| Aragorn | |
|---|---|
| Tolkien character | |
| First appearance |
|
| Last appearance |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Aragorn II |
| Aliases |
|
| Race | Men |
| Affiliation |
|
| Weapon | Andúril |
| Spouse | Arwen Evenstar |
| Children | Eldarion, daughters |
Aragorn (Sindarin:[ˈaraɡɔrn]) is a fictional character and aprotagonist inJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings. Aragorn is aRanger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider and later revealed to be the heir ofIsildur, an ancient King ofArnor andGondor. Aragorn is a confidant of the wizardGandalf and plays a part inthe quest to destroy theOne Ring and defeat the Dark LordSauron. As a young man, Aragorn falls in love with the immortalelfArwen, as told in "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen". Arwen's father,Elrond Half-elven, forbids them to marry unless Aragorn becomes King of both Arnor and Gondor.
Aragorn leads theCompany of the Ring following the loss of Gandalf in the Mines ofMoria. When the Fellowship is broken, he tracks the hobbitsMeriadoc Brandybuck andPeregrin Took with the help ofLegolas the elf andGimli the dwarf toFangorn Forest. He fights in the battle atHelm's Deep and theBattle of the Pelennor Fields. After defeating Sauron's forces in Gondor, he leads the armies of Gondor andRohan against theBlack Gate of Mordor, distracting Sauron's attention and enablingFrodo Baggins andSamwise Gamgee to destroy theOne Ring. Aragorn is proclaimed King by the people of Gondor and crowned King of both Gondor and Arnor. He marries Arwen and rules for 122 years.
Tolkien developed the character of Aragorn over a long period, beginning with ahobbit nicknamed Trotter and trying out many names before arriving at aMan named Aragorn. Commentators have proposed historical figures such as KingOswald of Northumbria and KingAlfred the Great as sources of inspiration for Aragorn, noting parallels such as spending time in exile and raising armies to retake their kingdoms. Aragorn has been compared to the figure ofChrist as King, complete with theuse of prophecy paralleling the Old Testament's foretelling of theMessiah. Others have evaluated his literary status usingNorthrop Frye's classification, suggesting that while the hobbits are in "Low Mimetic" mode and characters such asÉomer are in "High Mimetic" mode, Aragorn reaches the level of"Romantic" hero as he is superior in ability and lifespan to those around him.
Aragorn has appeared in mainstream films byRalph Bakshi,Rankin/Bass,the film trilogy byPeter Jackson, and the fan filmThe Hunt for Gollum. He has also appeared in theBBC radio dramatisation ofThe Lord of the Rings.
Long ago,Sauron, the Dark Lord, made theOne Ring, aRing of Power, to enable him to take control of the whole ofMiddle-earth.Isildur and his brother Anarion – together with their fatherElendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor – joined the Last Alliance ofElves (under Gil-galad) and Men against Sauron. The Alliance defeated Sauron at the Battle of Dagorlad, and laid siege to Sauron's Dark Tower,Barad-dûr, in Mordor. After seven years, Sauron came out to challenge the Alliance. During the final battle on the slopes ofMount Doom, Elendil and Gil-galad were both killed.[T 1] Isildur took up the hilt-shard ofNarsil, Elendil's sword, and cut the One Ring from the hand of Sauron. Despite the urging ofElrond andCírdan, Gil-galad's lieutenants, Isildur did not destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom; rather, he kept the Ring for himself. The Second Age ended, and Isildur became King of both Arnor in the North andGondor in the South. Isildur was killed byOrcs soon afterwards at the Gladden Fields beside theRiver Anduin, and the Ring was seemingly lost forever.[T 2][T 3][T 4]
Following the defeat of Sauron and the deaths of Elendil, Anarion, and Isildur, Anarion's son, Meneldil, became king of Gondor and Isildur's son, Valandil, became king of Arnor. Many years later, the kingdom of Arnor was lost in battle with the evil land of Angmar, and Arvedui, the king of Arnor, died in a shipwreck. After that, the line of the kings of Arnor was maintained by the Chieftains of the Dúnedain, who were raised in Rivendell. The kingdom of Gondor continued, but years later, after the childless King Earnur was lost, Gondor was ruled by stewards. Eventually, Sauron returned to the land of Mordor and openly declared himself.[T 5] Each Chieftain was given a name with the Kingly prefix ofAr(a)-, to signify his right to the Kingship of Arnor.[T 6]
