Ranting Of More General Interest, Part I
This is old stuff to any of my friends and cohorts at Emyn Arnen and/or Brothers of Gondor.
To begin with a little anecdote. I took a "Lord of the Rings" class at my community college this summer. (I got an A. I made sure I got one, just because it would be so shameful not to.) Anyway, I was helping out a girl who was struggling, and we had a bit of a question and answer session that went as follows (she was "M"):
M: So, you really like Tolkien?
E: Yeah.
M: Do you have all the books and stuff?
E: Yeah.
M: How many?
E: Um... [scribbles] UT, LOTR of course, the Sil, five HOME, a few critical tomes...
M: [blinks]
E: That's 'Unfinished Tales,' 'Lord of the Rings,' 'The Silmarillion,' some of 'History of Middle-earth' -- oh, The Hobbit! How could I forget The Hobbit?
M: Are they any good?
E: [cautiously] Well, it's not like reading LOTR. It's really good for looking up stuff and finding things out.
M: Oh. So that one [pointing] . . .
E: [enthusiastically] Oh, that's 'Peoples of Middle-earth.' It's one of the HOME books and has a lot about the backgrounds and . . .
M: Any Elves? I like Elves.
E: Oh, lots of them. Galadriel and all her crazy relations.
M: They didn't seem crazy in the movies.
E: Yeah, well...
M: So, who's your favourite charact --
E: Faramir.
M: Oh my gosh! I love him too. He and Éowyn are my favourites!
(squeeing follows)
M: Did you watch the movies?
E: Yes. Every last documentary.
M: Did you like them?
E: NO.
M: [blinks] Why not?
E: I like Men.
M: But Men are weak!
E: In the movies.
M: I thought the Elves were hot.
E: Um.
M: But Faramir was awful! It didn't make any sense!
E: [thinks: There is hope for you yet, young Jedi] I quite agree.
---
So, let us begin. It is truly insane for one so rabidly purist as I not to have any purist ranting on my livejournal. What does it exist for, if not to vent my spleen about all matters great and small? I will begin with the first thing that springs to mind because it is as pervasive as slimy black goo.
'He is heir to the throne of Gondor!' cries Legolas, 'and you owe him your allegiance.'
'Sit down and shut up,' says Aragorn in polite Sindarin. (We are to suppose that A. is courteously speaking to Legolas in his own tongue, so that the lower life-form, Boromir, will not catch the reprimand.)
'Gondor has no king,' Boromir snaps, after gaping at Aragorn a moment. 'Gondor needs no king.'
Ahem. This is wrong on so many levels. But I will begin with the gooey bit. It's that phrase: "heir to the throne of Gondor." Aragorn is not heir to the throne of Gondor. In fact, there is no heir. It is a bit complicated to get across in a movie, admittedly, but it could have been avoided altogether. Even some implication that Aragorn's claim will be contested would be simple enough without going into the history.
To explain:
Elendil was High King of Arnor and Gondor. He ruled Arnor and his two sons, Isildur and Anárion, ruled Gondor. Elendil and Anárion died fighting Sauron. Isildur, Elendil's heir, inherited the High Kingship. He went to Gondor. For whatever reason, he committed Gondor's rule to Anárion's son Meneldil. According to Gondorian interpretation of events, he fully relinquished Gondor to Anárion's heirs, beginning with Meneldil. Many years later the Arnorians would question this, but it was uncontested at the time. Isildur went away and died. His own son and heir, Valandil, ruled Arnor. There is no suggestion that Valandil claimed the throne of Gondor or felt that he had any right to do so, but there's a school of thought that Meneldil was ambitious and wouldn't have turned it over to his much-younger cousin.
The heirs of Anárion ruled Gondor, the heirs of Isildur ruled Arnor. Arnor broke up into three kingdoms due to conflicts between three sons and weakened over time. There was a Kinstrife in Gondor over Valacar's Northern wife but ultimately Gondor remained whole and strong. So lots of time passed.
