Flammifer
Well-Known Member
"I was not sent to beg any boon, but to seek only the meaning of a riddle," says Boromir, in reply to Aragorn's question.
'Sent'?
"I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to give me leave...", is what Boromir said after reciting the Dream poem.
Is Boromir contradicting himself? Was he 'sent', or did he 'take the journey upon himself'? If sent, who sent him?
I think that Boromir was both sent, and took the journey on himself. He is not in contradiction. Boromir was sent by the Sender of the Dream poem, and he took the journey on himself rather than have Faramir go. Boromir is quite correct when he says, "I was not sent to beg any boon, but to seek only the meaning of a riddle". The Sender's only instruction was, "Seek for the Sword that was broken". The Sender was silent about what Boromir should do once he found it.
Boromir has faith in the Dream. He is accurately reporting the extent of his mandate. He must assume that what he should do after finding the Sword that was broken should depend on the 'counsels taken, stronger than Morgul-spells'. However, he has not gotten any counsels yet. Just a difficult question from Aragorn, which seems extremely premature.
Boromir is far too astute a diplomat to answer Aragorn's question, either yay or nay. Instead, he deftly tries to steer the meeting back towards a discussion which might lead to 'counsels'. "Yet we are hard pressed, and the sword of Elendil would be a help beyond our hope - if such a thing could indeed return out of the shadows of the past". It would be difficult to imagine a more perfect response than the one Boromir comes up with here, on the spur of the moment. It probably would have directed the Council into a discussion leading to counsels, if Bilbo had not intervened with his poem.
Bilbo's poem gives Boromir a new problem. Is this poem 'counsel'? Is this poem a prophecy, like the Dream poem? Or is this just 'Hobbitry'? (Boromir, of course, does not know Hobbits well enough to recognize 'Hobbitry' as a term. He must however suspect that something like 'Hobbitry' is a possible explanation for Bilbo's poem.)
Boromir does not know. Fortunately, he will have some time to think, while Aragorn recites his c.v.
'Sent'?
"I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to give me leave...", is what Boromir said after reciting the Dream poem.
Is Boromir contradicting himself? Was he 'sent', or did he 'take the journey upon himself'? If sent, who sent him?
I think that Boromir was both sent, and took the journey on himself. He is not in contradiction. Boromir was sent by the Sender of the Dream poem, and he took the journey on himself rather than have Faramir go. Boromir is quite correct when he says, "I was not sent to beg any boon, but to seek only the meaning of a riddle". The Sender's only instruction was, "Seek for the Sword that was broken". The Sender was silent about what Boromir should do once he found it.
Boromir has faith in the Dream. He is accurately reporting the extent of his mandate. He must assume that what he should do after finding the Sword that was broken should depend on the 'counsels taken, stronger than Morgul-spells'. However, he has not gotten any counsels yet. Just a difficult question from Aragorn, which seems extremely premature.
Boromir is far too astute a diplomat to answer Aragorn's question, either yay or nay. Instead, he deftly tries to steer the meeting back towards a discussion which might lead to 'counsels'. "Yet we are hard pressed, and the sword of Elendil would be a help beyond our hope - if such a thing could indeed return out of the shadows of the past". It would be difficult to imagine a more perfect response than the one Boromir comes up with here, on the spur of the moment. It probably would have directed the Council into a discussion leading to counsels, if Bilbo had not intervened with his poem.
Bilbo's poem gives Boromir a new problem. Is this poem 'counsel'? Is this poem a prophecy, like the Dream poem? Or is this just 'Hobbitry'? (Boromir, of course, does not know Hobbits well enough to recognize 'Hobbitry' as a term. He must however suspect that something like 'Hobbitry' is a possible explanation for Bilbo's poem.)
Boromir does not know. Fortunately, he will have some time to think, while Aragorn recites his c.v.
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