In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, nine companions form the Fellowship.
The Fellowship is created in Rivendell to help carry the One Ring toward Mordor and ultimately destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. Its nine members are Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf.
The number deliberately mirrors the nine Ringwraiths, or Nazgûl, servants of Sauron. The Fellowship therefore represents a group opposing the enemy’s nine mounted hunters. Its members come from several peoples of Middle-earth, including Hobbits, Men, an Elf, a Dwarf, and a wizard.
The group does not remain together throughout the story. It breaks apart after the events at Amon Hen, beginning the separate journeys that occupy the later portions of the narrative.