Frowise

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Frowise is the slash ship between Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee from the Middle Earth fandom.

Canon

Fellowship of the Ring

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The Two Towers

Frodo and Sam become separated from the rest of the Fellowship and continue on their way to Mordor, while being followed by Gollum. When Gollum attacks Sam, Frodo saves Sam by bringing out his sword Sting and threatening Gollum to let go, which he does. Gollum then becomes their "guide" and promises to lead them to Mordor. Frodo decides this because of the pity he feels for Gollum (who he now calls Sméagol), although Sam is very resistant to trust Gollum, consistently showing his contempt for him.

The burden of the Ring becomes an increasingly heavy weight for Frodo to carry, making him very weary and draining his emotional and mental energy. Sam notices this and feels worried for Frodo, so he makes sure to encourage him to eat and sleep, as well as constantly keeping watch over him. It is also in this book that Sam makes Frodo laugh twice, acting as a supportive "rock" in Frodo's life, during his decline of stability.

❝

I love him. He's like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no.

—Sam

At the end of this book, they make their way to Shelob's lair, where they hold each other's hands. However, Frodo gets stung by Shelob and becomes paralysed from her venom. Sam catches up to them both, and fights off Shelob in a fit of rage, stabbing her and driving her away. When he sees that Frodo is completely limp, he thinks that he is dead and begins to cry and mourn over Frodo, kissing him on the forehead. Later on, a group of orcs come, causing Sam to hide and watch. The orcs begin to take Frodo to Cirith Ungol and they mention that Frodo isn't dead, but that he is unconscious and limp. This information nearly causes Sam to swoon, as he is given new found hope and becomes determined to save Frodo from the orcs. Tolkien describes this in the book as "the news that his master was still alive roused him to a last effort beyond the thought of weariness".

The Return of the King

Frodo becomes overwhelmed with the power of the ring, and tells Sam that it's too much for him, not even being able to move. Sam say that he may not be able to carry the ring, but he can carry Frodo, and picks him up, carrying him to the mountain entrance. As he makes the way, they are attacked by Gollum, but are able to get away. They head into Mount Doom, and Sam begs Frodo to throw the ring into the fire. Frodo however, has become overtaken by the power of the ring and refuses, slipping it on. Gollum the attacks him and they both fall over the cliff, Gollum and the ring being destroyed in the fire. Sam reaches over the edge, begging for Frodo to take his hand. Frodo almost doesn't, but seeing the unwavering hope in Sam, he takes it and the two make their way out of the mountain.

❝

I'm glad to be with you Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.

—Frodo

They are rescued by the Eagles and reunite after making a recovery at Gondor. They then return to the shire, with Frodo writing his own tale. He feels a pain in his shoulder and Sam asks what's wrong. Frodo says that his shoulder never fully healed from the Nazgul blade, and Sam remarks on the book Frodo finished. Frodo says that there's still more room, and the two go to escort Bilbo to the Elven Port. Once there, Gandalf tells Frodo that it is time to go, and Sam becomes confused. Frodo says that they saved the Shire, but not for Frodo, and gives Sam the book, the last few pages left for him. He hugs Merry and Pippin, before giving Sam a kiss on the forehead goodbye. He then leaves for the boat, crying as he leaves his friend behind.

Moments

• Sam gazes at Frodo in Ithilien, noting his beauty, and thinks to himself "I love him."
• They walk in Shelob's lair hand in hand.
• One night, Sam comforts Frodo "with his arms and body."
• Sam rescues Frodo from the top of the tower of Cirith Ungol, despite it being full of orcs and Sam not being fully sure if Frodo is alive. They find each other by singing a song.
• When Sam finds Frodo in Cirith Ungol, he holds a naked Frodo in his arms, kisses his forehead and feels "like he could sit like that in eternal happiness, but it was not allowed."

Behind the Scenes

• In December 2020, a fan requested Sean Astin (Sam) say, "I think Sam and Frodo should have kissed" on Cameo, which he says, but further explains why he agrees:

"First of all, how do you know they didn't? You know what I mean? It's a long trek to Mordor. We loved the gay fanfiction... When it came out? Like coming out of the closet? Oh my gosh. Anyhow, our instinct when the movie came out was just to love that fans embraced the movie and the characters, so whatever people want to conceptualize for them is fine with us."

Fanon

This section is in need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by editing it.

Frowise is one of the most popular and well known ships within the middle earth fandom, and the most popular in the Lord of the Rings fandom. On AO3, Frowise is the most written ship for both Sam and Frodo. It is also the most written ship in the The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types tag. There are currently 2230+ written works.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Sam/Frodo tag on AO3

Sam and Frodo works on FanFiction.Net

ARTWORK

Frodo and Sam search results on DeviantArt

TUMBLR

Samfro tag on Tumblr

Frowise posts on Tumblr

Frodo x Sam posts on Tumblr

WIKIS

Frodo/Sam on Fanlore

Lists

Fandometrics

12th	MAR 7th 2022
17th	JAN 22nd 2024

Gallery

Media

Queer readings of The Lord of the Rings are not accidents — Frodo and Sam's gay romance in Lord of the Rings is more than a theory (POLYGON • JUN 2021)

Why Queer Readings of The Lord of the Rings are So Popular — and Important (SYFY • JUN 2021)

Are Frodo and Sam in Love? Their Relationship Explained (FICTION HORIZON • SEP 2023)

Sean Astin's Cool With You Shipping Sam and Frodo, Two Bros Who Should Have Kissed(GIZMODO • DEC 2020)

Queer Coded: Sam and Frodo ("The Lord of the Rings") (Just Add Color • MAY 2015)

Lord of the Rings taps a Gay Archetype (The Gay & Lesbian Review • JULY 2003)

Variations

Samfrosie refers to the ship between Frodo, Sam and Rosie Cotton

Fellowship of the Ring refers to the ship between Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took, Aragorn and Boromir