The following piece of information is probably no real news to hard-core Tolkien fans, although some Hobbit-loving bingo players might smile in surprise. It appears that Frodo Bagins, the main character in Tolkien's “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, was initially named... Bingo. Tolkien wrote, sometime in the 1940's, about “Bingo”'s adventures through Middle Earth right up to the first part of the second book, when, according to the rumors, a family friend noted that “bingo” is actually a popular game in the United States.

To emphasize how different the book might have been had the name not been changed, here are some Lord of the Rings bingo quotes:

"Silence fell again. Bingo, even in that fair house, looking out upon a sunlit valley filled with the noise of the clear waters, felt a dead darkness in his heart. Boromir stirred, and Bingo looked at him. He was fingering his great horn and frowning." Book 2, Chapter 2.

"He rose and passed his hand over his eyes, dashing away the tears. 'What have I said?' he cried. 'What have I done? Bingo, Bingo!' he called. 'Come back! A madness took me, but it has passed. Come back!'" Book 2, Chapter 10.

"Coming, Mr. Bingo! Coming!" Samwise Gamgee, in most of the books.

Despite the humor in having the Gollum and other Lord of the Rings characters shout “Bingo!” every few pages, how Tolkien went from “Bingo” to “Frodo” shall remain a mystery.