U-ethelithon said Stryder

So I wouldn't be a true geek if I was not a fan of The Lord of the Rings series. That being said, I was a devoted fan long before the movies introduced the world to characters that have lived in my mind for years. My love affair with this tale is still strong as I continue my tradition of reading the books every year...reliving the tale each January. The making of these movies did not diminish my love for the characters and their story, rather further instilled my fondness for them and gave me different visions from what had previous been in my mind. Odds are that you already know this. In fact, I think that most of you who read this have been forced to sit through one or all of the movies with me at least once. Nevertheless, a conversation that I had today prompted me to write about my favorite character of the tale...

The mortal man known as Aragorn, son of Arathorn II has long been one of my favorite fictional characters. I liked his strength, his compassion, and his pain. I still cry over his struggles when I read the books, and I really cry when I watch the movies even though I know the ending. I know that the tale is supposed to be about Frodo and The Ring...yet for me it was more about Aragorn and his journey from Strider the Ranger to Aragorn the King. (The old english text spells it Stryder...Wikipedia says that both spells are accectable.)

There are two moments in the journey of Aragorn that touched me...the title and the label. First I think of the moment when Aragorn said "U-ethelithon". He said this to Arwen because he felt selfish for keeping her hanging on when he knew that there was no future. He said this as a way to save her. Being taking away her faith in him, he thought that he was restoring hope for her future.

Though it was said to a different person, I also think of the line "it is but a shadow and a thought"...etc. I can understand how Aragorn thought that...but I don't think that he really knew what he was saying. After all, what man really knows what it is in a woman's heart? He finished that line with the statement "I cannot give you what you seek." Whenever I read or hear that line I respect him for being so honest. That being said I also sympathize with poor Eowyn as I imagine how she felt when she heard those words.

Aragorn was right when he told Eowyn that he could not give her what she seeked...if she was seeking it all. In the land of fairy tales, one can have everything. Yet what Aragorn didn't realize is that someone who was as trapped by her life as Eowyn was might have been willing to accept what little he could give her because that little ray of light was better than the darkness that she endured.

I mention these two points because they are examples of the internal battle that was taking place within Aragorn while he was trying to overcome physical battles. They are a testament to the strength that the Ranger Strider possessed and channelled into Aragorn the King. Aragorn was a strong and wise, incredibly sexy and anything but selfish, in spite of his doubts that he actually was these things. It is no wonder that he captured the heart of more than one woman.

As I searched for pictures for this blog I came across several websites advocating for Stuart Townsend as Aragorn. (Seriously??? Still?????) To those sites I say that Viggo was the perfect actor to play Aragorn in the trilogy. I have no doubt about that even though in my mind Stryder looks much different and much sexier. (No offense Viggo.)

I will now further demonstrate my geekiness and close with these words to Stryder " Ae u-esteliach nad, estelio han, estelio ammen."