The Guardians

The Hobbits were able to live a life of peace and plenty within the Shire only because they were protected from the darker things of the world by Guardians who watched their borders. At some point in their history the Shire-hobbits had evidently known something of these Guardians, though by the end of the Third Age even these meagre fragments of knowledge were almost entirely forgotten.

The protectors were drawn from Aragorn's people, the Rangers of the Northern Dúnedain, under the auspices of the Wizard Gandalf. How long they had guarded the Shire is unclear, but for their existence to fall into legend and then out of memory, they must presumably have been performing this role for some very considerable time. In the year III 2747 (Shire-reckoning 1147), the Shire was invaded by an Orc-band, and the fact that this was possible seems to imply that there were no Guardians at that time. Eleven years later, in III 2758, the Shire-hobbits struggled to survive the Long Winter. They were aided by Gandalf at this time, and so this perhaps marked the first beginnings of the Guardianship of their land.

The Rangers guarded more than just the Shire. Aragorn revealed to the Council of Elrond that they also kept watch over Bree against foes who would lay it in ruin without their protection. All of this they did in utter secrecy, and Gandalf kept their presence hidden even from the other members of the White Council. It was only after Saruman turned traitor to the Council and sent spies of his own into the Shire that he discovered its Guardians.

When the nature of the Ring was discovered by Gandalf, the presence of such a dangerous item within the Shire meant that the need for the Guardians became even more urgent. A group of them were stationed near Sarn Ford on the Shire's southern borders, and on 22 September III 3018 they faced a deadly test. Sauron had learned of the connection between his One Ring and the Shire, and sent the Nazgûl north to search for it. Even the Rangers could not withstand the fear that went with the Black Riders, and those few that survived fled the ford. Some hoped to bring news to their Chieftain Aragorn, far away to the north. In this they failed; the invaders hunted the Guardians down before they could escape to Aragorn, and so the Riders were able to pass secretly into the Shire.

Apart from the Rangers, title of 'Guardians' was also used at times in a much more significant sense. The Valar beyond the Sea, though they played little direct role in events in later Ages, are occasionally referred to as the 'Guardians of the World'.