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Originally Posted by SpM
And if a diplomatic resolution had not been possible?
Of course, the point does not arise because, within the context of the story, Aragorn does have a divine right to rule (as evidenced by his "hands of a healer") and this is readily recognised and accepted by his putative subjects. (There was also the small matter of having saved their City from almost certain doom. )
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Well, there were a lot of client Kings and princes (Eomer, Imrahil etc) on the side of Aragorn, so if he had needed to kick up an uprising then he'd have had the support. Then we might have had the Second Siege of Gondor (and it might've cost Peter Jackson a stack more cash in SFX). As it is, the story was nicely polished off when Ioreth told her old wives' tale.
Would Aragorn have had it in him though to resort to violent or forceful means to take his Kingship? I personally think that his experience in the Battle of the Pelennor taught him a cold hard lesson in warfare and leadership - its one thing to fight in a war, its another to lead your men into battle and take responsibility for their deaths. And I'm making that point because deep down Aragorn
did have it in him to be ruthless, he was by no means perfect as shown by what almost happened at Meduseld.
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Originally Posted by Raynor
One other thought I will share with you is the council of Elrond; in the Bible, we have the wise men coming to greet Christianity's greatest hero, following certain signs. At the council of Elrond, emissaries from far off, following various "signs", arrive to a meeting which is, figuratively, the birth of Frodo as a hero
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But so much happens to Frodo
before Rivendell. Not least two 'deaths'. There's the near fatal stabbing at Weathertop, where he's attacked by the Nazgul and even before then, his imprisonment by the Barrow-wight, where he is almost sacrificed by the being which has chosen to inhabit the Barrow. Even earlier still, he is almost drowned by Old Man Willow.
Each of the three times he undergoes a rebirth. This has a direct link to the significance of the Number Three, which has modern symbolism in the Trinity, the Triquetra and much older symbolism in the Odin Knot and Trifold nature of the Goddess (older still is the Triple Spiral found at Newgrange, current thinking is that this is a shamanic symbol). In this latter symbolism it stands for water, earth and air. The three ways in which Frodo is attacked - almost drowned, entombed alive (like a Celtic warrior entering the fogou) and finally attacked on the hilltop of Weathertop by a Sword, symbol of the element Air. He's also attacked in turns in body, mind and spirit, yet more symbolism.