Tony Meade
Active Member
SESSION 130
Comment on Boromir’s view of Isildur:
Comment on Boromir’s view of Isildur:
- Since Boromir is the one of the brothers who generally espouses Denethor’s beliefs, it’s possible that he views Isildur with derision after hearing the story from Elrond.
- Isildur is associated with the kings in the North, and Denethor will later look down on Aragorn’s claim. This is similar to the way Arvedui’s claim was also rejected by the Gondorians.
- It’s possible that Isildur’s reputation has waned over the years, and Denethor say that it is perilous to use the Ring, so he may view Isildur taking it as foolish, instead of destroying it.
- Boromir might think that he would have done differently in Isildur’s place, and that he would need to use the Ring now because his situation is more dire.
- Denethor’s derision is probably not for Isildur himself, but for the waning of the northern line. While the line going back to Isildur continues unbroken, Arnor, as a kingdom, no longer exists.
- He also wants to resist Aragorn’s claim for personal reasons, so Isildur’s line is just the excuse.
- Given Denethor’s state of mind when he voices this opinion on Aragorn, it cannot be seen as the general lore in Gondor about the view of Isildur or his descendants.
- Does Denethor know that Aragorn was once Thorongil? Probably, especially if he has since seen Aragorn in the palantir and recognized him from his time in Gondor.
- When Arvedui claimed the throne, Eärnil II had already been offered the throne and acclaimed, though Eärnil was very diplomatic about his rejection of Arvedui’s claim.
- There was an implication from Malbeth the Seer that if Gondor united the thrones under Arvedui, the kingship would’ve survived, though it didn’t look that way at the time.
- Since the Argonath were built long after Isildur’s death, there was obviously still great respect for him on equal terms with Anárion. He is revered as one of the co-founders of the kingdom.
- The White Tree is associated with Isildur going back to Númenor, and it is the symbol of Gondor.
- Though Boromir tends to agree with Denethor’s views, he is not like Denethor in personality. Faramir is more like Denethor in mind and mood and abilities, though he is not the favorite.
- Denethor is wiser than Boromir, so though he says that it would be foolish to use the Ring, Boromir may not have the wisdom to see it the same way.
- Denethor seems to know about the Ring in a general sense, though we don’t know how much.
- Why was Valandil in Rivendell, and not Annúminas? The primary concern was that they had marched out all of the fighting force of Arnor, and if they lost, he would be unprotected.
- Did they call it the Last Alliance at the time? There may have been an understanding that this was the last time the Noldor especially would be able to march to war in this way.
- There have been many more losses to the Dark Lords than victories, so it would seem prudent to take these precautions against their defeat. Rivendell is also on the way from Annúminas.
- Isildur had four sons, three of whom died at the Gladden Fields, with only Valandil surviving.
- How was Rivendell protected at this time without the power of Vilya? Elrond neither owned nor wore the ring, but it was safe due to the presence of other powerful people and its secrecy.
- The decision to leave Valandil behind could have been made before or during the journey, but it is good statecraft to protect the last heir to the throne as a designated survivor.
- Only three people of those who marched with Isildur to the North from Mordor returned. This probably represents great portion of more than one generation of Arnorians lost to the war.
- This begins the decline of Arnor right away, as there are too few survivors to people the lands.
- Note: In Unfinished Tales, we’re told that a portion of the army of Arnor, though small, and it was sent ahead to Arnor in advance of Isildur, who was only traveling with his own retinue. This is part of the revision process after Tolkien finished writing The Lord of the Rings.
- Why does Elrond tell this story of Valandil? It explains, in part, why almost no one in the South knows about this story. The few survivors only went to the North.
- Elrond is establishing the provenance and significance of the sword of Elendil, along with the survival of Isildur’s line of heirs, and therefore setting up Aragorn’s reveal.
- Since it seems that the public revelation of the line of the kings is on the agenda for the Council, Elrond needs to give this otherwise irrelevant information so that the reveal is understood.
- It seems providential that Boromir, as son of the Steward of Gondor, would arrive in time for the Council, but it is also potentially a source of conflict, so Elrond must be careful in his approach.
- Elrond knows that there are a few ways that the Council could go wrong, but Boromir adds to them. None of the other councilors would have resisted Aragorn’s claim, but Boromir might.
- By taking the time to lay the groundwork, any resistance by Boromir will have to contend with the authority and counsel of Elrond himself, who is very much on the side of Aragorn’s claim.
- This is also related to Boromir’s quest, as the poem includes the Sword that was Broken, too. It seems likely that he had shared the poem with Elrond prior to the Council when he arrived.
- What is the light of Narsil? It’s likely that, given other swords in these stories that produce or reflect light in special ways, it would seem to fall in a similar category, though it is Dwarf-made.