Sunday, 1 November 2015

lord of the rings - What did Aragorn plan to do after reaching Gondor

1. Aragorn planned to come to Gondor and claim the Throne



The Heirs of Isildur had long memories, never forgetting that they had once ruled much of Eriador as the heir of Elendil. In a world in which prophesies are known to come true, the words of Malbeth the Seer were remembered:




"Arvedui you shall call him, for he will be the last in Arthedain. Though a choice will come to the Dunedain, and if they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become king of a great realm. If not, then much sorrow and many lives of men shall pass, until the Dunedain arise and are united again."



--- Gondor and the heirs of Anárion (The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Part IV)




Aragorn, although he tells Boromir that he looks little like the statues of Isildur and Anárion in Minas Tirith, is mentioned as looking almost identical to Elendur — who is described as looking almost the same as his grandfather, Elendil. No doubt this was taken as a sign of great things ahead for Aragorn II.




So perished Elendur, who should afterwards have been King, and as all foretold who knew him, in his strength and wisdom, and his majesty without pride, one of the greatest, the fairest of the seed of Elendil, most like to his grandsire.26



Footnote 26: It is said in later days those (such as Elrond) whose memories recalled [Elendur] were struck by the great likeness to him in body and mind, of King Elessar, the victor in the War of the Ring



--- The Disaster of the Gladden Fields (Unfinished Tales)




In the century leading up to the War of the Ring, it was known by those on both sides that things were coming to a head. Sauron had returned to Mordor. Elves were heading to the havens, Orcs were multiplying. Gondor's strength was waning, and it was losing territory to Mordor and Harad. Meanwhile, Sauron was searching to find any trace of the man who, if he existed, would unite his enemies against him.




Aragorn, being now the Heir of Isildur, was taken with his mother to dwell in the house of Elrond; and Elrond took the place of his father and came to love him as a son of his own. But he was called Estel, that is "Hope", and his true name and lineage were kept secret at the bidding of Elrond; for the Wise then knew that the Enemy was seeking to discover the Heir of Isildur, if any remained upon earth.



--- The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Part V)




When Elrond revealed to Aragorn his true name and ancestry and gave to him the heirlooms of his house, he foresaw that Aragorn would be tested, and his labours would be great. Since the fall of Arthedain, Elrond had been custodian of the Crown Jewels of Arnor, most notably, the Sceptre of Annúminas — and he specifically said that Aragorn was yet to earn it, a phrasing I think it unlikely he would have used for the 14 Chieftains of the Dunédain fostered in Rivendell before Aragorn.




"Here is the ring of Barahir," he said, "the token of our kinship from afar; and here also are the shards of Narsil. With these you may yet do great deeds; for I foretell that the span of your life shall be greater than the measure of Men, unless evil befalls you or you fail at the test. But the test will be hard and long. The Sceptre of Annuminas I withhold, for you have yet to earn it."



--- The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Part V)




When Aragorn was 49 years old, he met Arwen, Elrond's daughter, for the second time. I'm not 100% on the old language that Tolkien uses in this passage, but best I can tell, they got engaged (and also Arwen agreed to lay aside her immortality for him.) Elrond found this out, and he was ... displeased.



When Aragorn next came to Rivendell, Elrond tells him says that unless he restores the Númenorean Realms-in-Exile, Aragorn won't be marrying his daughter.




Maybe, it has been appointed so, that by my loss the kingship of Men may be restored. Therefore, though I love you, I say to you: Arwen Undómiel shall not diminish her life's grace lot less cause. She shall not be the bride of any Man less than the King of both Gondor and Arnor.



--- The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen (The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Part V)




That encounter happened about 35 years before Aragorn meets Frodo at the Prancing Pony, and it's directly after his time in the service of Rohan and Gondor in the guise of Thorongil. During those years, he works with Gandalf to find Gollum, protect the Shire, and who knows what else, in order to overthrow Sauron.



And then we come to the Council of Elrond, where Aragorn asks Boromir:




Do you wish for the House of Elendil to return to the Land of Gondor?




Coming openly to Gondor, declaring his name and position, even only as Chieftain of the Dunédain of Arnor, can only mean one thing: Claiming the Crown, and taking Arwen's hand in Marriage.



And that brings me to the second part of your question:



2. Boromir takes Aragorn as a skilled warrior, but neither accepts nor rejects Aragorn's claim to the Throne



Boromir came to Rivendell after he and and brother Faramir receive a vision. A strange man stands up and claims he carries the Shards of Narsil, then asks if Boromir would have the House of Elendil return to Gondor after almost 1,000 years of Ruling Stewards.




"I was not sent to beg any boon, but to seek only the meaning of a riddle" said Boromir proudly. "Yet we are hard pressed, and the Sword of Elendil would be a help beyond our hope — if such a thing could indeed return out of the shadows of the past." He looked again at Aragorn, and doubt was in his eyes.



--- The Council of Elrond (The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Rings)




Bilbo and Aragorn then respond to Boromir's doubts. Aragorn finishes his account of his ancestry by announcing to the Council, without any invitation from Boromir:




But now the world is changing once again. A new hour comes. Isildur's Bane is found. Battle is at hand. The Sword shall be reforged. I will come to Minas Tirith



--- The Council of Elrond (The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Rings)




However Boromir, a forty year old man who has been raised since birth expecting to inherit his father's role as Ruling Steward of Gondor — since the idea of a King finally coming to claim the Throne after a thousand years is plainly ludicrous, remains suspicious. He trusts what he can see, and Aragorn does not impress him.




In Gondor, we must trust to such weapons as we have. And at the least, while the wise ones guard this Ring, we will fight on. Mayhap the Sword-that-was-Broken may still stem the tide — if the hand that wields it has inherited not a heirloom only, but the sinews of the Kings of Men.



--- The Council of Elrond (The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Rings)




Compare this to the reception he receives from Imrahil of Dol Amroth later in the story. The reaction of Faramir and the people of Gondor is similar, (although by this stage Aragorn certainly looks more the part of King than he would have to Boromir at the Council of Elrond.)




As for me ... The Lord Aragorn I hold to be my liege-lord, whether he claim it or no. His wish is to me a command.



--- The Last Debate (The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King)




Even at the end, Boromir does not accept that Aragorn is necessarily the returning King of Gondor, but he has seen that Aragorn is a mighty warrior, and believes that he will do great things against Gondor's enemies. With his dying words he asks Aragorn to save the people of Gondor.




Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed.



--- The Departure of Boromir (The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers)




But at no stage does Boromir use the formality that Imrahil does.

No comments:

Post a Comment