Aragorn is the son of Arathorn II and his wife Gilraen. Gilraen's mother, Ivorwen, prophesies that if Arathorn II and Gilraen "wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it will not come while this age lasts".[T 5] Aragorn is the heir to the throne of Gondor and of the lost realm of Arnor.[T 7] When he is two years old, his father is killed while pursuingorcs. Aragorn is fostered inRivendell byElrond, who is still living in Middle-earth at the end of theThird Age. At the bidding of Elrond, his lineage is kept secret, as Elrond fears he will be killed like his father and grandfather if his identity as Isildur's heir becomes known. Aragorn is renamedEstel ("hope" inSindarin) to hide his existence from Sauron. During his childhood, he is not told about his heritage.[T 5]
At the age of 20, after Aragorn has done great deeds in the company of Elrond's sons, Elrondtells him of his ancestry and his true name, and gives him the shards of Elendil's sword, Narsil, and another ancient heirloom, theRing of Barahir. He withholds the Sceptre of Annúminas from him until he has earned the right to possess it. The following day, Aragorn meets and falls in love with Elrond's daughter, the beautiful elf-maidenArwen, who has recently returned to Rivendell from her grandparents' home in Lothlorien.[T 5] Thereafter, Aragorn assumes his role as the sixteenth Chieftain of theDúnedain, theRangers of the North. He goes into the wild and lives with the remnants of his people, whose kingdom, Arnor, had been destroyed centuries before.[T 5] The Rangers helped to guardthe Shire, a land inhabited by the diminutivehobbits. He becomes known as "Strider" in the Shire andBree.[T 8] Aragorn meets and befriendsGandalf the wizard.[T 5]
Aragorn undertakes great journeys, serving in the armies of King Thengel ofRohan and of Ecthelion II, the Steward of Gondor. He conceals his true name and identity. His tasks help to raise morale in the West and to counter the growing threat of Sauron and his allies, and he acquires experience that he later puts to use in theWar of the Ring. With a small squadron of ships from Gondor, he leads an assault on Umbar, burning many of the Corsairs' ships and personally killing their lord during the Battle of the Havens. After the victory at Umbar, he ventures alone to the east and south of Middle-earth and continues to work against Sauron.[T 5]
At the age of 49, Aragorn visits Lothlórien, and again meets Arwen. He gives her the Ring of Barahir.[T 9] On the hill of Cerin Amroth, Arwen pledges her hand to him in marriage, renouncing her Elvish lineage and accepting mortality (the "Gift of Men"). Elrond withholds permission to marry his daughter from Aragorn until he is king of bothGondor and Arnor. Elrond fears that in the end, Arwen might find the prospect of death too difficult to bear.[T 5]
Years later, Gandalf grows suspicious ofBilbo Baggins's magic ring, which he finds to be Sauron's One Ring.[T 10] Gandalf asks Aragorn to findGollum, a creature who had previously possessed the Ring. This hunt leads Aragorn acrossRhovanion; he finally captures Gollum in theDead Marshes northwest ofMordor. Aragorn brings Gollum to KingThranduil's halls inMirkwood, where Gandalf questions him.[T 4]
Aragorn meetsFrodo Baggins, Bilbo's adopted heir, and three of Frodo's friends atthe Prancing Pony Inn inBree. The four hobbits had set out fromthe Shire to bring the One Ring toRivendell. Frodo and his friends were hoping to meetGandalf at the Prancing Pony, but he was not there. A letter from Gandalf helps convince Frodo to trust Aragorn. Aragorn is 87 years old, nearing the prime of life for aNúmenórean.[T 8] With Aragorn's help, the hobbits reach Rivendell despite being pursued by theNazgûl, servants of Sauron.[T 11]
