Frodo Baggins’ Costly Mistake in Lord of the Rings

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Frodo Baggins made several smart choices in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, which were crucial to destroying the One Ring. He correctly decided to continue the journey alone when he understood the Ring’s power would endanger his friends, and he surprisingly showed compassion towards Gollum, even though Gollum was dangerous. However, Frodo wasn’t always right, and fans often overlook one of his biggest mistakes.

I remember a really tense moment early on in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo, along with Aragorn, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, was heading to Rivendell, and they decided to spend the night amongst some old ruins on Weathertop. Frodo did something that seemed like a good idea at the time, but it ended up causing a lot of trouble.

Frodo Baggins Attempted to Prevent the Nazgûl’s Arrival on Weathertop

Frodo attempted to sleep on Weathertop, but was woken by the sound of his companions. They’d built a small fire to cook tomatoes, sausages, and bacon. Immediately, Frodo jumped up and extinguished the flames, scolding them for being so careless. He was worried the fire’s light would attract the Nazgûl, whom they’d been trying to avoid since starting their journey. His fears proved correct, and soon the terrifying cries of the Nazgûl echoed around them as they approached Weathertop.

The hobbits were surrounded, including by the Witch-king of Angmar. Fortunately, Aragorn arrived just when they needed him and fought off the Nazgûl, saving their lives. The movie presented Sam, Merry, and Pippin as being at fault for building a fire – and it was careless to risk being seen for a better meal – but actually, Frodo’s attempt to extinguish the flames made things much worse.

It had been shown that these creatures were very weak against fire. When Aragorn fought them, he used both a sword and a torch, and the torch frightened them even more than the blade. Their dark robes easily caught fire when he hit them with the flame. Had Frodo not extinguished the hobbits’ campfire, the creatures might have been afraid to come near, potentially changing the entire story.

As a huge Tolkien fan, it always struck me how even though Frodo succeeded in destroying the Ring, he was never really okay. That Morgul wound he got on Weathertop? It haunted him for the rest of his days. It wasn’t just a little ache, either – it bothered him constantly during the whole journey, on top of everything else he was going through. And it didn’t just disappear when he got back to the Shire! Every year, on the anniversary of that fight, the pain would flare up again. Honestly, I always felt like that pain was a big part of why he ultimately decided to leave Middle-earth and sail West. It was the only place where he could truly find peace and be healed.

The Lord of the Rings Films Changed the Prelude to the Weathertop Fight

Frodo shouldn’t be blamed for not realizing fire could harm the Nazgûl. In Tolkien’s book The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn specifically told the hobbits to keep a fire burning – a detail left out of the movie. In the book’s chapter ‘A Knife in the Dark,’ he explained that while fire offers little real protection, the Nazgûl fear it, saying, ‘Fire is our friend in the wilderness.’

Throughout the story, Sam was the one more concerned about revealing their location, pointing out that making a fire was essentially announcing their presence. While Aragorn understood the risk, he believed a fight was unavoidable and preferred being prepared with a fire, even if it helped the Nazgûl track them down.

When the terrifying Nazgûl appeared, Aragorn told the hobbits to gather around the fire for protection, but they were too frightened to obey. Merry and Pippin immediately lay flat on the ground, while Sam huddled close to Frodo. Frodo, in desperation, tried to hide the Ring and avoid the Nazgûl’s gaze. The movie version changed this scene to give Frodo more control. While putting out the fire might not have been the best idea, it allowed Frodo to actively influence the story’s beginning through his own choices.

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2026-01-18 21:10