 The title "The Fellowship of the Ring" means the nine protagonists who set out on the quest to destroy the ring.They were the hobbit and ringbearer Frodo Baggins and his gardener Sam Gamgee, the wizard Gandalf, the elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, the men Aragorn the ranger and Boromir of Gondor, and the young hobbits Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took.The volume contains a Prologue for readers who have not read "The Hobbit", and background information to set the stage for the novel.