Summary
- Sam Gamgee's legacy continued with his thirteen children, who adored and respected him and helped create a better world for Middle-earth.
- Sam's family, including his wife Rosie and all their children, became known as the "Gardners" because of Sam's dedication to caring for the earth.
- Sam's children grew up at Bag End, thanks to Frodo's wish for the place to continue being home to Sam and his family. Elanor became Queen Arwen's Lady in Waiting.
Sam Gamgee is known as the true hero of The Lord of the Rings, and his legacy continued past the series with his thirteen children. After helping Frodo destroy the One Ring, Sam was seen to return to the Shire with his fellow Hobbits, where he finally proposed to Rosie Cotton. The Peter Jackson movie trilogy showed Sam holding his first daughter (a character the books named Elanor), and that was where the family's story ended. However, Tolkien furthered the story of Sam and his children in the final chapters and appendices of The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien's works outlined the birth years of all of Sam Gamgee's children. Elanor, Frodo, Rose, Merry, Pippin, Goldilocks, Hamfast, Daisy, Primrose, Bilbo, Ruby, Robin, and Tolman were all known to adore and respect their father, who cared for the Shire as its mayor for many decades. Though only a few of Sam's children's lives were explained in any detail, they were used to demonstrate how he and Frodo had created a better world for Middle-earth, thus allowing the next generation to thrive.
10 Sam's Family Became Known As The "Gardners"
When the Hobbits returned to the Shire in The Lord of the Rings, they found Saruman had industrialized it. The orchards and greenery had all been leveled, leaving a place Sam could hardly recognize. However, Sam set to work with the gifts Galadriel had given him in Lothlórien, and the Shire was quickly (and magically) returned to its former glory. Sam continued to care for the earth, which earned him the surname "Gardner" instead of Gamgee. Thus, Rosie and all her children were forever called "Gardners" as well.
9 Sam’s Children Were Raised At Bag End
Before Frodo left the Shire, he invited Sam and Rosie to live with him at Bag End. When they welcomed their first child Elanor. She became a great joy for Frodo, who found her presence at Bag End to be a comfort. It then became essential to the weary hobbit that the place Bilbo had started his journey in The Hobbit all those years before continued to be home to Sam and his children, so he left it to his friend before leaving for the Undying Lands. Ultimately, Frodo got his wish, and all thirteen Gardner children grew up at Bag End.
8 Tolman (The Youngest) Was Born In Gondor
After Aragorn reclaimed his crown in Gondor and the hobbits returned to the Shire, he made Sam something of an emissary for the North. In years past, the region of the Shire had been a sister kingdom of Gondor, and through the work of Aragorn and Sam, it returned to a similar status. The pair remained great friends for the rest of their lives, and each visited the other several times in the following years. One such time, when Sam and Rosie visited Gondor, they gave birth to their youngest son, Tolman, who received a kingly welcome from the royal family.
7 Elanor Became Queen Arwen’s Lady In Waiting
When Elanor turned 16, she was invited to become a Lady in Waiting for Queen Arwen Evenstar. She had traveled with her parents to Gondor, and the family stayed at court for an entire year before returning. Elanor, however, remained behind. Though little is known about this time, it's fun to imagine a relationship between Arwen and the little daughter of Sam. Elanor became known as "Elanor the Fair" in Gondor thanks to her golden hair, which, though common in the Shire, was less so in the kingdom of men.
6 Elanor’s Husband Was Named Warden Of Westmarch
When Elanor returned to the Shire, she met and fell in love with a young hobbit named Fastred. The two were married and moved out to the Undertowers in Westmarch. It was then that the Thain of the Shire, Pippin Took (the very same from The Lord of the Rings) named Fastred the Warden of Westmarch—a fitting honor for the son-in-law of Sam Gardner. The Undertowers became known for its large libraries, which contained histories of the Shire, Gondor, and the whole of Middle-earth.
5 Goldilocks Married Pippin’s Son, Faramir
Sam's sixth child, Goldilocks, married Faramir Took, Son of The Lord of the Rings' Pippin Took. Pippin, who had married a hobbit girl named Diamond of Long Cleeve, named Faramir after the steward of Gondor whose life he had saved during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. They reportedly had remained good friends. In the end, it's heartwarming to think that Sam and Pippin's families eventually became one—it was surely a very joyful wedding.
4 Elanor Became Keeper Of The Red Book
When Frodo left Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings, he left the Red Book with Sam. This was the book that Bilbo Baggins had filled with his own adventures. Frodo had continued the tale with that of his own and left it to Sam to do the same. Many years later, when Sam decided it was his turn to sail out from the Grey Havens toward the Undying Lands, he left the Red Book with Elanor. She added it to the libraries of Westmarch, and the volume was henceforth known as the Red Book of Westmarch.
3 Elanor Had Two Children - Elfstan & Fíriel
During their life together in Westmarch, Elanor and Fastred had two children (they were apparently uninterested in repeating Sam's massive family). Elfstan, the oldest, was likely named for Aragorn since his name means "Elfstone," a nickname often given to the King of Gondor. Elfstan ultimately went on to inherit Westmarch from his father. Fíriel, a girl, was likely named after an ancient princess of Gondor.
2 Little Frodo Inherited Bag End From Sam
Sam's second child (and first son) was named Frodo, clearly after Sam's master and best friend. It's therefore fitting that, after Rosie's death and Sam's journey to the Undying Lands, little Frodo (though, of course, all grown up) would inherit Bag End. As the heir to the Gardner name, Frodo bequeathed the "Gardners of the Hill," who were well known throughout The Lord of the Rings' Hobbiton. It's presumed that Frodo's son, Holfast Gardner, inherited Bag End from his father.
1 Sam's Children Never Saw Their Dad Again After He Went To The Undying Lands
Just as when Frodo left at the end of The Lord of the Rings, Sam's departure from Middle-earth was likely bittersweet for his thirteen children. According to Tolkien canon, Sam set out for the Grey Havens alone, and the last person he saw before was Elanor when he handed over the Red Book of Westmarch. After this, none of Sam's children ever saw him again. Though nothing is known of Sam's time in the Undying Lands, it's heartwarming to think of his reunion with Frodo Baggins. Though mortal beings in The Lord of the Rings' Undying Lands do not live forever, Frodo and Sam would have lived the rest of their days together in peace—knowing their legacy was continuing in Middle-earth with Sam's many children.