Names : Aragorn, Elessar (hope), Strider, Estel...
Aragorn is a major character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings. He is introduced about halfway through the Fellowship of The Ring, meeting Frodo and his party at Bree.
Although initially appearing to be a dirty vagabond, he is of noble descent, being formally titled Aragorn II and the 16th Chieftain
of the Dunadain of the North (T.A. 2931 – F.A. 120). Aragorn possessed elven wisdom and the foresight of the Dúnedain. It was said that in him the nobility of the Númenóreans of old would be restored.
Tolkien gives a brief but detailed description of him in the first volume: lean, dark and tall, with shaggy dark hair flecked with grey, grey eyes and a stern pale face.
Aragorn, who was named after his ancestor, Aragorn I, was born on March 1 in 2931 of the Third Age, the son of Arathorn II and his wife Gilraen. Through his ancestor Elendil to whom he had an astonishing resemblance,[1] Aragorn was a descendant of Elros Tar-Minyatur, Elrond's twin brother and the first king of Númenor.
When Aragorn was only two years old, his father was slain when an arrow pierced him in the eye, while hunting Orcs. Like many of his ancestors, Aragorn was fostered in Rivendell by Lord Elrond Half-elven. At the request of his mother, his identity was kept secret, as she feared he would be slain like his father and grandfather if his true identity as the descendant of Elendil and Heir of Isildur became known. Aragorn was named Estel (Sindarin for "Hope") instead, and was not told about his heritage until he came of age in 2951.
At that time, Elrond revealed to "Estel" his true name and ancestry, and delivered to him the shards of Narsil and the Ring of Barahir. He withheld the Sceptre of Annúminas from him till he "came of the right" to possess them. It was also around this time that, in the woods of Rivendell, Aragorn met and fell in love with Arwen, daughter of Elrond, who had newly returned from her mother's homeland of Lórien.
From then on, Aragorn assumed his proper role as the sixteenth Chieftain of the Dúnedain, the Rangers of the North, and went into the Wild, where dwelt the remnants of his people, whose kingdom had been destroyed through civil and regional wars centuries before.
In 2953, he was not present in Rivendell for the last meeting of the White Council. Aragorn met Gandalf the Grey in 2956, and they became close friends. At Gandalf's advice he and his followers began to guard a small land known as the Shire, inhabited by the diminutive and agrarian Hobbits, and he became known among the peoples just outside the Shire's borders as Strider.
From 2957 to 2980, Aragorn took great journeys, serving in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan, and Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor. Many of his tasks helped to raise morale in the West and counter the growing threat of Sauron and his allies, and he earned invaluable experience which he would later put to use in the War of the Ring. Aragorn served his lords in disguise and his name in Gondor and Rohan during that time was Thorongil (Eagle of the Star). With a small Gondorian squadron of ships, he led an assault on the long-standing rebel province of Umbar in 2980, burning many of the Corsairs' ships and personally slaying their lord during the battle on the Havens. After the victory at Umbar, "Thorongil" left the field and to the dismay of his men, went East.
Later in 2980, he visited Lórien, and there once again met Arwen. He gave her the heirloom of his House, the Ring of Barahir, and Arwen pledged her hand to him in marriage, renouncing her Elvish lineage and accepting the Gift of Men: death.
Elrond withheld from Aragorn permission to marry his daughter until such time as his foster son should be king of both Gondor and Arnor. To Elrond's as well as Aragorn's knowledge, to marry a mortal his daughter would be required to herself choose mortality, and thus deprive the deathless Elrond of his daughter while the world lasted. Elrond was also concerned for Arwen's own happiness, fearing that in the end she might find death, both her own and that of her beloved, difficult to bear.
Boromir is a supporting character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers), and is mentioned in the last volume, The Return of the King.He was the eldest son of Denethor II, the last ruling Steward of Gondor. As befitting his Númenórean descent, he was tall, dark-haired, and had grey eyes.
Boromir was honorable and noble; he believed passionately in the greatness of his kingdom and would have defended its people to the very last. Boromir's great stamina and physical strength, together with a forceful and commanding personality, made him a widely-admired commander in Gondor's army: he was made a Captain of the White Tower, and eventually became Captain-General, also bearing the title High Warden of the White Tower. He was also heir apparent to the Stewardship. Boromir led many successful forays against Sauron's forces, prior to his journey north to Rivendell, which esteemed him greatly in his father Denethor's eyes. His greatest flaw — pride — would eventually prove to be his undoing, however.
Boromir was born in the year 2978 of the Third Age to Denethor II and Finduilas, daughter of Adrahil of Dol Amroth. His younger brother, Faramir, was born in the year 2983. The following year, Denethor became Steward of Gondor, succeeding his father, Ecthelion II.
