"People do not decide to become extraordinary....

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Rikae

I'll just add -- I wouldn't even say characters like Aragorn really "decide to do extraordinary things", at least not directly. All the "good guys" insofar as they are good, actually seem to lack ambition entirely and simply seek to fulfill their responsibilities. I never had the impression that Aragorn, for instance, cared much for being king for its own sake, he did what he had to do out of, presumably, a combination of love for Arwen and duty to defend the people of Middle-Earth.

I second that! I highly doubt that Aragorn ever thought "Hm. I think I should do something to make people think I'm extraordinary. Why not travel to Orodruin while protecting the Ring?"

I think it's more realistic that he felt this kind of duty fall on his head like it did on Bilbo's when he left without a handkerchief, and on Frodo's when he found out what his ring really was and what responsibility he had. And the higher the duty, the more "extraordinary" a person is considered to be.

And IMO, the only way to become a "fantastic hero" is to start off as the most "ordinary chap" and do something un-ordinary.