Aragorn

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

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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 volumes in The Fellowship of the Ring, meeting Frodo and his party at Bree.

Although initially appearing to be a dirty vagabond,Template:ME-fact he is of noble descent, being formally titled Aragorn II and the 16th Chieftain of the Dúnedain of the North (T.A. 2931 – F.A. 120). It was said that in him the nobility of the Númenóreans of old would be restored.

Appearances

Literature

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 to whom he had an astonishing resemblance, 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 when an arrow pierced him in the eye, while hunting Orcs. Like many of his ancestors, Aragorn was fostered in Rivendell by Lord Elrond Half-elven. At the request of his mother, his royal 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 named Estel (Sindarin for "Hope") instead, 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, in the woods of Rivendell, 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.

In 2953, he was not present in Rivendell for the last meeting of the White Council. 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 took 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 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 herself 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, both her own and that of her beloved, 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 in Harad, where (in his own words) "the stars are strange", during some unspecified time.

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.

On September 30, 3018, T.A. Aragorn joined Frodo Baggins, the adoptee of Bilbo, and three of his friends at the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree, who 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. By Aragorn's help the Hobbits managed to escape the Nazgûl who were pursuing Frodo, wanting to take the Ring from him, 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 at Mount Doom in Mordor.

Aragorn accompanied the group at an attempt to cross the pass of Caradhras and through the mines of Moria. He became their leader after the fall of Gandalf. Aragorn lead 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.

Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli helped the people of Rohan in the Battle of the Hornburg in which they defeated Saruman's army. In order to distract Sauron's attention from Frodo, who had gone into the enemy's land, Aragorn used a palantír and revealed himself as the heir of Isildur to Sauron. Sauron then probably believed that the One Ring had fallen into the hands of him, wherefore he hastily made an attack on Minas Tirith (which he had already been planning long before).

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. With their aid the fleet of the Corsairs of Umbar was defeated and Aragorn was able to lead a fleet of southern Gondor up Anduin to Minas Tirith. When he arrived at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields he flew the royal banner of the House of Elendil. By the help of the southern forces the armies of Gondor and Rohan were able to defeat their enemies.

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, although his by lineage, has due to historical and legal circumstances been left open for centuries, with the people of Gondor under the rule of Stewards, while it was widely doubted whether any of the royal line still lived. Shortly after Isildur's departure, Meneldil had severed Gondor from Arnor, although the formal title of High King remained with the northern line. This had been reinforced by the Steward Pelendur in T.A. 1945 when he rejected Arvedui's claim to the Throne of Gondor during a succession crisis (Eärnil, a member of the House of Anárion, was eventually chosen as King instead). It's 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 used 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 discerned his true identity at 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.

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 not to pursue the matter 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 fulfil 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 as a whole, was necessarily overshadowed by the collapse of Barad-dûr and of Sauron's empire, though there is every reason to believe he commanded skilfully 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.

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. 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.

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 in the 1980 animated TV special based on The Return of the King.
• Aragorn in the 2001-3 live-action film trilogy based on The Lord of the Rings.
  Aragorn in the 2001-3 live-action film trilogy based on The Lord of the Rings.
• Aragorn in the 2003 Cincinnati stage production of The Return of the King.
  Aragorn in the 2003 Cincinnati stage production of The Return of the King.

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). 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, 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.

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

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). There is also more emphasis on (or at least more screentime given to) his relationships with Arwen and Éowyn. Here Aragorn is slightly younger than in the book, despite the fact that Mortensen was specifically hired because he was 41 at the time, as his 'shaggy dark hair' is 'flecked with grey', whereas in the film his hair is completely brown. He is also shorter, as Tolkien afterwards said him to be 6'6", and Mortensen is only 5'11". Daniel Day-Lewis, who stands over 6'1", was offered the role of Aragorn but declined.

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).

Characteristics

Aragorn possessed elven wisdom and the foresight of the Dúnedain.

Tolkien gives a brief but detailed description of him in the first volume: lean, dark and tall, with shaggy dark hair flecked with grey, grey eyes and a stern pale face.

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").

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.Template:ME-fact

See also

• House of Telcontar

External link

• Aragorn at The Thain's Book