Gondor and what was left of Arnor had become somewhat estranged, but Ondoher, King of Gondor, and Araphant of Arthedain, renewed the old ties and strengthened their alliance through the marriage of Araphant's son Arvedui and Ondoher's daughter Fíriel. Ondoher had two other children, Artamir and Faramir. Ultimately Ondoher and Artamir died in battle. Unbeknownst to them, Faramir had ridden out secretly and was also killed, so the succession was in question. Arvedui claimed the throne, as heir to Isildur and as son-in-law to the late King.
Meanwhile, the Stewards of Gondor held the position of 'high councillor.' They sprang from a high Númenórean family in Gondor. Their particular duty was to rule in the absence of the king -- either in the king's absence or during an interregnum. This was just such an interregnum and the present Steward, Pelendur, had the theoretical right, at least, to exercise the power of the King.
The Council of Gondor, led by Pelendur, rejected Arvedui's claim to the throne, on the following grounds:
(1) Isildur, though himself indisputably King of Gondor, relinquished the kingship to his nephew Meneldil. In so doing, he relinquished the right of his heirs to claim it. This is backed up by the fact that none of them, until Arvedui (who was in desperate straits), showed even the slightest inclination to claim the throne.
(2) Neither Gondor nor Arnor had ever allowed inheritance through the female line, and without precedent in Middle-earth, this was not time to start. Therefore the claim of not only Arvedui and his descendants, but all royal claimants through a female line, was dismissed.
Arvedui argued that Isildur never meant that Gondor and Arnor should be divided forever, and did not actually relinquish Gondor to the heirs of Anárion. Morever in Númenor, the eldest surviving child -- male or female -- inherited. Gondor made no answer to this, but certainly could have. The first point is entirely one of interpretation. As concerns the second, the one with the claim would then be Fíriel, not Arvedui. Neither he nor anyone else suggested that she be made Ruling Queen. If she were dead, the claim would devolve upon her firstborn. There were two cases in Númenor of a husband ruling through his wife's claim, rather than permitting the wife herself or her heir to rule, and both times the king was considered a usurper. Regardless the heirs of Isildur continued to nominally consider their claim to the throne of Gondor valid.
Instead, Pelendur (excuse me -- the Council of Gondor, led by Pelendur) chose the last direct male-line heir of Anárion, Eärnil, a popular and victorious general. He had the support of all the Dúnedain in Gondor. Although a wise and good man, his son Eärnur was foolhardy at best and challenged the Witch-king of Angmar to single combat. He rode to Minas Ithil and was never seen again.
Mardil 'the Good Steward' ruled in his stead. No heir could be found, nor was Eärnur's body ever found, so he could never be proved dead. Therefore the time between his disappearance and the ascension of Elessar could be considered one very long interregnum, during which the Stewards ruled, as was their right and duty. After Mardil, they stopped using Quenya names, as a mark of acknowledgement that they were not royal, until Faramir the last Ruling Steward.
So, to sum up.
(1) Aragorn is the heir of Isildur, who was himself the heir of Elendil, on which grounds he claims the throne of Gondor.
(2) Aragorn is a descendant of Anárion through Queen Fíriel, wife of Arvedui and daughter of King Ondoher.
(3) The claims of all Isildur's heirs, as heirs of Elendil through Isildur, was dismissed by Gondor.
(4) Gondor's laws do not allow inheritance through women; neither do Arnor's. Therefore the claim through Fíriel was also dismissed.
(5) The Steward Pelendur, who masterminded most of this, had a right to do so, in his role as Steward. Likewise his descendant and heir, the Steward Faramir, also had a right to reverse his decision as administrator and interpreter of law in lieu of the King.
(6) The heirs of Isildur never dropped their claim so presumably never accepted the Pelendur ruling as final. Gondor just as clearly did so.
(7) Therefore, Aragorn is the heir of Isildur, and through this a claimant to the throne of Gondor. He is not the heir to the throne of Gondor; there is no heir. Neither is he a member of the House of Anárion.
