Nine members originally make up the Fellowship in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
The group is formed at the Council of Elrond to help carry the One Ring toward Mordor. Its members are Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf. They represent several peoples and traditions of Middle-earth, including hobbits, Men, an Elf, a Dwarf, and a wizard.
The number nine deliberately mirrors the nine Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, who serve Sauron. The Fellowship does not remain intact throughout the journey. Gandalf falls in Moria and later returns, while Boromir dies defending Merry and Pippin. At Amon Hen, the surviving companions separate into smaller groups, with Frodo and Sam continuing toward Mordor. The phrase “the Fellowship” can therefore refer either to the original company or, more broadly, to the questing alliance described in the first volume.