At Rivendell, Aragorn is chosen as a member of theFellowship of the Ring to accompany Frodo in his quest to destroy the Ring in the fires ofMount Doom in the land of Mordor.[T 4] Elven-smiths reforge the shards of Narsil into a new sword, setting into the design of the blade seven stars (forElendil) and a crescent moon (forIsildur), as well as many runes. Aragorn renames the swordAndúril, "Flame of the West".[T 12]
The Fellowship attempt to cross the Misty Mountains via the pass ofCaradhras.[T 12] Their attempt fails in a violent storm. Instead, the Fellowship travels through the mines ofMoria. When Gandalf is killed fighting aBalrog,[T 13] Aragorn leads the company toLothlórien[T 14] and down theRiver Anduin to the Falls of Rauros. He plans to go to Gondor to aid its people in the war against Sauron.[T 15] The Fellowship is then broken: Frodo continues his journey to Mordor, accompanied only by his gardener and friend, Samwise Gamgee. Two other hobbit members of the Fellowship, Merry and Pippin, are captured by orcs.[T 16]
Aragorn,Legolas, andGimli set off to track the orcs, hoping to rescue Merry and Pippin. They learn that the orcs have been killed, and that no hobbits were found among the remains.[T 17] Nevertheless, clues lead Aragorn to believe that the hobbits are still alive, prompting him to take the party intoFangorn Forest. They meet Gandalf, sent back from death to continue his duties in Middle-earth. Gandalf tells them that the hobbits are in the care of theEnts of Fangorn.[T 18]
'I serve no man', said Aragorn; 'but the servants ofSauron I pursue into whatever land they may go... I am not weaponless'. Aragorn threw back his cloak. The elven-sheath glittered as he grasped it, and the bright blade of Andúril shone like a sudden flame as he swept it out. 'Elendil!' he cried. 'I am Aragorn son of Arathorn and am called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil's son of Gondor. Here is the Sword that was Broken and is forged again! Will you aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly!'
Together, Gandalf and the Three Hunters travel toEdoras inRohan, where Gandalf freesKing Théoden from the enchantment of the treacherous wizardSaruman and helped him prepare the Rohirrim to fight against Saruman.[T 19] Aragorn fights with the men of Rohan at theBattle of Helm's Deep, in which Saruman's army of orcs is destroyed.[T 20] Aragorn uses thepalantír, a seeing stone, to reveal himself toSauron as the heir ofIsildur, to distract him fromFrodo's approach toMordor, and to draw Sauron's forces out of Mordor. Aragorn's action causes Sauron to launch his assault on the city ofMinas Tirith prematurely. To reach the city in time to defend it, Aragorn takes thePaths of the Dead, summoning the Dead Men of Dunharrow. The Dead Menowed allegiance to Aragorn as the heir of Isildur; it had been prophesied by Isildur and Malbeth the Seer that the Dead would one day be summoned to pay their debt for betraying Gondor.[T 21] With their aid, Aragorn defeats the Corsairs of Umbar at the port ofPelargir. Aragorn releases the Dead Men and uses the Corsairs' ships to sail up the Anduin to Minas Tirith with hisRangers and a large contingent of men from the southern regions of Gondor.[T 22] As they approach Minas Tirith, Aragorn unfurls the royal standard that Arwen had made for him, showing both theWhite Tree of Gondor and the jewelled crown and seven stars of the House ofElendil. With the help of the southern forces, the armies of Gondor and Rohan rally and defeat Sauron's army in theBattle of the Pelennor Fields.[T 23]
Aragorn's daring and success had brought him closer to his own kingship, which was his by right as a direct descendant of Isildur. Gondor had been under the rule of theStewards of Gondor for centuries, and it was doubted that any of the royal line still lived.[T 5] The StewardDenethor, who years before had seen Aragorn (then known as Thorongil) as a rival for his father's favour, declares that he will not bow to a descendant of Isildur. Believing that it is futile to battle Sauron, Denethor has himself burned on a funeral pyre.[T 24] Aragorn healsFaramir, Denethor's heir, who had been wounded in battle and was expected to die, using the herbathelas. Faramir recognizes Aragorn as his lord and the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor. Aragorn's humility and self-sacrifice win him the hearts of the inhabitants of Gondor's capital city. His healing abilities are noted by the people of Gondor; as the wise-woman and healerIoreth says, "The hands of the King are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known". The people hail Aragorn as King that same evening.[T 25]
