Was Boromir a mistake? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

01-24-2002, 06:41 AM

I haven't really been able to find many opinions on this one, and this is something that I've long thought: that Boromir was never truly meant to be a member of the Fellowship, and that his joining was a mistake.

My reasons for believing this are straight from the book itself, but in particular at the council of Elrond, Boromir recounts the dream that sent him to Rivendell, stating that "a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and ONCE to me." (emph. mine.)

It's in this dream that the men of Gondor are told to go to Rivendell, and the fact that Boromir was the one who went is explained the next paragraph down where it states "Therefor my brother, seeing how desperate was our need, was eager to heed the dream and seek for Imladris; but since the way was full of doubt and danger, I took the journey upon myself." So, seeing as how there are many suggestions that the Fellowship of the ring were motivated by a "force other than Mordor" and that many events were attributed to this other force, could this not suggest that it was not Boromir that was meant to go, but Faramir? Perhaps, not getting the response from Faramir that this force needed, (leaving for Rivendell) it'd been forced to settle on the lesser of the two brothers?

Later in the series it's mentioned a few other times, when Faramir discusses Boromir's death with Frodo, and states that it should have been him to go, but Boromir had forced the journey upon himself, and Denathor makes a comment of the same sort.

I'm curious as to whether or not anyone agrees with me that perhaps it was meant to be Faramir who journeyed with the ringbearer, and that Boromir was a mistake? (Almost a fatal one, as an arguement can be made that the breaking of the company was Boromir's fault, and that the chances of success were GREATLY diminished when the seperated...)

Also, how do you think things would have been different if it WAS Faramir who'd answered the call?

(If this has been brought up countless times before, I apologize...)

01-24-2002, 06:41 AM	#1
The Youngest Ent Guest Posts: n/a	Was Boromir a mistake? I haven't really been able to find many opinions on this one, and this is something that I've long thought: that Boromir was never truly meant to be a member of the Fellowship, and that his joining was a mistake. My reasons for believing this are straight from the book itself, but in particular at the council of Elrond, Boromir recounts the dream that sent him to Rivendell, stating that "a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and ONCE to me." (emph. mine.) It's in this dream that the men of Gondor are told to go to Rivendell, and the fact that Boromir was the one who went is explained the next paragraph down where it states "Therefor my brother, seeing how desperate was our need, was eager to heed the dream and seek for Imladris; but since the way was full of doubt and danger, I took the journey upon myself." So, seeing as how there are many suggestions that the Fellowship of the ring were motivated by a "force other than Mordor" and that many events were attributed to this other force, could this not suggest that it was not Boromir that was meant to go, but Faramir? Perhaps, not getting the response from Faramir that this force needed, (leaving for Rivendell) it'd been forced to settle on the lesser of the two brothers? Later in the series it's mentioned a few other times, when Faramir discusses Boromir's death with Frodo, and states that it should have been him to go, but Boromir had forced the journey upon himself, and Denathor makes a comment of the same sort. I'm curious as to whether or not anyone agrees with me that perhaps it was meant to be Faramir who journeyed with the ringbearer, and that Boromir was a mistake? (Almost a fatal one, as an arguement can be made that the breaking of the company was Boromir's fault, and that the chances of success were GREATLY diminished when the seperated...) Also, how do you think things would have been different if it WAS Faramir who'd answered the call? (If this has been brought up countless times before, I apologize...)