Aragorn

Aragorn II (Sindarin for "King's Courage") (Eriador, March 1, 2931 T.E. - Gondor, March 1, 120 C.E.) is a fictional character in the legendarium of J.R.R. Tolkien, co-star of all three The Lord of the Rings novels. He was a captain of the Northern Rangers, second of that name, son of Arathorn II and Gilraen, nicknamed Striders in Bree, known as Thorongil (the "Eagle of the star") in Rohan and Gondor in the days of Thengel and Ecthelion II, respectively, as a boy known in Rivendell as Estel ("Hope"), captain of the Peoples Free during the War of the Ring and afterward, ruler of the United Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor under the name Elessar Telcontar.

Aragorn led the Fellowship of the Ring after the fall of Gandalf in the Mines of Moria while fighting the Balrog. When the Fellowship broke up, he followed the hobbits Meriadoc Brandigamus and Peregrin Tuk with the help of the elf Legolas and the dwarf Gimli to the Fangorn forest. He later fought in the Battle of Helm's Deep and in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. After defeating Sauron's forces in Gondor, he led an army of Gondor and Rohan against the Black Gate of Mordor to divert Sauron's attention so that Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee might have a chance to destroy the One Ring on Mount of destiny.

History

Aragorn was born on 1 March 2931 T.E. He was the fortieth direct patrilineal descendant of Elendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor, thus also descended from the first king of Númenor, Elros Tar- Minyatur, Elrond's twin brother. He was known simply as "Isildur's heir." Arador was the father of Arathorn II and Aragorn's grandfather, at a young age he was killed by a troll in the Cold Wastes, near the Forest of Trolls. His son Arathorn II was appointed captain of the Rangers of the North, being sixty years old (early age for his lineage). Aragorn was only two years old when he was killed in an attack on a band of orcs by being shot in the eye with an arrow.

Dírhael, Gilraen the Fair's father, who was a seer, did not want Arathorn to marry his daughter because she was not yet old enough to marry in the custom of the Dúnedain and because he had predicted that her husband would die. at an early age. But Gilraen's mother, Ivorwen, who was also a seer, said that they had to marry because she predicted that Gilraen's son would be the last hope of her people.

On Arathorn's death, Gilraen took Aragorn to live in Imladris, who was raised by Elrond. His lineage was kept secret, as Elrond feared that Sauron would learn of his true identity as Isildur's heir, being renamed Estel (& # 34; hope & # 34; in Sindarin). He was not told of his inheritance until he came of age in the year 2951 T.E.

Elrond revealed to Aragorn his true name and ancestry, and gave him the fragments of Elendil's Narsil sword and also the Ring of Barahir. He withheld the Scepter of Annúminas from him until he earned the right to possess it. Aragorn met and fell in love with Arwen, the daughter of Elrond (whom he mistook for Lúthien), when she returned from Lórien, the homeland of Celebrán, his mother.

Thereafter, Aragorn assumed his role as the sixteenth captain of the Rangers of the North, living with the rest of his people, whose realm had been destroyed through civil and regional wars centuries before.

Aragorn met Gandalf the Gray in T.A. 2956, and they became close friends. The Rangers help protect the Shire, inhabited by the diminutive Hobbits. In the areas around the Shire and Bree it was known as "Striders".

From T.A. 2957 to T.A. 2980, Aragorn traveled extensively, serving in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan (King Théoden's father) and Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor (Denethor's father). His tasks helped boost morale in the West and counter the growing threat from Sauron and his allies, gaining experience he would later use in the War of the Ring. Aragorn served his lords during this time under the name Thorongil (Star Eagle). With a small squadron and a few ships from Gondor, he led an assault on Umbar in T.A. 2980, burning many of the Corsairs' ships and personally killing the captain. After the victory at Umbar, Thorongil forsook the field, and went to Lórien.

In the year 2980 T.E., he visited Lórien, and there he again met Arwen. He gave her an inheritance from her lineage, the Ring of Barahir, and, on the hill of Cerin Amroth, Arwen promised him her hand in marriage, renouncing her elven lineage and accepting her mortality.. Elrond denied Aragorn permission to marry his daughter until he was king of Gondor and Arnor. To marry a mortal, Arwen would have to choose mortality, and Elrond feared that, in the end, Arwen would find it too difficult to bear death.

Gandalf later discovered that the ring Bilbo Baggins possessed was the One Ring. Gandalf asked Aragorn to track down Gollum, who had previously possessed the Ring. This hunt led Aragorn across Rhovanion, eventually capturing Gollum in the Fen of the Dead northwest of Mordor, taking him captive before King Thranduil in Mirkwood, where he was questioned by Gandalf.

