LotR --- Appendix A: I, (v) -- The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen

[Lhunardawen]

I don't know why I only just noticed this; by all means it probably has been mentioned elsewhere, but I'm quite amazed. Gilraen's last words to Aragorn ('I gave Hope to the Dunedain, I have kept no hope for myself') mirrors, in a way, the fact that Miriel died after giving birth to Feanor because she had passed so much of her spirit to him.

[Galadriel55]

I find Gilraen very intriguing. I often wondered about the significance of her words "onen i Estel Edain, u chebin estel anim". The capitalization of the first Estel could signify that she gave birth to a son that will somehow help the Dunedain, and the second estel would then refer to actual literal HOPE.

I'm more inclined to think that Estel in this case means more than just a name. Gilraen probably foresaw how Aragorn would "help" the dunedain, and was sort of saying to her people: "a) don't despair, because I know that hope will come and something good will happen. b) I will not live to see this good."

In a way, she's also "educating" Aragorn about death and how to accept it. When she said "I left no hope for myself", she wasn't despairing about her comming death, but rather accepting it and telling Aragorn that there's nothing he could do to prevent it.

Overall, it is as if she was saying that she finished what she needed to do in the world, and it is the right tie for her to leave it.

PS: Sorry about the essay. Gilraen's line is very thought-provoking, though, and just that made her one of my favourite characters.