While the books undeniably laid the groundwork for The Lord of the Rings as a key part of queer fandom, though, it was Peter Jackson’s films that truly put Sam and Frodo as a ship on the map.ĭespite the books being a significant presence in pop culture for nearly 50 years, it wasn’t until the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 that a new, internet-savvy generation of fans was introduced to Sam, Frodo, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Aragorn, and the rest of the series’ many queer ships for the first time. McKellen’s suggestion exemplifies how The Lord of the Rings so successfully carved a niche for itself as a part of queer fandom, and why LGBTQ+ fans are so drawn to the Sam/Frodo relationship in the books: Though Tolkien himself likely didn’t intend to code the relationship as gay, the sheer tenderness of the language and the constant affection between the two speaks to a kind of intimacy that queer fans are able to recognize and resonate with. "When I suggested to Sean that he take Elijah's hand,” McKellen explains, “it was because I thought that might be missed by two resolutely heterosexual actors who might not appreciate that gay people, like myself, saw in a touch something, perhaps, more meaningful than others might." When Frodo reunites with Sam at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, Sam takes Frodo’s hand in a small, intimate moment, which McKellen worried may be lost on two straight actors. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring's cast commentary, Ian McKellen, a gay icon in his own right who played Gandalf the Grey, revealed that he was responsible for the inclusion of a small but crucial moment between Sam (Sean Astin) and Frodo (Elijah Wood) that featured in the books but might not have made it into the films without his suggestion. The books are incredibly in-depth about the closeness of Sam and Frodo’s relationship. Their bond is incredibly tender and profound. And, we know from, of all people, Sir Ian McKellen, that queer fans of the books very much picked up on the Sam/Frodo relationship. The Lord of the Rings was published all the way back in 1954, meaning that there’s virtually no way to gauge the temperature of queer fan readings of the books when they were first published, but there’s no question as to whether or not there was material for queer fans to latch on to. It even precedes the popular fanzines that popped up when Kirk/Spock was finding its footing. It’s difficult to discern the exact roots of where Sam and Frodo as a ship truly began, because unlike so many of the most popular slash ships today, Sam/Frodo predates the existence of the internet itself. Not only did The Lord of the Rings bring Sam/Frodo, Gimli/Legolas, and a gaggle of other slash ships to the attention of mainstream audiences - it also created one of the most passionate and fan communities on the internet, one that’s alive and well today. With the debut of The Lord of the Rings films, Hollywood brought a crucial piece of queer-coded literature to the big screen, whether it was intentional or not. For years, Sam and Frodo’s affectionate relationship was one of literature’s most devoted (but not always acknowledged) ships. The Lord of the Rings’ plethora of close-knit male friendships made the classic book series rife for potential queer readings among eagle-eyed fans - there just wasn’t any internet or an easy way for a community to talk about these interpretations. For as long as there has been literature, there have been queer readings and interpretations of iconic fictional characters.
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