Either It Is Unexplainable Or I Shall Rant Until Questions Are Answered!

[YayGollum]

There. Here is the "I would like some more information on..." type thread that the Confusticated lady suggested. Have fun. I have plenty of questions to ask, but I've already asked them and found out that they were unexplainable.

[Rhiannon]

Yay...that is the most bewildering thread title I've ever seen. Congratulations.

I want more information on Aragorn's back story- what was he doing all those years before the War of the Rings?

[Turin]

I read it once, I don't remember much of it but I think it was in the appendices (sp?).

[Rhiannon]

I've read the appendix, but I don't remember it going in to much detail. Just that he wandered around a lot.

[Dragon]

oh really? like what questions, yay?

I wanna know why smaug just had to have a gem/scale (depending on your point of view from the story...) missing... isn't that jsut so....classic? was there already some stories out there that had this same little plot device, or did they all come after the hobbit? waht do u guys think about this?:confused:

[Nóm]

Rhiannon, aside from what one can figure from LotR there is very little about Aragorn in HoME.

I have looked in HoME XII which has the drafts to material Tolkien wrote when he was working on the appendices. Found out Aragorn is interpreted as 'Kingly Valour'.

In Unfinished Tales there is some information on Aragorn's capture of Gollum:

But when Sauron learned of Gollum's capture by his enemies the situation was drastically changed. When and how this happened cannot of course be known for certain. Probably long after the event. According to Aragorn Gollum was taken at nightfall on February 1st. Hoping to escape detection by any of Sauron's spies he drove Gollum through the north end of the Emyn Muil, and crossed Anduin just above Sam Gebir. Driftwood was often cast up there on the shoals by the east shore, and binding Gollum to a log he swam across with him, and continued his journey north by tracks as westerly as he could find through the skirts of Fangorn, and so over Limlight, then over Nimrodel and Silverlode through the eaves of Lorien, and then on, avoiding Moria and Dimrill Dale, over Gladden until he came near the Carrock. There he crossed Anduin again, with the help of the Beornings, and passed into the Forest. The whole journey, on foot, was not much short of nine hundred miles, and this Aragorn accomplished with weariness in fifty days, reaching Thranduil on the twenty-first of March.
It is thus most likely that the first news of Gollum would be learned by the servants of Dol Guldur after Aragorn entered the Forest; for though the power of Dol Guldur was supposed to come to an end at the Old Forest Road, its spies were many in the wood. The news evidently did not reach the Nazgul commander of Dol Guldur for some time, and he probably did not inform Barad-dûr until he had tried to learn more of Gollum's whereabouts. It would then no doubt be late in April before Sauron heard that Gollum had been seen again, apparently captive in the hands of a Man. This might mean little. Neither Sauron nor any of his servants yet knew of Aragorn or who he was. But evidently later (since the lands of Thranduil would now be closely watched), possibly a month later, Sauron heard the disquieting news that the Wise were aware of Gollum, and that Gandalf had passed into Thranduil's realm.

There may be some tidbits in the Letters. I recently began to read them and if I find anything on Aragorn's past I'll post it here.

I did find something in letters that might interest you, if you have read it before:
Letter 244
Eowyn: It is possible to love more than one person (of the other sex) at the same time, but in a different mode and intensity. I do not think that Eowyn's feelings for Aragorn really changed much; and when he was revealed as so lofty a figure, in descent and office, she was able to go on loving and admiring him. He was old, and that is not only a physical quality: when not accompanied by any physical decay age can be alarming or awe-inspiring. Also she was not herself ambitious in the true political sense. Though not a 'dry nurse' in temper, she was also not really a soldier or 'amazon', but like many brave women was capable of great military gallantry at a crisis.

That was in reply to a lost criticism of Eowyn and Faramir. Tolkien also goes on to say more about their love.




Dragon, I don't know the answer to your question and if no other Outcasts do, maybe you could open it as a thread in The Hobbit forum.

[Rhiannon]

Thanks, Nom! I reference that letter a lot ;) I practically have it memorised by now. I haven't read many more of the Letters, though- I've mostly used the index.