Renowned fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien first introduced readers to the beloved Bilbo Baggins in his 1937 novel, The Hobbit. While enjoying his peaceful life as a middle-aged hobbit, Bilbo was coerced into joining the wizard Gandalf and 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.
During this long journey across Middle-earth, Bilbo and his companions encountered trolls, elves, giant spiders, a shapeshifting man, goblins, eagles, wolves and a frighteningly evil creature named Gollum. In an altercation with Gollum, unbeknownst to the rest of Gandalf’s entourage, Bilbo found and stole a magic ring that granted him invisibility. Although this ring came in handy on more than one occasion, the power it held also had a detrimental effect on the wearer. After being reunited with his companions, the group was able to defeat the dragon and reclaim the mountain, which led in the Battle of Five Armies.
Bilbo makes his next appearance in Tolkien’s novel, The Fellowship of the Ring, which serves as the first volume of The Lord of the Rings. The story opens 60 years after the events of The Hobbit, on Biblo’s "eleventy-first" (111th) birthday. This entire time Bilbo had held onto the magic ring, a/k/a the One Ring, without realizing the malevolent significance it held. When Gandalf discovered the ring was in Bilbo’s possession, and that it was forged by the Dark Lord Sauron, he convinced him to give it up. As Bilbo’s young pseudo-nephew Frodo embarked on an adventure to destroy the ring, Bilbo spent his later years traveling, eating, sleeping, writing poetry, and working on his memoirs.
Given that both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have been made into feature-length films, you likely already know all about Bilbo, Frodo and the One Ring. But did you know Amazon Studios has announced plans for a Lord of the Rings TV series? This multi-season project will serve as a prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring. You can read more about this upcoming project on Scoop.