Revisiting Heroism

How do you think Tolkien means his readers to define heroism within his created world of Middle-earth? Are his definitions of heroism multiple? Does he have a preference between the epic hero and the folktale hero? Are his definitions of a hero different from or similar to those of medieval authors such as the Beowulf-poet? Who is the MOST heroic character in Tolkien's works? Why that hero? Some argue that Sam is the real hero of The Lord of the Rings, and one of Tolkien's letters supports that definition. However, readers don't always have to agree with writers. What do you think?