Rivendell as a place to restore Hope, or How did Aragorn come to be the man we encounter in The Lord of the Ring
- Thread starter TThurston
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As I've mused more on this since I wrote the original post, which was not a question, a number of questions do occur to me...
Do we know anything about Aragorn's childhood and youth other than that he was sent to Rivendell, and eventually left? What was it like for him there? Did his days pass as they did for Frodo and Bilbo when they were in Rivendell? How was he taught? Did he have a Mentor, like Telemachus, as a king in training? What language did he speak while he was there? Did he learn to read and write, and if so, which languages and scripts. Did he have any companions as a child or youth who were anywhere near his own age? How did he learn about his heritage and culture, his responsibilities to his kindred? How did he learn his woodcraft, from Elrond's sons, or was it something he learned after he left Rivendell and went out into the world or back to his people. Why did he spend so much time in Gondor, was it a quest he set himself, or perhaps an assignment from someone else, like Elrond or Gandalf. We do know that he spent a long time searching for Gollum and the request of Gandalf. We learn from The Hobbit that sometimes one goes out on a long quest (or adventure) and comes back a different, changed person, having learned and grown from the experience.
How might Aragorn's childhood and training been the same or different had his father not been killed and he gone to Rivendell? I could go on and on with questions. I guess the larger question is this - the text seems mostly to deal with adults, the situations in which they find themselves, and their choices and actions. But what does the text tell us at all about how they came to be the adults that we see?
I can think of a few hints. We read that the Gaffer had tended the garden at Bag End for forty years, had helped Holman before that, and was replaced in that job by his son, Sam. This suggests a sort of apprentice relationship, but from father to son. We also read that rope-making was a family skill for Sam and his family. Again, this suggests a family trade-skill passed from generation to generation. We read that Sam learned his letters from Frodo. We don't know how Frodo or Bilbo learned their letters, but we know that they learned from their experiences and their relationships with outlandish folk, like Dwarves and Elves, and Gandalf.
Do we know anything about Aragorn's childhood and youth other than that he was sent to Rivendell, and eventually left? What was it like for him there? Did his days pass as they did for Frodo and Bilbo when they were in Rivendell? How was he taught? Did he have a Mentor, like Telemachus, as a king in training? What language did he speak while he was there? Did he learn to read and write, and if so, which languages and scripts. Did he have any companions as a child or youth who were anywhere near his own age? How did he learn about his heritage and culture, his responsibilities to his kindred? How did he learn his woodcraft, from Elrond's sons, or was it something he learned after he left Rivendell and went out into the world or back to his people. Why did he spend so much time in Gondor, was it a quest he set himself, or perhaps an assignment from someone else, like Elrond or Gandalf. We do know that he spent a long time searching for Gollum and the request of Gandalf. We learn from The Hobbit that sometimes one goes out on a long quest (or adventure) and comes back a different, changed person, having learned and grown from the experience.
How might Aragorn's childhood and training been the same or different had his father not been killed and he gone to Rivendell? I could go on and on with questions. I guess the larger question is this - the text seems mostly to deal with adults, the situations in which they find themselves, and their choices and actions. But what does the text tell us at all about how they came to be the adults that we see?
I can think of a few hints. We read that the Gaffer had tended the garden at Bag End for forty years, had helped Holman before that, and was replaced in that job by his son, Sam. This suggests a sort of apprentice relationship, but from father to son. We also read that rope-making was a family skill for Sam and his family. Again, this suggests a family trade-skill passed from generation to generation. We read that Sam learned his letters from Frodo. We don't know how Frodo or Bilbo learned their letters, but we know that they learned from their experiences and their relationships with outlandish folk, like Dwarves and Elves, and Gandalf.
Anthony Lawther
Well-Known Member
You’ve asked many questions some have no answers that I know of.
Firstly, he was brought (not sent) to Rivendell by his mother Gilraen shortly after the time of his father’s death. He was given the name Estel to hide his lineage as the last living descendant of both Isildur and Anárion.
