The Lord of the Rings/Ho Yay

• Main
• Analysis
• Characters
  • Film Trilogy
• Laconic
• Recap
• Trivia
• YMMV
• Fridge
• Fanfic Recs
• Headscratchers
• Ho Yay
• WMG
• Crowners
  • Awesome
  • Funny
  • Heartwarming
  • Nightmare Fuel
  • Tear Jerker
• Wikipedia
• All Subpages
  • Tropes A-C
  • Tropes A-L
  • Tropes M-O
  • Tropes M-Z
• Create New

The Lord of the Rings

• From a contemporary standpoint, the relationship between Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee often goes way past mere friendship, or boss-subordinate. More prevalent in the novels than the movies, particularly Return of the King.
  • In fact, when Sam is battling Shelob to save Frodo, Tolkien specifically describes him as having the ferocity of a wild animal defending its mate.
    • And don't forget: the author also wrote that Sam tenderly took Frodo's hand and blushed.
    • On top of all this, Sam has to go rescue Frodo from the Orcs' tower... and Frodo is nude when Sam eventually finds him.
      • GREAT ERU!
      • When Legolas was his age, they did the same thing to him.
  • Ok, I know that hobbits had different lifestyles, beliefs and that they showed their affection differently, but this is a little exaggerated. I don't think other hobbits were expressing their attachment towards their male friends so obviously, like Sam does towards Frodo. This written summary makes This Troper's point of view clearer:

On what's essentially a very long camping trip, Frodo sleeps on Sam's lap while they embrace tenderly. After attacking Shelob in a jealous rage (You will not touch him again!), Sam admits he wants to marry, but reveals his heart is torn between Frodo and his bride-to-be. Finally, he comes out with it: holding Frodo's hand and declaring how much he loves him.

• • This troper likes to think that Frodo and Sam had a romantic friendship thing going on.
  • No, really, even in Real Life, the actorsare suspiciously close. They appear to take Sam's and Frodo's relationship seriously and they apparently don't know the implications of that.
    • On the other hand: Theatre/Film People. Actors. No other explanation needed.
  • The actor that plays Sam said: "...they don't need to talk about what they are to each other, they just are", so the fandom has become even more misaimed than it was, regarding the characters' relationship.
• Since almost all of the characters are men, some can find Ho Yay all over the place. It was even mentioned in Lord of the Fans.
• Not to mention the "great love that grew between Gimli and Legolas", quote from Return of the King. They warm up to each other during the course of the books, then travel to Middle Earth together and end up sharing a boat bound for Valinor. Heterosexual Life Partners at the very least.
  • Sure, it's Legolas and Gimli in the novels. But the love belongs more to Legolas and Aragorn in the films.
• Oh, and let's not forget how Smeagol addressed Deagol as my love, and how Deagol mentioned giving Smeagol "more than he could" on his birthday.
• Not to mention Pippin and Merry. Yeah, they're cousins, but IIRC Merry's wife Estella was also his cousin. Pippin also married, but that doesn't stop the fans from seeing Ho Yay. After all, the two tend to stay as close together as possible, when they are separated it's like some sort of tragedy, and after the war they not only buy a house together and stay there for as long as they can, they also left the Shire together to go off and die with the humans, leaving wives and children behind. Although it's notable that while Merry and Pippin are joined at the hip from their first second on-screen in the movies, in the books the closeness isn't apparent until later. In fact, it's actually Merry and Frodo who seem to be the bestest buds in Fellowship, and if IIRC Merry even lived with Frodo for a while after Bilbo left.
• In the novels there seems to be something between Faramir and Aragorn. Faramir only wakes when he hears the voice of his 'King', and the at-first-glance adoration and loyalty is rather intense...
• Not to mention the words between Aragorn and Éomer when they meet at the battle of the Pelennor Fields...
• Did someone forget about Aragorn and Boromir? The heartfelt, almost desperate confession in Lothlorien... And of course: My brother, my captain, my King. Boromir is the first person to acknowledge Aragorn as King, and basically propel him into wanting to be King at all.

The Silmarillion

• The gender ratio being what it is, it's easy to see lots of Ho Yay in The Silmarillion as well. Ah, all the manly friendships out there...Maedhros/Fingon, Beleg/Túrin, Gil-galad/Elrond...Anything goes.

---

Back to The Lord of the Rings