Despite his immediate success and popularity, and to avoid conflict, he leaves Minas Tirith, refusing to enter it again until he was crowned King. To give Frodo the best chance of fulfilling his quest, Aragorn leads an army to make a diversionary feint on theBlack Gate of Mordor in theBattle of the Morannon. The army has no realistic chance of victory.[T 22] Sauron attacks with overwhelming force.[T 26] While the battle takes place, the Ring is destroyed, and Sauron and his forces are utterly vanquished.[T 27]
Upon Sauron's defeat, Aragorn is crowned King Elessar ("Elfstone", aQuenya name given to him by Arwen's grandmother,Galadriel); he marries Arwen at midsummer. He becomes the twenty-sixth King of Arnor, the thirty-fifth King of Gondor, and the first High King of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor. His line is called the House of Telcontar (Quenya for "Strider").[T 28]
Aragorn rules the Kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor until year 120 of theFourth Age. His reign is marked by harmony and prosperity, and by a renewal of cooperation between Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Aragorn leads the forces of the Reunited Kingdom on military campaigns against the Easterlings andHaradrim, re-establishing rule over lands that Gondor had lost in previous centuries. He dies at the age of 210, after 122[T 9] years as king. The graves of Merry and Pippin (who had died in Gondor 58 years earlier) are set beside his. He is succeeded on the throne by his son, Eldarion. Arwen, heartbroken by the loss of her husband, dies shortly afterwards in Lothlórien.[T 5]
The "first germ" of the character that later evolved into Aragorn or Strider was a peculiar hobbit met by Bingo Bolger-Baggins (precursor of Frodo Baggins) at the inn ofThe Prancing Pony. His description and behaviour, however, was already quite close to the final story, with the difference that the hobbit wore wooden shoes, and was nicknamed Trotter for the "clitter-clap" sound that they produced. He was accounted to be "one of the wild folk – rangers", and he played the same role in Frodo's journey to Rivendell as inThe Lord of the Rings.[T 29]
Later Tolkien hesitated about the true identity of "Trotter" for a long time. One of his notes suggested that the Rangers should not be hobbits as originally planned, and that this would mean that Trotter was either a man, or a hobbit who associated himself with the Rangers and was "very well known" (within the story).[T 30] The latter suggestion was linked to an early comment of Bingo: "I keep on feeling that I have seen him somewhere before".[T 31] Tolkien considered that Trotter might beBilbo Baggins himself, but soon rejected that idea after Aragorn identified himself.[T 30]
Another suggestion was that Trotter was Fosco Took (Bilbo's first cousin), who "vanished when a lad, owing to Gandalf".[T 30] This story was further elaborated, making Trotter a nephew of Bilbo, named Peregrin Boffin, and an elder cousin of Frodo. He was said to have run away after he came of age,[T 32] some 20 years before Bilbo left the Shire, and had helped Gandalf in tracking Gollum later. A hint was also given as to why Trotter wore wooden shoes: he had been captured by the Dark Lord in Mordor andtortured, but saved by Gandalf; a note was added by Tolkien in the margin, saying that it would later be revealed that Trotter had wooden feet.[T 33]
The conception of Trotter as a hobbit was eventually discarded. Another short-lived idea was to make Trotter "a disguised elf-friend of Bilbo's in Rivendell", and a scout from Rivendell who "pretends to be a ranger".[T 34] It was not until after Book I was written that Tolkien finally settled on making Trotter a man, introducing him from the beginning asAragorn, a "descendant of the ancientmen of the North, and one of Elrond's household".[T 34]
