Champion of the Force
Nov 25th, 2001, 12:43:43 AM
Found this via TheOneRing.Net:
A Hero by Any Name
By David Learn
Ask someone who has read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings to list some of its heroes, and you're probably not going to hear the name Boromir.
That's odd, because Boromir is every inch the hero: He overcomes his enemies by being stronger than they are, proving his heroism in mighty deeds. He does what he must without second-guessing himself, and when he is attacked unexpectedly, Boromir dies protecting his two weakest companions. This is a man who could be in the room with men like Beowulf, Achilles or Superman and not be outclassed.
So why the obscurity?
Among many other things, The Lord of the Rings is a book about what makes a nobody a hero. The book tells primarily the story of Frodo Baggins, a 50-year-old hobbit who enjoys a sedentary lifestyle—but who has also inherited the Ring of the book's title, a powerful weapon on which the Dark Lord Sauron has based his plans for conquest. It becomes Frodo's task to take the Ring deep into Sauron's domain and destroy it.
In the hands of many writers, the story would unfold around Frodo's efforts to master the Ring and to turn its power against Sauron. There would be a tremendous battle, Sauron would be defeated, and Frodo would become the wise, just and undisputed ruler of Middle-earth.
That's the allure of the Ring, even to good people. Because Boromir is unable to see the danger in his pride and his need for victory through the only means he understands—raw power—he tries to take the Ring from Frodo by force and disqualifies himself from hero status.
This odd definition of heroism marks Tolkien's work, and he in turn drew it from the Bible. Jesus models a different sort of heroism from the kind we see in popular movies like Gladiator or even in legends like Robin Hood and King Arthur. Just as Jesus made an unlikely messiah by being a low-born carpenter and bypassing chances to gain political power, Tolkien's heroes break with the convention Boromir follows. It is just this quiet, humble heroism that Tolkien upholds in The Lord of the Rings.
Vagrant on the Docks
One such hero is Aragorn. Also called Strider because of his endless wandering, Aragorn is lean and unkempt. When he first appears, his clothes are caked with mud, worn and stained. While everyone else in the room socializes around a warm fire, Aragorn keeps to himself. If Boromir looks like the company president, Aragorn looks like the vagrant who helps unload the delivery truck for drinking money.
Images are deceptive, though, and as Tolkien writes, "All that is gold does not glitter." There is far more to Aragorn than meets the eye.
Despite his humble appearance, Aragorn is the rightful heir to a throne that has sat empty for more than 3,000 years—one Boromir's ancestors have kept waiting for him the entire time. He has known about his heritage his entire life, but instead of seeking that throne, he has spent his life protecting people who view him with distrust because of what he appears to be. The vagrant on the docks, in other words, owns the company—but is content to unload delivery trucks until the time comes for him to be declared chief executive.
Yet—and here is one of the great ironies of The Lord of the Rings—for all that he is and does, Aragorn could not become king if not for Frodo. The people cheer when Aragorn is crowned king, but everything Aragorn has done throughout the entire book has merely been to help Frodo in his mission.
During the course of the book, Aragorn is a prominent figure in three major battles: at Helm's Deep; at Gondor; and at the Black Gate to Mordor, Sauron's domain. These battles are thrilling to read, yet they are nothing but distractions intended to keep Sauron looking everywhere but at Frodo.
Frodo's mission is seemingly ignoble: He fights no battles, rescues no besieged cities and on the rare occasions that he does fight, he loses. Compared to what everyone else is doing, his task seems positively inglorious and burdensome—which is precisely why it is so important.
The Depths of Mordor
In Mordor, death can come from many directions. The water is too foul to drink safely, and the food Frodo and his friend, Sam, have is so limited that even with careful rationing, they do not have enough to survive a return trip.
Worse still, Mordor is Sauron's stronghold. The two hobbits must be on their guard constantly for Sauron's troops. If they are caught with the Ring, they will be fortunate if death is all that comes to them.
And even victory does not mean their survival. To destroy the Ring, Frodo first must throw it into Mount Doom, the volcano where it was forged, an action that will cause the volcano to erupt. Everything about his mission makes it seem hopeless.
Yet Frodo continues. The Ring wears at him constantly, like a weight around his neck. By the time he reaches his goal, he is exhausted and numbed by the deprivation he has had to endure. Still, he makes it, the deed is done, and Frodo and Sam are showered with honor.
Ultimately, the true measure of greatness is not in strength of arms, in cleverness or in power. As Paul writes, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27). As Tolkien illustrates, this is the way of the Cross: becoming so dead to ourselves that all that's left for us to do is to serve others.
Not a bad lesson. It's one I'm sure even men of steel could learn from.
