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Aragorn's Training as a Ranger

Cari
Bree

Nov 28 2014, 3:40am

Post #1 of 19 (3001 views)
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Aragorn's Training as a Ranger Can't Post

Since Aragorn was raised by Elrond like a son, and accompanied him along with Elrond's two children on various journeys, I was curious what kind of training Aragorn would have had to go through to become a Ranger with Elrond as his teacher Most likely.

There is so much that could be written about Aragorn during his childhood while he stayed in Rivendell that I'm sure quite a few adventures had taken place there.


Meneldor
Valinor


Nov 28 2014, 5:55am

Post #2 of 19 (2707 views)
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In my headcanon [In reply to] Can't Post

Aragorn's ranger training would be similar to John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice books. They're certainly not literary masterpieces of Tolkien's caliber, but they're fun and have a lot of good rangering.


They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107


Cari
Bree

Nov 28 2014, 6:11am

Post #3 of 19 (2726 views)
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Ranger's Apprentice [In reply to] Can't Post

I read those books a few years ago; they are pretty decent books. I'm glad to see other people enjoyed them ^.^


Elizabeth
Half-elven


Nov 28 2014, 6:52am

Post #4 of 19 (2684 views)
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What do Rangers do? [In reply to] Can't Post

They fan out through the territory they're controlling, collecting intelligence, monitoring suspicious people and movements, and combating orcs and other enemies. And this is something that has been ongoing for many centuries, by both the Numenorian remnant and the Elves of Rivendell and elsewhere. So, I'm quite sure there were programs in place both in Rivendell and in the wilds of the former Northern Kingdom to train all young, upcoming Rangers. The Elves were, of course, best positioned to provide the training, as they had millenia of experience.








ElendilTheShort
Gondor


Nov 28 2014, 9:09am

Post #5 of 19 (2664 views)
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the rangers seem to be distinguished [In reply to] Can't Post

by their ability to have a high level of self reliance and ability to assist others in areas away from civilisation. Hunting, tracking, concealment, natural medicine so on and so forth. The ultimate ranger I can think of would be Beleg Cuthalion.


Bracegirdle
Valinor


Nov 28 2014, 6:45pm

Post #6 of 19 (2674 views)
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Elrond’s third child Arwen [In reply to] Can't Post

surely had some minimal ‘Ranger’ training. As she took Glofindel’s part in the search and rescue of the travelers (movie).

Ah, Arwen alone in the wild (with trolls and Black Riders out and about) tracking Aragorn and the Hobbits. Just doesn’t compute with book-Arwen, the gentle Evenstar of her people. No way book-Elrond would allow such twaddle. Wink

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
But, sneaking off in daylight takes much more cunning.



Cari
Bree

Nov 28 2014, 8:25pm

Post #7 of 19 (2635 views)
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If she's anything like Luthien [In reply to] Can't Post

If she's anything like Luthien she may have attempted to go on some adventures of her own Tongue


Bracegirdle
Valinor


Nov 28 2014, 11:25pm

Post #8 of 19 (2641 views)
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I can envision her [In reply to] Can't Post

on adventures of her own, but not alone....Shocked

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
But, sneaking off in daylight takes much more cunning.



squire
Half-elven


Nov 28 2014, 11:33pm

Post #9 of 19 (2649 views)
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That goes against everything Arwen stood for [In reply to] Can't Post

It's true Luthien was an adventuress, as were Eowyn and Galadriel (in some accounts). But not every one of Tolkien's heroines went striding into danger etc.

Arwen in particular follows the hallowed medieval trope of the fair damsel for whose favor the brave knight goes a-questing. Brave knight = Aragorn, obviously. After reading 'The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen' I should think anyone would find the idea of Arwen getting 'Ranger training' inconceivable in the world that Tolkien invented.

As you note, the world of the New Line films is something else again.



squire online:
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Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Footeramas: The 3rd & 4th TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion and NOW the 1st BotR Discussion too! and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
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Bracegirdle
Valinor


Nov 28 2014, 11:46pm

Post #10 of 19 (2697 views)
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Another consideration [In reply to] Can't Post

Elrond's wife Celebrian was captured and tortured by orcs some 500 years earlier.

I think he would be VERY protective of his only daughter.
I don't see her galloping alone on Asfaloth around the Trollshaws.

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
But, sneaking off in daylight takes much more cunning.



dreamflower
Lorien

Nov 29 2014, 2:21am

Post #11 of 19 (2627 views)
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There is so much that is written [In reply to] Can't Post

 

Quote
There is so much that could be written about Aragorn during his childhood while he stayed in Rivendell that I'm sure quite a few adventures had taken place there.