Clear as mud, then?
To begin with a little anecdote. I took a "Lord of the Rings" class at my community college this summer. (I got an A. I made sure I got one, just because it would be so shameful not to.) Anyway, I was helping out a girl who was struggling, and we had a bit of a question and answer session that went as follows (she was "M"):
M: So, you really like Tolkien?
E: Yeah.
M: Do you have all the books and stuff?
E: Yeah.
M: How many?
E: Um... [scribbles] UT, LOTR of course, the Sil, five HOME, a few critical tomes...
M: [blinks]
E: That's 'Unfinished Tales,' 'Lord of the Rings,' 'The Silmarillion,' some of 'History of Middle-earth' -- oh, The Hobbit! How could I forget The Hobbit?
M: Are they any good?
E: [cautiously] Well, it's not like reading LOTR. It's really good for looking up stuff and finding things out.
M: Oh. So that one [pointing] . . .
E: [enthusiastically] Oh, that's 'Peoples of Middle-earth.' It's one of the HOME books and has a lot about the backgrounds and . . .
M: Any Elves? I like Elves.
E: Oh, lots of them. Galadriel and all her crazy relations.
M: They didn't seem crazy in the movies.
E: Yeah, well...
M: So, who's your favourite charact --
E: Faramir.
M: Oh my gosh! I love him too. He and Éowyn are my favourites!
(squeeing follows)
M: Did you watch the movies?
E: Yes. Every last documentary.
M: Did you like them?
E: NO.
M: [blinks] Why not?
E: I like Men.
M: But Men are weak!
E: In the movies.
M: I thought the Elves were hot.
E: Um.
M: But Faramir was awful! It didn't make any sense!
E: [thinks: There is hope for you yet, young Jedi] I quite agree.
---
So, let us begin. It is truly insane for one so rabidly purist as I not to have any purist ranting on my livejournal. What does it exist for, if not to vent my spleen about all matters great and small? I will begin with the first thing that springs to mind because it is as pervasive as slimy black goo.
'He is heir to the throne of Gondor!' cries Legolas, 'and you owe him your allegiance.'
'Sit down and shut up,' says Aragorn in polite Sindarin. (We are to suppose that A. is courteously speaking to Legolas in his own tongue, so that the lower life-form, Boromir, will not catch the reprimand.)
'Gondor has no king,' Boromir snaps, after gaping at Aragorn a moment. 'Gondor needs no king.'
Ahem. This is wrong on so many levels. But I will begin with the gooey bit. It's that phrase: "heir to the throne of Gondor." Aragorn is not heir to the throne of Gondor. In fact, there is no heir. It is a bit complicated to get across in a movie, admittedly, but it could have been avoided altogether. Even some implication that Aragorn's claim will be contested would be simple enough without going into the history.
To explain:
Elendil was High King of Arnor and Gondor. He ruled Arnor and his two sons, Isildur and Anárion, ruled Gondor. Elendil and Anárion died fighting Sauron. Isildur, Elendil's heir, inherited the High Kingship. He went to Gondor. For whatever reason, he committed Gondor's rule to Anárion's son Meneldil. According to Gondorian interpretation of events, he fully relinquished Gondor to Anárion's heirs, beginning with Meneldil. Many years later the Arnorians would question this, but it was uncontested at the time. Isildur went away and died. His own son and heir, Valandil, ruled Arnor. There is no suggestion that Valandil claimed the throne of Gondor or felt that he had any right to do so, but there's a school of thought that Meneldil was ambitious and wouldn't have turned it over to his much-younger cousin.
The heirs of Anárion ruled Gondor, the heirs of Isildur ruled Arnor. Arnor broke up into three kingdoms due to conflicts between three sons and weakened over time. There was a Kinstrife in Gondor over Valacar's Northern wife but ultimately Gondor remained whole and strong. So lots of time passed.
