Aragorn

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This article deals with Aragorn II. For his ancestor of the same name, see Aragorn I.

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Aragorn is a fictional character appearing in The Lord of the Rings. He is introduced about halfway through the first of six books in The Fellowship of the Ring, meeting Frodo and his party at Bree, at the Inn of the Prancing Pony.

Although initially appearing to be a dirty vagabond, he is of noble descent, being formally titled Aragorn II and the 16th Chieftain of the Dúnedain of the North. It was said that in him the nobility of the Númenóreans of old would be restored.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Literature

[edit] History

Aragorn, who was named after his ancestor, Aragorn I, was born on March 1 in 2931 of the Third Age, the son of Arathorn II and his wife Gilraen. Through his ancestor Elendil (whom he closely resembled) <ref>"He was Aragorn son of Arathorn, the nine and thirtieth heir in the right line from Isildur, and yet more like Elendil than any before him."J. R. R. Tolkien (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.): The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 303. ISBN 0-395-25730-1. </ref> Aragorn was a descendant of Elros Tar-Minyatur, Elrond's twin brother and the first king of Númenor.

When Aragorn was only two years old, his father was slain while pursuing Orcs. Aragorn was afterwards fostered in Rivendell by Lord Elrond Half-elven. At the request of his mother, his lineage was kept secret, as she feared he would be slain like his father and grandfather if his true identity as the descendant of Elendil and Heir of Isildur became known. Aragorn was renamed Estel (Sindarin for "Hope"), and was not told about his heritage until he came of age in 2951.

At that time, Elrond revealed to "Estel" his true name and ancestry, and delivered to him the shards of Narsil and the Ring of Barahir. He withheld the Sceptre of Annúminas from him till he "came of the right" to possess them. It was also around this time that Aragorn met and fell in love with Arwen, daughter of Elrond, who had newly returned from her mother's homeland of Lórien.

From then on, Aragorn assumed his proper role as the sixteenth Chieftain of the Dúnedain, the Rangers of the North, and went into the Wild, where dwelt the remnants of his people, whose kingdom had been destroyed through civil and regional wars centuries before.

Aragorn met Gandalf the Grey in 2956, and they became close friends. At Gandalf's advice he and his followers began to guard a small land known as the Shire, inhabited by the diminutive and agrarian Hobbits, and he became known among the peoples just outside the Shire's borders as Strider.

From 2957 to 2980, Aragorn undertook great journeys, serving in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan, and Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor. Many of his tasks helped to raise morale in the West and counter the growing threat of Sauron and his allies, and he earned invaluable experience which he would later put to use in the War of the Ring. Aragorn served his lords in disguise and his name in Gondor and Rohan during that time was Thorongil (Eagle of the Star). With a small Gondorian squadron of ships, he led an assault on the long-standing rebel province of Umbar in 2980, burning many of the Corsairs' ships and personally slaying their lord during the battle on the Havens. After the victory at Umbar, "Thorongil" left the field and to the dismay of his men, went East.

Later in 2980, he visited Lórien, and there once again met Arwen. He gave her the heirloom of his House, the Ring of Barahir, and, on the hill of Cerin Amroth, Arwen pledged her hand to him in marriage, renouncing her Elvish lineage and accepting the Gift of Men: death.

Elrond withheld from Aragorn permission to marry his daughter until such time as his foster son should be king of both Gondor and Arnor. To Elrond's as well as Aragorn's knowledge, to marry a mortal his daughter would be required to choose mortality, and thus deprive the deathless Elrond of his daughter while the world lasted. Elrond was also concerned for Arwen's own happiness, fearing that in the end she might find death (her own and that of her beloved) too difficult to bear.

Before the events of The Lord of the Rings proper take place, Aragorn also travelled through the Dwarven mines of Moria, and to Harad, where (in his own words) "the stars are strange". Tolkien does not specify when these travels occurred.

In 3009, Gandalf grew suspicious of the ring of the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, which later turned out to be the One Ring, the source of Power of the Dark Lord Sauron. Aragorn went at his request into Rhovanion in search of Gollum, who had once possessed the Ring. He caught the creature in the Dead Marshes near Mordor, and brought him as a captive to Thranduil's halls in Mirkwood, where Gandalf questioned him.