The development of Aragorn's connection to Gondor was long and complex, as was his association with Boromir. Initially, it is said that Aragorn's forefathers were the exiles of Númenor who ruled over the people ofOnd (the early name of Gondor) but were driven out by theWitch-king of Angmar "when Sauron raised a rebellion".[T 35] The story of the two branches of Elendil's descendants ruling over two kingdoms of Men through many generations only emerged gradually; at one time, Tolkien even seems to have conceived only three generations between Isildur and Aragorn.[T 36]
Aragorn's relationship with Arwen was established very late in the writing. When Tolkien first introducedÉowyn, the interest she showed towards Aragorn was not one-sided, with suggestions in notes that they would marry at the end of the story. Another proposal was that Éowyn would die to save or avenge Théoden, and Aragorn would never marry after her death.[T 37]
The first mention of Elrond's daughter, namedFinduilas, was made in reference to the banner she made for Aragorn,[T 38] but Tolkien did not give any hint whether she had any further part to play. The references to her marriage with Aragorn came later,[T 39] but it was explicitly stated only near the completion of the book.[T 40] Only in his work on the appendices forThe Lord of the Rings did Tolkien record the fullTale of Aragorn and Arwen.[T 41]
A passing idea was that Galadriel gave her Ring to Aragorn, and that he would accordingly be titled the "Lord of the Ring".[T 39]
Tolkien retained the original nickname "Trotter" for a long time, deciding to change it to "Strider" only after the story was completed. He tried several experimental translations of "Trotter" toSindarin:Padathir,Du-finnion, andRimbedir, withEthelion possibly an equivalent of "Peregrin" (Boffin).[T 42] Before the later title "the Dúnadan" ("Man of the West") emerged, he usedTarkil (Quenya for "noble Man") as another synonym forNúmenórean.[T 43]
Tolkien hesitated for some time over Strider's "real" name. AlthoughAragorn was the first suggestion when his Mannish descent was determined, the name was changed repeatedly. At one point Tolkien decided that anElvish name did not suit a Man, and thus altered it fromAragorn via "Elfstone" to "Ingold", an Old English name with "ing-" representing "West". Later he introduced a new plot element: Galadriel's gift of a green stone, and reverted toElfstone to make an additional connection.[T 44]
Among other names, Tolkien considered "Elfstan", "Elfmere", "Elf-friend", "Elfspear", "Elfwold" and "Erkenbrand", with Elvish forms:Eldamir,Eldavel,Eledon,Qendemir. The name of Aragorn's father also passed through many transient forms: Tolkien pairedAramir orCelegorn withAragorn before settling uponArathorn; among the various pairings were "Elfhelm" andEldakar with "Elfstone" andEldamir; andIngrim with "Ingold".[T 44]
The archaeologist Max Adams suggests that Tolkien may have based Aragorn onOswald, a prince of theNorthumbrian royal house exiled to the Kingdom ofDál Riata afterCadwallon King ofGwynedd andPenda King ofMercia laid waste to his ancestral homelands. Oswald returned years later with a raised army of Anglian exiles and retook his kingdom, slaying Cadwallon in the process.[1]
The French medievalist Alban Gautier, and separately the historianChristopher Snyder, suggest a connection with a different Anglo-Saxon king,Alfred of Wessex, described by Snyder as "an unexpected monarch (he had four elder brothers) and inspirational leader who united disparate peoples".[2][3] The Dutch medievalist Thijs Porck writes that Alfred, like Aragorn, spent time in exile.Danes attacked him inChippenham, and he took refuge in the wilds before gathering an army atEgbert's Stone and defeating the Danes at theBattle of Edington. Alfred's history parallels Aragorn's gathering of the Dead, the Oathbreakers, at the Stone of Erech.[4]
| Aragorn | Alfred the Great |
|---|---|
| Years in exile | Refuge in the wilds afterDanes attacked him atChippenham |
| Gathering of the Dead, the Oathbreakers, at the Stone of Erech | Gathered an army atEgbert's Stone |
| Defeated Mordor at theBattle of the Pelennor Fields | Defeated the Danes at theBattle of Edington |
