Samwise Gamgee the saga in one of his letters: he places special emphasis on Sam's "rustic love" for Rosie, a union that serves to establish a family in which allusions to Elvish wonders (embodied in Sam's daughter Elanor) are combined with the best qualities of traditional Shire-life. Sam and his descendants also became the keepers of the history of the War of the Ring (in the form of the "Red Book of Westmarch") and upheld the memory of events that most 'ordinary' hobbits took little interest in. During the journey to destroy the Ring, Sam's relationship with Frodo exemplifies that of a
Meriadoc Brandybuck guarded Bag End after Bilbo's party, protecting Frodo from the various and often unwanted guests. He is knowledgeable and has an innocent, teasing sense of humour. In one incident, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins accused Frodo of being a Brandybuck and no true Baggins. Merry assured Frodo, "It was a compliment; and so, of course, not true". Merry was also a force behind "the Conspiracy" of Sam, Pippin, Fredegar Bolger and himself to help Frodo. Thus, at the beginning of "The Fellowship of the Ring", Merry was well-prepared and organized — he assembled their packs and brought ponies. His shortcut through the Old