The light of Aragorn is something I have noticed for a long time as a recurrent theme throughout the books. It is first revealed at the Prancing Pony, where the light is within Aragorn’s eyes:
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He stood up, and seemed suddenly to grow taller. In his eyes gleamed a light, keen and commanding. Throwing back his cloak, he laid his hand on the hilt of a sword that had hung concealed by his side.
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Again, in Rivendell he is portrayed in terms of brightness and light, this time the light not coming from his eyes but his heart:
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His dark cloak was thrown back, and he seemed to be clad in elven mail, and a star shone on his breast.
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On the fields of Rohan, the light is on Aragorn’s brow, and it also shines from his sword:
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Aragorn threw back his cloak. The elven-sheath glittered as he grasped it, and the bright blade of Anduril shone like a sudden flame as he swept it out. 'Elendil!" he cried. "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and am called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dunadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil's son of Gondor. Here is the Sword that was Broken and is forged again! Will you aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly!"
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What does this tell us about Aragorn and the light? I think this does hint at his ‘divine right’. It could be that he has ‘the divine
light of kings’ rather than the ‘divine
right of kings’. He goes from having a light in the eyes as a Ranger to having a light in the heart as Arwen’s betrothed, and on to a light in his sword (hint of the origins of light-sabres here) and a light on his brow as both soldier and commander or king in waiting. Where does the light come from? I am certain that Aragorn has something of the ‘otherworld’ about him; after all, he has spent his youth in Rivendell and is one of few Men ever to be welcomed in Lorien. He has walked amongst the Elves for much of his life, and is even loved by an Elf.
But there is something else here. In each of these quotes, he is shown as throwing back his cloak. Aside from this being a grand and dramatic gesture, is his ‘light’ hidden beneath this cloak? Reading on a little, his encounter with Eowyn is slightly different:
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And she now was suddenly aware of him: tall heir of kings, wise with many winters, greycloaked, hiding a power that yet she felt.
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She sees him as a king, yet he remains cloaked. Does he have no need to impress her in the same way he has had to impress others? Why does he hide his ‘light’ here? This will be discussed soon enough though, so I shall leave that particular mystery there.