The fragmentation of the Dúnedain kingdoms, leading to Aragorn's small band of Rangers living in the wild, has been compared to that of the earlyFrankish kingdoms.[5]
The Catholic authorJoseph Pearce and others have conjectured, without direct evidence, that Aragorn's name is derived from theKingdom of Aragon, and leaders such asCatherine of Aragon whose heritage is linked to thecrown of Castile andcrown of Aragon.[6][7]
Aragorn has been called a Christ-as-King character; Tolkien's use of prophecy has been compared to the Old Testament's foretelling of the coming of the Messiah.[8] It has been suggested that some of the Christian themes extrapolated from Tolkien's work were not intentional, but resulted from the interplay between the background he grew up in and the myths that inspired him.[9] However, aspects of Aragorn's character - his ability to heal, his sacrificial journey, and his experiences with death and the dead - have long been seen as clues to overt Messianic overtones.[10][11]
Karen Nikakis writes that Aragorn fits a "sacrificial king" archetype, noting the multiple sacrifices that Aragorn makes for the benefit of those around him and for his future people. Those sacrifices include waiting to claim his throne and to marry Arwen until the One Ring had been destroyed.[12]
Thomas Kullmann and Dirk Siepmann comment that Aragorn's pathfinding lifestyle andstyle of speech resembles that of the rangerNatty Bumppo inJames Fenimore Cooper's 1823–1841Leatherstocking Tales, suggesting that Aragorn's "If I read the sign back yonder rightly" could easily have been spoken by Bumppo.[13] On the other hand, they write, Aragorn's awareness of "a historical and mythological past", and his continuity with those, is "emphatically lacking" in Cooper's writings.[13]
The Tolkien scholarTom Shippey evaluates the literary status of Aragorn andThe Lord of the Rings usingNorthrop Frye'sAnatomy of Criticism. He writes that figures likeÉomer ofRohan andFaramir ofGondor are, in Frye's terms, "superior in degree to other men but not to their natural environment", which places them in Frye's "High Mimetic" literary mode. The hobbits are often in "Low Mimetic" mode, or even (like Bilbo) "Ironic". Aragorn, Shippey states, while not being a "Mythic" figure, is superior to his environment; Shippey points out that he can run 135 miles in three days and lives "in full vigour" for over 200 years. This places him in Frye's "Romantic" mode. Tolkien does come close to myth, Shippey suggests, whenGandalf confronts the leader of theNazgûl at the gate of Minas Tirith and a cock crows "as if" signalling the arrival of the Rohan cavalry, just as a crowing cock signalled theResurrection toSimon Peter in the Bible.[14]
| Literary mode | Middle-earth example |
|---|---|
| Mythic | Hints and allusions, e.g.cock-crow asRohan cavalry arrives to saveGondor |
| Romantic | Aragorn's physical stamina, lifespan |
| High Mimetic | Heroic figures likeÉomer of Rohan, Faramir of Gondor |
| Low Mimetic | Hobbits, especially at start |
| Ironic | Bilbo Baggins, joking |
The Tolkien scholarVerlyn Flieger contrasts the warrior-hero Aragorn with the suffering hero Frodo Baggins. Aragorn is, like Beowulf, an epic/romance hero, a bold leader and a healer-king. Frodo is "the little man of fairy tale", the little brother who unexpectedly turns out to be brave. But the fairy talehappy ending comes to Aragorn, marrying the beautiful princess (Arwen) and winning the kingdom (Gondor and Arnor); while Frodo, who returns home miserable, with neither Ring nor appreciation by the people of the Shire, gets "defeat and disillusionment—the stark, bitter ending typical of theIliad,Beowulf, theMorte D'Arthur".[15] In other words, the two types of hero are not only contrasted, but combined, halves of their legends swapped over. Flieger comments that the two together mark the end of the old, with Frodo's bitter end and the disappearance of the Ring, the Elves, and much else that was beautiful; and the start of the new, with Aragorn's rise to the throne of Gondor and Arnor, and a world of Men.[15]
Aragorn was voiced byJohn Hurt inRalph Bakshi's1978 animated film version ofThe Lord of the Rings,[16] and byTheodore Bikel in the 1980Rankin/Bass animated version ofThe Return of the King, made for television.[17]Kari Väänänen portrayed him in the 1993 Finnish televisionminiseriesHobitit.[18]