After Finduilas' death, Denethor became somber, cold and detached from his family. As their father withdrew, the relationship between Faramir and Boromir grew closer and greater in love. Denethor always favoured Boromir over Faramir, but this caused no rivalry between the two brothers. Boromir always protected and helped Faramir. Boromir was judged to be the more daring one, as well as the more fearless. His fearlessness and greatness in battle was known beyond Gondor's borders.
Frodo, a Hobbit (or halfling, as other peoples tended to call them), was born to Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck on September 22 in the year of 2968 of the Third Age. In 2980, Frodo lost both his parents in a boating accident. Then aged twelve, he was taken in by his mother's family, the Brandybucks. In 2989, Frodo came under the guardianship of Bilbo Baggins, whom he thought of as his uncle (though Frodo was actually his first and second cousin once removed, since his mother was Bilbo's first cousin, and his father was Bilbo's second cousin). Frodo was 21 years old at the time, still far short of his coming of adult age at 33. The childless Bilbo chose Frodo as his adoptive heir, and brought him to live at Bag End.
Frodo, as described by the Wizard Gandalf, was a "stout little fellow with red cheeks [as were most Hobbits]... taller than some and fairer than most, [with] a cleft in his chin: perky chap with a bright eye." (The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 10, "Strider".) He probably had brown hair like most other hobbits. He had Fallohide ancestry due to his Brandybuck mother.
Bilbo and Frodo shared a common birthday on September 22, but Bilbo was 78 years Frodo's senior. At the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and Bilbo were celebrating their Thirty-Third and Eleventy-First (111th) birthdays, respectively, on September 22, T.A. 3001.
Gandalf was the best-known of the Maiar of Valinor, a servant of the Valar, the Powers of the world, and of Eru Ilúvatar, the One. In Valinor he was known as Olórin, and was said to be the wisest of the Maiar. He dwelt in the gardens of Irmo and was the pupil of Nienna, the patron of mercy. When the Valar decided to send the order of the Wizards to Middle-earth in order to counsel and assist all those who opposed Sauron, Olórin was proposed by Manwë. In the Order, he had a strained, competitive relationship with Saruman, its head.
Gandalf was the last Istar to arrive in Middle-earth, landing in Mithlond around 1000 TA. He seemed the oldest and least wise of them, but Círdan the Shipwright felt that he was the greatest on the inside on their first meeting in the Havens, and gave him the Ring of Fire. Gandalf hid it well and it was not known (except apparently to Galadriel and probably to Elrond) until he left with the other ringbearers at the end of the Third Age that he and not Círdan was the third holder of the Elven-rings.
Long he travelled through the Northwest of Middle-earth, where he became close friends with both Elrond and Galadriel (he may have already known the latter in Valinor). There is not much known about him until 2063, when he entered Dol Guldur, thinking that it may be the hiding place of (former Maia) Sauron's spirit. He was right, and Sauron, then known as the Necromancer, fled Dol Guldur, but without Gandalf finding out whether or not his suspicions were right.
In 2463 TA, the White Council was founded. Galadriel proposed that Gandalf be made the head of it, but the position of leadership was given to Saruman. In 2845 he entered Dol Guldur again. He found that the Necromancer was indeed the Dark Lord himself, and also discovered the dying dwarf Thráin II, who gave him the map and the key of Erebor. When Gandalf brought this information to the Council he urged for them to attack, Saruman disagreed and overruled him, saying Sauron had no power yet.
Later, in 2940, Gandalf met Thráin's son Thorin II Oakenshield in an inn in Bree, and agreed to help him and his twelve dwarf companions on their quest to reclaim their treasure, but only for a little while. He also suggested that Thorin add a fourteenth member to their party. This encounter initiated the Quest of Erebor.
Gandalf was already known to the Hobbits of the Shire as an old conjurer who entertained children with fireworks during festivals and parties. He had also aided them during the Fell Winter of 2911, and had a certain reputation for sending young hobbits on fantastic quests. Now he arranged and partially accompanied a band of thirteen dwarves and the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins for the quest of reclaiming the lost treasure of the dwarves from the dragon Smaug. It is on this quest that Gandalf found his sword, Glamdring in a troll's treasure hoard, and that Bilbo found the One Ring (though at the time it was mistaken for a lesser ring).
The story behind "The Hobbit" began in a chance meeting between Thorin and Gandalf in the inn of the Prancing Pony, in Bree. Gandalf had for some time foreseen the coming war with Sauron, and knew that the North was especially vulnerable. If Rivendell were attacked, the dragon Smaug could be used to terrible effect. Thorin was also keen on regaining his lost territory, and the quest was born. (LOTR, appendix). Unknown to the dwarves or Bilbo, Gandalf had joined the quest in order to investigate what he suspected to be the resurgence of Sauron (or the "Necromancer", as he is referred to in The Hobbit) in Mirkwood. During the dwarves' quest, Gandalf twice vanished — once to scout their path, the second time to "attend to other pressing business", the nature of which he refused to discuss.
