Aragorn (Strider)
a member of the Fellowship, who travels with Gimli and Legolas, eventually joining forces with Gandalf, who gives him the palantír.
Éomer the Marshal
the leader of the Riders of Rohan and son of Éomund. He is faithful in his service to Théoden and he destroys the orcs that he finds.
Eowyn
Eowyn is the daughter of Eomund and Theodwyn. She appears in the story as Aragorn is preparing to ride towards the Paths of the Dead. As Eowyn has fallen in love with Aragorn, she is heartbroken, fearing his death. Though she is forbidden to join in the battle, she disguises herself as a ma and taks the name "Dernhelm," leaving Rohan and heading for the battle at Gondor. As "Dernhelm," she rides with Merry and both are wounded in valiant battle. Eowyn's disguise is uncovered and she is sent to the Houses of Healing, for her wound is serious. At the Houses of Healing, Eowyn becomes acquainted with Faramir, who is also injured. They are ultimately married.
Faramir
the brother of Boromir. He offers assistance to Frodo and Sam and in a moment of temptation, he stays true to his word and he refuses to steal the Ring.
Frodo
Frodo is the central figure of Book Four and he is the keeper and bearer of the Ring until the final chapter of The Two Towers. Frodo is the hobbit (halfling) who has the present duty of escorting the Ring to the Cracks of Doom where it may be destroyed. Frodo is accompanied by Sam and also Gollum, for a while, and at the end of The Two Towers, Frodo has made his way to the very boundaries of Mordor but he is wounded by Shebol and Sam leaves him, fearing that he has died. At the end of The Two Towers, Frodo is still drugged when he is seized and imprisoned by orcs.
Gandalf
a wizard who plays a major role in the trilogy. Gandalf the Grey died in a battle with the Balrog near Khazad-Dum. Gandalf has resurrected from the dead however and he now has even more power as Gandalf the White. He leads part of the Fellowship on a separate course than the one upon which Frodo and Sam journey. Notably, Gandalf also deposes Saruman as the most powerful of wizards and he breaks Saruman's staff. At the end of Book Three, Gandalf rides with Pippin, towards Minas Tirith.
Gimli
an axe-wielding dwarf who is a member of the Fellowship.
Gollum (Sméagol)
the deceitful creature from whom Bilbo Baggins first took the Ring in The Hobbit. In The Two Towers, Gollum continues to stalk Frodo and Sam (as he had in The Fellowship of the Ring). Gollum is tamed by Frodo, the master of the Ring, and Gollum is temporarily obedient and he leads Frodo and Sam to the very borders of Mordor. But then Gollum's evil side gains the best of him and he unsuccessfully attempts to feed the hobbits to the monster, Shelob, hoping to claim the Ring as spoils.
Grishnákh
a rebellious orc who gives Uglúk more than he can handle.
Hama
a servant of Théoden who is killed in battle.
Legolas
an elf who is a member of the Fellowship.
Merry (Meriadoc) and Pippin (Peregrin)
two hobbits who remain with Aragorn and then with Gandalf, for the duration of Book 3. At the end of Book 3, Pippin distinguishes himself by making a foolish attempt to steal the palantír, but this is forgiven.
Sam (Samwise)
Sam is a hobbit who remains with Frodo until the end of Book 4. He never trusts Gollum when Gollum makes offers of service and he courageously battles Gollum and wounds the monster, Shebol, at the end of Book 4. At the end of The Two Towers, Sam thinks that Frodo is dead and so he decides to take the Ring and continue on the quest, though he later finds out that Frodo is alive.
Saruman
a wizard who has betrayed Gandalf in the past. Now, Saruman plans to take the Ring for himself but his efforts are blocked and his fortress at Isengard is stormed. Saruman is trapped inside the tower of Orthanc along with his scheming spy, Gríma.
Sauron
the Dark Lord and great force of evil in the Trilogy. He is symbolized by a red eye.
Shadowfax
the fastest and most indomitable of steeds, he is given to Gandalf (by Théoden).
Shelob
the giant spider-like monster who is the keeper of the path at Cirith Ungol. She is wounded by Sam and she drugs Frodo so severely that he appears dead.
Théoden
the King of the Mark, who becomes an ally of Gandalf, giving him the horse Shadowfax. He joins his forces with Gandalf's in battle. Théoden is an elderly king who was under the sway of Gríma's false council; with Gandalf's return, Théoden feels rejuvenated and restored.
Treebeard
the keeper of the Fangorn. Treebeard is an Ent who offers his protection to Merry and Pippin and later leads an armed offensive of the Ents and Tree-folk against Isengard, destroying most of the city.
Uglúk
a leader of a group of rebellious orcs who have Merry and Pippin in their custody. In the midst of quelling an uprising among the orcs, Uglúk is attacked and killed by the Riders of Rohan.
Wormtongue (Gríma)
a false counselor of Théoden who is really in the service of Saruman. Gandalf exposes him as a traitor and Gríma is expelled from the court. Later, he is trapped with Saruman in the Tower of Orthanc.
