All The Hobbits From Lord Of The Rings Ranked Worst To Best

Gandalf says it best: "My dear Frodo! Hobbits really are amazing creatures ... You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch." The line comes in the book "The Fellowship of the Ring," just after Frodo Baggins commits to a great quest in his little sitting room in Bag End. The ensuing adventures repeatedly put on display the hardiness and courage that the Little People possess — even if it's often hidden beneath a timid temperament and a love of all things comfortable.

This intersection of transcendent heroism and unobtrusive withdrawal isn't a coincidence. Throughout "The Lord of the Rings," Tolkien uses hobbits as a way for readers to enter the story. From the quiet fields of the Shire to the depths of Mount Doom, there is always a hobbit nearby to make things more relatable as the epic story unfolds.

There are a lot of hobbits in "Lord of the Rings." So many, in fact, that we've decided to round them all up into a good ol' worst-to-best ranking. After all, what good is this iconic race of hole-dwellers if we can't subjectively compare them to each other? Here are all of the hobbits who play at least a minor role in the story, ranked by a general conglomeration of heroics, accomplishments, humor, toughness, and overall importance to Tolkien's world.

Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot is not a canon character. In fact, she isn't even technically a hobbit. She's been invented for Amazon's "Rings of Power" show and is a Harfoot — a race that is most commonly referred to as "proto-hobbits."

Nori's honorable mention status isn't because of a lack of accomplishments or personality failings — on the contrary, based on the quick glimpse that we see of the Harfoot lass in the first "Rings of Power" trailer, she seems to be quite the adventurer. However, we don't actually know anything about Nori's story so far. That's why, for now, we're giving her an "incomplete" grade. We're also considering her a representative of the Harfoots as a whole, and in a sense, of all the brave hobbit ancestors who eventually migrate to the Shire — and who are mentioned in both the prologue and the appendix to "The Lord of the Rings."

Poor Déagol. Everyone knows about his fate. The wretch catches a fish and is pulled overboard ... where he's caught up in the fate of the One Ring. He finds it at the bottom of the Great River and very briefly becomes a Ringbearer in the process.

While his short possession of the most powerful piece of jewelry in Middle-earth had the potential to vault him toward the top of this list, he ends up falling low on the ladder due to the fact that, moments after finding the precious bauble, Déagol is murdered for it by his friend, Sméagol.

In fact, the only reason Déagol even makes it this high s that, for a moment there, he does resist his pushy friend's demand for his newfound possession. When Sméagol requests the Ring as a birthday present, Déagol informs him that he's already gotten him an expensive gift and is going to keep the Ring. And when his treacherous friend attacks him, Déagol puts up a fight (at least on screen). He's not exactly a pushover, but he does end up playing a short, disappointing role when all's said and done.

You know a character's got an interesting story when their nickname is "Flourdumpling." Will Whitfoot is the Mayor of Michel Delving, the elected leader of the Shire's capital. While the role isn't particularly important — it's really more of an honorary title — Whitfoot comes up multiple times in the books. It's Pippin who explains that the mayor is the fattest hobbit in the Westfarthing and that he received his humorous nickname when the Town Hole collapsed and he emerged from the ruin covered in chalk.

When the War of the Ring begins, things get serious in the Shire. When Saruman's Ruffians invade, basically enslaving the hobbits, Whitfoot stands up to the invaders and is the first one to be tossed into prison. He isn't released until Frodo and his companions rid the Shire of their foes. Once free, it takes a while before Whitfoot is fit to lead again, but he eventually takes up his Mayoral duties once more until being replaced by none other than Samwise Gamgee.

When Frodo and his companions visit Bree in Peter Jackson's movies, it turns out to be a depressing town full of grumpy, soggy men. Oh, and Aragorn's there, too. If you read the books, though, Bree is actually a bit more upbeat — and there are hobbits that live there alongside the men.

Two of these halflings, Nob and Bob, work for Prancing Pony owner Barliman Butterbur. They don't come into the story much, but they do help Frodo and company fend off the Black Riders. Nob, in particular, shows some unexpected bravery when he tracks down Merry after the latter goes for a walk and runs into a Black Rider and one of its minions. Rather than running away, Nob shouts for help and runs up to Merry, causing the Rider and his companion to flee.

While Nob and Bob aren't heavily involved, their bravery is put on display more than once. On top of that, their rougher life outside of the Shire seems to give them an added dose of courage.

