The Lord Of The Rings Character You Are, Based On Your Zodiac Sign
In "The Hobbit," there is a secret door on the side of the Lonely Mountain that can only be opened when "the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."
If we didn't know better, we'd say such a phrase is reminiscent of today's pop culture fascination with eclipses and equinoxes, new moons and blue moons — and the inexplicable sway these celestial movements hold over earthly events. A staple in the fantasy genre, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy of books that followed "The Hobbit" is no stranger to arbitrary cosmic whimsy. If these tales occurred in modern times, they would likely feature seers who could divine the truth from the stars and ancient runes alike.
But since astrologers didn't exist in Tolkien's Middle Earth (that we know of; maybe Saruman had a secret side hobby?), we've taken up the task ourselves. We've assigned a character or characters from the films to each zodiac sign based on the traditional qualities they possess. From the assertive and courageous Aries to the dreamy and selfless Pisces, which Lord of the Rings character embodies your sun sign?
Aries: Eowyn
The Aries, born under the sign of the Ram between March 20 and April 19, is a force to be reckoned with. This sign is honest, ambitious, assertive, and brave.
The only way Eowyn deviates from this description is where honesty is concerned: She pretends to be a man going into battle. Though really, she just puts a helmet on and lets people make their assumptions, no? Arguably, it's really on her comrades in arms and even the Nazgûl themselves for assuming she's a man.
And it hardly gets more assertive, combative, and ambitious than to take a man's (traditional) place on the battlefield and then proceed to do what, in lore, it's literally impossible for a man to do: vanquish a Dark Rider. As he seems poised to overpower Eowyn (whose helmet still hides her face), the Witch-king of Angmar invokes an ancient truth: "No man can kill me." Eowyn then flings off her helmet and stabs the Ringwraith in the head, vanquishing him with the epic line, "I am no man."
This warrior woman has to be optimistic as all get-out in order to think that she can dispatch an eternal being based on a technicality. Without doubt, Eowyn is an Aries through and through.
Taurus: Samwise Gamgee
Remember how Sam just wants to get everything over with so he can go home, marry his lady, and live his seven-meal-a-day hobbit life? The Bull, as we call the Taurus sign born between April 20 and May 20, prefers the prize to the game itself. In other words, the journey is not the destination when it comes to this sign. They prefer the comforts of life, from full bellies to warm beds at night (a trait most hobbits share, but that Sam possesses in spades). This is because they are incredibly steady and grounded: Someone so in tune with the immediate physical realities of life would naturally be extra-sensitive to any scarcity in these areas.
We can also read Sam as a clear Taurus when we consider Frodo the Pisces as his foil. Whereas Frodo is dreamy and sensitive (read: can't fend for himself), Sam's Taurean reliability, patience, strength, and loyalty carry both of them through adversity time and time again. These two signs typically have a "magical emotional connection," and there is absolutely a palpable bond between Sam and Frodo. This is arguably in large part because of Sam's generosity, another Taurus trait: He readily gives Frodo the last bits of food and water, and would probably give Frodo the skin off his back or the hair off his hobbit toes if he thought it would keep him safe.
Gemini: Pippin
Oh, Pippin. Fool of a Took. All he thinks about is snacks and grabbing mysterious orbs one shouldn't be grabbing. Even more so than Merry or any of his Halfling compatriots, Pippin finds himself constantly sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. But he's also ingenious enough to figure a way out of trouble on many occasions (he's constantly stealing from Farmer Maggot's field, but always able to avoid being caught).
For a clever and flexible Gemini born between May 21 and June 20, these abilities are second nature. Geminis are both perceptive and mischievously childlike, a combination that manifests in Pippin's insatiable and often ill-fated curiosity. He's the one who knocked over a suit of armor in the mines of Moria and alerted the Orc hordes to the Fellowship's presence. Whoops.
Pippin also functions best in a group or pair; rarely is he seen without Merry by his side, and let's not forget that he so wanted to be included that he tagged along with the Fellowship uninvited (by barging into their meeting and demanding a place in the quest). This behavior, along with indiscretions like blabbing to Denethor about Boromir's death, is fitting for a character who embodies the social and nosy sign of the Twins.
Cancer: Boromir
The Cancer, born between June 21 and July 22, is an extremely emotional sign. This can manifest in almost completely opposite ways: An individual might present as hyper-emotional, temperamental, and even spiteful. On the other hand, you might get lucky and enjoy their inherently undying devotion.
You can definitely see the first three traits of the Crab in how unstable Boromir gets. He becomes extremely reactive with Frodo and seems to shift from one mood to another in the blink of an eye — disarming and helpful one minute and angry and bitter the next.