A good many fanfiction writers have tackled the subject of Aragorn's early years as a Ranger. There are some "fanon" ideas that many of them have in common.


One is that much of Aragorn's physical training as a Ranger was undertaken by Elrond's older sons Elladan and Elrohir. They were known for spending much time among the Dunedain, accompanying them on their missions to protect the north, and it is canon that they were fierce and mighty warriors. Who better to train the young mortal chieftain? Most also tend to write Aragorn's other education, as a scholar and a healer to Elrond himself, who is depicted as his foster father. Sometimes other members of the household at Rivendell take part in his education, such as Glorfindel, Erestor and even Lindir.


I would also suppose that once he came into his heritage and went to dwell among the Men of the West as their Chieftain, he would have been further educated into the ways and traditions of his people. Perhaps Gilraen had told him some stories of his people (though in order to keep his anonymity, she may have needed to bowdlerize them somewhat into something vague and suitable for a child.


By the time he went on the Quest, he had been a Ranger for over sixty years. I am sure he must have had superb training to have survived all those years.


I don't write a lot about Aragorn (mostly only when he interacts with hobbits), but I can recommend some really good writers: Cairistiona, Radbooks, Mirach, meckinoc, rhymer23 and linda hoyland. While most of Larner's stories are hobbit-centric, she has several about Aragorn, including a WIP about his early days among the Dunedain.


squire
Half-elven


Nov 29 2014, 3:06am

Post #12 of 19 (2625 views)
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Is 'fanon' the same as 'canon'? Is either really relevant to how JRRT wrote his stories? [In reply to] Can't Post

Obviously much depends on how the original question is phrased. If one wishes to know what Tolkien himself wrote about Aragorn's early life, and his training that led him to be "the greatest traveller and huntsman of this age of the world", one would be disappointed. Tolkien gives us no information on Aragorn's education. We are left to extrapolate, frankly, whatever the heck we want from his having his upbringing in Rivendell in the House of Elrond.

My reaction to the idea of the Rangers is that they were conditioned to be loners, as anyone would expect of men whose job is to work for months, if not years, without supervision. But such men would make damned poor kings; kingship is the ultimate social job, for which training in acting without regard for others is no training at all.

So it is not surprising to see that Aragorn (or Elrond) recognized this, and arranged for the young prince to serve as a soldier and captain in the armies of Rohan and Gondor, where the ideas of subservience and the common good would be second nature to the aristocracies of the two kingdoms.

The more one reflects on Aragorn's heritage and ambition, the more one realizes that his identity as a Ranger is far less important than his identity as Thorongil, captain of Gondor. His training as a Ranger by Elrond was far less important than his training in group combat and leadership by the noble drillmasters of Rohan and Gondor.



squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Footeramas: The 3rd & 4th TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion and NOW the 1st BotR Discussion too! and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
squiretalk introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary


= Forum has no new posts. Forum needs no new posts.


Bracegirdle
Valinor


Nov 29 2014, 3:10am

Post #13 of 19 (2619 views)
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Aah, yes, thank you squire [In reply to] Can't Post

Those are some of the points I was trying to make. You did it much better.


Quote
Arwen in particular follows the hallowed medieval trope of the fair damsel for whose favor the brave knight goes a-questing. Brave knight = Aragorn, obviously. After reading 'The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen' I should think anyone would find the idea of Arwen getting 'Ranger training' inconceivable in the world that Tolkien invented.


“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
But, sneaking off in daylight takes much more cunning.



dreamflower
Lorien

Nov 29 2014, 3:24pm

Post #14 of 19 (2600 views)
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No, fanon is not the same as canon... [In reply to] Can't Post

Because only JRRT could write canon, and unless Christopher is still sitting on some documents we don't know about but will someday release, you are quite right--we will never know.

There is some fanon that is sheer silliness, or just ideas a fan author has come up with that tickles the fancy of other writers. But a good deal of fanon is plain old common sense, extrapolated from what we do know of canon. The best of fanon is like that, and does not contradict canon.

I certainly agree with you about what he needed to learn to be a King, and that much of that came from his years as Thorongil. But the question was about his training as a Ranger, so I mostly dealt with that. I do think that when he was still "Estel" he would have been educated well in the history of Numenor and of the Kingdoms of both the North and the South, so that he'd later have context in which to put the information about his true identity.

My own fanon about rangers is that they often went out alone or in pairs, but were also frequently part of larger patrols. (After all it was in such a patrol in which Aragorn's father, Arathorn, lost his life.) It would always depend on the situation being dealt with. I also agree that the Rangers would be much less formal in their command structure than in Rohan and Gondor. My own notion is that (prior to his being sent off to find Gollum, but after he vanished from Gondor as Thorongil) that Aragorn spent much of his time guarding the borders of the Shire sometimes alone and sometimes with Halbarad as his partner.

