Comments on: Tolkien 101: Aragorn

By: Periannath.com » Blog Archive » Tolkien 101: The Men of the West

Periannath.com » Blog Archive » Tolkien 101: The Men of the West — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:44:09 +0000

[...] of this was already touched on in other articles in the Tolkien 101 series, such as the posts on Aragorn and [...]

By: Evenstarwen

Evenstarwen — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:01:52 +0000

I agree with you that Aragorn’s love for Arwen was one of his primary motivations. Tolkien’s characterization of Aragorn has all the marks of the medieval epic hero. Like heroes such as Arthur and Sigurd, he rises from obscurity, claims a mythic sword, and commits extraordinary feats of heroism. Only when he has achieved this larger-than-life stature can he win the hand of a lady of noble birth. Aragorn’s quest is not only a political or personal journey — it is a test of love. The interesting thing is that Tolkien deviates from the established tradition of giving the epic hero an ultimately tragic fate. He assigns this tragedy instead to Frodo, the fairy tale hero, the common man thrust into extraordinary events. Meanwhile, Aragorn is given the fairy tale ending: he gets the kingdom and the princess both. These two heroes and their contrasting yet intertwined fates gives the story its unique and unforgettable impact.

Tolkien had such incredible genius. I, on the other hand, have a tendency to ramble on for longer than I intended. ;)

By: sreek

sreek — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:24:32 +0000

wow.awesome.a lot of information..loved the joke about the whole virginity thing as well :) :)

By: Kunochan

Kunochan — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:54:29 +0000

Certainly sex was not on Aragorn’s mind — I was attempting to be lighthearted. But I do think love for Arwen was an important motivator for Aragorn, just as love for Luthien motivated Beren – both Men had impossible tasks set before them by Elf-lords, in order to win the hand of an Elf-maid.

I did mention that Elrond is Aragorn’s uncle! But you’re right that Elladan and Elrohir are important literary characters who were left out of the films.

By: Eliana

Eliana — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:27:03 +0000

It is unlikely that Aragorn or any of Tolkien’s other characters thought of their private relationships in terms of ‘getting some nookie’ if they managed to accomplish the extremely difficult and dangerous missions they were entrusted with in the LOTR, or in The Hobbit, for that matter. Aragorn, like Frodo, and Bilbo before him, had seriously frightening obstacles to overcome, and each had to deal with the loneliness that goes with the burden of the hero. Your information is correct, however you neglected to mention that Elrond was Aragorn’s uncle, much removed, and his sons, Arwen’s brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, were also his cousins, however much removed. These two aided Aragorn in many of his earlier forays against Orcs, etc., and remained behind in Rivendell for a while after the War of the Rings ended and Elrond had left Middle Earth.