Frodo/Sam
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Frodo Baggins/Samwise Gamgee |
| Alternative name(s): | F/S |
| Gender category: | Slash |
| Fandom: | LOTR |
| Canonical?: | No |
| Prevalence: | Popular |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Following the release of the Peter Jackson films in the early 2000s, Frodo/Sam has been one of the most popular and passionately defended pairings in the Lord of the Rings fandom, with some fans asserting that the slash pairing is canon.
Tropes
Tolkien says very little about the seventeen-year gap between the time when Frodo inherits the Ring from Bilbo and when he leaves the Shire for the Quest. Many, many, many Frodo/Sam fics take place during this period and they tend to be lighter in tone than those taking place during or after the Quest.
Since Sam is Frodo's servant, many slash fics focus on how the two of them overcome the boundaries of class and status. Some writers exaggerate the differences between the characters' speech patterns, making Sam's dialect very strong in order to emphasize his humble background. On the other hand, many fics downplay the master/servant divide and treat the two as friends. A common scene is for Frodo to tell Sam he need no longer address him as "Mr. Frodo".
Sam is frequently the caretaker in hurt/comfort fics in which Frodo is sick or injured, including the taking care of him on the Quest and during post-Quest anniversary illnesses. Such stories run the spectrum from slash to pure friendship.
Sam's canonical post-Quest marriage to Rosie Cotton is sometimes integrated with an existing Frodo/Sam relationship, leading to the popular Frodo/Sam/Rosie threesome, helped by the canonical fact that Rosie & Sam move into Bag End with Frodo. There are also many futurefics, with the couple reunited in Valinor.
Fanworks and Fanac
Zines
Vids
Example Fanfiction
- Five Elements series by Cara Loup. Vignette series during the Quest (2002–3)
- Heat Wave by Teasel. Pre-Quest (~2003)
- Rosary by Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. Angsty short, retrospective during the Quest (2003)
- The Night Season by Achillea Millefolium. Pre-Quest (2003)
- Fairer than Most series by Adrienne (2003)
- The Last Shreds of Autumn by Merripestin. Set at Rivendell (2003)
- Glow Even Brighter by Fennelseed. First time, set after Moria (2003)
- What Sam Knew, What Frodo Saw & What Gandalf Heard by Europanya. Trilogy set in Valinor (2004)
- The Making of Samwise series by Bill the Pony. Sam-centric pre-Quest (2002–5)
Fanart
inside page by The Theban Band, from the zine Eternally Bound
Inside a Song, cover by Lorraine Brevig
Inside a Song, interior artwork by Solarfall
Inside a Song, interior artwork by Willow-wode
Vilya #3, interior art by Larrkin
same manip, used in a different news article
Holding, fanart by Acer canadensis
illustration for West of the Moon, art by Hyel
Meta
- Oboebyrd's Guide to Writing Formulaic Fanfiction Chapter 10: Guide to FS Slash (March 2002)
- "Oh...Oh...Frodo!": Readings of Male Intimacy in The Lord of the Rings by academic Anna Smol. Discusses mainly F/S fanfiction by Anglachel, Bill the Pony, Cara Loup, Elanor Gardner, Elenya, Mary Borsellino and Teasel. (Winter 2004)
Awards
- In 2024, the relationship won 3rd place in the fourth MLM Ship Bracket Tournament out of 112 entrants.
Fan Sites
- See also Category:Lord of the Rings Websites, Category:Lord of the Rings Archives and Category:Lord of the Rings Webrings
- Whether or No
- The Hobbit Slash Archive
- oh-sam community on LiveJournal
- Frodo/Sam fanworks on Archive of Our Own
- Frodo/Sam podfic on the Audiofic Archive (defunct)
- A Light in Dark Places
Amazing Creatures - links to archives, authors and rec sites
A Bit of Light - author page with links to other author pages
Flowers in a Lightning Storm - author page
In A Green Shade - author page
Things Invisible - author page
Mailing Lists
- LOTR SeanElijah, plus Lotrips mailing list (defunct)
- Hobbitslash, along with other Hobbit pairings (defunct)