or...Elrond.

Elrond is how I hope others see me, wise, virtuous, complex, sophisticated, powerful.

Sam is how I hope I really am, decent, simple, reasonable, and when it really counts, brave.

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As for your comparison of the mythic tales, it is no coincidence they also seem to follow a pattern. We've talked about this before...

Luke Skywalker, Arthur Pendragon, Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter

Light saber, Excalibur, Sting, the Elder Wand

Obi-Wan, Merlin, Gandalf, Dumbledore

Darth Vader, Mordred, Sauron, Valdermort

The Falcon Crew, the Round Table, the Fellowship, Dumbledor's Army

The wise and good old man selects and mentors the young champion (although he has an agenda of his own) to fight the forces of evil. Add a motley crew of sidekicks, some magick, and its the same archetypal tale. It was first written in Medieval France. I suspect this is what Tolkien is going to say, I'm going to read his essay now...