The Fellowship of the Ring

In the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn joined Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's nephew and heir, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandigamus and Pilgrim Tuk at the Prancing Pony inn in Bree. A letter from Gandalf convinced Frodo to trust Aragorn. The four hobbits had left the Shire to bring the One Ring to Rivendell. Aragorn, was then 87 years old, being of full maturity for one of royal Númenórean descent. With Aragorn's help, the hobbits escaped the pursuit of the Nazgûl and reached Rivendell. There Frodo volunteered to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, and Aragorn was chosen as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring to accompany him, along with Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir of Gondor, and the hobbits Pippin, Merry, and Frodo's faithful gardener, Samwise Gamgee. Elven smiths reforged the shards of Narsil into a new sword, setting into the design of the blade seven stars (for Elendil) and a crescent moon (for Isildur), as well as many runes. Aragorn renamed the sword Andúril ("Flame of the West" in Sindarin), and it is said to have shone in the light of the Sun and Moon.

Aragorn accompanied the party through their attempt to cross the Caradhras Pass, and later through the mines of Moria. After Gandalf fell into the depths of Moria in a battle with a Balrog, Aragorn led the company to Lothlórien and then down the river Anduin to the Falls of Rauros. Originally, he planned to go to Gondor to help his people in the war, but after the loss of Gandalf he became increasingly concerned about his responsibilities to Frodo and company.

The Two Towers

The Fellowship quickly collapsed: Frodo had decided to continue his journey alone (accompanied by Sam) and Boromir was killed while defending Merry and Pippin, who were captured by the orcs. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli set out to track down the Uruk-hai, hoping to rescue Merry and Pippin. They met Éomer, who was pursuing an orc raid on Rohan. Aragorn learned from Éomer that the orcs who kidnapped Merry and Pippin had been slain, and that no hobbits were found among the wreckage. Distraught, he led Legolas and Gimli to the site of the battle. The clues led Aragorn to believe that the hobbits might still be alive, prompting him to lead the party into Fangorn's forest. They found not the hobbits, but Gandalf the White (whom they initially mistook for Saruman), who had been resurrected to continue his duties in Middle-earth. Gandalf told them that the hobbits were in the care of the Ents of Fangorn. Together the four traveled to Edoras on Rohan, where Gandalf freed Théoden from Saruman's enchantment and helped him rally the Rohirrim against Saruman. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli aided Rohan in the Battle of Helm's Deep, in which Saruman's army was destroyed.

Return of the King

Aragorn used the Palantir of Orthanc and revealed himself to Sauron as Isildur's heir, to divert Sauron's attention from Frodo, who was closing in on Mordor. Sauron subsequently attacked Minas Tirith prematurely and without proper preparation. In order to reach the city in time to defend it, Aragorn entered the Paths of the Dead and summoned the Army of the Dead from the Sanctum to the Stone of Erech. The Dead owed allegiance to Aragorn as Isildur's heir. Isildur and Malbeth the Seer had prophesied millennia before that the Dead would be summoned to pay their debt for betraying Gondor. With his help, the Corsairs of Umbar were defeated at the port of Pelargir. Using the corsairs' ships, Aragorn then sailed down the Anduin to Minas Tirith with a small force of Rangers and a large contingent of men and soldiers from the southern regions of Gondor. As they approached Minas Tirith, Aragorn unfurled the royal banner Arwen had made for him, displaying both the White Tree of Gondor and the jeweled crown and seven stars of the House of Elendil. With the help of the southern forces, the armies of Gondor and Rohan united and defeated Sauron's army at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

To continue to divert Sauron's attention from the search for Frodo, Aragorn led the armies of the West to the gates of Mordor, where Sauron attacked with overwhelming force. But at that moment the Ring was destroyed, and Sauron and his forces were defeated.

Throne of Gondor

The restoration of the house 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 search for him, but also bring him closer to his own kingship, which, though by right and lineage, has been unclaimed for centuries due to historical, legal, and military circumstances. Although Isildur and his brother Anárion had jointly ruled Gondor, the royal house of Gondor was descended from Anárion and not directly from Isildur. After Isildur's departure, Meneldil, son of Anárion, ruled Gondor alone, though the formal title of High King remained with Arnor's lineage, as Isildur was Elendil's eldest son. When the throne of Gondor fell vacant in T.E. 1944, the separation of the kingdoms increased when in Gondor, under the seneschal Pelendur, the claim of the prince of Arthedain, Arvedui, was rejected. (Eärnil, a lateral member of the House of Anárion, was eventually elected king in his place.) But Arvedui's wife was also of the House of Anárion, so Aragorn was descended not only from Elendil and Isildur, but also from Anárion.. By the time of The Lord of the Rings, however, Gondor had been under the rule of the Stewards of Gondor for centuries, as it was widely doubted that any of the royal lines still lived.

Senechal Denethor, who years before had seen Thorongil as a rival for his father's favor, declared that he would not bow to a descendant of Isildur. Aragorn healed Faramir, Denethor's heir, whose death was expected; Faramir, unlike his father, recognized Aragorn as his lord and the rightful heir to the throne. Aragorn's humility and sacrifice won him the hearts of the inhabitants of the capital of Gondor. His healing abilities were also noted by the people of Gondor; as Ioreth said "The hands of the king are hands that heal. So the rightful king could be recognized...". The people acclaimed Aragorn as King that very evening.

