In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and his Hobbit companions experienced a couple of dramatic adventures before even arriving at the Prancing Pony. Then, after one of the Nazgûl stabbed Frodo, the Elf-lord Glorfindel brought Frodo to Rivendell. In director Peter Jackson's adaptation, there were no adventures before the Prancing Pony (beyond a close encounter with a Black Rider), and Arwen took Frodo to the House of Elrond. After that, however, they formed the Fellowship of the Ring, and most of Tolkien and Jackson's work synced perfectly.
One of the underappreciated ways that Jackson's adaptation aligned with Tolkien's source material was how accurately he represented the characters. One of the ways that Jackson did so was by making sure that almost everyone in the Fellowship was the same as they were in the books. With that said, here's a look at how old all nine members of the Fellowship were when they departed from Rivendell and how that affected their characters.
Updated on September 13, 2023, by Ajay Aravind: There might be countless characters in Tolkien's vast legendarium, but none are as popular as the major characters in The Lord of the Rings. In particular, the Fellowship of the Ring and its nine members are extremely important players in the history of the Third Age of Middle-earth. Viewers have always been interested in these nine characters, which is why we've updated this list with some more information.
9 How Old Is Gandalf?
About 2,000
The short answer is that Gandalf walked in Middle-earth for about 2,000 years before returning to the Valinor from the Grey Havens. However, there is a much longer answer. Like Sauron and the other Istari, Gandalf was a Maiar, an angelic spirit created by Eru at the beginning of time. Therefore, one has to calculate the age of creation itself to determine Gandalf's real age, which can be complicated.
The history of Arda is divided into three parts: The Years of the Lamps, The Years of the Trees, and The Years of the Sun (which comprise all three ages of Middle-earth). After a lot of math, and a conversion factor between Valian Years and Solar Years, a reasonable estimate puts Gandalf's age at about 55,000 years. That, however, doesn't factor in any time that passed before Eä was created. Either way, Gandalf was extremely old and equally wise.
8 How Old Is Legolas?
2,931 (In The Films)
Gandalf's age is complicated, but Legolas' age is even more difficult to pin down. Tolkien actually never specified an age for the bow-toting Silvan Elf. Moreover, there's conflicting evidence. Legolas called the other members of the Fellowship "children," indicating his advanced age. Still, he was never mentioned to have fought in The Last Alliance. So, his age could range from over 3,000 years old (considering his father was born in the First Age) to only a few hundred years old. Jackson simply picked a birth year for Legolas. According to the official movie guide for The Lord of the Rings, that year was TA (Third Age) 87, making Legolas 2,931 at the time of the War of the Ring.
7 How Old Is Gimli?
139
Unlike Elves and Men, the Valar Aulë created the Dwarves. Because of that, Eru decreed that Dwarves would not have the same longevity as the Elves, but they also wouldn't taste the sting of Man's short life. That amounted to an average lifespan of between 200 and 300 years, although Dwalin lived to the ripe old age of 340. During the time of the Fellowship, Gimli was 139 years old, which meant he was still relatively young, although he was starting to feel middle age creeping on. More interestingly, Gimli and Legolas were the last members of the Fellowship to leave Middle-earth behind. They built a ship in Ithilien around 120 years into the Fourth Age, which made Gimli 259 years old before he left for Valinor.
6 How Old Is Aragorn?
87
Aragon's age can be deceptive. Although he looks like he would only be in his forties, Aragorn was actually 87 during the time of the Fellowship. Unlike the Elves, most Men in Middle-earth were cursed with short and feeble lives. However, the Valar granted the men of Númenor long lives because their ancestors had assisted the Elves in defeating Morgoth. Númenoreans could live several hundred years, but because of Sauron's corruption and intermarrying, that gift began to fade. All things considered, Aragorn made it to the age of 210, so he was clearly still in his prime during the time of the Fellowship.
5 How Old Is Frodo Baggins?
50
The Fellowship of the Ring opened with Bilbo and Frodo celebrating their birthdays. Bilbo was 111, and Frodo was 33. Hobbits considered 33 a coming-of-age year, making a 33-year-old hobbit's birthday party akin to 18 for humans. That said, knowing that Frodo was 50 when he took the One Ring to Mordor meant that he was older than Jackson portrayed him in his films.
Also, knowing that most Hobbits lived to be around 100 means that Frodo was somewhat middle-aged, which consequently implies that he would have been more respectable than his Hobbit traveling companions. Frodo was 53 years old when he left Middle-earth behind forever.
4 How Old Is Boromir?
40
Just like Aragorn, Boromir was granted the gift of a long life because of his noble (albeit diluted) Númenorean bloodline. However, Boromir was only 40 years old when he joined the Fellowship. That meant Boromir was less than half of Aragorn's age. That large age gap explained Boromir's often brash decisions, but it also accounted for his deference to Aragorn, who was the rightful heir to Gondor. Boromir's father Denethor was 89 years old when he perished in a pyre of his own making, but had also practically lost all his wits before the end. As such, it can be assumed that the line of Gondor Stewards had the same lifespans as any ordinary Men.
3 How Old Is Samwise Gamgee?
38
Throughout The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sam addressed Frodo as "Mister Frodo." That, however, didn't simply reflect his respect for the ringbearer — it was deference as an employee and a younger Hobbit. Tolkien wrote Sam as 38 years old, making him 12 years younger than Frodo. On top of that, Sam was Frodo's gardener, having inherited the job from his father Hamfast.
These two details explain why Sam called Frodo "Mister Frodo," even after Jackson wrote them to be closer in age. Regardless, he never really outgrew that servant mindset, and thanks to him, Frodo accomplished his quest. Although Samwise stayed behind in the Shire for several decades longer than Frodo, he finally made his trip to Valinor at the age of 102.
2 How Old Is Meridoc Brandybuck?
36
Only two years younger than Sam, Merry was 36 during the time of the Fellowship. That meant he was only three years past his coming-of-age birthday and barely an adult. Along with Pippin, he added some youthful vigor to the Fellowship, but he was more mature than the younger Took. Meriadoc ended up becoming the Master of Buckland, a title that partly referenced his Brandybuck heritage. He spent most of his time penning a tome called Old Words and Names in the Shire, which compared the linguistic similarities between the Hobbits and the Rohirrim. He was known to have survived until at least the age of 102 — following his death, Merry was buried in Gondor.
1 How Old Is Peregrin Took?
28
Clearly meant to be a young troublemaker, Pippin was only 28 when Fellowship was formed, which meant he hadn't even reached his coming-of-age birthday. In other words, Pippin was an adolescent jokester and always getting into trouble, as exemplified by the fireworks mishap at Bilbo's birthday party. However, it didn't end there, and he caused a number of other problems as the Fellowship journeyed along.
After the War of the Ring, Pippin spent the next five decades as the Thain of the Shire. He had only one child, naming him after his friend Faramir (who became Aragorn's Steward). Pippin and Merry were eventually buried next to each other in Aragorn's mausoleum.