Strider/Aragorn

[Askmiddlearth]

This one's for our favorite ranger. Go ahead, talk about him all you want.

[Paula]

I've read LOTR numerous times and each time I 'see' something new. This time it was Strider's humor when the hobbits encounter the troll cave. I enjoyed reading how Strider lets Merry and Pippen go first, then he picks up a stick when he hears that there are trolls ahead, all the while knowing that no living troll would be out in the sunlight. After he 'bravely' walks up and breaks the stick on the stone troll, he points out the bird's nest behind one of the troll's ear. Nice to have this tie-in to the Hobbit story, a lighter moment between the attack on Weathertop and the flight across the ford, and a side to Strider that we don't get to see too often.

[Hika86]

Soo here I'm.
I kind of... love Strider more than Aragorn. I now they're the same person but... if you carefully think about it, they're not. I mean they share the same body, but Strider and Aragorn are 2 different personalities and I slightly prefer the first one =P
Anyway, I love the way he slowly will turn in Aragorn in the course of the book so I can't wait to read about it.
As for now, I want to quote something I've read in the tolkien read-along tag on tumblr:

"Something deep inside you makes you realize that Aragorn is internally going like “Shit shit shit” because he’s used to leading capable Rangers against Orcs, not hobbits who barely know which end of the sword to stick into the bad guy against the Nazgul of Rangers’ nightmares"

A bit exaggerated for hobbits (poor guys :( they look totally stupid if defined like this, but they know how to use swords) but I admit that I laughted a lot because... well, yes, I can imagine Strider thinking "shit, shit, shit" all the time, because chapters 10, 11 and 12 are like "Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire", if you know what I mean =P

[Hika86]

I was wondering... am I the only one who thinks it is a pity that in the movies (except the end) we see only the ranger?
I mean, there are a lot of moments when the Fellowship watched at him and sees his majesty under the ranger cloack, but there's nothing like that in the movie. And, another difference, is his willing: in the book he wants to go to Minas Tirith and face his destiny, while in the movie he seems afraid of it. I'm not saying he's not afraid in the book, but PJ character always seems to think of a way to avoid anything king-related

[Michele]

And, another difference, is his willing: in the book he wants to go to Minas Tirith and face his destiny, while in the movie he seems afraid of it.

I agree. One of Aragorn's driving motives in the book is to become king, so that he can win Arwen. Elrond has said he won't give her up for anything less, so in addition to his destiny-by-blood, he has his own personal desire that drives him. I didn't see much of the crownless king in the movie version.

Also grrrrrr that PJ added that nonsensical episode of him falling off the cliff.

Aragorn/Strider always reminded me of Gwydion from Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three et seq. When Taran first meets him, he thinks Gwydion is just some wandering warrior; little does he know that this man is a Prince of Don. (Disclaimer: Gwydion was my first fictional crush!)

[Castillon02]

I wrote that comment about Aragorn and the hobbits ("Shit shit shit"). Glad you liked it! :D (Although I don't think I exaggerated THAT much--IDK, I can't see where hobbits would have learned sword-fighting when the Shire has had no armed conflict for over a hundred years. But that's a discussion for the "hobbit" thread, not the Aragorn one!)

I really enjoyed seeing Aragorn's kingliness shine when he meets Eomer. He has to be diplomatic with a leader of a foreign nation and as a representative of other species, and I think he acquits himself well in diffusing the tensions between Eomer and Gimli and persuading Eomer to listen to his side of the story! I also was amazed at the change in Eomer's demeanor before and after meeting Aragorn. It really seemed like Aragorn had brought a sliver of hope to what had before seemed to Eomer a hopeless situation. Isn't one of Aragorn's many aliases some kind of Elvish word that means 'hope'? (I'm having vague memories from LotR fanfiction ten years ago, please correct me if I'm totally wrong, haha!) I think this must also tie in with the hope that lies within Aragorn's quest to reclaim the throne--the hope that he can maybe lift Men up from where they have fallen after Isildur's mistake in not destroying the Ring? This kind of connects into a discussion in one of the askmiddleearth tumblr posts about whether Aragorn is an Idealized Man and Boromir is a Man As Men Actually Are (realistic). What do you all think about that question?

[Michele]

Castillon02 wrote: "...Isn't one of Aragorn's many aliases some kind of Elvish word that means 'hope'?..."

Yes -- "Estel."
Onen i-Estel Edain, ú-chebin estel anim
(I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself), allegedly said by Aragorn's mother Gilraen.)

