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#4 | ||||
Spirit of the Lonely Star
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,133
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Thenamir -
Split up Aragorn and Arwen.....tell me it ain't so! ![]() Quote:
Whatever changes Arwen's refusal would have made to Aragorn or his kingship, these actually pale in comparison to the enormous impact that such a decision would have had on the human race as a whole, even extending to the music of Eru itself. To put it bluntly, the marriage of Arwen and Aragorn represents the culmination of certain ideas and developments that were present since Creation. It is a critical theme in Tolkien's story. If you or I were to pull on that thread so that it unravelled, you would not only be changing Aragorn's destiny, you would be changing the entire destiny of the human race as Tolkien and, by implication, Eru envisioned it. Let me back up a minute. From the very beginning, Elves were regarded as the "Firstborn" and Men as the "Followers". In the original music, it was intended that eventually Elves would fade and that Men would take their place. Repeatedly in the Letters, Tolkien tells us that Elves and Men represent difference aspects of the Humane. It is Elves who are the true subcreators, who represent.... Quote:
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The single glowing symbol of this is the bodily and spiritual union of Aragorn and Arwen. The promise of Beren and Luthien has been reaffirmed. The Firstborn have departed but they have left the gift of subcreation that, however dilluted, has been passed down in our own bloodlines. Take away Aragorn and Arwen and you might as well rewrite the entire legendarium! As Tolkien says in Letter 153: Quote:
Stepping back and looking at the personal implications, I think you're right. If Arwen had packed her bags and departed for the Havens, or perhaps if the two had never met, Elessar would likely have ended up with Eowyn. And what a turn of events! It would not have worked. Tolkien is very certain about this, describing Eowyn's first feelings for Aragorn as a "theme of mistaken love". (Letter 161) I love Eowyn. I actually find her more understandable and compelling than Arwen. But the Eowyn who fell in love with Aragorn was someone grasping at straws. She fell in love with a shadow, perhaps a dream of what a man should be. But I don't believe she saw or understood the real Aragorn who would have been her mate. Once married, the reality would have hit. And I shudder to think of what might have happened. Yes, Aragorn had enough inner gumption to pursue goodness with or without Arwen. I believe he would have made it through the Ring War with Gandalf's guidance as well as his own realization of what Sauron represented. But once the war was over, once peace had come, it would actually have been harder to keep on the path. The pressures would have subsided. His marriage to Eowyn would have been a disaster, and he could more easily have fallen prey to some of the less admirable quality traits that we've seen in some of the earlier kings--those of Numenor, Arnor, and Gondor. If Elessar wins the war, it is Arwen who helps to define the peace: themes of fertility and tranquility and the creativity of the Elves. (Frankly, in traditional literature, that is often the role that women play. ) So Arwen's presence is essential for the era of peace and goodness that was to ensure. Get rid of her and I see Gondor falling down the slippery slope once more, even with Elessar's rule.
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Multitasking women are never too busy to vote. Last edited by Child of the 7th Age; 08-11-2004 at 09:36 PM. |
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