Top Ten Tuesday - Inspirational Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature / weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we make a top ten list from a given topic.

This week's topic is

Top Ten Most Inspirational Characters

I had such a hard time making this list. Over the years I must have read hundreds, if not thousands of books, but suddenly I was unable to remember any of them and their characters. While there are many characters I like, some I can relate to and some I have a crush on, none of that is the same as being inspirational. So this list is going to be rather short, but at least it is a list.

I expect to see a lot of Elizabeth Bennetts and Katniss Everdeens around this week. ;)

1. Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings)
Sam is the best friend anyone could ever ask for. He follows Frodo into certain death; he protects him, he fights for him, and when Frodo gives up, Sam lifts him onto his back and carries him on. Frodo would not have gotten far without Sam.

2. Neville Longbottom (Harry Potter series)
Neville may not be the hero of the story, but beneath that nervous and timid exterior he possesses a very rare courage. As Dumbledore puts it in the first book: "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

3. Éowyn (The Lord of the Rings)
She is a woman living in a man's world, but refuses to be held back by tradition. She is determined to fight for her people and her beliefs, because she knows she can make a difference – and boy, does she make a difference.

4. Precious Ramotswe (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency)
Unafraid, intelligent, clever, resourceful and ever the optimist, Mma Ramotswe is a true inspiration.

There must be others. I'll be back as soon as I can think of them.