In The Hobbit, Frodo's cousin Bilbo went with Dwarves to face down a dragon, while Frodo, who at the beginning of the epic trilogy by JRR Tolkien and later the Peter Jackson films, wanted nothing more than a quiet life in The Shire with his friends. He turned out to be Bilbo's heir in more ways than one. When adventure came calling, Frodo rose to the challenge. His heritage, in possessing the blood of all three hobbit clans, made him uniquely suited to the job.
In a prologue to The Lord of the Rings' first book, The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien wrote that there were three breeds of Hobbits. The Harfoots were smaller and shorter than the other two, and they regularly interacted with the Dwarves. The Stoors were broader and heavier, and they preferred to live near water and often interacted with Men. The Fallohides were taller and slimmer, and known among the Hobbits for being bold and adventurous (by Hobbit standards). Their dealings with the Elves led them to be more learned than the Harfoots and Stoors, and the Fallohides were often chosen as leaders among clans of Hobbits. Frodo, as a descendant of all three was uniquely suited to carry the One Ring to Mordor.
How The Three Hobbit Clans Merged (& When)
The early Hobbits lived in the upper vales of the Anduin River as three separate groups. In roughly the year 1050 of the Third Age, they began to migrate, which they later referred to as "The Wandering Days" over the Misty Mountains. Sauron, the Necromancer, had taken up residence at Dol Guldur, and the Hobbits no longer felt comfortable between the mountains and the Greenwood. The migration was in waves, first the Harfoots, then the Fallohides and Stoors. In 1601 T.A., two Fallohide brothers went further west and established the Shire. By this time, the three Hobbit clans had been living together and the clans effectively merged.
Hobbit History Makes Frodo Middle-earth's Perfect Hero
In The Lord of the Rings and other Tolkien writings, he portrayed the Hobbits as representative of all that was right in the world. They were uplifting and humble, simple, but also caring about the important things in life such as family, friends, and a good meal. The hardy temperament of the Hobbits lent itself to being unobtrusive and courageous when called upon. Frodo, being of Fallohide stock, with also Stoor and Harfoot blood, was emblematic of all of these qualities. The Harfoots' rabbit-like nimbleness, the Stoors' skillful use of boats, and the Fallohides' learning and sense of adventure all contributed to making Frodo the perfect choice as Ring-bearer.
The Lord of the Rings forced the Hobbits, four in particular, into a world of danger and abiding friendship. Their very nature was what enabled them to survive. And Frodo, as the Ring-bearer, faced the greatest peril and had the hardest task. Backed by more than two thousand years of Hobbit heritage, he did the un-doable because he was the best Hobbit for the job.
