Aragorn

Aragorn

Man, Dúnedain. (T.A. 1 March 2931 - F.A. 1 March 120)

Son of Arathorn II and Gilraen. Husband of Arwen Undómiel. Father of Eldarion and many daughters. Last Chieftain of the Dúndedain and King of the Reunited Kingdom. Ranger of Eriador and member of The Company of the Ring.

Aragorn was born on March 1st in the year T.A. 2931, the son of Arathorn II and Gilraen the Fair. When he was only two years old his father was slain by orcs and he became the Lord of the Dúndedain and the last Heir of Isildur. He and his mother were taken into the care of Elrond in Rivendell.

To hide his heritage from the enemies of the Dúnedain, Aragorn was known in Rivendell by the name Estel, which means 'Hope'. Not until he was twenty years of age (T.A. 2951)was he told his true lineag 11311n1324l e and name. At that time, Elrond gave to him the heirlooms of the Heirs of Isildur - the Ring of Barahir and the shards of Narsil, Elendil's sword. But he withheld the Sceptre of Annúminas until 'he had earned it'.

The next day Aragorn met Arwen while walking in the gardens of Rivendell, and he soon fell in love with her beauty and wisdom. But his love for Arwen went unrequitted for many years because she was an Elf already many centuries old and he was still quite young and but a mortal. He then took leave of Rivendell and journied out into the wild of Middle-Earth for thirty long years, laboring for the cause against Sauron.

During these years he befriended Gandalf the wizard (T.A. 2956) and served in disguise the lords of Rohan and Gondor where he was known as Thorongil (T.A. 2957-80). His services brought him into the far East and the deep South where he learned the ways of the servants of Sauron. While in Gondor he led a small fleet to Umbar where he burned most of the ships of the Corsairs and personally overthrew the Captain of the Havens.

When he was forty-nine years old Aragorn sought a rest from his journeys in the Elven realm of Lothlórien (T.A. 2980). Unknown to him, Arwen was staying for there for a time, and they met again. During his long years Aragorn had grown into a man of great stature and power so that he appeared almost as an Elf-lord. Arwen at last returned his love and on Midsummer's Eve they plighted their troth on the hill of Cerin Amroth. As a token of his love he gave to her the Ring of Barahir.

Though it saddened Elrond greatly, he was silent when he heard of the promise between his daughter and Aragorn. Being Half-Elven and having lost his brother to mortality in the Second Age, he knew only too well the sorrow that loving a mortal could cause. He refused to allow his daughter to marry a Man, even one as great as Aragorn, unless he be no less than the King of both Gondor and Arnor. He would not allow her to sacrafice her immortality for anything less.

So Aragorn returned to the wild more determined than ever to regain the kingdom lost so long ago by the Dúndedain. He wandered again for many years until Gandalf came to him in T.A. 3001 and asked for his aid in seeking and capturing Gollum. The hunt proved long and seemingly hopeless, for he lost the trail of Gollum. It was not until T.A. 3009 that he once again searched for Gollum, this time in the vales of Anduin, Mirkwood and Rhovanion, finally seeking all the way to the borders of Mordor. finally in T.A. 3017 he found and captured him in the Dead Marshes and took him to Thranduil in Mirkwood where Gandalf questioned him.

He then sent more years as a Ranger in the wilds of Eriador where he was known as Strider. He became a rugged, woodcrafty man, the most skilled huntsman of his day, and also skilled at avoiding the traps of the enemy. He knew all of the lands for hundreds of miles and all of the peoples living in them. In the last years before the the War of the Ring he spent much of his time patrolling the borders of the Shire.

Told by Gandalf of Frodo's journey and warned by Gildor that the hobbits were leaving the Shire, Aragorn was waiting for them when they arrived at Bree He helped them avoid the attack of the Black Riders and later used his knowledge of the land to avoid the Riders for the many miles between Bree and the Weather Hills.

At Weathertop he drove of the attacking Black Riders and used his extensive knowledge of ancient healing techniques to find and use athelas on Frodo's wound. His Ranger skills once again proved invaluable in the journey through the hard lands between Waethertop and Rivendell.

