In our world it is difficult to find anyone who can truly be called a “hero”. This is probably due to the fact that the company portrays heroes as Superman and Batman. These comedic heroes tarnish some people's perception of heroes. They think a hero is someone who can do anything and have otherworldly power. In reality, a hero can be anyone. To be considered a hero from Greek mythology, a hero must be favored by the Greek gods and usually fight and win a war as Odysseus did against the Trojans. In both the epic tale Beowulf and JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, the protagonist and, in the case of the Hobbit, the members of Thorin's company have the ability and desire to save friends and others that propels them to hero status. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an Old English author and Anglo-Saxon professor at Oxford University. Tolkien was actually born in Bloemfontein South Africa on January 3, 1892. Tolkien didn't have many memories of Africa due to him being so you, other than the fact that his father Arthur died there. Subsequently Tolkien, his brother Hilary and mother Mabel all returned to the West Midlands of England. Mabel Tolkien would soon die of diabetes because insulin was not known to be a cure for diabetes at the time. John Tolkien and his brother Hilary were welcomed by a Mrs. Faulkner. John Tolkien at this time was already showing signs of becoming and authoring greatness thanks to his mastery of Latin and Greek. The fact that Greek has a lot to do with epic hero stories like the Iliad and the Odyssey may be why when you read a Tolkien book you notice things about the characters that make them seem heroic. While in Mrs. Faulkner's boarding house, Tolkien raised a strong relative...... middle of paper......could not see him and imagined that he was lost or dead in the cave. Bilbo eventually removes the ring and everyone sees it again and continues their journey. After leaving the Misty Mountains, the dwarves reach the Great Forest of Mirkwood where Gandalf tells them not to stray from the path or they will surely get lost. Gandalf leaves on an errand but reunites with the dwarves later. In the forest the dwarves begin to hear sounds and can faintly see what appears to be a fire coming from a wood elf camp. They leave their path again, get lost and are captured by giant spiders. Except for Bilbo, he slipped onto the ring and became invisible. He discovered where the spiders had taken the dwarves and began stealthily killing them one by one. Bilbo saved the dwarves from certain death using his newfound confidence and magical power in the ring.