Despite his immediate popularity, however, Aragorn decided to set aside his claim to the throne for the time being. To avoid conflict, he left Minas Tirith and refused to re-enter until he was crowned King.

In order to ensure safe passage through Mordor for Frodo to fulfill his mission, Aragorn then led the Army of the West from Minas Tirith to distract Sauron at the Black Gate of Mordor at the Battle of Morannon. Gandalf acted as the main spokesman at the meeting with the Mouth of Sauron; but Aragorn led the allied troops during the battle.

United Kingdom and end of the Fellowship of the Ring

After Sauron's defeat, Aragorn was crowned king Elessar (a Quenya name given to him by Galadriel, translated as Elfstone), and married Arwen soon after. He became the twenty-sixth King of Arnor, thirty-fifth King of Gondor, and the first High King of the United Kingdom. His line was called the House of Telcontar (Quenya & # 34; Striders & # 34;, his name in Bree). In the Appendices, they explain that Aragorn ruled the Kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor until the year 120 of the Fourth Age. His reign was marked by great harmony and prosperity within Gondor and Arnor, and by a renewal of communication and cooperation between Men, Elves, and Dwarves, fostered by his vigorous campaign of rebuilding after the war. Aragorn led the forces of the United Kingdom in military campaigns against the Eastmen and Haradrim, reestablishing rule over much of the territory that Gondor had lost in previous centuries. He died at the age of 210, after 122 years as king when he decided, just like the kings of old. The graves of Merry and Pippin (who had died in Gondor 58 years earlier) were situated next to his. He was succeeded to the throne by his son, Eldarion. Arwen, exceedingly saddened by the loss of her husband, left her mortal life shortly after her in Lothlórien. Arwen and Aragorn also had several more daughters whose fate is unknown.

Hearing of Aragorn's death, Legolas built a gray ship in Ithilien, and sailed to the Immortal Lands, along with Gimli. "And when that ship departed, the Fellowship of the Ring in Middle-earth came to an end".

Features

Tolkien gives a brief but detailed description of Striders in The Fellowship of the Ring: thin, tall, with shaggy dark hair streaked with gray, gray eyes, and a stern, pale face. It is also claimed that he was the tallest of the Company. Some time after the books were published, Tolkien wrote that he was at least 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall. Although he was 87 years old at the time of the War of the Ring, this was the prime of life for a Dunadan of royal blood, and Tolkien wrote that to those unaware of his lineage the character Aragorn was a "hardened man of about 45". /i>". In "A Fragment of the Story of Aragorn and Arwen", found in the Appendices, he was described as often somber and sad, with unexpected moments of lightness.

Aragorn possessed the wisdom of the Elves, due to his childhood in Rivendell with Elrond, and the foresight of the Dúnedain. He was an expert healer, especially with the athelas plant (also known as King's Leaf). He was a mighty warrior and an incomparable commander; after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, he, Éomer and Imrahil were unscathed, though they had been in the thick of the fighting. Due to his position as heir to Isildur, Aragorn had powers impressive for a man and, as the rightful owner of Orthanc's Palantir, he used it to declare himself Isildur's heir to Sauron, trying to distract Sauron.

Though he was wise and strong, he was not immune to doubt. He doubted the wisdom of his decisions as he led the Fellowship after Gandalf's loss in Moria, and blamed himself for many of his subsequent misfortunes.

Ancestry

Names and titles

The name Aragorn is written in Sindarin, meaning "Revered King", from aran, meaning "king", and (n)gorn, "feared" or "revered".

This meaning of J.R.R. Tolkien was not revealed until 2007 when "Words, Phrases and Passages in The Lord of the Rings" was published, in an afternoon manuscript in 1950.

Accommodations

Movie

Aragorn was played by John Hurt in Ralph Bakshi's animated version of The Lord of the Rings. Bakshi's Aragorn is beardless, unlike all other depictions that would follow to date. This actually fits with a statement in Unfinished Tales that implicitly says that Aragorn was not meant to have one, due to his elven ancestry. However, Tolkien actually wrote elsewhere that one of the Elves "had" beard; in The Lord of the Rings the High Elf Círdan is described as an elf with a beard. Also, some viewers and critics have said that this version of Aragorn looks Native American.

Aragorn was portrayed by Theodore Bikel in Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass's 1980 animated version of The Return of the King, filmed for television. Robert Stephens played Aragorn in the 1981 BBC Radio series The Lord of the Rings. Kari Väänänen played him on Finnish TV Hobitit in 1993.

In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003) directed by Peter Jackson, Aragorn is played by Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen, who took over the role of Stuart Townsend after four days of filming because Jackson stated that Townsend was too young for the part. One notable difference in the Jackson films is that, at the beginning, Aragorn does not wield Andúril. In his place, he uses a different, unnamed sword in the first two films and receives his ancestor's reforged sword in the third film. Mortensen's portrayal of Aragorn earned him the title of the 15 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time (in 2015) by Empire magazine.