Highlights
- LOTR characters like Beren, Maedhros, Frodo, Hurin, and Gollum face endless misfortune, from loss and torture to death.
- These ill-fated characters struggle to overcome obstacles and fulfill quests, often sacrificing everything for their cause.
- The world of Middle-earth is portrayed as a truly hellish place, where even the most noble and courageous individuals cannot escape suffering and tragedy.
The Lord of the Rings realm of Middle-earth is full of Men, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, and other creatures beyond count. They all face a share of struggles as the servants of evil seek to engulf their world. Hardship is a natural part of life. That said, some have it worse than the rest.
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Certain LOTR figures seem to experience endless misfortune. They lose their loved ones and endure years of psychological turmoil. If they're really unlucky, they may pile on torture and death in their list of setbacks. These characters are so ill-fated that one wonders how J.R.R. Tolkien could be so sadistic in his writing. Moreover, it makes Middle-earth look like a truly hellish place.
5 Beren
Though he's the subject of an iconic love story, Beren faces countless hurdles along the way. He originates from a noble family of Men, but that nobility doesn't last. Morgoth's armies slaughter Beren's kin at the decisive Dagor Bragollach battle. From here, the hero becomes an outlaw, scouring for scraps in the wilderness and striking at enemies from the shadows. A light in the darkness comes when he meets and falls in love with the Elf maiden, Luthien, but this leads to further struggle.
Her father, King Thingol of Doriath, refuses to let his daughter marry Beren until the suitor retrieves a legendary Silmaril from Morgoth's crown. The ensuing errand is rife with failure and death. Beren's company is captured by Sauron, Morgoth's lieutenant, who tortures them for information and executes them for amusement. Beren later becomes a prisoner of Morgoth himself, who makes the mighty Man into a lowly slave. Coming to his aid both times is Luthien. With her help, Beren secures a Silmaril, but the victory is short-lived. Morgoth's wolf, Carcharoth, swallows both the jewel and the hero's hand. His subsequent attempt to slay the beast results in his death. It seems like Beren just can't win. At least this tale has a happy ending, though. Luthien gives up her own life and convinces the gods to give her and Beren a second chance. The two lovers then live in peace, but even this is bittersweet. Rather than enjoy the timeless existence of the Elves, they eventually die as mortals. On the other hand, some might consider that a perk.
4 Maedhros
Despite being the eldest son of a renowned Elven house, Maedhros is practically defined by failure. He's initially against his father's quest to recover the Silmarils, but a family oath binds him to this purpose. It also leads to his capture by Morgoth. The Dark Lord then shackles him to a mountain as proof of his triumph. Maedhros's friend, Fingon, comes to his rescue, but the unbreakable chains mean he must sever his buddy's hand. After such an ordeal, Maedhros revolves around doing what's best for his people and mending the strife between them. He even earned several military victories. Things appear to look up.
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Sadly, the Silmarils and the oath return to darken his life. When he hears of Beren and Luthien's exploits, he believes Morgoth is vulnerable and unites the Elven houses in a rebellion. This fails and scatters those houses. Maedhros later learns that Beren and Luthien's Silmaril now rests in Doriath. His allies convince him to lead two attacks in a recovery effort: one on the kingdom itself and another on the survivors' camp. Both attempts only yield more bloodshed. After losing practically everything, Maedhros and his remaining brother try to steal the jewels in the dead of night. They finally succeed, but the mere touch of their prize burns their hands. They're no longer worthy of the divine light within. All of Maedhros's sacrifices are for nothing. To say he's demoralized is an understatement. In despair, he hurls himself into a fiery pit and takes the Silmaril with him.
3 Frodo
Frodo is one of the most famous Hobbits in history, but he doesn't aspire to be. This humble hero inherits the One Ring after his Uncle Bilbo stumbles on it in The Hobbit. Said Ring is the fabled weapon of Sauron and, thus, the most dangerous object in the world. Possessing it brings untold misery.
As a result, Frodo's quest to destroy it is full of hardship. Everyone expects him to save Middle-earth. That pressure would be crushing for anyone, but it's worse because of the object itself. The Ring's influence constantly gnaws away at him, tempting him toward greed and getting heavier by the day. Due to that corrupt power, few people can truly help him bear the burden. This leaves him in crippling isolation. By extension, he's open to virtually every physical danger in Middle-earth, from Orcs to Trolls to wraiths to giant spiders. Frodo never asks for any of this, but he gets it all in one perfect storm.
2 Hurin
Hurin begins as a gallant Man of the First Age. To save his friend, Turgon, he and his army hold off Morgoth's forces. The battle rages until he is the last one standing, after which he is captured. The Dark Lord has his balrogs torture the prisoner for information before trapping him atop a mountain peak. The villain also grants him a far-reaching vision, allowing him to watch from afar as Orcs and other monstrosities ravage the land. Specifically, he must witness the death of his equally valiant son, Turin. Following that, Morgoth releases Hurin. One would think his fortunes are improving, but it's all part of his captor's twisted scheme.
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The Dark Lord only freed Hurin to reap further corruption on himself and his allies. The first tragedy occurs when the hero reunites with his wife at their children's graves. She dies immediately after, sending him into a deep depression. He tries to reach out to Turgon at Gondolin, but his former friend believes it's a trick and turns him away. However, Hurin's attempt inadvertently betrays Gondolin's location to Morgoth's spies. From here, Hurin's path only gets darker. He soon abandons all ideas of fellowship and goodwill. Forming an unscrupulous band of outlaws, he assaults Doriath to claim the treasure inside. Only after the bloodshed does he realize his folly. In penance, he presents a sacred necklace to Thingol, but this only feeds into the king's growing greed and leads others to attack the city. In weakening the Free People, Hurin unintentionally does Morgoth's work for him. Upon realizing that, the old guy casts himself into the sea. It's a sad end to a sad life.
1 Gollum
For all of Frodo's trouble with the Ring, his ordeal is child's play compared to Gollum. The cursed band comes to him after two millenniums of dormancy, instantly ensnaring him in its web of temptation. That temptation drives him to kill his cousin in a possessive rage. His village subsequently casts him out. Alone in the wild with only the Ring, he decays both physically and mentally. He even develops a second, oppressive personality to cope with the turmoil.
Gollum's condition amplifies as he hides in the Misty Mountains, where he spends the next five hundred years in a dank cave. Bilbo finding and taking the evil jewelry should alleviate this pain, but unfortunately, Gollum's suffering progresses from here. His biting need for the Ring can never be satisfied. It's the worst kind of addiction withdrawal with no soberness in sight. His deteriorated state earns revulsion and mistrust from everyone he meets. The only exceptions are Sauron's forces, who torture him for information on Bilbo's whereabouts. Little do they know that he becomes their master's undoing. When the wretched creature finally regains the Ring, he falls into the fiery pits of Mount Doom. So passes the pitiful punching bag of Middle-earth.