[edit] The Lord of the Rings

On September 30, 3018, T.A. Aragorn joined Frodo Baggins, the adopted heir of Bilbo, and three of his friends at the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree. These four had set out from the Shire to bring the One Ring to Rivendell. Aragorn was aged 87 at that time, nearing the prime of life for one of royal Númenórean descent. With Aragorn's help the Hobbits managed to escape the pursuing Nazgûl and reach Rivendell. There, the Fellowship of the Ring, a company of four Hobbits, an Elf, a Wizard, a Dwarf, and two men (one of them being Aragorn) was formed to guard Frodo, who should destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. Before the group set out, the shards of Narsil were reforged, and the restored blade was named Andúril.

Aragorn accompanied the group through an attempt to cross the pass of Caradhras and through the mines of Moria. He became their leader after the fall of Gandalf. Aragorn led the company to Lórien and then down the river Anduin to the Falls of Rauros. Originally he had planned to go to Gondor and aid its people in the war, but after the loss of Gandalf he also was responsible for Frodo. When Frodo decided to continue his quest alone, Aragorn, together with Legolas and Gimli, went to Rohan to free Merry and Pippin who had been captured by orcs of Saruman.

Pursuing the orcs across Rohan, the Three Hunters (as Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were ever after known) encountered Eomer, son of Eomund. From Eomer Aragorn learned that the orcs who had kidnapped Merry and Pippin had been destroyed and that the hobbits had not been found. Dejected, he led Legolas and Gimli to the site of the battle. Clues led Aragorn to believe that the hobbits might still be alive, and he led the Three Hunters into Fangorn. They did not find the hobbits, but they did find Gandalf the White, sent back from Valinor to continue his struggle against Sauron. Together, Gandalf and the Three Hunters travelled to Edoras, where Gandalf freed Theoden from Saruman's enchantment and helped him organize the Rohirrim against Saruman.

Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli then helped the people of Rohan in the Battle of the Hornburg, in which they conclusively defeated Saruman's army. In order to distract Sauron's attention from Frodo, who had gone into Mordor, Aragorn used a palantír and revealed himself as the heir of Isildur to Sauron. Sauron probably believed that the One Ring had come into Aragorn's hands; therefore he made his assault on Minas Tirith prematurely and without adequate preparation.

In order to defend the city, Aragorn dared to tread the Paths of the Dead. He summoned the Dead Men of Dunharrow who owed allegiance to the king of Gondor which they had sworn to Isildur. It had been prophesied by Isildur and Malbeth the Seer that the Dead would be summoned once more to pay their debt for betraying Gondor millennia before. With their aid the fleet of the Corsairs of Umbar was defeated and Aragorn was able to lead the fleet, taken from the Corsairs, up the Anduin to Minas Tirith. When he arrived at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields he flew the royal banner of the House of Elendil. With the help of the southern forces the armies of Gondor and Rohan rallied and defeated Sauron's army.

The restoration of the line of Elendil to the throne of Gondor is a subplot of The Lord of the Rings; Aragorn's adventures not only aid Frodo in his Quest, but also bring him closer to his own kingship — which, though his by right and lineage, has been left open for centuries due to historical, legal, and military circumstances. The people of Gondor have been under the rule of the Stewards of Gondor for centuries, as it was widely doubted that any of the royal line still lived. Shortly after Isildur's departure, Meneldil, son of Anarion, had severed Gondor from Arnor politically, although the formal title of High King remained with the northern line (as Isildur was Elendil's eldest son). This arrangement had been reinforced by the Steward Pelendur in T.A. 1945 when he rejected Arvedui's claim to the Throne of Gondor during a Gondorian succession crisis (Eärnil, a member of the House of Anárion, was eventually chosen as King instead). It is worth noting, however, that Arvedui had also based his claim on the fact that he had married a descendant of Anárion: thus, Aragorn was technically a descendant of not only Elendil and Isildur but of Anárion as well).