His mentor was likely Elrond, although I expect he would have had many tutors. With his mother living in Rivendell I would suggest Westron as his cradle tongue, but Sindarin as the language spoken most with other residents of Rivendell.
I expect he learned Sindarin and Westron, and probably both Tengwar and Cirth scripts. Other children of similar age would be unexpected.
His lineage and responsibilities were not revealed to him until he was 20, and when they were it would most likely have been Elrond [an Elf-lord, his nearest living relative (other than his mother), and a lore master] who taught him.
I would expect that he learnt his woodcraft from many Elves of Rivendell, and refined it further when he returned to his people.
His time as Thorongil was to intimately learn of the south kingdom and address issues that he saw that couldn’t wait. The description of this time of his life suggests to me that it was self-assigned, but I’ve not found anything definitive.
We know that the Shire is a somewhat literate culture, especially amongst the Tooks and relations. This literacy would be in Westron and dialectal additions and seems to have been taught within the home.
Sam learnt more from Bilbo than Frodo. Frodo would have learnt Elvish from Bilbo, who would have learnt it from various Elves, including Elrond.
Firstly, he was brought (not sent) to Rivendell by his mother Gilraen shortly after the time of his father’s death. He was given the name Estel to hide his lineage as the last living descendant of both Isildur and Anárion.
His mentor was likely Elrond, although I expect he would have had many tutors. With his mother living in Rivendell I would suggest Westron as his cradle tongue, but Sindarin as the language spoken most with other residents of Rivendell.
I expect he learned Sindarin and Westron, and probably both Tengwar and Cirth scripts. Other children of similar age would be unexpected.
His lineage and responsibilities were not revealed to him until he was 20, and when they were it would most likely have been Elrond [an Elf-lord, his nearest living relative (other than his mother), and a lore master] who taught him.
I would expect that he learnt his woodcraft from many Elves of Rivendell, and refined it further when he returned to his people.
His time as Thorongil was to intimately learn of the south kingdom and address issues that he saw that couldn’t wait. The description of this time of his life suggests to me that it was self-assigned, but I’ve not found anything definitive.
We know that the Shire is a somewhat literate culture, especially amongst the Tooks and relations. This literacy would be in Westron and dialectal additions and seems to have been taught within the home.
Sam learnt more from Bilbo than Frodo. Frodo would have learnt Elvish from Bilbo, who would have learnt it from various Elves, including Elrond.
Odola
Well-Known Member
Does he not say the coronation verse in Quenya "Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien sinomë maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta."? As it is the language of the faithfull in Numenor he surely must know it too, as also ancient Andunaic, even if he does not speak it, he at least must understand it. But given his yourneys to the South and fights with Umbar I would assume his ability to also speak (modern-) Andunaic when needed.
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Rachel Port
Well-Known Member
Thank you Anthony for saying what I was going to say (especially the "brought not sent" bit). I would add one thing - he was also taught to use sword and bow while he was growing up - perhaps by Elrond's sons, with whom he later seems to have fought together. And can't you imagine Glorfindel teaching him the basics of military strategy?
EverBeyondReach (Jordan)
New Member
And now I'm imagining Aragorn suddenly remembering his old lessons of Glorfindel teaching him how to kill Balrogs, as Gandalf plummets off the bridge of Khazad-dum: "Remember young Estel, should you ever find yourself facing a Balrog, lead it to a high cliff and them topple it into the abyss below, that's the only way you might survive a facing one."
"But sir, you didn't survive killing your Balrog, did you?"
JJ48
Well-Known Member
From the Appendices, he's been fighting with Elrond's sons for some time.
‘But when Estel was only twenty years of age, it chanced that he returned to Rivendell after great deeds in the company of the sons of Elrond; and Elrond looked at him and was pleased, for he saw that he was fair and noble and was early come to manhood, though he would yet become greater in body and in mind. That day therefore Elrond called him by his true name, and told him who he was and whose son; and he delivered to him the heirlooms of his house.'