When Bilbo found the One Ring, Gandalf was immediately suspicious of the hobbit's story of how he acquired it. He privately confronted Bilbo and forced the truth out of him, and was deeply troubled by his story of the ring's powers, as they seemed eerily familiar. Perhaps even more troubling to him was that Bilbo, a proper, honourable hobbit, would uncharacteristically lie about his story.
The Old Norse name "Gandalfr" appears in the list of dwarves in the Völuspá of the Elder Edda; the name is made up of the words gandr meaning both "wand" and (especially in compounds) "magic" and alfr meaning "elf" or in a wider sense (mythological) "being". Hence "magic-elf/-being" or wizard (non human). Tolkien took the name along with the dwarves' names when he wrote The Hobbit in the 1930s. He came to regret the creation of this "rabble of eddaic-named dwarves, [...] invented in an idle hour" (The Return of the Shadow:452), since it forced him to come up with an explanation of why Old Norse names should be used in Third Age Middle-earth. He solved the dilemma in 1942 by the explanation that Old Norse was a translation of the language of Dale. The figure of Gandalf has other influences from Germanic mythology, particularly Odin in his incarnation as "the Wanderer", an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff (see image): Tolkien states that he thinks of Gandalf as an "Odinic wanderer" in a letter of 1946 (Letters no. 107). Gandalf is also in many ways similar to Väinämöinen, a powerful sage in the Finnish national epic Kalevala.
Gimli was the son of Glóin, one of the former companions of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Tolkien's chief hero in his first fantasy novel, The Hobbit).
He was a remote descendant of Durin the Deathless, chief of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves and ancestor to the Dwarven people Gimli belonged to, the Longbeards. Gimli was of the royal line, but not close to the succession; he was the third cousin once removed of Dáin II Ironfoot, king of Durin's Folk, and the first cousin once removed of Balin, also one of Bilbo's former companions, and later Lord of Moria.
Gimli was introduced in the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, at the Council of Elrond Half-elven—which he attended together with his father to bring news of his home, Erebor. There they learned Bilbo's kinsman Frodo now owned the One Ring, a Ring of Power forged and then lost by the Dark Lord Sauron. The Council decided to have it destroyed by casting it into the volcanic Mount Doom in Sauron's domain of Mordor. Frodo volunteered for the task, and Elrond chose eight people of varying races to aid him in his task—including Gimli. Thus, the Fellowship of the Ring was formed.
Within the Fellowship there was initially friction between Gimli and the Elf Legolas, for various reasons: their races bore an old grudge against each other over the ancient matter of the Necklace of the Dwarves and the destruction of Doriath, and more recently Thranduil, Legolas' father, once imprisoned Gimli's father Glóin (as described in The Hobbit).
Despite this, Gimli and Legolas become friends during their time in Lothlórien, as they find mutual respect for each other.Gimli's opinion of Elves drastically changed when he met Galadriel, co-ruler of Lothlórien: her beauty, kindness, and understanding impressed Gimli so much that, when given the opportunity to ask for whatever he wished, he asked not for treasures or magical items, but rather one of Galadriel's silver-gold hairs (and was given three), which he would treasure forever. Gimli was given the nickname Lockbearer as a result. By the end of the sojourn in Lothlórien, he had formed an unlikely friendship with Legolas.
Legolas is the son of King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood, who appears as "the Elvenking" in The Hobbit; his father rules over the Silvan Elves who dwell there. Although he lived among them, was exposed to their customs, and it is inferred that he considered himself one of them, Legolas was strictly not one of the Silvan Elves (Wood-elves). His father Thranduil had originally come from Doriath; he and his son were actually Sindar ("Grey Elves", singular Sinda - "Sindarin" is their language). A small minority of Sindar ruled the predominantly Silvan Woodland Realm, a minority which Thranduil headed. The Sindarin minority in that realm, who should have been more noble and wise than the Silvan Elves, can be seen as having "gone native" at the end of the First Age: after Melkor was defeated and all of the grand Elf-kingdoms of Beleriand were destroyed, they can be seen as going back to "a simpler time" in their culture. The realm of Lothlórien is similar to the Woodland Realm in that a community of Silvan Elves is ruled by non-Silvan ones, i.e. Galadriel and Celeborn.
