LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 10 - Strider

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

The poem is indeed one of Tolkien's best -- second only, I think, to the Ring verse. Like the Ring verse, it gives us all kinds of interesting information about Aragorn. In particular, it gives us an interesting look at the manner in which Aragorn and Sauron are related/interconnected to one another.

"All that is gold does not glitter" This has to be a counterpart, even a counterpoint, to the Ring: also made of gold, and also something that lacks "glitter" in a couple of sensese. I never once remember the Ring as "glittering" which would seem for Tolkien to be a positive idea (the glittering caves of Aglarond). So Aragorn and Sauron are alike in some ways -- both are identified with and by gold, and neither one of them appears to be what he really is. Both are hidden in some way: of course, Sauron is deceptive while Aragorn is cloaked in the protective guise of Strider (interesting that the title of the chapter is this name), but there is this similarity. There is a dissonance between their true nature and their appearance to others.

Of course, the big difference here is that this dissonance is reversed: Sauron, as Frodo points out, seeks to look fair despite being foul (Macbeth allusion #1 in the book).

"Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost." These lines could just as easily be applied to Sauron! After each defeat he is said to "wander" Middle Earth, but he always finds his way back to Mordor where he grows in strength once more. Like the line of the Dunedain, Sauron cannot be wholly quenched or destroyed, only reduced in power for a time.

"From the ashes a fire shall be woken" The fires of Mount Doom burning once more? The rekindling of Mount Doom in the land of ashes? I do realise that this line is not alluding to Sauron, but it makes yet another connection between Aragorn and Sauron, this time through the imagery of fire and ash. Again, there's a reversal -- in Mordor, the result of fire is dead and sterile ash; Aragorn, on the other hand, will bring a new fire that will renew the ash. So alike, even interconnected, but opposite.

"A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king." I think this is where the conjoined/counterpart/counterpoint relationship of Aragorn and Sauron is most clearly laid out. Aragorn is the light and Sauron is the shadow: but of course, light and shadow are interdependent. In the Christian take on this imagery (and I anticipate davem here ) shadows are dependent upon light, since the former cannot exist without the latter. It's interesting though that in this verse, the light springs from within a pre-existing shadow (like the fire from the ash). It's almost as though the shadows do have some form of independent existence and that the light is going to have to combat them. . .

The verse ends with the two items that link Aragorn and Sauron together: the sword and the crown. The sword was broken in the past when Isildur destroyed Sauron and took the Ring, and the crown that is properly Aragorn’s but that Sauron is trying to take for himself.

What I find so compelling about all this is that while it shows on the one hand how Sauron is the shadow of Aragorn, it does so by consistently linking them to each other. Sauron is the ‘negative’ or evil part(ner) of the pair, but they are presented as conjoined, linked to one another by and through the crown (the future), the sword (the past), and even the Ring (the present? Insofar as their conflict is being brought to a head in the War of the Ring?).

The idea of Sauron as Aragorn’s shadow, and the closeness of the relationship as it’s developed by the verse, has a couple of important implications. First, Sauron needs Aragorn, for without the light of Numenor, there can be no shadow of Mordor. Second, though, there cannot be a light that does not cast some shadows (except, perhaps, the light of Eru?) – so even if Aragorn is able to defeat Sauron, there will always be more shadowy figures cast by his light??

One very last point on the form of this verse, as compared to the Ring Verse: the Ring verse is written in iambs (with the syllables repeating in an unstressed-stressed pattern, like in Shakespeare: “to BE or NOT to BE”; “one RING to RULE them ALL”), whereas Aragorn’s verse is written primarily in anapests (with two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable: “the CROWN-less a-GAIN shall be KING”). Why do I make this point?

*Fordim dons professorly robes and lectures the rapt audience over the rim of his glasses*

Iambic verse is the more usual in poetry as it more clearly mimics the natural cadence of spoken English; it is the least poetic sounding form of poetry. Anapestic verse is the precise opposite; it is the most poetic sounding. This is fascinating to me – Sauron’s verse is one that hides its artifice in a way; it sounds like simple prose, when really it’s poetry. Aragorn’s verse, on the other hand (written, I realise, by Bilbo) is openly artificial and poetic. This really brings the relation of these two characters into focus, I think: both are connected to the same things, and to each other through these things, but one strives to hide behind art (that is, Sauron attempts to look artless?) while Aragorn is more clear and open about his true nature (that is, he is willing to show his poetic nature?).