While I'm sure that 90% of what fanfic authors come up with would likely make the poor old Professor spin in his grave (some fanfic breaks my brain), I like to think that he might find some of it acceptable or even interesting (I wouldn't go so far as to think he would actually like it, though I think that there are a few fan authors that he might...maybe). After all, he was after creating a mythology that "other hands and minds" could play with, and I would say that he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
(OT question: Why do my line breaks disappear when I post? I have to edit to put them back in.)


(This post was edited by dreamflower on Nov 29 2014, 3:27pm)


ElendilTheShort
Gondor


Nov 29 2014, 6:34pm

Post #15 of 19 (2580 views)
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just a general comment [In reply to] Can't Post

as Thorongil he was already a man who appeared as a leader to others (the whole you got it or you don't scenario) so I do not think he did much basic learning in that time, he had already gained a great deal of leadership ability (understanding the hearts of men, being mankind in general not just "men") in his travels by other means, in other lands as noted in the Tale of Aragorn & Arwen. Thorongil didn't show up in either Gondor or Rohan as a wet behind the ears pup, he already appeared great to others, although he was unknown to them.

Dreamflower, the Dunedain of the north would still have fully recognised their lords and leaders and that structure would have been in place in what was left of them, look at the Grey Company that joined Aragorn, their reverence of him and even the fact they had a banner bearer. I do not so much think that their command and structure would have been any less formal in some respects but it would have been adapted to the nature of their environment and situation. In the end I think we are meaning similar things, except I would put it that their structure would appear to an outsider to be more flexible and fluid than a rigid purely militaristic setup.


dreamflower
Lorien

Nov 29 2014, 11:09pm

Post #16 of 19 (2604 views)
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indeed [In reply to] Can't Post

It seems clear that his qualities showed even when he was young. If he was educated as I suspect he was under Elrond's supervision and perhaps also his personal tutelage, in addition to his bloodline and the characteristics of the line of Elendil (for in M-e, one inherits more than just physical attributes), his nobility would have shown forth even at a fairly young age.
But at twenty, he'd have needed some schooling in being among Men rather than among Elves, and he'd need to be taught their ways. Clearly he was an exceptional person with a good deal of personal charisma when he showed up in Rohan as Thorongil. But there would still be a lot more to learn about the world and societies outside the Elven enclaves or among the Northern Dunedain.
As for the social structure among the Northern Dunedain, I don't doubt they highly respected their Chieftain once they learned who he was, but they were a small and scattered people. In the various small settlements hidden from the Enemy I can imagine that things were somewhat less formal merely by dint of the fact that everyone would know everyone else. I don't believe familiarity breeds contempt, but I do believe it breeds an attitude of careless friendliness.
Among the Rangers themselves it would be different. While they are not soldiers in the Gondorian sense of the word, they are warriors, and I agree that they revered their Chieftain greatly--look at how quickly they responded to his need! They might have affection and friendship for him, but that would not affect the respect they had for him.
There are many speculations about what life among the displaced people of the old kingdoms of Arnor might have been like. Some are quite fascinating and detailed.


Laineth
Lorien

Dec 10 2014, 10:55pm

Post #17 of 19 (2519 views)
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Arwen [In reply to] Can't Post

I have to respectfully disagree. Arwen is my favorite character, the Tale my favorite part, and I thought the film was fine.

Arwen has the brightest and most powerful Elves in Middle-earth as her family. She would have had an education beyond that of any other living being. The Silm and Laws and Customs tell us elves are naturally peaceful, only going to war 'at need' (or Morgoth induced corruption); and that there is very little, if any, difference in physical strength between males and females. After what happened to her mother, she surely would've been taught physical defense, if she hadn't already - Arwen continued to spend many years going between Rivendell and Lothlorien.

With as little page time as Arwen has, she has quite an active role and an enormous effect on the plot. From the time of their betrothal and to the end of the war, Arwen's hope and strength never wavers. Her steadfast nature is what keeps Aragorn going. At their betrothal, Aragorn says, "Alas! I cannot foresee it, and how it may come to pass is hidden from me. Yet with your hope I will hope."

Arwen gave and trained Aragorn's horse, Roheryn. She knows that having your own horse that you have a connection with is essential, both on the battlefield and off. On the battlefield you have to be able to read each other and move as one. Off the battlefield, we are told in the text that the horses only went through the Door of the Dead because of their masters.

