The Lord of the Rings Nazgûl, to seize it. The story begins in the Shire, where the hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits the Ring from Bilbo Baggins, his cousin and guardian. Neither hobbit is aware of the Ring's nature, but Gandalf the Grey, a wizard and an old friend of Bilbo, suspects it to be Sauron's Ring. Seventeen years later, after Gandalf confirms his guess, he tells Frodo the history of the Ring and counsels him to take it away from the Shire. Frodo sets out, accompanied by his gardener, servant and friend, Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, and two cousins, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took.
John Gamgee John Gamgee John Gamgee (1831–1894) was a British veterinarian and inventor. Gamgee was born in Florence, the son of Joseph Gamgee (1801-1895), a Scottish veterinarian, and his wife, Mary Ann West (1799-1873). He was a sibling of Arthur Gamgee a biochemist and Dr Sampson Gamgee a surgeon and pioneer of aseptic surgery. Gamgee was educated at a number of institutions across Italy, Germany and Switzerland before graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in London. Appointed by the Privy Council to study a problem in cattle, he identified the threat of rinderpest from imported Baltic cows. He was the developer of