By the time of the War, however, many in Gondor were accustomed to the rule of the Stewards, and felt in any case that the Line of Isildur no longer had enough dignity to claim kingship over Gondor (moreover, most thought that the line of Isildur had died out generations ago). The Steward Denethor, for instance, declared that he would not bow to a descendant of Isildur (years before, he had seen "Thorongil" as a rival to his father's favour; it is thought that he had discerned Thorongil's true identity by the time of the War of the Ring). Thus, Aragorn had to convince the people of Gondor that he "deserved" to be king, which he managed to do by his achievements and qualities of character, especially during and immediately after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

Also essential to Aragorn's personal popularity in Gondor were his abilities as a healer, which he exercised most notably on the evening following the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Among others, Aragorn healed Faramir, Denethor's heir, who had been expected to die; this won him the immediate recognition of the Steward as the rightful heir to the throne, and his humility and self-sacrifice gained him the hearts of the inhabitants of Gondor's capital city. The people hailed him as King that same evening.

Despite his immediate success and popularity, however, and despite his claim to the throne through raising the royal banner, Aragorn decided to lay aside his claim for the time being. He knew that if he aggressively promoted his claim, rival claimants or debates as to his legitimacy were not out of the question, and this could be a fatal distraction for Gondor at a time when the West needed to be united against Sauron. So, to avoid conflict, after he had healed people during the night of March 15/16, he left Minas Tirith and symbolically refused to enter it again until he was crowned King on May 1.

In order to ensure safe passage across Mordor for Frodo to fulfill his quest, Aragorn then led the Army of the West out from Minas Tirith to make a diversionary feint on the Black Gate of Mordor itself in the Battle of the Morannon. Gandalf had been given supreme command of the war effort after the Pelennor Fields, and acted as chief spokesman in the parley with the Mouth of Sauron; but Aragorn commanded the Allied troops during the battle and its aftermath. His role, along with the battle itself, was overshadowed by the collapse of Barad-dûr and of Sauron's empire, though there is every reason to believe he commanded skillfully throughout the day. Shortly afterwards, he took part in victory celebrations at the Field of Cormallen, and then proceeded to his crowning just outside Minas Tirith. There were no competing claims to the throne.

Upon Sauron's defeat, in late 3019, Aragorn was crowned as King Elessar (Quenya, translated as Elfstone), a name given to him by Galadriel. (In Sindarin this becomes Edhelharn.) He became the 26th King of Arnor, 35th King of Gondor and the first High King of the Reunited Kingdom,though it would be several years before his authority was firmly re-established in Arnor. Aragorn married Arwen shortly afterwards, and ruled the Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor until 120 of the Fourth Age. His reign was marked by great harmony and prosperity within Gondor and Arnor, and by a great renewal of cooperation and communication between Men, Elves, and Dwarves, fostered by his vigorous rebuilding campaign following the war. He died at the age of 210, after 120 years of reign. He was succeeded on the throne by his son, Eldarion. Arwen, gravely saddened by the loss of her husband, gave up her now-mortal life shortly afterwards. Arwen and Aragorn had one son named Eldarion and at least two unnamed daughters.

[edit] Adaptations

Aragorn in the 1978 animated film based on The Lord of the Rings.

Aragorn in the 1980 animated TV special based on The Return of the King.

Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Aragorn in the 2003 Cincinnati stage production of The Return of the King.

[edit] Film

Aragorn was voiced by John Hurt in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film version of The Lord of the Rings. Bakshi's Aragorn, unlike all other portrayals that were to follow to date, has no beard. This actually conforms to a statement appearing in Unfinished Tales that implicitly says that Aragorn was not supposed to have one, due to his Elvish ancestry (Elves did not grow beards).<ref>"In a note written in 1972 or later, among the last writings of my father's on the subject of Middle-earth, there is a discussion of the Elvish strain in Men, as to its being observable in the beardlessness of those who were so descended (it was a characteristic of all Elves to be beardless)."J. R. R. Tolkien (1980). Christopher Tolkien (ed.): Unfinished Tales. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-29917-9. </ref> However, Tolkien actually wrote elsewhere that Elves did have beards; in The Lord of the Rings itself Círdan is described as having a beard. Also, some viewers and critics have said that this version of Aragorn looks Native American,<ref>http://www.coldfusionvideo.com/l/lordofrings.html</ref><ref>http://www.stomptokyo.com/movies/l/lord-of-the-rings-anim.html</ref><ref>http://www.mutantreviewers.com/vlotr1.html</ref><ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077869/usercomments</ref><ref> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/6302906652</ref> though not necessarily to the detriment of the film.

Aragorn was voiced by Theodore Bikel in the 1980 Rankin/Bass animated version of The Return of the King, made for television. He first appears at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, leading the reinforcements from southern Gondor.