Arwen left the Elessar with Galadriel, so Aragorn would get it when he passed through, as "a token of hope." Two times we are told that there is a prophecy stating that when Aragorn becomes king, he will bear the name Elessar, meaning Elfstone. Arwen knows that the Quest is when Aragorn will claim his heritage, when he will finally stand forth as the rightful heir to the throne.

She also must know the lore that says, 'The hands of the king are the hands of a healer.' So her gift of the Elessar fulfills many purposes – it increases Aragorn's healing ability, therefore fulfilling the lore that the true king is a great healer; which in turn causes his people to not only recognize him as the king for certain, but to ask for his help in healing their loved ones; which by healing their loved ones causes Aragorn to become beloved by his people; and that prompts them give Aragorn the name Elessar/Elfstone, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

In short, by giving Aragorn the Elfstone, Arwen insures that not only the prophecy becomes fulfilled, but also that the people are on Aragorn's side. I'm sure we can all imagine what would have happened if Denethor had lived, and Aragorn had had no connection to the people. It would not have been pretty. This way, even if Denethor had lived (and they had no reason to think otherwise), his political power would have been much less – Aragorn already had the favor of the people.

But Arwen wasn't going to take any chances. She knew that the Elfstone wasn't enough to convince everyone who needed to be convinced that Aragorn was the rightful king. So, she made Aragorn's standard.

Arwen sends a message with her standard - a message all about hope. The effect this has on Aragorn is significant. He obviously knows about the standard, and it is her message and the standard that make him think seriously about taking the Paths of the Dead. We also know that Arwen imbued the standard with her power, the enchantment of the elves. An enchantment was at work, that night with the dead.

So. Between the standard and the Elessar, Arwen gives Aragorn the tools he needs to convince men (both dead and alive) that he is the rightful king. That is on top of training his horse, so he has a trusted mount in battle. It is clear – Aragorn could not have become King without Arwen's gifts.

Then, after her wedding, Arwen picks up on the fact Frodo's wounds have not really healed, especially on the Unseen plane. No one else has noticed this, but Arwen has. She arranges a gift for Frodo. He will be able to sail to Valinor, and find healing.

Sail to Valinor. No mortal has ever had permission to come to Valinor. It would not be easy for Arwen to get permission for Frodo, but she could try. She almost certainly went to Gandalf, as he is the only emissary of the Valar that she knows. Arwen tells us that she used her own choice of choosing not to sail as leverage. Both Arwen's and Frodo's choices were entwined. Arwen's choice to become mortal helped restore the Age of Men, and Frodo's choice to go beyond the point where healing would be possible saved the world he loved. Frodo's choice also gave Arwen the chance to make her choice – no end of Sauron, no life with Aragorn.

Knowing all of that, Arwen proposed an exchange, saying that Frodo deserved a chance of healing and peace after everything he had done. We know that Gandalf accepted her plea, and that Frodo got to sail. (That is probably why Bilbo and Sam also got to sail – Bilbo is an old friend of Gandalf's, and the Ring's effect on him clear. Frodo, after learning that he got to go, probably pleaded to Gandalf for Sam to be able to one day follow, as he would never have been able to end it without Sam (who also bore the Ring for a few days)).

It wasn't enough for Arwen that Frodo would eventually find peace and healing in Valinor. He would still have to suffer in the present. To aid Frodo now, Arwen imbues a gem with healing power. It's not a permanent fix, only a temporary relief. It is enough for now, for she has already arranged for him to take the permanent fix, if he wishes it.

I am continually amazed by Arwen, both as a character and a person. She is certainly not the passive, empty headed trophy bride a lot of people think she is. So, riding out to find Aragorn and standing strong against the Black Riders - yes, I can see that. She's protecting Frodo, not fighting in a battle.

Elrond, of course, is a whole other matter. But he's not happy in either book or film, so, *shrug*


Felagund
Rohan


Dec 13 2014, 5:27pm

Post #18 of 19 (2467 views)
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Aredhel, Celebrían [In reply to] Can't Post

Evening squire. I'd add Aredhel to the list of adventuresses. She certainly told her brother, Turgon where to go when he tried to keep her at home.

It's already been picked up elsewhere in the thread that Arwen spent time 'in the Wild' via her trips between Imladris and Lorien. The violence experienced by her mother, Celebrían whilst on a similar trip proves that the Misty Mountains (even an 'official' route like the Redhorn Pass) could be a nasty journey, even for the Eldar. I wonder if Celebrían's fate made it less likely that Elrond was going to allow his daughter to roam around, acquiring 'ranger skills'.