[Kathleen]

I totally see Boromir as the representation of how flawed men really are. Aragorn and Boromir are juxtaposed in so many ways, and Aragorn is such a flawless representation of hope that he is harder to relate to. I think that this hopefullness is Tolkien's way of showing the world how we could be if only we were without greed and pride and all of our typical human imperfections.
That being said, I enjoy Aragorn as a character more, because he has his 2 sides - he chooses to be the ranger, and only pulls the "heir of Isildur" card when he really needs to demand respect and give hope.

[Michele]

Kathleen wrote: "...he chooses to be the ranger, and only pulls the "heir of Isildur" card when he really needs to demand respect and give hope..."

Yeah, I like that about him too. "Nothing to see here, just a Ranger, move along."

Of course keeping a low profile may be a deliberate strategy as well -- after all, being a king in exile usually means there are people out there who actively want you dead. He probably isn't interested in making himself a target!

[Hika86]

Castillon02 wrote: " Isn't one of Aragorn's many aliases some kind of Elvish word that means 'hope'?"

What Michele wrote is true. I will just add how the name was given.
Arador (Aragorn's grandfather) died in 2930 T.A.
Arathorn II (Aragorn's father) died in 2933 T.A.
Both killed by the orcs, because of the Enemy searching for any alive Isildur's heirs to erease them.
When Arathorn died, Aragorn was 2 years old and he and his mother, Gilraen, went to Rivendell. Gilraen wanted her son's existence to be forgotten in order to prevent him to follow his father and grandfather. For this reason she and Elrond named him Estel (the elvish word for "hope") and never talk about his real name and kind until he was... 20, if I remember correctly.

I reccommend you to watch "Born of Hope", if you haven't seen it yet. It's a fanmovie about Arathorn and Gilraen, until Arathorn death (plus, baby supercute-Aragorn!)

[Castillon02]

It is great to know more about this Estel business and Aragorn's background, Michele and Hika86! I want a movie about Aragorn's mom now. And thanks for the fanmovie rec. :)

I like the Aragorn/Strider dichotomy as well. It reminds me of code-switching, like when people use one language at home and another at school. As Kathleen said, Aragorn uses his "Strider" language as a default and only turns on the kingliness when he needs to. (Or when it is culturally appropriate, as with the two statues of his ancestors.)

[Michele]

Castillon02 wrote: "I like the Aragorn/Strider dichotomy as well. It reminds me of code-switching, like when people use one language at home and another at school..."

He has a couple more, actually. There's Strider the Ranger, as he's known to the hobbits. There's Aragorn, as he's known to the elves (and probably to the other Rangers, since they're all Dunedain). But there is also Thorongil ("Eagle of the Star"), the alias under which he served Ecthelion of Gondor (Denethor's father) and Thengel of Rohan (Theoden's father). Then there's Elessar (Elfstone), the name given to him by Galadriel.

Interestingly, when he finally becomes King his lineage is known as the House of Telcontar -- which is Elvish for "Strider" :) So he was obviously very attached to that version of himself as well.

[Castillon02]

Thanks for the info, Michele! That's really cool, especially the part about the House of Telcontar. I love that Strider refused to give up that part of himself when he took on the kingship.

What did you guys think about Aragorn's part in the Battle of Helm's Deep? I really liked how much of a peer he was to Theoden--not afraid to give his all to the battle and lead a group of men, but also willing to support Theoden's wishes and his final charge. It seemed to me like there was less ruler vs. ruler conflict in the book than there was in the movie, which had Aragorn and Theoden butting heads for a while before finally reaching a moment of agreement over their "let's do an epic suicide and just kill as many Orcs as possible" plan.

What were YOUR favorite Aragorn moments in these last few chapters?

[Michele]

Castillon02 wrote: "It seemed to me like there was less ruler vs. ruler conflict in the book than there was in the movie, which had Aragorn and Theoden butting heads for a while before finally reaching a moment of agreement over their "let's do an epic suicide and just kill as many Orcs as possible" plan..."

Yeah, that aspect of the movie bothered me. It just didn't feel right. As a king himself, I think Aragorn would have a deep respect for rank. In this case, he's in Theoden's country fighting Theoden's war for Theoden's people; no way he would challenge Theoden's authority. Not saying he would act like an inferior by any means, but I think he would always treat Theoden with respect and give him the final say in decisions relating to the Riders.

My favorite Aragorn moment is when he's talking to Eomer about Eowyn and says, (view spoiler)[“Few other griefs amid the ill chances of this world have more bitterness and shame for a man's heart than to behold the love of a lady so fair and brave that cannot be returned.” (hide spoiler)]. It's just so beautifully put.