In the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (2001–2003) by Peter Jackson, Aragorn is played by Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen, who took over the role from Stuart Townsend after a month of rehearsals. In these movies, Aragorn must overcome his self-doubt to claim the kingship. This specific element of self-doubt is not present in Tolkien's book, where Aragorn intends to claim the throne at an appropriate time, ever since Elrond revealed his heritage to him (though he does doubt the wisdom of his decisions while leading the Fellowship). Daniel Day-Lewis was offered the role, but declined.

[edit] Stage

In Canada, Aragorn was portrayed by Evan Buliung in the 3-hour Toronto production of The Lord of the Rings, which opened in 2006.

In the United States, Aragorn was portrayed by Josh Beshears in the Cincinnati production of The Return of the King (2003) for Clear Stage Cincinnati. At Chicago's Lifeline Theatre, Aragorn was played by Robert McLean in The Two Towers (1999).

[edit] Radio

Robert Stephens voiced the character in the 1981 BBC Radio serial of The Lord of the Rings.

[edit] Characteristics

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

Tolkien gives a brief but detailed description of him in The Fellowship of the Ring: lean, dark and tall, with shaggy dark hair "flecked with grey", grey eyes, and a stern pale face.<ref name = "fotr">J. R. R. Tolkien (1965). The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. LCCN 67-12275. </ref> In "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen" in the Appendices, he was said to be often grim and sad, with unexpected moments of levity.<ref name = "rotk">J. R. R. Tolkien (1965). The Return of the King. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. LCCN 67-12275. </ref> Some time after the publications of the books, Tolkien wrote that he was six feet six inches tall.

Aragorn possessed elven wisdom and the foresight of the Dúnedain. He was also a skilled healer, notably with the plant athelas. He was also a great warrior and an unmatched commander; after the battle of the Pelennor Fields, he, Éomer and Imrahil were said to be left unscathed, though they had been in the thick of the fighting.<ref name = "rotk" />

Though there is no indication of him ever doubting his role and destiny as one of the leaders of the war against Sauron and the future king of the Reunited Kingdom (as in Peter Jackson's film) he was not immune to self-doubt, as he doubted the wisdom of his decisions while leading the Fellowship after the loss of Gandalf in Moria, and blamed himself for many of their subsequent misfortunes.<ref name = "fotr" /><ref name = "ttt">J. R. R. Tolkien (1965). The Two Towers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. LCCN 67-12276. </ref>

On one occasion, his pride (or reverence for his heritage) led to complications, as he refused to disarm and leave his sword Andúril (a priceless heirloom of Númenor and one of the weapons which slew Sauron) at the door of Edoras, as Théoden had required, and only did so after Gandalf left his own sword (also of high lineage) behind. Even so, he swore that death would come to anyone else who touched it (whether by his own hand or by some magic, it is left unsaid).<ref name = "ttt" />

[edit] Names and titles

Aragorn was called the Dúnadan ("Man of the West/Númenórean", given by Bilbo in Rivendell), Longshanks (given by Bill Ferny in Bree), and Wingfoot (given by Éomer). He was the founder of the House of Telcontar (Telcontar is "Strider" in Quenya, after the mistrustful nickname given him by the rustics of the North), which ruled Gondor well into the Fourth Age of Middle-earth; in records, his full ruling name is given as Elessar Telcontar ("Elfstone Strider"). He was also known as Estel ("hope") to protect his true lineage from the Enemy when they were seeking the heir of Isildur. He was also known as Thorongil ("Eagle of the Star") in his younger days when he travelled around Middle-earth and performed services in Rohan and Gondor.

[edit] Concept and creation

In the earliest unpublished versions of The Lord of the Rings, the character that later became Aragorn was a hobbit, and was called Trotter instead of Strider — though he was still called a Ranger (which were not yet identified as Dúnedain of the North). His true identity in at least one version was Peregrin Boffin, one of Bilbo's relatives. He wore wooden shoes, because he had lost his feet after being tortured in Mordor or Moria.<ref>J. R. R. Tolkien (1988). Christopher Tolkien (ed.): The Return of the Shadow. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-49863-5.</ref>

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• House of Telcontar

[edit] External link

• Aragorn at The Thain's Book

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