There was as soon as a time when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy sequence was rumored to be a “younger Aragorn” story, telling the tales of the little-known previous of the person who could be king. Whereas it was later revealed that the sequence would concentrate on the Second Age of Center-earth as an alternative — and that it was truly Netflix that pitched the “younger Aragorn” story to the Tolkien Property — it’s comprehensible that the rumor caught on for a time. Not solely is Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) one of the vital attention-grabbing characters of the primary Lord of the Rings storyline, however to the avid reader he’s additionally an interesting character stuffed with unexplored depth ripe for film or TV sequence.
Happily sufficient for individuals who are enthralled by the world of Center-earth, J. R. R. Tolkien left a mountain of notes and 1000’s of pages of drafts behind, lots of which had been printed after his loss of life. These writings and the intensive appendices on the finish of The Lord of the Rings books assist to flesh out among the extra vital characters and occasions depicted in the primary storyline, in addition to together with vital notes on hobbit items of distance measurement and inflectional guides for invented languages, in case you had been ever .
In the intervening time, we must wait on a full cinematic remedy of Aragorn’s story, however that doesn’t imply that there’s nothing to discover within the lifetime of the longer term king. In actual fact, there are a large number of attention-grabbing points to his story that the Lord of the Rings movies weren’t capable of inform. In spite of everything, for a person who was 87 on the time of the occasions of the movies, he had lived fairly an adventurous life. Listed below are 9 of crucial and attention-grabbing info about Aragorn that the films didn’t have time to cowl:
Aragorn Was Mysterious Even to Tolkien
The primary time that Aragorn exhibits up within the books and the movies is similar: he seems because the hooded stranger at midnight nook within the inn at Bree, casting an aura of hazard and thriller about him. When Tolkien wrote the scene for the primary time, nonetheless, even the writer had no clue who he was. The character who ended up being essentially the most highly effective king in Center-earth simply kind of meandered into the story, and Tolkien had to determine who he was with time. This thriller across the character of Strider was so full that Tolkien truly initially wrote the character to be a roving hobbit named Trotter, who wore picket sneakers.
Elrond Was Basically Aragorn’s Father
Within the movies, there’s a strained relationship between Aragorn and Elrond (Hugo Weaving), as a result of the truth that Elrond is unwilling to let his daughter marry a mortal. Whereas that is additionally current to an extent within the books, the appendices additionally inform the story of Aragorn’s upbringing, by which Elrond performs fairly a big function. Aragorn barely knew his father, Arathorn, who was killed when Aragorn was solely two years previous. Quickly after, his mom, Gilraen, took her son to Rivendell, the place Elrond took the place of his father and raised Aragorn as one in every of his personal sons.
Aragorn’s mom, apparently, lived to be 100, and died solely simply earlier than the primary occasions of the story, between Bilbo’s occasion and the Council of Elrond. Because the inheritor to the throne of Gondor the kid Aragorn was in nice hazard, and Elrond stored his true identify hidden, even from Aragorn himself, calling him “Estel” (Hope) as an alternative. Elrond revealed his true id solely when Aragorn reached maturity, and at that time gave him the heirlooms of his home: the ring of Barahir and the shards of the sword Narsil.
Distantly. Don’t make it bizarre.
However sure, all three of them are members of the identical household. The Cliff’s Notes model of the story is that this: Arwen is, in fact, Elrond’s daughter, however Aragorn’s connection is extra distant. Elrond, as was revealed in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy, had a brother named Elros, who was in a novel state of affairs in Center-earth in that he had the selection of mortality or immortality. Whereas his brother selected to be immortal, Elros determined to grow to be mortal as an alternative, and have become the primary king of Numenor, taking the epic identify of Elros Tar-Minyatur. The road of the kings of Numenor ultimately turned the kings of Gondor and Arnor, and it’s from that line that Aragorn is descended. Which makes Elrond his uncle and Arwen his cousin, an unholy variety of generations again.
Númenorians Couldn’t Develop Beards
In a more moderen revelation, The Nature of Center-earth guide printed a word from Tolkien saying that the road of the kings of Númenor couldn’t develop beards. Whereas Aragorn was many generations faraway from these kings, he represented a return to the road of kings in a couple of approach, and apparently this included their shaving habits (or lack thereof). So sure, Aragorn had no beard and couldn’t even develop one if he wished to, no matter Viggo Mortensen’s alluring stubble could say.