But Boromir always has his heart truly pointed in the right direction; one could argue that he's so susceptible to the influence of the ring precisely because of his emotionality. He might not have the psychological fortitude to resist its sway on his already volatile mental states. In the end, though, he sacrifices his obsession for his devotion, dying to protect the hobbits. He displays the negative sides of Cancer first (so much so that people might at first contest that categorization), and the sign's honorable traits redeem Boromir in his final moments.
Leo: Bilbo and Gimli
There's something about being born between July 23 and August 22 that puts you on the fast track to the spotlight. Generous and compassionate but also egotistical, Leos are synonymous with "protagonist energy." And what says "protagonist energy" better than getting the single book based on your (let's be honest) glorified treasure hunt split into three movies, while your nephew, who literally saves the world, only gets one movie per book?
Yep, Bilbo is a Leo. He has a big heart, but also a bigger ego than is typical of a humble hobbit — even before the Ring starts to alter his personality. He's undoubtedly a showboat, what with that big disappearing act at his birthday party. Clearly, Bilbo is also a natural leader, even if he was a reluctant one when Gandalf tapped him to head the expedition to the Lonely Mountain.
Gimli also has some definite Leo traits. His pride (there's a reason the Leo's symbol is the Lion) and showmanship are prevalent throughout the films as he challenges Legolas to see who can take down more Orcs (and they both proceed to one-up each other in increasingly theatrical ways). Gimli is such a self-assured, natural leader, as most Leos are, that he often takes issue with not being in charge, but ultimately he's generous with his time and talents, and the Fellowship wouldn't have made it without him.
Virgo: Legolas
The sharp-eyed, shrewd, and practical individual born between August 23 and September 22 will be pleased to know that Legolas gives a good name to Virgos everywhere. He literally has the sharpest eyes in the Fellowship. And the perfectionist, er, detail-oriented tendencies of the Virgo lend themselves well to his mastery of the bow and arrow and the ability to discern a threat or disturbance from miles away. (We're not sure how his ability to walk on snow fits into the Virgo picture, exactly, but it feels right.)
Virgos are also humble, sensible, and loyal. Legolas offers to help Frodo without hesitation, despite the fact that elves traditionally stay out of the affairs of mortals. He is far too humble to view the hobbits as lesser beings undeserving of his help, and from the moment he commits himself, his loyalty never wavers. Like many Virgos, he has a soft-spoken presence, but nonetheless, he can be relied on to come up with a practical solution to even the most seemingly impossible problem.
Legolas' smallest actions achieve exponentially greater effect by virtue of how calculated and finessed they are. Case in point? He is able to shoot down the flying beast that the Nazgûl use to terrorize the skies.
Libra: The Elven royalty
Represented by the Scales and spanning from September 23 to October 22, Libra represents the goals of balance and harmony, the ideals of compassion and friendliness, and a charming and cozy disposition. These traits are represented impeccably by the Elven royalty: Galadriel, Lady of Lórien, and Elrond, Lord of Rivendell.
These are, of course, two very different characters, and we're not just grouping them together for the obvious reason that they both reign over a peaceful and whimsical elven territory. Elrond embodies the aspects of the Libra sign relating to balance and harmony: creating connections not just between oneself and others but also between other people, spearheading new endeavors. (See: Established the Fellowship from a disparate group of individuals, some of whom actively hated each other. No big deal.)
Galadriel, on the other hand, more clearly corresponds to Libran values of beauty, charm, attention-seeking (she does almost take the Ring so she can be powerful and beautiful, loved and feared by all for the rest of time), people-pleasing, and what Allure calls "connoisseurship." You can see the grace in her beautiful treetop community and the effect she has on everyone who lays eyes on her, and you can see the connoisseurship and people-pleasing in the way she curates a collection of trinkets (fashion accessories, really — though those leaf pins do prove functional later in tracking the hobbits) tailored to each member of the Fellowship.
Scorpio: Sméagol
Before any Scorpions get offended, we said Sméagol, not Gollum. Though Scorpions born between October 23 and November 21 do have a penchant for obsession, that's not Sméagol's defining quality so much as it is Gollum's. We paired Sméagol with the Scorpio because we'd like to give them both a lot more credit than they often get in pop culture.
Sméagol, like a Scorpio, is deep-thinking, secretive, and mysterious. His loyalty (to the Ring, at least) is unshakable, a classic trait of this sign. He even grows loyal to Frodo after a while, and — here's the real Scorpion sting — only turns on him once Frodo breaks his trust. (Though it wasn't Frodo's intention to do so, as he was being misled by Faramir.)
They say that once you break a Scorpio's trust, you're dead to them. Before the incident with Faramir, we see Sméagol fight his dark, violent side, showing us that his true self is still alive and beginning to win out over the influence of the Ring. It is Sméagol, not Gollum, who chooses to genuinely help Frodo, and therefore it is Sméagol who feels so hurt and betrayed by him. And sure, Sméagol was kind of a weirdo even before the ring came along and he murdered Déagol, but that squares with the scariest, most intense sign of the zodiac (by the way, it's a myth that most serial killers are Scorpios. The much-maligned, misunderstood quality of the sign also feels correct for Sméagol).