[Aiwendil]

This chapter reminds me of chapter 5 in a way - like that chapter, it consists primarily of conversation, and its function is largely to sort things out and tell us who is going to do what. The big question that the chapter deals with is, of course, "who is Strider?" But also discussed are Butterbur's character, the movements of the Black Riders, and what the Hobbits are to do next.

In a way, the chapter is a temporary decrease in tension. Despite Sam's suspicion, it is not all that hard for the reader to guess at the outset that Strider will turn out to be a friend; the suspense surrounding his character in chapter 9 dissipates fairly quickly. The chapter then is not so much about playing with the reader's opinion of Strider as it is about the logic of the Hobbits' acceptance of him. And this logic is handled rather neatly with Gandalf's letter. The suspense is then re-ignited with Merry's entrance and news of the Black Riders.

So we have a whole chapter more or less devoted to establishing Aragorn as a character. I think this is interesting, as Aragorn is, I have always felt, one of the flatter characters in the book. I don't mean that in a pejorative way. He is a flat character in the tradition of great flat characters like Aeneas and Beowulf. It's not that he is poorly characterized, just that he does not have the same sort of psychological hook as Turin or Gollum or even Frodo. So why a whole chapter devoted to characterizing him? Well, part of it is that because he is a flat character, one chapter is sufficient. Aragorn's character is almost completely laid out very quickly here (even if his real identity is not yet clear to the Hobbits), whereas, for example, Frodo's is not fully explored until the end of the book.

Strider's character is even boiled down rather nicely to a single phrase. Frodo says that a servant of the enemy would "look fair and feel foul"; Strider really does "look foul and feel fair". He looks foul in the sense that he looks the way we would expect an enemy to look - he sits mysteriously in the corner of the common room; he even scrambles over the gate as a "dark figure" and melts "into the shadows below". But as soon as he begins speaking, his true nature becomes evident. The way he speaks is simply not the way enemies speak in Tolkien's universe.

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Fordim Hedgethistle

Iambic verse is the more usual in poetry as it more clearly mimics the natural cadence of spoken English; it is the least poetic sounding form of poetry. Anapestic verse is the precise opposite; it is the most poetic sounding. This is fascinating to me – Sauron’s verse is one that hides its artifice in a way; it sounds like simple prose, when really it’s poetry. Aragorn’s verse, on the other hand (written, I realise, by Bilbo) is openly artificial and poetic.

Those of us who are horse enthusiasts, Fordim, will add that Aragorn's verse canters (or gallops). It is a battle-cry gaining momentum, leading a charge, rolling like distant thunder:

"Half a league, half a league, half a league onward"
...
"Honor the charge they made, noble six hundred!"

[Encaitare]

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting in this section so I'm just trying to get into the swing of things...

Originally Posted by Fordim Hedgethistle
Iambic verse is the more usual in poetry as it more clearly mimics the natural cadence of spoken English; it is the least poetic sounding form of poetry. Anapestic verse is the precise opposite; it is the most poetic sounding. This is fascinating to me – Sauron’s verse is one that hides its artifice in a way; it sounds like simple prose, when really it’s poetry. Aragorn’s verse, on the other hand (written, I realise, by Bilbo) is openly artificial and poetic.

Well, after looking up "anapestic" I must say I agree. And as rutslegolas said earlier, it is a very inspirational poem. "Not all those who wander are lost" is the kind of line that can definitely cheer you up.

As for Sauron's verse being the "least poetic," perhaps this ties in to the corruption of all good things in an attempt to create, as demonstrated by Sauron and Morgoth in the past? Perhaps this method of verse on the Ring was done deliberately by Tolkien to show that even Sauron's poetry, something that is generally regarded as beautiful and pleasing to hear, is rather uncouth.

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

davem, you quite movingly wrote:

I could have died for Aragorn

Allow me to second this. Aragorn is, without doubt, one of my two favourite characters in all literature (the other being, naturally, Hamlet). He is, as Aiwendil points out, a remarkably simple character to understand: he is a hero.

No, that's not right, is it? He's not a hero, he's a King. It's not just that people -- including myself -- admire him: we love him. And I do love him, with a deep and abiding emotion like that I feel for only a few people. That for me has always been the great strenght of Aragorn. His greatness does not depend upon his soldiery (which is unsurpassed) or his wisdom (which is second only to Elrond's and Gandalf's) or his compassion and pity; his greatness depends instead upon the fact that he is able to inspire, even command, the most profoundly personal love of those who are ready to accept him.