Moreover, Tolkien’s notes in regards to the Numenorean kings not having beards would additionally run counter to the epic Outdated Testomony type beard worn by Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) within the sequence, as he too is a descendant of the road of kings. So too with the bewitching whiskers of Lloyd Owen‘s Elendil. Alas, the beards which may have been…
He Met Denethor and Theoden Earlier than The Lord of the Rings
Aragorn engaged in an extended sequence of adventures over quite a lot of years, lots of which had been by no means totally defined, however two tales particularly stand out. He served underneath the king Thengel in Rohan and rode to battle with him, which might have occurred whereas Theoden was a toddler. He additionally then went from Rohan to Gondor and served as an support to the steward Ecthelion II of Gondor, the daddy of Denethor. As he wished his standing as inheritor to the throne to be unknown, he traveled underneath the identify “Thorongil,” although Denethor was nonetheless suspicious of him. In a transfer he repeated a long time later, he defeated the Corsairs of Umbar to nullify the rising risk to Gondor they introduced, then promptly left.
He Traveled to Mordor
After leaving Gondor, what Aragorn did subsequent remains to be shrouded in thriller, and doubtless will likely be without end. However the snippets and hints left by Tolkien are so intriguing that they point out Aragorn was doing one thing extraordinarily vital, the extent of which is unknown. On leaving Gondor, Aragorn “took boat and crossed over Anduin, and there he mentioned farewell to his companions and went on alone; and when he was final seen his face was in direction of the Mountains of Shadow.” He struck out for Mordor itself. Whether or not he went into the land itself or turned some place else is unknown, as is what he did there, however Aragorn touring to Mordor is a story of epic proportions of potential storylines.
He Was the One Who Caught Gollum
Whereas the hunt for Gollum was solely briefly referenced within the movies, it was Gandalf and Aragorn collectively who began the search to search out Gollum, and Aragorn alone who finally caught him. He discovered him within the Useless Marshes and introduced him again to the elves in Mirkwood, from whom Gollum later escaped, however he tracked trails that had been chilly for years to ultimately discover him.
His Marriage to Arwen Was Contingent on Him Changing into king
Whereas Elrond gave Aragorn the heirlooms of his home when he reached maturity, the one factor he withheld was the Scepter of Annuminas, which was the image of authority of the king of Arnor. Later, when Elrond discovered that his daughter had pledged herself to Aragorn, this prompted a rift between the 2, however Elrond gave Aragorn a problem, saying that to be able to be worthy of Arwen he should obtain his future, grow to be king of Gondor, and reunite the dominion to Arnor once more, which was the previous northern kingdom. This Aragorn efficiently achieved, and Elrond gave the Scepter to Aragorn when he got here to Minas Tirith together with his daughter after the Battle of the Ring.
He Determined When He Would Die
Whereas Aragorn lived to the ripe previous age of 210 and reigned for 122 years, he nonetheless selected the time of his loss of life. This was one other peculiar skill of the kings of Numenor, and it has to do with a certain quantity of Center-earth philosophy and theology. Demise was mentioned to be the “Present of Illuvatar” (the Creator God of Center-earth), and that the suitable understanding of mortality was to simply accept it as a present, and to not concern it. This was not an injunction to suicide, however reasonably to an acceptance of loss of life when it lastly got here, extra akin to a call to go to sleep when drained.
As such, the kings of Numenor had been allowed to decide on to go to their everlasting relaxation in the event that they desired. They might refuse, however that will ultimately imply clinging on to life till the thoughts turned corrupt, and the physique died of its personal accord. It was this specific downside that will ultimately lead Pharazôn to the catastrophic folly that meant the downfall of Numenor itself. Slightly than maintain on indefinitely, and since he noticed loss of life because the Present of Illuvatar, Aragorn additionally selected the time of his loss of life. Arwen quickly adopted Aragorn. She lived solely a 12 months after him, and he or she too laid down and died, not in Minas Tirith, however in Lothlorien, on the hill of Cerin Amroth, in precisely the identical place the place she first pledged herself to Aragorn.
Whereas we could not get an opportunity to see the total story of Aragorn on display for years but, there may be loads of materials for fascinating tales and compelling characters. There’s romance, household drama, struggle, peace, politics, future, tragedy, concord, victory, and loss. All of this combines to make one of the vital compelling and engaging characters within the beloved guide and movie sequence, though we could solely ever get to see the tip of the iceberg that’s the character of Aragorn.