It's issues like this that have me soooooooooooooo looking forward to the movies. :)
A Hero by Any Name
By David Learn
Ask someone who has read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings to list some of its heroes, and you're probably not going to hear the name Boromir.
That's odd, because Boromir is every inch the hero: He overcomes his enemies by being stronger than they are, proving his heroism in mighty deeds. He does what he must without second-guessing himself, and when he is attacked unexpectedly, Boromir dies protecting his two weakest companions. This is a man who could be in the room with men like Beowulf, Achilles or Superman and not be outclassed.
So why the obscurity?
Among many other things, The Lord of the Rings is a book about what makes a nobody a hero. The book tells primarily the story of Frodo Baggins, a 50-year-old hobbit who enjoys a sedentary lifestyle—but who has also inherited the Ring of the book's title, a powerful weapon on which the Dark Lord Sauron has based his plans for conquest. It becomes Frodo's task to take the Ring deep into Sauron's domain and destroy it.
In the hands of many writers, the story would unfold around Frodo's efforts to master the Ring and to turn its power against Sauron. There would be a tremendous battle, Sauron would be defeated, and Frodo would become the wise, just and undisputed ruler of Middle-earth.
That's the allure of the Ring, even to good people. Because Boromir is unable to see the danger in his pride and his need for victory through the only means he understands—raw power—he tries to take the Ring from Frodo by force and disqualifies himself from hero status.
This odd definition of heroism marks Tolkien's work, and he in turn drew it from the Bible. Jesus models a different sort of heroism from the kind we see in popular movies like Gladiator or even in legends like Robin Hood and King Arthur. Just as Jesus made an unlikely messiah by being a low-born carpenter and bypassing chances to gain political power, Tolkien's heroes break with the convention Boromir follows. It is just this quiet, humble heroism that Tolkien upholds in The Lord of the Rings.
Vagrant on the Docks
One such hero is Aragorn. Also called Strider because of his endless wandering, Aragorn is lean and unkempt. When he first appears, his clothes are caked with mud, worn and stained. While everyone else in the room socializes around a warm fire, Aragorn keeps to himself. If Boromir looks like the company president, Aragorn looks like the vagrant who helps unload the delivery truck for drinking money.
Images are deceptive, though, and as Tolkien writes, "All that is gold does not glitter." There is far more to Aragorn than meets the eye.
Despite his humble appearance, Aragorn is the rightful heir to a throne that has sat empty for more than 3,000 years—one Boromir's ancestors have kept waiting for him the entire time. He has known about his heritage his entire life, but instead of seeking that throne, he has spent his life protecting people who view him with distrust because of what he appears to be. The vagrant on the docks, in other words, owns the company—but is content to unload delivery trucks until the time comes for him to be declared chief executive.
Yet—and here is one of the great ironies of The Lord of the Rings—for all that he is and does, Aragorn could not become king if not for Frodo. The people cheer when Aragorn is crowned king, but everything Aragorn has done throughout the entire book has merely been to help Frodo in his mission.
During the course of the book, Aragorn is a prominent figure in three major battles: at Helm's Deep; at Gondor; and at the Black Gate to Mordor, Sauron's domain. These battles are thrilling to read, yet they are nothing but distractions intended to keep Sauron looking everywhere but at Frodo.
Frodo's mission is seemingly ignoble: He fights no battles, rescues no besieged cities and on the rare occasions that he does fight, he loses. Compared to what everyone else is doing, his task seems positively inglorious and burdensome—which is precisely why it is so important.
The Depths of Mordor
In Mordor, death can come from many directions. The water is too foul to drink safely, and the food Frodo and his friend, Sam, have is so limited that even with careful rationing, they do not have enough to survive a return trip.
Worse still, Mordor is Sauron's stronghold. The two hobbits must be on their guard constantly for Sauron's troops. If they are caught with the Ring, they will be fortunate if death is all that comes to them.
And even victory does not mean their survival. To destroy the Ring, Frodo first must throw it into Mount Doom, the volcano where it was forged, an action that will cause the volcano to erupt. Everything about his mission makes it seem hopeless.
Yet Frodo continues. The Ring wears at him constantly, like a weight around his neck. By the time he reaches his goal, he is exhausted and numbed by the deprivation he has had to endure. Still, he makes it, the deed is done, and Frodo and Sam are showered with honor.
Ultimately, the true measure of greatness is not in strength of arms, in cleverness or in power. As Paul writes, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27). As Tolkien illustrates, this is the way of the Cross: becoming so dead to ourselves that all that's left for us to do is to serve others.
Not a bad lesson. It's one I'm sure even men of steel could learn from.
It's issues like this that have me soooooooooooooo looking forward to the movies. :)