At Rivendell he participated in the Council of Elrond and was chosen as a member of the Company of the Ring. But while the other members of the company rested and prepared for the Quest, Aragorn accompanied the sons of Elrond on a scouting mission down the Greyflood River as far south as Tharbad. When he returned, the broken shards of Narsil, the Sword of Elendil, were reforged as Andúril.

When the passage over the Redhorn Gate proved impossible, Aragorn counseled against the mines of Moria, having once entered the mines himeself, long ago.. But he submitted to the leadership of Gandalf. When the wizard fell at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Aragorn became the de facto leader of the Company and led them quickly into the safety of Lothlórien.

Unsure of Gandalf's intentions for the Quest beyond Lórien, Aragorn took them by boat to the lawn of Parth Galen beneath Amon Hen, the Hill of Sight. There, while he pondered the future of the Company in the Seat of Seeing, a force of orcs attacked. Frodo and Sam escaped but Merry and Pippin were taken prisoner, but Boromir was slain. Aragorn came to late from the high seat to save the man of Gondor, and he greatly rued his decision to climb Amon Hen.

After giving Boromir's body to the Anduin, Aragorn led the chase across the Wold of Rohan to rescue the captured hobbits. The Three Hunters raced for days but were unable to overtake the orcs that were running towards Isengard. Instead they met Eomer, who lent them horses, and finally Gandalf returned as 'The White'. The wizard told them that the two young hobbits were safe with Treebeard and urged them to accompany him to Edoras in Rohan.

Aragorn proved a valiant warrior at the Battle of Helm's Deep, facing the enemy army alone atop the Deeping Wall and slaying many orcs. After recieving the palantir or Orthanc he returned to the Hornburg Tower and there, as the rightful user of the stone, wrenched it to his will and revealed himself to Sauron. He also used the palantir to look far into the South where he saw a fleet of Corsairs approaching the southern coasts of Gondor. It was this vision that convinced him to travel the Paths of the Dead.

He fearlessly led the way through the Paths, calling the Oathbreaking Dead to him at the Stone of Erech. The army of ghosts followed him to Pelargir, passing him at the last and overwhelming the ships of Umbar. Aragorn and the people of the harbors then manned the ships and, with a sudden change in the winds, sailed quickly up the Anduin to Harlond.

Aragorn thus arrived at the last moment at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, turning the tide of the battle and meeting Éomor in the midst of the field. From there he proceeded to Minas Tirith still dressed as a Ranger for he refused to enter the city as a King until he had the leave of the Steward. Once inside the walled city he went quickly to the Houses of Healing where he skills saved the lives of Éowyn, Faramir and Merry.

At the Black Gate of Mordor Aragorn parleyed with the Mouth of Sauron, defeating the sorcerer in a short battle of wills. As the Mouth retreated and the armies of Sauron sallied forth from the Morannon, Aragon ordered the armies through the battle and, with the aid of the Eagles and the destruction of the Ring, the war was won.

So it finally came to pass that Sauron was destroyed and the King was returned. Aragorn and the triumphant armies returned to Minas Tirith where he was crowned by Gandalf as King Elessar, taking the surname of Telcontar which was Elvish for 'Strider'. Then Arwen arrived with Elrond who now gave his blessing. And on Midsummer's Eve of the year 3019 of the Third Age Arwen and Aragorn were wed.

As Elessar he ruled the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor for many years. And Arwen bore him a son, Eldarion, and several daughters. But at last, though his lifesan was three times that or normal Men, Aragorn grew tired and knew that his time had come. On the 1st of March of the year 120 of the Fourth Age he laid himseld down on a bed of stone prepared for him in the House of Kings in the Silent Street. There he said farewell to Eldarion, passing the crown and the Sceptre to him. And there he said his last good-byes to Arwen, at last falling into a deep sleep from which he never woke.

Aragorn had many names including Elfstone by Arwen, Strider by the people of Bree, the Renewer by the healers of Minas Tirith, The Dunadan by Bilbo, Longshanks by Bill Ferny, and Wingfoot by Éomer^.