Is Aragorn as you pictured him?

[narfforc]

A really strange thing has happened, I find it hard to remember how I visualised Aragorn, the only previous images were mainly calenders and they were very diverse. When I first read LotRs there weren't any images at all, the first I remember was the poster by Jim Cauty who also did the album cover for The King of Elflands Daughter featuring Christopher Lee as The King of Elfland (singing). So I cannot now see Aragorn without thinking of Viggo, or for that matter Gandalf without Sir Ian.

[Bêthberry]

Well, I know Aragorn is no outlaw, but I have to admit that I often got my images crossed and thought of him as similar to Richard Green's Robin Hood. Yes, I know that Aragorn is no bowman, but Robin Hood did also carry a sword, hide out in the woods, keep the place safe for the good local yomen against a nasty usurper, and harbour a love he could not have. A bit of Erroll Flynn with English nobility--I think that's how Green's Robin Hood was described and that fit my sense of Aragorn too.

Designer stubble just didn't fit into my mental image, nor short stature.

Originally Posted by narfforc

A really strange thing has happened, I find it hard to remember how I visualised Aragorn,. . . .So I cannot now see Aragorn without thinking of Viggo, or for that matter Gandalf without Sir Ian.

I'm so terribly sorry, narfforc that you've lost your early imaginings about the characters. Does this mean that your parody work owes more to the movies than to Tolkien?

[Finduilas]

Viggo did not at all fill my thoughts on Aragorns looks. I was very disapointed.

A bit of Erroll Flynn with English nobility

That's really funny, because when me and my sister have discussed on who we would have liked to see play Aragorn, we agreed that Erroll Flynn would have worked well.

[Beleg Cuthalion]

Originally Posted by narfforc

A really strange thing has happened, I find it hard to remember how I visualised Aragorn, the only previous images were mainly calenders and they were very diverse. When I first read LotRs there weren't any images at all, the first I remember was the poster by Jim Cauty who also did the album cover for The King of Elflands Daughter featuring Christopher Lee as The King of Elfland (singing). So I cannot now see Aragorn without thinking of Viggo, or for that matter Gandalf without Sir Ian.

I have the same problem.

I don't think I ever really had an idea what I thought he looked like before the movies.

[Boo Radley]

I... always pictured Aragorn as somewhat taller.
Not that Viggo is short, mind you, but "Strider" had very long legs and I viewed him as being a bit older looking and... dare I say it? (Oh, why not?) a bit more gaunt.
Just my opinion. YMMV.

[The Sixth Wizard]

Aragorn's just about exactly right in appearance for me. I usually pictured him with the same shape face, hair colour and length, and beard. Although I always picture him as sort of "striding" due to his name. And Boromir should be shorter.

Of course, the character is the bit that's messed up.

[narfforc]

The one thing I remember about the calenders and the artists (especially the Hildebrandts) was their insistance of showing Tolkiens characters as if they were in some Robin Hood or Three Musketeers movie , I hated them with their pointy hats, lincoln green and lots of buckling of swash, even the films that Errol Flynn appeared in drove me crazy, for Hollywood had some strange ideas about english history, no lets make that any history, their motto was 'Don't let the truth get in the way of rewriting history'. Jackson shows Aragorn as a man that spent a lot of his life in the wild, he looked the part, I never saw an inch of dirt on a Hollywood Robin Hood and as for some of the calenders, some of the people in them looked more like they were going to a ball than a battle.

I agree with the comments of Boo and The Sixth Wizard 100%


Hi Bethberry, when I first started the parody, I imagined the characters to be like Monty Pythons, now I have a whole list of people that if a film was made of The Lord of the Grins would be ideal for their part. I will PM you with some more info.

[Volo]

No, I deffinitely didn't imagine Aragorn anything like Viggo. I imagined Aragorn as "All gold does not glitter" - not handsome, but rugged. The Viggo Aragorn for one thing didn't look like he had been in the wild for years.

I'd say Alan Lee had effect on my Aragorn. This picture from my precious illustrated version of the Two Towers.

[Finduilas]

Strangely, I can't exactly picture Aragorn, or any other character in the books. While I am reading it, pictures do form in my mind, but not in ways that I can explain, or even remember later on. But as I afore said, Viggo was not what I consider a very good Aragorn.

But, I think that if the he had been better portrayed by the movie makers, he would have done fine. So even though I don't think he looked like Aragorn, he could have been made to seem to look more like Aragorn... if that makes any sense.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by narfforc

The one thing I remember about the calenders and the artists (especially the Hildebrandts) was their insistance of showing Tolkiens characters as if they were in some Robin Hood or Three Musketeers movie , I hated them with their pointy hats, lincoln green and lots of buckling of swash, even the films that Errol Flynn appeared in drove me crazy, for Hollywood had some strange ideas about english history, no lets make that any history, their motto was 'Don't let the truth get in the way of rewriting history'. Jackson shows Aragorn as a man that spent a lot of his life in the wild, he looked the part, I never saw an inch of dirt on a Hollywood Robin Hood and as for some of the calenders, some of the people in them looked more like they were going to a ball than a battle.

