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Dates
Born 6 April1 III 29832, passed over the Sea late September IV 61 (13832-1482 by the Shire-reckoning)
Race
Culture
Family
Gamgee (later founded the Gardner family)
Pronunciation
sa'mwize ga'mjee
Meaning
'Samwise' means 'half-wise' (i.e. simple or foolish)
'Gamgee' comes from 'Gamwichy', referring to the village of Gamwich where the family was founded
Title

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 3 April 1998
  • Updates planned: 87

Samwise ‘Sam’ Gamgee (later Gardner)

Frodo‘s faithful servant

Encyclopedia of Arda Timeline
Years of the TreesFirst AgeSecond AgeThird AgeFourth Age and Beyond

Faithful servant and companion of Frodo Baggins, who accompanied him into Mordor and aided in the achievement of the Quest of Mount Doom.


Notes

1

The date of Sam's birthday is not certain. This date is given in Appendix D of The Lord of the Rings as the date of celebrations on the Party Field in Hobbiton. One explanation is that this was Sam's birthday, but an alternative reason is that this is also the date of the Elvish new year (called Yestarë). It is possible, of course, that both explanations are correct, and Sam happened to have been born on this auspicious day.

2

Until recently, the Tale of Years carried an error for Sam's date of birth, giving it as III 2983 rather than SR 1380 (that is III 2980), long established by his genealogical tree. In more recent editions of The Lord of the Rings, this error has been corrected.

See also...

Aman, Amon Hen, Anemones, Anson Roper, Aragorn Elessar, Asphodel, Banakil, Banazîr, Barad-dûr, Bay, Bell Goodchild, Bilbo Gardner, Bill, Bowman ‘Nick’ Cotton, Bywater Road, [See the full list...]

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