The Riddles of Aragorn # 2: Aragorn The Leader

Aragorn leading the Gray Company and the Shadow Host
through the Paths of the Dead.

''Not all who wander are lost."

Although it can be sometimes hard to spot, there is a difference between being chosen to be a leader, and always seeking to be a leader. Aragorn falls into that rare category of men who, although he is a leader, does not often put himself forward as one, letting the people (whether it be Frodo or King Theoden) decide if they want his aid and skills or if they do not. Even though he is a mighty warrior and has many decades of well-honed survival and leadership skills he rarely flaunts them openly, preferring to be wanted and loved for his own sake and not just because he is good with a sword or can lead fearful men into hellish places and battles.
This is the second main reason why he rejects Eowyn's advances towards him: he knows she does not love him for himself (indeed neither of them hardly knows the other at all) but rather the glory and the power that surround him, and the greatness she could achieve by being with him, instead of always serving her King and guarding the people of Edoras.  After he heals her in Gondor, he says to her brother Eomer: ''Eormer, I say to you that she loves you more truly then me; for you she loves and knows; but in me she loves only a shadow and a thought: a hope of glory and great deeds, and lands far from the fields of Rohan.'' Ages earlier he told the suspicious Hobbits in Bree: ''...I must admit...that I had hoped you would take to me for my own sake. A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship.'' This is Strider the Ranger speaking, and to the hobbits he resembles a vagabond and a thug; his looks are against him because of his many hard journeys, and there is nothing kingly or noble about him when they first meet.
After Gandalf falls in battle with the Balrog in Moria, Aragorn takes up the leadership of the Fellowship, though he is neither pleased nor happy with this turn of events. Here Tolkien allows him to express some of the fear and doubt he has and the internal agony he goes through over choosing which way to go and who to follow after the Fellowship is broken. Even after be becomes leader, he never simply orders the rest of the Company around like he does in the movie; he allows everyone to voice their thoughts and opinions and listens to them before making a final decision.

 Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli on their way
to Minas Tirith via the Anduin river

But as the War of the Ring heats up, Aragorn knows that his hour is coming and slowly his behavior begins to change: he becomes more assertive, more direct and firm in his choices and paths. He slowly leaves his quiet background Ranger mode and starts acting like who he truly is: a leader and a king. Still, he never directly commends anyone to do what he wants, everyone who follows him or does anything for him does so out of their own free will, because, as a heartbroken Eowyn tells him: ''They love thee.'' which is what he wants most of all: to be loved for is own sake and not simply because he is a great warrior or a king. It is the virtues within him that draw people to him, and when sword-skill and leadership are added to this, then Theoden and Eomer and their people know that here is a man who will do everything in his power to fight with them against the treachery of Sauruman and the malice of Sauron. And he does. The chapter ''The Passing of the Gray Company'' in The Return of the King is the most telling one about the kind of person Aragorn is, not only by his words but in his deeds, and the testimonies of those who encounter him. And when he enters the Paths of the Dead, none of the Elves or Rangers or horses or even a terrified Gimli himself turns back. As Gimli tells Merry and Pippen afterward: ''Upon that road I was put to shame: Gimli Gloin's son, who had deemed himself more tough then Men, and hardier under the earth than any Elf. But neither did I prove; and I was held to the road only by the will of Aragorn.''
''And by the love of him also,'' said Legolas. ''For all those who come to know him love him after their
own fashion...In that hour I looked upon Aragorn and thought how great and terrible a Lord he might have become in the strength of his will, had he taken the Ring to himself. Not for naught does Mordor fear him...for is he not of the children of Luthien? Never shall that line fail, though the years lengthen beyond count."

Aragorn with Anduril

After the victory at Minas Tirith, Aragorn, Gandalf, Eomer and Prince Imrahil lead the final remnants of the armies of Gondor, Rohan and Dol Amroth to the Black Gates of Mordor in a great suicidal attempt to cause Sauron to empty his land and unleash the rest of his hordes upon them so Frodo and Sam can reach the Cracks of Doom and keep the Eye turned away from them while they are still alive. Aragorn and the other lords know full-well the irony and folly of this final move: that even if Frodo should destroy the Ring they might all be slain in the meantime in the battle before Mordor's walls.
''As I have begun, so I will go on,'' Aragorn tells the assembled Captains during the last debate. ''Nonetheless I do not yet claim to command any man. Let others choose as they will.''
Again, Aragorn sets aside his right to to command as King, allowing once more others to make their own choices without force or compulsion. None of the Captains refuse to turn away from the deed at hand
but in this dark hour, when 'hope and despair are akin' not all the soldiers from Rohan and Gondor can
bring themselves to go on to the end, for 'these were young men from Rohan, from Westfold far away...
and to them Mordor had been from childhood a name of evil, and yet unreal, a legend that had no part in their simple way of life; and now they walked like men in a hideous dream made true, and they understood not this war nor why fate should lead them to such a pass.' Aragorn is filled with pity rather of anger at their plight and dismisses some of them to go and hold other places against Sauron while the rest march on. They arrive and challenge the Dark Lord, and the Mouth of Sauron mocks Aragorn, saying: ''Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me?...Not thou at least! It needs more to make a king then a piece of Elvish glass, or a rabble such as this. Why, any brigand of the hills can show as good a following.''
Aragorn says nothing to this 'Black Numenorean' but taking the Mouth's eye he shows his power by assaulting the other mentally, perhaps (in my view), showing him an image of himself as he could have been, even as Aragorn secretly is, if he had not renounced his heritage, his faith and history so he could
be Sauron's most trusted Lieutenet; the ambassador of the Dark Tower.
But in the end, the Captains of the West reject the Mouth's terms and the temptation to despair and make ready for their last great battle. The hosts of Mordor surround them and 'fair and desperate was raised the banner of the Tree and Stars' and Aragorn stands beneath it, 'silent and stern, as one lost in though of things long past or far away; but his eyes gleamed like stars that shine the brighter as the night deepens.' Here is where all his struggles and hopes come to an end-point and no more can be done by any of them except wait on the Ringbearer; and he along with Gandalf, Merry, Legolas, Gimli and all their faithful allies prepare to fight to the last, awaiting the final stroke of doom.

 Aragorn at the Black Gate of Mordor

Thus they follow him, even to their own deaths, not because he orders them to, but out of love for him and for Middle-Earth; because he will not fail them; because he is not in it for himself; because he is a real hero - not an anti-hero, not a self-hating/doubt-infested hero full of angst, but the kind of hero no one hardly writes about (or believes in) any more: self-giving: saintly and kingly; more moved to pity then anger, more merciful then judging; fierce in battle and a healer to the suffering; a 'vision of the splendor of the Kings of Men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world.'

To be continued...
   

The Riddles of Aragorn # 1: Strider the Ranger

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

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?''

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.

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.''

Aragorn-Strider protecting Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippen