Who is the ring-bearer in the Fellowship of the Ring?

Frodo Baggins is the ring-bearer in The Fellowship of the Ring. He inherits the One Ring from his cousin Bilbo Baggins in the Shire and accepts the responsibility of taking it away from Hobbiton after Gandalf discovers its true identity and danger.

Frodo is chosen partly because the Ring has not already consumed him and because he can resist its influence better than many more powerful figures. The Fellowship forms in Rivendell to help him reach Mordor, but Frodo ultimately carries the Ring through increasingly dangerous stages of the journey after the group breaks apart.

A common mix-up is Samwise Gamgee, who becomes Frodo’s most loyal companion and briefly carries the Ring after Frodo is captured by Shelob. Bilbo was also a ring-bearer before Frodo, and Gollum possessed it for centuries, but Frodo is the ring-bearer associated with the Fellowship’s central quest. Gandalf guides the mission but never becomes the Ring’s bearer.