Thanks to the massive success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bilbo Baggins is a widely recognized name in the literary world. A relative of the equally famous Frodo Baggins, he made his debut in the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. This novel followed Bilbo’s unwitting adventures as he fought goblins, befriends dwarves, discovered magic rings and eventually helped defeat a terrible dragon. He is one of the most well remembered characters in fantasy fiction and appeared in multiple J.R.R. Tolkien novels.

Bilbo Baggins, in keeping with the title of his first novel, is a hobbit – a race of human-like people that are noticeably smaller than full-fledged humans. Bilbo resides in a country called the Shire with his fellow hobbits, living in a hillside house called Bag End. He is a writer, and is often depicted recording his adventures in novel or autobiographical form. The most important possession Bilbo owns, by far, is a magic ring he acquired on his adventures in The Hobbit. This ring originally belonged to a twisted creature named Gollum and has the power to turn Bilbo invisible. Bilbo uses this ring to escape dangerous situations, trick enemies and help defeat the great dragon, Smaug.

The character of Bilbo grows throughout The Hobbit. In the beginning of the tale, he is a contented man desiring nothing less than the comforts of a simple life – ‘adventures’ are not on his list of desired activities. However, a friend of his, the wizard Gandalf, helps get him hired by a band of dwarves seeking to steal a dragon’s treasure. As the book continues, Bilbo begins to embrace his own sense of adventure, developing from a well-mannered, weaker hobbit into a strong and independent one.

Dozens different artists have depicted Bilbo Baggins since the book’s publication. Bilbo was also portrayed in a 1977 animated film called The Hobbit. A live-action, two-part movie of the same name was produced in 2012, where actor Martin Freeman will portray the Baggins character. It seems Bilbo Baggins is here to stay, along with many of Tolkien’s memorable characters.