InPeter Jackson'stheLord of the Rings film trilogy, Aragorn was played by theDanish-American actorViggo Mortensen. He received acclaim for the portrayal,[19][20] and Aragorn was ranked No. 15 inEmpire's 2015 survey of greatest film characters.[21]
In the 2009 fan filmThe Hunt for Gollum, Aragorn is portrayed by Adrian Webster. The film is set during the time ofThe Fellowship of the Ring. It takes place after Gandalf has discovered the true nature of Bilbo's ring and just before Frodo leaves the Shire for Rivendell.[22] Another fan film,Kate Madison's 2009Born of Hope, imagines a time in the life of Aragorn's parents from shortly before they are married to his father's early death.[23]
The film scholar Maria Alberto writes that such fan films reveal one way that readers engage with Tolkien's writings. In her view,Born of Hope, six years in the making, comes close to a canonical narrative, whileHunt for Gollum expands a canonical incident. Alberto notes, too, thatBorn of Hope nods to Mortensen's physical appearance as Aragorn in both casting and costume. As forHunt for Gollum, Alberto writes, the narrative arc requires the viewer to know from theLord of the Rings why Aragorn would be searching for Gollum, while his meeting Gandalf in a pub plainly recalls "both Tolkien's and Jackson's"Prancing Pony.[24] Alberto states that the widely-scattered locations, fromnorth Wales toEpping Forest andHampstead Heath are meant to be seen as a measure of how far Aragorn travels, and in which part of the world, as he seeks Gollum. She cites the scholarRobin Anne Reid's remark that "Hunt is 'imitative' whereHope is transformative",[24][25] meaning that the former attempts to mimic Jackson and Tolkien, whereas the latter sees fans interpreting and adding to the canon.[24]
InBrian Sibley's 1981 BBC radio dramatisation ofThe Lord of the Rings, Aragorn was played byRobert Stephens. Sibley writes that Stephens gave "amercurial performance, combining nobility and humanity in his portrayal of the returning king whose fate, along with that of all Middle-earth, [hung] on the success or failure of Frodo's quest."[26] On stage, Aragorn was portrayed byEvan Buliung in the three-hour production ofThe Lord of the Rings, which opened in 2006 inToronto,Ontario, Canada.[27] In the 1969 parodyBored of the Rings, Aragorn is portrayed as "Arrowroot son of Arrowshirt".[28][29][30] In 2023, the expansion setThe Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth was released for the collectible card gameMagic: The Gathering. Its depiction of Aragorn as a black man has drawn both praise and criticism from fans ofThe Lord of the Rings.[31][32][33]
In 1981, theSoviet era Russian artistAlexander Korotich made a series ofscraperboard engravingsto illustrateThe Lord of the Rings, including one of Frodo meeting Strider inThe Prancing Pony.[34] He was one of several Soviet era artists to present a distinctively non-Anglocentric vision of Middle-earth.[35][36]
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dormant Title last held by IsildurasHigh-King of the Númenorean Realms in Exile | King of the Reunited Kingdom TA 3019 -FA 120 | Succeeded by Eldarion |
| Dormant Title last held by Arvedui | King of Arnor TA 3019 - FA 120 | |
| Vacant Title last held by Eärnur | King of Gondor TA 3019 - FA 120 | |
| Titles of nobility | ||
| Preceded by Arathorn II | Chieftain of the Dúnedain of Arnor TA 2933 - 3019 | In abeyance Restored the Kingship |
| Military offices | ||
| Unknown Last known title holder: Gil-galad | Captain of the Host of the West TA 3019 | Unknown |
Kari Väänänen uusi kaksoisroolinsa Klonkkuna ja Aragornina ja velho Gandalfina nähtiin Vesa Vierikko.
The exhibition presents individual illustrations for 'The Lord of the Rings' by J. R. R. Tolkien, created by artistAlexander Korotich from the second half of the 1980s until mid-1997, when the folder with most of the sheets was lost, as well as a number of illustrations for the bookJ. R. R. Tolkien. Fairy tales by the publishing house 'Ural market', released in 1993.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