Viewing Sméagol through a Scorpio lens prompts us to imagine how differently things might have turned out if Frodo had taken better care of Sméagol's trust. How much more could he have accomplished with a Scorpio's passion and loyalty at his side? At the very least, he might still have his finger.
Sagittarius: Aragorn and Merry
Sagittarians may be the Archers, but we don't think Legolas is quite the best fit for this intellectual, wandering sign born between November 22 and December 21. Aragorn, on the other hand, is a nomad if there ever was one. Without the ideas and assertiveness a Sagittarian personality brings, the hobbits likely would never have made it to Rivendell.
When they first meet Aragorn, he's gruff and curt, as Sagittarians can be, but we slowly get to know him as a deep thinker and a steadfast force both in battle and in friendship. He aptly represents Sagittarius for the same reason that he makes a great king: His principles are sound. He even chooses principles over feelings when it comes to Arwen, leaving it up to her to choose her love for him over eternal life.
Aragon's companion in this category might surprise you: Merry. Meriadoc Brandybuck is known as the most intellectual and philosophical of all the hobbits, a true Sag trait. He's also the more nomadic and fearless between himself and Pippin. Merry's family line was more nomadically inclined from the start, comfortable living in boats and near the Forest: The other hobbits call them "half foreigners" because of this, fitting for a philosophical nomad who's used to being a stranger in a strange land even at home. And as far as impatience goes? Merry's shortcut through the Old Forest just might have saved everyone's lives from the Nazgûl.
Capricorn: Treebeard
It doesn't get more down-to-earth than a guy who literally has roots. Capricorn, which rules the zodiac from December 21 to January 20, is an earth sign, which means that Treebeard is grounded, realistic, disciplined, and patient ... so disciplined and patient, in fact, that a single deliberation among the other Ents could take days (and that's if they're really pressed for time). Capricorns like to think hard and have all the facts before making a decision, and Treebeard takes that to a whole new level.
Like Capricorns, the Sea Goats, Treebeard has extremely high standards for whose advice he will listen to and whose concerns he will care about. And he's incredibly serious, not the kind of guy who would take or even understand a joke (which makes it all the more hilarious that he's stuck with pranksters Merry and Pippin).
They say Capricorns can be pessimistic, but maybe they just move at a different pace than the rest of the world. Treebeard certainly does, and it comes across a bit like melancholy. When an Ent finally does decide to act, though, they get the job done.
Aquarius: Gandalf
This guy is an air sign if there ever was one, and an Aquarius specifically. Both Gandalf and Aquarians, born between January 21 and February 18, are clever and fair. The Cut says that air signs are "experts in the ephemeral, things that lack physical form." We get it, you can just call them wizards. However, due to this abstract manner of being, you might often find an air sign pretty flaky, er, free-spirited. ("A wizard is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.")
So why is Gandalf an Aquarius specifically? They're known for being humanitarian but aloof, kind of like how Gandalf is always trying to help save the world and defeat evil, but from a distance and in between lengthy disappearances. Aquarians are eccentric, just like Gandalf with his pipeweed, fireworks, and befuddling adages. In keeping with this eccentricity and humanitarianism, this sign is also extremely change-oriented and progress-focused (recall Gandalf's total metamorphosis from Gray to White).
And then there's that Aquarian independence and righteousness. It takes a lot of both to stand up to someone like Saruman when it appears that the tide of powerful wizard alliances is turning against your values and toward evil. Gandalf does this without blinking. He's fine in isolation at the top of a tower if it's for a humanitarian or hobbitarian cause.
Pisces: Frodo and Arwen
There really wasn't even a contest for which "Lord of the Rings" character would represent the Two Fishes. The selflessness of those born between February 19 and March 20 is part of the reason Frodo was chosen as the Ring-bearer in the first place.
It's also part of the reason he almost dies many times in the course of completing his quest. He's earnest and gullible, idealistic and emotional. Frodo is uniquely equipped for the task in equally as many ways as he's the worst man or hobbit for the job. He trusts Gollum when all signs suggest he shouldn't — and under Frodo's emotionally sensitive and intuitive care, Sméagol actually begins to emerge once again. But then he trusts Faramir when he shouldn't, and all that progress collapses when Faramir captures Gollum.
You may also be Arwen if you're a Pisces. She feels acutely the pain surrounding mortality and love, as Pisces are deeply in tune with just about every emotional dynamic. She chooses love over immortality anyway. This is about as idealistic and emotional and selfless as it gets. The Pisces is the definition of the dreamer, for better or for worse.