I agree with the comments of Boo and The Sixth Wizard 100%


Hi Bethberry, when I first started the parody, I imagined the characters to be like Monty Pythons, now I have a whole list of people that if a film was made of The Lord of the Grins would be ideal for their part. I will PM you with some more info.

Oh I completely agree with you narf about the squeeky clean Hollywood types--well, excepting for Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones, who had the right balance of dust, sweat and gosh darn charm--but Richard Greene was English, that Robin Hood was English. I always thought that English heroes never broke a sweat.

Except for maybe Peter O'Toole as Henry. But then O'Toole is Irish. Come to think of it, I'll have to check that out when The Longest Day runs again this June.

But your Lord of the Grins as Pythons? Oh my. Strider as the Minister of Silly Walks. Cleese does have that sort of snooty patrician air about him when he's not Basil.

[The Might]

More or less. I think I had seen an Aragorn drawing by Alan Lee before reading LotR and so I imagined him more or less as that. But after seeing the movies it was hard to think about him as someone else then Viggo...but then again that more or less happened with all characters after I saw the movies.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by narfforc

When I first read LotRs there weren't any images at all, the first I remember was the poster by Jim Cauty who also did the album cover for The King of Elflands Daughter featuring Christopher Lee as The King of Elfland (singing). .

There's summat else by Cauty I'm going to have to hunt down!

Aragorn, well I always saw him as tall, dark and intense. But not long after I read the books for the first time a certain Robin Of Sherwood appeared on ITV and I grew to associate Aragorn's 'look' with Michael Praed's look in that, but a little leaner and taller, and with longer hair.

I worked with a 70s Rings fan around a year before the films came out and we'd discuss what Aragorn ought to look like. We agreed he just had to have long har and be dark - she said that Aragorn's 'look' had been a common pub argument when she was at uni in the 70s.

Now I did like Viggo and my chief fault with him was his lack of eyebrows. On Aragorn they should be black and slightly beetling. And when he scrubs up Viggo does look a tad 'cheesy' like someone out of an early 80s 'mullet rock' band, but he's alright when he's grubbing round in his overcoat and stuff.

However, after I'd got an eyeful of the tasty Sean Bean as Boromir I was wishing he'd got the part instead. He's way more manly.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Rikae

While Aragorn could be sarcastic, etc, I always imagined him more intense and, in FOTR, slightly menacing even; and in the ROTK, just more dignified and powerful.

Totally agreed!

Originally Posted by Rikae

Another thing...Viggo's running is hilarious...especially when he sees the beacon and runs up the steps of Edoras! It never fails to make me laugh...

Funny... A friend of my mother's once said that Viggo is good-looking but runs like a woman...

Originally Posted by MatthewM

On the hair thing...are you going by your own imagination or fact from the book? I'm guessing imagination?

You're right. Sorry for not making that clearer.

I admire Viggo's devotion to his role, but he still isn't Aragorn.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

However, after I'd got an eyeful of the tasty Sean Bean as Boromir I was wishing he'd got the part instead. He's way more manly.

You know, I was thinking that Sean Bean might have been a better choice just other day. (And was reminded of it again last night while watching Patriot Games. I think he might have been able to carry it off quite well. (Now I'm just wondering if Viggo might have made a convincing Boromir... actually the book Faramir would be more likely.)

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Hilde Bracegirdle

Now I'm just wondering if Viggo might have made a convincing Boromir...

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, he wouldn't have.

[Rikae]

I just can't see Sean Bean as Aragorn either. He's too...doofy looking. (Sorry...)

I mean; he just looks too young and not intelligent or wise enough, I'm afraid. Too well-fed, as well.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Rikae

I just can't see Sean Bean as Aragorn either. He's too...doofy looking. (Sorry...)

I mean; he just looks too young and not intelligent or wise enough, I'm afraid. Too well-fed, as well.

What?!

But he's as fine a chunk of man-flesh as might be found anywhere! And what's more he simply can't get rid of his Sheffield accent no matter how hard he tries and that would fit very nicely with Aragorn being a bit o' rough from Oop North. "Eeh, milady Arwen, fancy a tumble in t'Niphredil"...

[Finduilas]

I think what Rikae meant in saying he was "too well-fed" was that Aragorn was supposed to be thin. On Carahadras it(the book) says something to the effect that Boromir had wider shoulders, and may even be stronger that Aragorn. Sean Bean isn't fat or anything, but he's is built larger that Aragorn was. I hope I worded that right, I mean like bigger bones, sturdier built, etc.

I personally think that Sean could have done a better job than Viggo as Aragorn, but he was did really well as Boromir.