Welcome to the Mordorfone network, where we put the 'hai' back into Uruk


Felagund
Rohan


Dec 13 2014, 6:52pm

Post #19 of 19 (2532 views)
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Aragorn's training (rangering and the rest): a special case? [In reply to] Can't Post

Because we know so little about the 'training' received by the other Chieftains of the Dúnedain, it's difficult to establish whether Aragorn was in any way unique. I'll have a speculative wander...

I see the 'ranger training' aspect as part of the 'standard package' that comes with being a Dúnadan in Eriador. From Aranarth onwards, the remnant Dúnedain of the North appear to be on a mission to keep evil in check. As there's no longer a Realm of Angmar to organise evil-doers, just as there's no Arnor or Arthedain (etc), it seems to boil down to a hidden conflict between dispersed combatants. To me that isn't about producing generations of Dúnedain loners but simply responding to circumstances - multi-generational guerrilla warfare, which presumably relied on small but well-coordinated, mobile bands of fighters. I don't see Elrond, or Elladan and Elrohir for that matter, as being instrumental in this. I see it as a Dúnedain phenomenon, aided and abetted by Imladris. It's even possible that Elladan and Elrohir picked up their skills from hanging out with the Dúnedain, rather than vice versa. More generally, it's lucky Aragorn was a well-trained Ranger, because it helped four hobbits survive for as long as they did during their journey to Imladris, and it enabled Aragorn to track down and capture Gollum - providing Gandalf with vital information about the fate of the One Ring.

I'd argue that while 'rangering' in Eriador would have been a tough tour of duty that might turn some into grim loners, it may have also instilled compassion for ordinary people. Afterall, unseen (and unthanked) as they were, the Rangers appear to have cared deeply about the everyday folk of Eriador. They went to extraordinary lengths to protect the people of The Shire and Bree-land from wolves, orcs, trolls and Nazgûl. That sounds like a good quality in a future ruler to me, and thus essential to Aragorn's development!

As picked up elsewhere in the thread, where it gets more specific is the relationship between the Chieftains and Elrond. The Chieftains had to be more than just eternally vigilant Rangers of the North. Squire mentioned earlier that being a ruler required more skills than good bushcraft. We do know that most, if not all, Chieftains were fostered in Imladris. Presumably there, they received training in non-Ranger skills - history, art, social graces, Quenya (good for chatting up perelda girls - although Elrond soon regretted that, I bet!) etc that would be useful to a future Dúnadan ruler - should there ever be an opportunity to reclaim a realm.

What we know from Aragorn's pre-War of the Ring career has been covered elsewhere: becoming a leading military figure in Rohan and Gondor, journeying to Harad and Rhûn etc. All good experience, in the event that the 16th Chieftain of the Dúnedain ever got to run an actual army instead of just Ranger units, and for understanding what made the various Men of Darkness tick. What we don't know is if any of his ancestors did the same or similar. Did Elrond give Aragorn a special push out the door ("go East, young man. And South. And also to Rohan and Gondor... in disguise, of course") because foresight told him that the 16th Chieftain was something special. Aragorn's maternal grandmother, Ivorwen seems to have thought so, predicting that a child born of Gilraen and Arathorn II was going to be unique. Aragorn's childhood name, Estel suggests that Elrond thought the same, as does the fact that he took the (as far as we know) unprecedented step of keeping Aragorn's identity under wraps. Where we have any information about the movements of previous Chieftains, it's all confined to Eriador (eg. the Coldfells, where Arador met his end). In theory, the Watchful Peace (III.2063-2460) may have provided an opening for 'errantry' outside of Eriador, but we have no source material to go on. There's speculation online that Arahad I (7th Chieftain) was a member of the White Council, which, if it had a source, would imply that the Dúnedain of the North were looking outside ancient Arnor.

Anyway, I reckon I'm leaning towards Aragorn being something of a special case - subject to me doing a better sweep of the sources.

One last thing: we do have another example of a revered aristocratic Ranger - Faramir. Unlike his warlord (and even more revered) brother, Faramir played a similar role to Aragorn, in that he led a guerilla-like operation in a depopulated and dangerous region, leading men who were descendants of those who had effectively lost their official homeland (the province of Ithilien) - again, not a million miles from the concept of the Dúnedain of the North. One big difference though was that the Rangers of Ithilien had the backing of a functioning state (Gondor), and therefore a fall-back position if things got really rough. Indeed, they were an official fighting force, established by the Stewards of Gondor. The Rangers of the North had, at best, their secret settlements in The Angle, or Imladris. Did Faramir get special training too, I wonder? He certainly seems to know what he was doing. Perhaps the second sons of Stewards regularly took on lower-profile military roles like this?

Welcome to the Mordorfone network, where we put the 'hai' back into Uruk

 
 

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