to explain, especially when he returns as Gandalf the White, but his magic abilities were key to the success of the group even while split apart.
What If the Fellowship Stayed Together?
One of the biggest things people wonder about is just how successful the fellowship could have been if they ended up staying together instead of being driven apart at the close ofThe Fellowship Of The Ring. For the sake of this question, it is best to assume that the entire group survivedthe Battle Of Amon Henwithout anyone being captured and that Gandalf immediately rejoined the whole group upon his return as Gandalf the White. Determining what would have become of the group can be a bit tricky.
There were a few major issues right from the start.Boromir has already begun to show his desireto claim the One Ring, something that makes him a liability to the rest of the group. The next issue is exactly which route the full group would have taken. Realistically, regardless of what route the fellowship ended up taking, it might be safest to assume that the group would ultimately be doomed. Without Aragorn taking his forces to rally the Men of the realm, there wouldn’t be a force ready to stand against the might of Sauron.
Somemajor issues including the likes of Saruman, King Theoden, and many others would all still be out there without Aragorn and his companions stepping in. This puts all of Middle Earth at risk and means that the group would potentially have far less chance of success without as many armies fighting for their cause. If the fellowship had tried to do what Frodo and Sam did in the films, the group likely would have been noticed and crushed before they ever made it near Mount Doom.
Could The Fellowship Have Overcome Sauron’s Forces?
When paying attention to the battles across the trilogy, it’s clear that the group was able to stand against even the mightiest of foes. With Gandalf the White by their side, the group would have been incredibly powerful, but if they weren’t able to gatherthe help of other armies, they surely would have been slain at some point. With no real way to know about the issues the rest of Middle Earth was facing, it isn’t unthinkable that much of the realm would be crushed, leading the fellowship to eventually be surrounded by Sauron’s forces.
If the fellowship had no places to flee to on their journey, it would be a meager group of nine, albeit a powerful group, againstthe armies of Sauron. Considering the fact that Aragorn’s army inThe Return Of The Kingwas considered to be going on a bit of a suicide mission, it’s safe to say that they couldn’t realistically handle an entire army. They may have all fought valiantly, but at some point, the group would fall. In a way, Sauron forcing the group apart was the very thing that led to his downfall.
The Lord Of The Ringsis available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
