Frodo Baggins is Bilbo Baggins’s heir in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Frodo is Bilbo’s cousin and adopted heir. Although the family relationship is described through Tolkien’s fictional genealogies rather than ordinary modern family terms, Bilbo leaves Bag End and much of his property to Frodo when he departs the Shire. Frodo later inherits the Ring, which Bilbo had found during his journey beneath the Misty Mountains.
The Lord of the Rings follows Frodo’s journey from the Shire to Mount Doom, where the Ring must be destroyed. He is accompanied by members of the Fellowship and receives especially important help from Samwise Gamgee. Frodo is therefore the Ring-bearer at the center of the novel’s main quest.
Readers sometimes confuse Frodo’s heirship with the roles of Merry and Pippin, who are close friends and companions. Sam is Frodo’s gardener and servant before becoming his most steadfast traveling companion; neither is Bilbo’s heir.