Gondor and what was left of Arnor had become somewhat estranged, but Ondoher, King of Gondor, and Araphant of Arthedain, renewed the old ties and strengthened their alliance through the marriage of Araphant's son Arvedui and Ondoher's daughter Fíriel. Ondoher had two other children, Artamir and Faramir. Ultimately Ondoher and Artamir died in battle. Unbeknownst to them, Faramir had ridden out secretly and was also killed, so the succession was in question. Arvedui claimed the throne, as heir to Isildur and as son-in-law to the late King.
Meanwhile, the Stewards of Gondor held the position of 'high councillor.' They sprang from a high Númenórean family in Gondor. Their particular duty was to rule in the absence of the king -- either in the king's absence or during an interregnum. This was just such an interregnum and the present Steward, Pelendur, had the theoretical right, at least, to exercise the power of the King.
The Council of Gondor, led by Pelendur, rejected Arvedui's claim to the throne, on the following grounds:
(1) Isildur, though himself indisputably King of Gondor, relinquished the kingship to his nephew Meneldil. In so doing, he relinquished the right of his heirs to claim it. This is backed up by the fact that none of them, until Arvedui (who was in desperate straits), showed even the slightest inclination to claim the throne.
(2) Neither Gondor nor Arnor had ever allowed inheritance through the female line, and without precedent in Middle-earth, this was not time to start. Therefore the claim of not only Arvedui and his descendants, but all royal claimants through a female line, was dismissed.
Arvedui argued that Isildur never meant that Gondor and Arnor should be divided forever, and did not actually relinquish Gondor to the heirs of Anárion. Morever in Númenor, the eldest surviving child -- male or female -- inherited. Gondor made no answer to this, but certainly could have. The first point is entirely one of interpretation. As concerns the second, the one with the claim would then be Fíriel, not Arvedui. Neither he nor anyone else suggested that she be made Ruling Queen. If she were dead, the claim would devolve upon her firstborn. There were two cases in Númenor of a husband ruling through his wife's claim, rather than permitting the wife herself or her heir to rule, and both times the king was considered a usurper. Regardless the heirs of Isildur continued to nominally consider their claim to the throne of Gondor valid.
Instead, Pelendur (excuse me -- the Council of Gondor, led by Pelendur) chose the last direct male-line heir of Anárion, Eärnil, a popular and victorious general. He had the support of all the Dúnedain in Gondor. Although a wise and good man, his son Eärnur was foolhardy at best and challenged the Witch-king of Angmar to single combat. He rode to Minas Ithil and was never seen again.
Mardil 'the Good Steward' ruled in his stead. No heir could be found, nor was Eärnur's body ever found, so he could never be proved dead. Therefore the time between his disappearance and the ascension of Elessar could be considered one very long interregnum, during which the Stewards ruled, as was their right and duty. After Mardil, they stopped using Quenya names, as a mark of acknowledgement that they were not royal, until Faramir the last Ruling Steward.
So, to sum up.
(1) Aragorn is the heir of Isildur, who was himself the heir of Elendil, on which grounds he claims the throne of Gondor.
(2) Aragorn is a descendant of Anárion through Queen Fíriel, wife of Arvedui and daughter of King Ondoher.
(3) The claims of all Isildur's heirs, as heirs of Elendil through Isildur, was dismissed by Gondor.
(4) Gondor's laws do not allow inheritance through women; neither do Arnor's. Therefore the claim through Fíriel was also dismissed.
(5) The Steward Pelendur, who masterminded most of this, had a right to do so, in his role as Steward. Likewise his descendant and heir, the Steward Faramir, also had a right to reverse his decision as administrator and interpreter of law in lieu of the King.
(6) The heirs of Isildur never dropped their claim so presumably never accepted the Pelendur ruling as final. Gondor just as clearly did so.
(7) Therefore, Aragorn is the heir of Isildur, and through this a claimant to the throne of Gondor. He is not the heir to the throne of Gondor; there is no heir. Neither is he a member of the House of Anárion.
Clear as mud, then?