Most admirable character in LOTR?
Theoden (book version)
Don't @me
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I re-read the books pretty much every year. Gimli threatens to use his axe a fair bit, particularly early on in the narrative. He only actually does use it in battle, and his bluster drops away towards the end.
Also, in defense of my book-reading, I did write, um ::checks notes: c. 110,000 words in 14 parts on the battle narratives in LotR, with repeated sections contrasting the books and films. https://acoup.blog/tag/lord-of-the-rings/ … So yes, I have read the books fairly recently.