Though his father and his kingdom appear in The Hobbit, Legolas does not appear himself. Of course, his character had not been made yet (though his name had; see below). However, some have theorized that he may well have fought in the Battle of the Five Armies at Erebor. The events in The Hobbit take place less than a century before the Quest of Mount Doom. Unlike Men, the Eldar (which included the Sindar) reached adulthood on or before they reached a century of age.
Legolas is older than Aragorn and Gimli, who are, according to their birth-dates in the Appendices, eighty-seven and one hundred thirty-nine respectively at the time of the War of the Ring; he even calls them "children". Thus, he must have been alive during the events of The Hobbit. Logically, as a retcon he could quite conceivably have been present in his father's halls at the time, and thus may have even fought at Erebor.
Meriadoc Brandybuck, more commenly known as Merry, is a Hobbit.
Merry is often considered, and is described by Tolkien as, the most perceptive and intelligent of the hobbits: for example, even before Bilbo Baggins leaves The Shire, he knew of the One Ring and its great power. He guards Bag End after Bilbo's party, protecting Frodo from the various and often unwanted guests.
He also is a force behind "the Conspiracy" of Sam, Pippin, Fredegar Bolger (more commonly known as "Fatty", due to his very plump form), and himself to help Frodo. Thus, at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, Merry is well prepared and organized—he assembles their packs and brings ponies. His shortcut through the Old Forest does not serve them well, though by luck they are saved by Tom Bombadil, and are not pursued by the Nazgûl. At the Barrow-downs, he acquires his sword, a work of Westernesse.
Born in 2982 of the Third Age, Merry was the only child (and therefore the heir-apparent) of Saradoc Brandybuck (2940–F.A. 11), Master of Buckland, and Esmeralda Took (2936–?), the younger sister of Paladin Took, making him first cousins to their son Pippin, who is clearly his closest friend.
A lover of boats and maps of Middle-earth, Merry is one of Frodo's closest friends and also related to him several times over.
Like everyone except Sam, he gets separated from Frodo through the journey to Mordor,
and continues his story with Pippin.
Peregrin Took, (T.A. 2990-?), better known to his friends as Pippin,
is a Hobbit, and one of Frodo Baggins's youngest but best friends.
Pippin is the only hobbit who had not yet reached his 'coming of age' when the fellowship sets out (being eight years younger than Merry, while Frodo himself is 50 years of age) and is therefore still in his 'tweens'. He is a worthy accomplice to Merry's plans, but shows his age as well; he is still a cheerful, if occasionally thoughtless Hobbit, and is first to miss the comforts of Hobbit life. At Rivendell, Pippin is nearly denied the chance to accompany Frodo by Elrond who seriously considers using the youngest Hobbit to send as a messenger to the Shire. Gandalf, however, supports his and Merry's claims of friendship and loyalty, and Pippin is chosen as the last member of the Fellowship.
It was Pippin who inadvertently roused the Balrog in the Mines of Moria, causing Gandalf to exclaim, 'fool of a Took'.
Peregrin was the only son of Paladin Took II and wife Eglantine Banks, and therefore inherited Paladin's title of Thain of the Shire upon his death in 13 F.A. He had three older sisters, Pearl Took, Pimpernel Took, and Pervinca Took. His best friend Meriadoc Brandybuck is his cousin, son of Paladin's sister Esmeralda Brandybuck.
The hair on his head and his feet (which are exceptionally hairy, even for a Hobbit) is almost all golden and curly. At the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring he is smaller than the rest of the Hobbits because he is the youngest and because he is a Fallohide hobbit. Fallohides are described as more fleet and light- footed than other strains of hobbit.
Samwise Gamgee, Frodo Baggins' loyal friend, was determined to follow his master wherever he went even when he was not invited. Sam proved to be a brave and loyal companion and became Frodo's closest friend. His Hobbit-sense and his love for Frodo saw them both through danger and hardship to the end of the quest. Sam's unwillingness to give up hope even when things seemed darkest ensured that not only did they reach their goal, they also survived.
Unlike his three companions, Sam was not a gentlehobbit. His father Hamfast, known as the Gaffer, had been the gardener at Bag End for over 40 years, and Sam was his assistant. They lived at Number 3 Bagshot Row at the bottom of the Hill in Hobbiton. Hamfast and his wife Bell Goodchild had five other children. Sam's oldest brother Hamson went to work for their uncle Andwise Roper, from whom Sam also learned a thing or two about rope. Sam's youngest sister Marigold married Tom Cotton, whose sister Rosie had caught Sam's eye.
Sam had learned to read and write from Bilbo Baggins and he listened eagerly to Bilbo's tales about his adventures, particularly the ones about Elves. The Gaffer found his son's preoccupation with Elves and such a bit worrisome.
Make a free website at Freewebs.com