Faramir's age.

[Faramir Jones]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Oh- as to "last Ruling Steward:- in "The Steward and the King," Faramir offers Aragorn his white rod and says "the last Steward of Gondor begs leave to surrender his office," and A. gives it back saying "that office is not ended" etc etc.

I would suggest that Faramir was, albeit briefly, the last Ruling Steward for six weeks from Denethor's death until Elessar's coronation, and only under a Dol Amroth regency for three days; and that that rule was more than notional after the Captains marched to Mordor, even if he still was staying in the HofH. After all, somebody had to be in charge, and it wasn't Imrahil; and I would venture that during that period March 18 - May 1 the white banner flew from the Tower.

You're right, William. In an early draft of Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings, which did not make it into the published version, Faramir is twice called ‘the last Ruling Steward’. (J.R.R.Tolkien, The History of Middle Earth: 12. The Peoples of Middle Earth, (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp. 206-207.

Even in the text of the published version of LotR, it's obvious that Faramir was the last Ruling Steward. In ‘The Steward and the King’, the Warden told Éowyn, ‘the Lord Faramir is by right the Steward of the City’. (LotR, Book 6, Chapter V, p. 938) Later, Faramir being healed, ‘took upon him his authority and the Stewardship, although it was only for a little while, and his duty was to prepare for one who should replace him’. (Ibid., p. 942) (My emphasis) On the morning of 1st May, the day of King Elessar’s coronation, the standard of the Stewards ‘was raised over Gondor for the last time'. (Ibid., p. 944)

[William Cloud Hicklin]

On the morning of 1st May, the day of King Elessar’s coronation, the standard of the Stewards ‘was raised over Gondor for the last time'. (Ibid., p. 944)

That's an interesting phrase, and one wonders if Tolkien thought it through completely; since we know that Elessar went several times to war in Harad and Rhun, and it appears that Gondor in this sort of thing defaults to historical European practice, it would seem to me to be the case that the Tree, Crown and Stars accompanied the King when he went forth, just as the British Royal Standard flies from the place the Queen currently is, and nowhere else; and that during his absence the Standard flown from the White Tower would be that of whomever was governing the realm in the King's absence- in other words, the Steward, fulfilling the same ancient role the office had before the disappearance of Earnur. (cf the Rohirric office of Underking).