The Lament for Boromir - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Huinesoron · 07-01-2019, 10:04 AM

I really quite like Aragorn and Legolas' Lament for Boromir, but it does seem to raise a lot of questions that never get answered.

Why does Aragorn sing it? Is this kind of lament a common practice in Gondor, and therefore an appropriate mark of respect? Is it an Elvish practice he picked up in Rivendell? Or did he just come up with it his own self? The only other laments I can think of are from Rohan, but they're very different in style.
Aragorn tells us at the endthat the Gondorians don't look to the East Wind for tidings - so does that mean they do ask the other winds, like in the song? If so, what possible theological/cosmological basis would there be for that?
The 'waters wide and grey' over which Boromir rides must be the ford at Tharbad, where he lost his horse; what, then, are the 'seven streams' he crosses before that? I assume they're part of the Swanfleet marshes.
If this is so, it suggests that Aragorn has an intimate knowledge of the route from Gondor to Imladris via Tharbad. Or does it? Could it be that 'seven streams', as an echo of 'seven rivers of Ossiriand', is actually an idiom for 'a lot of streams'? (Like how the Bible splashes '40' on everything.)
Is Aragorn speaking from a Gondorian perspective or his own when he describes Arnor as 'the empty lands where no men are'? Obviously there are some, including the Dunlendings...
Legolas sings about the Sea. Did Tolkien know he was going to link the two, or is this just a coincidence?
That said, Legolas sings about the Sea really creepily. 'Oh, hi - I'm full of corpses!'. Why would he present it that way, rather than in the usual Elvish wistful way.
'On the white shores and the dark shores'. Are these the two banks of Anduin? I'm wondering whether the north, settled side is farmland - dark, rich soil - while the south bank might be more sandy and pale.
It's clear that Legolas doesn't know the layout of Minas Tirith - he's claiming the Seaward road runs south from the gate, when actually, the gate faces north.
Why is Rauros 'golden'? It faces south, so would reflect the sun around midday - but that wouldn't normally lead to a golden effect. For that, you'd need the sun to be low in the sky, at sunrise or sunset - but then it's off to the side and won't shine on the water.

hS

07-01-2019, 10:04 AM	#1
Huinesoron Overshadowed Eagle Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: The north-west of the Old World, east of the Sea Posts: 3,781	The Lament for Boromir I really quite like Aragorn and Legolas' Lament for Boromir, but it does seem to raise a lot of questions that never get answered. Why does Aragorn sing it? Is this kind of lament a common practice in Gondor, and therefore an appropriate mark of respect? Is it an Elvish practice he picked up in Rivendell? Or did he just come up with it his own self? The only other laments I can think of are from Rohan, but they're very different in style. Aragorn tells us at the endthat the Gondorians don't look to the East Wind for tidings - so does that mean they do ask the other winds, like in the song? If so, what possible theological/cosmological basis would there be for that? The 'waters wide and grey' over which Boromir rides must be the ford at Tharbad, where he lost his horse; what, then, are the 'seven streams' he crosses before that? I assume they're part of the Swanfleet marshes. If this is so, it suggests that Aragorn has an intimate knowledge of the route from Gondor to Imladris via Tharbad. Or does it? Could it be that 'seven streams', as an echo of 'seven rivers of Ossiriand', is actually an idiom for 'a lot of streams'? (Like how the Bible splashes '40' on everything.) Is Aragorn speaking from a Gondorian perspective or his own when he describes Arnor as 'the empty lands where no men are'? Obviously there are some, including the Dunlendings... Legolas sings about the Sea. Did Tolkien know he was going to link the two, or is this just a coincidence? That said, Legolas sings about the Sea really creepily. 'Oh, hi - I'm full of corpses!'. Why would he present it that way, rather than in the usual Elvish wistful way. 'On the white shores and the dark shores'. Are these the two banks of Anduin? I'm wondering whether the north, settled side is farmland - dark, rich soil - while the south bank might be more sandy and pale. It's clear that Legolas doesn't know the layout of Minas Tirith - he's claiming the Seaward road runs south from the gate, when actually, the gate faces north. Why is Rauros 'golden'? It faces south, so would reflect the sun around midday - but that wouldn't normally lead to a golden effect. For that, you'd need the sun to be low in the sky, at sunrise or sunset - but then it's off to the side and won't shine on the water. hS