Introduction:
''All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light in the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be Blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be King.''
- the ''Riddle of Strider'' by Bilbo Baggins, in Rivendell
at the Council of Elrond
In my first musings I want to write about that mysterious Ranger of many names, but who is always called 'Strider' by the hobbits throughout the book, even after they learn his other names and who he really is.
I will not be discussing the character-assassination that was heaped upon him in the Peter Jackson films (that is for another post), these next short posts will be about Strider as Tolkien has depicted him for us, in all his many different guises and manners. All quotes are taken from The Lord of the Rings. First, I will discuss ''Strider the Ranger'' then I will go to ''Elfstone the Healer'' then ''Aragorn the Leader'' then ''Estel the Lover'' and lastly ''Elessar the King''. Because these various guises often overlap in the book, they will also overlap in the following musings.
First Musing: Strider the Ranger
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| Strider waiting in the Common Room at the inn of The Prancing Pony |
'''Few now remember them,'' Tom [Bombadil] murmured, ''yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless.''
The hobbits did not understand his words, but as he spoke they had a vision as it were of a great expanse of years behind them, like a vast shadowy plain over which there strode shapes of Men, tall and grim with bright swords, and last there came one with a star and his brow. Then the vision faded...'
-( LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring; Chapter 8 of the first part)
For those of you who are especially attentive to the Appendixes at the end of The Return of the King (a spoiler title if there ever was one; Tolkien had originally wanted the last 'book' to be entitled The War of the Ring) one can't help notice that Aragorn spends a vast portion of his long life as a Dunedain Ranger who wanders about all of Middle-Earth learning, helping, discovering and 'exploring the hearts of Men, both evil and good...' Often he wanders alone, and he becomes 'somewhat grim to look upon, unless he chanced to smile; and yet he seemed to Men worthy of honor, as a king in exile, when he did not hide his true shape.'
It is on his travels that he meets Gandalf the Gray and their friendship is formed - but there is one thing that all his efforts focus upon: to protect/aid the Free Peoples from Sauron and his servants. Under the name of Thorongil ''the Eagle of the Star'' he counsels the Steward of Gondor Ecthelion II (the father of Denethor,) to attack the Corsairs of Umbar and he himself leads the army and destroys their fleets, only to leave afterwards to everyone's confusion and dismay before they can honor him for his victories. Thus the hidden King of Gondor secretly aids and submits to the Stewards of his own kingdom to ward off attacks and maintain their strength as Sauron slowly gathers more and more power. Before this he had granted the same help to Gondor's longtime friends and allies, the Rohirrim, the Horselords of the North who saved Gondor long ago, riding under the command of King Thengel (father of King Theoden). He orders his fellow Rangers to guard the Shire and Breeland from ruffians and robbers even though the peoples of those lands do not know or appreciate their guardianship; as Aragorn says at the Council of Elrond: ''And yet less thanks we have...Travelers scowl at us, and countrymen give us scornful names. ''Strider'' I am to one fat man [Butterbur of Bree] who lives within a day's march of foes that would freeze his heart, or lay his little town in ruins, if he were not guarded ceaselessly. Yet we would not have it otherwise. If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we [the Rangers] must be secret to keep them so. This has been the task of my kindred, while the years have lengthened and the grass has grown.'' And again: ''Peace and freedom?...the North would have known them little but for us...but when dark things come from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless forests, they fly from us. What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dunedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?''
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| Aragorn and Halbarad in the Wild |
This seems far cry from the life that a King should lead, or that the last of the Numanorians should be called to serve: a cold and lonely and endless life of vigilance and wandering that would kill lesser men. But they would not have it otherwise. The endurance and humility and the struggles of Strider and Halbarad and their kindred pass by unthanked, unknown and unpaid; indeed most people scorn the Rangers when they do see them, viewing them as vagabonds and tramps, and the Hobbits and Men both take their peaceful lives and lands for granted. We ourselves should never take anything for granted, be it our families, or jobs, our cars, or the free countries that we currently live in. But we do. I did, and when some of these things were taken from me only then did I realize how blessed I had been and how much I had taken for granted most of these said blessings. I hope to never make that mistake again.
When Frodo & Company come to the Prancing Pony in Bree, Strider is there, having been asked by Gandalf to help ''Mr. Underhill.'' The innkeeper, Butterbur, mistrusting his intents, refuses to let him see the Hobbits while they eat in privet and he must wait in the Common Room, in a corner in the shadows, cloaked and mysterious and baring a broken sword: the last King of the Numanorians...Let us ourselves learn never to treat strangers and weird-looking people with rudeness and scorn and cruel nicknames; we don't know who we might be speaking to. The hobbits, however, make this mistake, only knowing what is Seen and not understanding that which is Unseen.
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| Strider showing the hobbits Anduril |
Don't even get me started on the scene-butchery/character-assassination of Frodo's first encounter with Strider in the Fellowship movie, were Strider drags Frodo up the stairs and throws him onto the floor of his room in the Prancing Pony. Tolkien would weep. That is not the kind of person Aragorn is. Frodo is, of course, suspicious of Strider and Sam is downright rude to him, and Strider has to try to attempt to win their trust with no proofs other then his words (before Butterbur remembers Gandalf's letter), which is not easy.
Even after his identity and his real name and his friendship with Gandalf are established by the letter, distrust of the ragged-looking Ranger still abounds. Sam says: ''How do we know you're the Strider that Gandalf speaks about?...You might be a play-acting spy, for all I can see, trying to get us to go with you. You might have done in the real Strider and took his cloths. What have you to say to that?''
Here, Sam is basing all his accusations and assumptions only on what he can see with his own eyes. Strider's words and behavior have done nothing to ally his doubts and fears. Strider then confronts him back: ' ''...I am afraid my only answer to you, Sam Gamgee, is this: If I had killed the real Strider, I could kill you. And I should have killed you already without so much talk. If I were after the Ring, I could have it - now!''
He stands up, and seems suddenly to grow taller. In his eyes gleams a light, keen and commanding. Throwing back his cloak, he lays his hand on the hilt of a sword that hangs concealed at his side. The hobbits are too afraid to move...''But I am the real Strider, fortunetaly,'' he says, suddenly smiling. ''I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn; and if by life or by death I can save you, I will.''
And he does (with Glorfindel's help of course); this is his present task, his current duty; and, like so many of his past adventures, it involves hardship, danger and self-sacrifice. From the time they leave Breeland, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippen become and remain Strider's close friends and companions. He protects them, heals them and guides them. He always remains 'Strider' to them, even after they learn his other names and who he really is, often calling him by that name in front of other great lords, much to their surprise and amusement. He tells them stories about the heroes of the ancient past and and he himself becomes, in the fullness of time, a hero from out of that past, crashing into their present reality as someone who is real and not just a story-character from an old tale of long ago. But at this time he remains unrecognized and unrespected, just a Ranger wandering in the wilderness doing things he will never be rewarded for and helping those who will never be grateful Being a hero isn't just about riding a big horse and owning a powerful sword (although that is pretty awesome) but about doing the right things for others even if they couldn't care less. Strider the Ranger has spent most of his long life doing this and, by life or by death, he will continue to do so, though it may cost him everything - even the very kingship that that awaits him; but he would not have it otherwise.
''All that is gold does not glitter.''
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| Aragorn-Strider protecting Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippen |
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