Perhaps one of the most laudable and noticeable characteristics of Aragorn is his patience. He is long-suffering. He believes in a promise that seems unlikely to come true:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king.
Aragorn’s belief in the promise steadies him. It keeps him from acting rashly. It prevents him from acting lordly and from usurping other people’s reigns or stewardships. He is to be king. He knows this, and he therefore doesn’t have to struggle to claim the right.
That isn’t to say he is without struggles. He does have to wage war against Sauron. He does have to restore a kingdom that is in tatters. It’s simply that he doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone. Boromir’s challenges glance off Aragorn. The doubts Aragorn encounters – and they are many – do not disrupt his plans. Aragorn knows who he is. He knows what he must do. He is a king. He is to be king. He rests in that knowledge, and he acts in accordance with and upon it.
Photo: Andy Zeigert (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
I bet you can’t wait for The Hobbit movie. I sure can’t!
barrettrossie I have mixed feelings. I want to see it, but I’m afraid I’ll want to add editorial comments throughout the viewing. I unfortunately studied The Hobbit when I was in grad school. 🙂