The manner of his introduction in this chapter is entirely appropriate. Aragorn presents everyone he meets with a challenge: it's the challenge of his own presence -- are you worthy of him? Are you wise enough to recognise who and what he is, strong enough to pledge yourself to him, and faithful enough to follow him? The fact that he comes upon the hobbits in such a threatening manner is appropriate, for they are going to have to face up to this challenge. I really don't see it as an overstatement when I say that the whole purpose of Frodo's quest is to prove that he is worthy of Aragorn's love.

The fact that at the end of this journey (to get well ahead of myself) it is Aragorn who bows to Frodo makes me weep.

And now for something that will make Saucy go nuts when he returns to the Downs. . .

This is an aspect of the story that I think the movie might actually have been able to do more powerfully than the book. At the death of Boromir, in the film, when he pledges his love to Aragorn "my brother, my captain, my King" -- I wept like a babe quite openly for quite a long time, and not just because Boromir is dying, but because I too would gladly lay down my life for Aragorn so deeply do I love that man.

But that is enough of such silliness. End of swoon. Return to more sensible posts.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Fordim Hedgethistle

He's not a hero, he's a King. It's not just that people -- including myself -- admire him: we love him. And I do love him, with a deep and abiding emotion like that I feel for only a few people. That for me has always been the great strenght of Aragorn. His greatness does not depend upon his soldiery (which is unsurpassed) or his wisdom (which is second only to Elrond's and Gandalf's) or his compassion and pity; his greatness depends instead upon the fact that he is able to inspire, even command, the most profoundly personal love of those who are ready to accept him.

Hhu? I find Aragorn a pompous prig at times. Faramir is No 1 man... and he ends up with No 1 woman...lol

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

*Fordim slaps Mithalwen across the face with his gauntlet, then tosses it at Mith's amazed feet*

Sir, I must ask you to accept this gauntlet in earnest of a more serious confrontation that I suggest we undertake early tomorrow upon the heath, where I shall answer your slanders in the most vigorous and peremptory manner.

Do you prefer pistols or swords? I shall await you in the appointed place at the appointed hour where, if you shall fail to appear so that I might pay you as you deserve for your words, I shall consider you the most arrant and cowardly knave.

[Mithalwen]

Pistols.... a bullet may go anywhere but a blade is bound to go somewhere!!!!!

And since your eyesight is so poor that you haven't observed the definitely female contours of my figure... I reckon I stand a good chance ......

And could I have teh other gauntlet? So useful for gardening...

[mark12_30]

"Well, Fordim sir, it's a bit of a detour and no mistake. But I've got your sabre" (rattles scabbard reassuringly) " and your set of pistols " (gestures at Bilbo the Pony, who snorts and tosses head ) "and I wouldn't miss this bit of excitement for all the beer in the southfarthing. Well, sir, has Mithalwen answered you yet?"

[Encaitare]

Well, in defense of Mithalwen, (although I don't wish to be challenged to any duels -- or slapped with a gauntlet, for that matter!), I can see where she's coming from. Aragorn can be a bit high and mighty at times, but I suppose he has the right to... he is king, after all!

In this particular chapter I can only find one example of Aragorn acting in this manner:

"Well, you know your own business, maybe," said Mr. Butterbur, looking suspiciously at Strider. "But if I was in your plight, I wouldn't take up with a Ranger."

"Then who would you take up with?" asked Strider. "A fat inkeeper who only remembers his own name because people shout it at him all day? They cannot stay in The Pony for ever, and they cannot go home. They have a long road before them. Will you go with them and keep the black men off?"

This seems a bit extreme to say to poor Butterbur, but then again he was always rather less than friendly to Aragorn. And Fordim's comment:

The manner of his introduction in this chapter is entirely appropriate. Aragorn presents everyone he meets with a challenge: it's the challenge of his own presence -- are you worthy of him? Are you wise enough to recognise who and what he is, strong enough to pledge yourself to him, and faithful enough to follow him?

bolsters the evidence that Aragorn is confident enough in his own strengths that he has no hesitation in doing what he must. Plus, who would be the leader if not Aragorn? It is better for a king to show the ability to lead justly and with wisdom even before ascending to the throne, and Aragorn certainly does that.