Nolan and I recently watched The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition, obviously) when we were both struck with the same thought: what if the nine fellowship members correlate to the nine enneagram types? Now, the likelihood of these nine characters all being different types is probably a real stretch, unless Tolkien just had some bonkers character development ideas. And frankly, can we say that we would put that past the guy? Convinced that surely there was a meme or a post floating out there in the World Wide Web, we headed for the Google search bar. And yes, there were plenty of thoughts on Lord of the Rings characters’ enneagram types, but nothing that perfectly matched the nine fellowship members to their respective types. So with some discussion and debate to clarify how these characters embody all nine motivations, we’re now staking our claim in this uncharted territory. It’s an honor, really.
I want to preface this by saying that I’m by NO means a LOTR expert. I’m also not an enneagram expert, although I’ll say I know more about this typing system than I do the regions of Middle Earth. That being said, please take the following with a good attitude and a grain of salt.
I also think I should point out the elephant (or oliphaunt in this case) in the room that this is far from being “on brand” with what’s normally on my blog. I love to write about the beauties and challenges of life, about faith, about Scripture. But I think there’s space for fun here also. And sometimes fun is dissecting the inner motivations of fictional characters. And you nerds clearly think so too because you’re reading this.
So let’s dive in, shall we?
Type 1: Aragorn
Aragorn’s the natural-born leader with a strong moral compass. He’s steady and led by his ideals, although at times he needs encouraging to live up to his potential as the rightful king.
Type 2: Sam
Always seeking to help, Sam’s the truest of true friends. He’s happy to serve the purpose of another and, in stereotypical two fashion, is always seemingly concerned about making sure people have food.
Type 3: Boromir
Also a natural leader like Aragorn, but can we just admit that Boromir is super image-conscious? His desire to make Gondor great leads to his sketchy motives around the ring, but in his death we see a resurgence of true character that would make his fellows threes proud. (FYI, Nolan is a three and gives his heartfelt stamp of approval.)
Type 4: Legolas
Ah, Legolas, you unique, beautiful unicorn. This one was automatic for us. Just doing his own thing reciting elf poetry and reading omens into sunsets. He brings a strikingly different flavor needed by the rest of his crew.
Type 5: Gandalf
Gandalf is really the brains behind the operation here (well, and the wizardry’s helpful too). He has times where he can appear aloof and withdrawn, but he ultimately offers an objective perspective and spits out wise maxims like it’s his job.
Type 6: Frodo
Frodo is pretty widely accepted as a archetypal six, as I would argue a lot of protagonists are (not like I’m biased or anything, we sixes are just the best). Super loyal to his people and responsible in his task, his crippling caution grows to an unexpected bravery.
Type 7: Merry
This is where I had to rely on Nolan’s expertise, because I’m going to be honest with you, as a subpar fan, there’s really no clear distinction in my mind between Merry and Pippin. I saw them both as pretty seven-like, just along for the adventure. But Nolan assures me that Merry personifies the fun-loving attitude and light-heartedness that we all love in our sevens. And he’s the one who came up with the scheme to steal Gandalf’s fireworks after all.
Type 8: Gimli
Let’s get past the fact that Gimli’s anger lies pretty close to the surface, although that definitely didn’t hurt our case. This dwarf is fierce. He’s going to defend the little guy (literally). He’s going to take charge when he needs to. And he’s the dose of boldness that the fellowship needs.
Type 9: Pippin
Once again, I defer to Nolan’s insight here. While Pippin is also all about the adventure, he brings a mellow “can’t-everyone-just-get-along” attitude to the group. It’s actually no surprise that he and Merry are such good friends as nines are usually drawn to sevens’ energy.
To my true LOTR gurus, did we get it right? Which types would you change? Do you identify with the character who matches your own type? What examples do you see of these types played out in the narrative? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🙂
Cultivate. 