Nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring set out from Rivendell.
The Fellowship is formed to carry the One Ring toward Mordor and includes four Hobbits, two Men, one Elf, one Dwarf, and one Wizard. The members are Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf.
Elrond chooses the number as a symbolic counter to the nine Ringwraiths, also called the Nazgûl. The Fellowship leaves Rivendell in late December of the year 3018 of the Third Age. Its journey takes the group through dangerous regions, including Hollin, Moria, and Lothlórien.
The company does not remain united for the whole quest. Gandalf falls during the confrontation with the Balrog, and the Fellowship is formally broken after the events at Amon Hen. Its members then follow different paths, but their separate actions continue to support the struggle against Sauron.