Farmer Maggot is another character who barely makes the cut in Peter Jackson's films. The upstart agriculturalist is briefly shown when the Black Riders first arrive in the Shire. Maggot's dog cowers in terror at the unexpected visitors and Maggot himself looks horrified.

In the book, though, Maggot is actually a pretty impressive halfling. For one thing, he's a really important person in the Shire. His reputation is so influential that even the overpowered Tom Bombadil respects him.

For another, Maggot encounters a Black Rider in the book version of the story, too, and acquits himself significantly better. The Rider offers him gold for news of Baggins, but Maggot orders the intruder off his property, prompting the Rider to spur its horse at him before it rides off. In spite of this encounter, a few hours later Maggot generously offers shelter to Frodo and his friends and even helps them get to Bucklebury Ferry at his own peril.

The last female hobbit on this list is the one and only Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. For the bulk of the story, Lobelia is an antagonist. She's the power-hungry Lotho's mother, and she's constantly trying to figure out how she can hone in on Frodo's inheritance and wrestle Bag End away from Bilbo. She even steals the latter's spoons (or at least is accused of that — it's never confirmed) when Bilbo's house is being auctioned off at the end of "The Hobbit."

But then the War of the Ring starts, and when the Shire is overrun with outsiders, Lobelia's attitude starts to shift. Eventually, this leads to a tussle with the Ruffians that her own son brought into the land. In "The Return of the King," it's revealed that one day, when Lobelia goes for a walk with her trusty umbrella by her side, she comes across some Ruffians going the other way. They order her, in some unpleasant language, no less, to get out of the road. Lobelia responds by trying to hit their leader with the umbrella, which quickly gets her thrown in prison. In spite of her advanced age, however, she survives the ordeal, and when she emerges, she's cheered by the hobbits who once despised her. She gives Bag End back to Frodo and dies not long afterward.

Not surprisingly, Merry and Pippin appear one after another on this list. But Meriadoc Brandybuck just manages to nudge out his bestie in the rankings. Why?

Throughout the story, Merry has his head a bit straighter on his shoulders than his Tookish companion. He thinks things through more often and tends to take the lead with the whole "support Frodo however we can" campaign. On top of that, Merry is also involved in major events like the rousing of Fangorn and the Ride of the Rohirrim. But it's his actions at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields that really set him apart. He might not kill a troll, but Merry does manage to stab a Black Rider, and not just any Rider — Merry pierces the undead flesh of the Witch-king of Angmar himself. That act alone makes Merry one of the most accomplished hobbits of all time, and it puts him awfully close to the top of the list.

There aren't too many hobbits who impact "The Lord of the Rings" as much as Bilbo. All you need to point out is that he's the one who finds the One Ring and sets the stage for the War of the Ring in the first place and you've already got a solid argument. If you add on all of Bilbo's heroics from his own adventures, the hobbit's qualifications grow exponentially. Bilbo dodges trolls, eludes goblins, outsmarts Gollum, escapes from wolves, fights off a horde of spiders, saves his friends from the wood elves' prison ... oh yeah, and he's the only person we're aware of who has a full-length conversation with the dragon Smaug and survives to tell the tale.

Add in Bilbo's humorous antics during "The Fellowship of the Ring" and the fact that he lives to be the oldest Hobbit ever — the venerable halfling reaches the age of at least 131 years old — and he easily lands in our top three.

Frodo Baggins is one of the most unsuspecting heroes of any story, ever. He's a quiet bachelor enjoying his cushy life and inherited wealth until one day, it turns out that part of that wealth includes the One Ring. This presents Frodo with a choice: step up in a really big way, or punt on the quest and leave the heroics to someone else.

Frodo chooses to take on the immeasurable responsibility, not just once but twice. He agrees to carry the Ring to Rivendell first, then volunteers to take it on further, into the heart of Sauron's realm. While he's supported along the way by the Fellowship, Gollum, Faramir, and especially Sam, Frodo is the dude in the spotlight throughout the whole ordeal. It's up to him to keep going and to find a way to destroy the One Ring against all odds.

And that's just the obvious stuff. Tolkien also makes it clear throughout the story that Frodo is perpetually fighting an inner battle — a spiritual conflict, so to speak. It nearly consumes him multiple times, and he ultimately isn't even able to destroy the Ring without the accidental help of Gollum. Don't let that mislead you, though — it's pretty obvious by the end of the story that no one else could have done what Frodo does. In fact, he's so impacted by the experience that he ultimately leaves Middle-earth to try to find some peace in retirement away in the West.