Aragorn and the Triangle that Wasn't

[butterfly]

In the extended edition of the Two Towers, Eowyn finds out that Aragorn is eighty-seven years old. Wow. That man is well-perserved. He's like James Marsters.

Now, if I've gleaned correctly from book fans (always a dangerous practice, but I can't bring myself to try reading the books again - if I have got the numbers wrong, I'd love to know so that I can fix them), Aragorn fell in love with Arwen when he was twenty. He's been in love with her for sixty-seven years. He's been engaged to her for the last forty.

That's... a long time. It's pretty safe to say that Aragorn knows Arwen much better than we ever get to, since he's got years and we get minutes (I wonder how long the Arwen footage would be, all cut together... hmm.). Sixty-plus years and he still kisses her like a starving man (end of Return of the King - also, what a kiss. Mmm.). And all that time that he's known her, she's known him. She's loved him for at least forty years (does Tolkien say when she fell for him?) and she knows him well. Aragorn was right - compared to how well Arwen knows him, Eowyn does know but a shadow.

And I saw that in the movie - even without the extended cuts. I think that Aragorn likes Eowyn and wants her to be independent and happy, but would never dream of encouraging her or kissing her. All the tension and all the want is on her side. He loves Arwen - that's been a constant for most of his long life.

She fell for a hero who treated her like a person, instead of 'just' a woman. It's understandable and if Arwen weren't a factor, it might even be a possibility. But Aragorn isn't the straying sort and Arwen is a factor (this is also part of the reason why I can't find Aragorn/Legolas slash believable - established relationships win with me).

In Fellowship, Aragorn convinced me that he loved Arwen and she convinced me that she loved him. And that they had for a very long time.

Now, Eowyn is a whole bundle of greatness, but she was never competition. She was never Arwen's rival, because Arwen had won Aragorn's heart years before Eowyn had even been born. And she's kept it - he never wavers in his love for her.

It's beautiful - a love that's lasted that long and is still so strong, with passion and sweetness and longing.

My LotR 'pairings', now that I've seen RotK?
Still Aragorn/Arwen, Legolas/Gimli, Merry/Pippin, and Frodo/Sam/(Rosie). I'm a traditionalist, which is quite a feat, considering that I got less than half-way through the Two Towers.

Comments

[honorh.livejournal.com]

That was the way I felt, too. If Arwen hadn't been a factor, I think Aragorn might have gone for Eowyn. In fact, good chance he would've. He knows a quality woman when he sees one.

But Arwen was a factor. Even when he thought he might never see her again, he couldn't give his heart to another. Arwen always had it. And that's as it should be.

At least, though, Eowyn found herself a good man who could love her with his whole heart. Faramir is worthy of the Maiden of Rohan, and she is worthy of him. I dearly hope that in the RotK EV, we see them meet. They were my favorite 'ship when I read the book.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I want to see the Faramir/Eowyn thing, too. Because they are both massively cool characters who grow into themselves over the course of the movies (in the book, Faramir is, like, pre-grown, yes? Non-dynamic.).

[oyceter]

Yup. My thoughts exactly, which is why I got really annoyed with a lot of people I heard complaining about Eowyn being teh eval and all and stealing Arwen from Aragorn. *rolls eyes*

I kind of think PJ may have overemphasized the triangle nature when in reality, there was no tension for me... I knew who Aragorn was going to end up with, and even in the movie he never wavers. He always has Eowyn at arms length, polite and caring, but not overly so.

But I did kind of like the bit where you can almost see all her hopes collapse when he convinces her he will never love her in RotK. I think that's when she really decides to die fighting if need be.

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

Eowyn being teh eval and all and stealing Arwen from Aragorn.

Ooooo, femmeslash! :) Now that I would like to see.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Hee! It's a pretty interesting image.

[oyceter]

Hee! Typo I totally didn't notice!

LotR femmeslash must be a pain sometimes, given that there's about, oh, three female characters in the books.

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

He always has Eowyn at arms length, polite and caring, but not overly so.

Random side note: when Eowyn and Faramir announce their engagement, Tolkien has Aragorn address her in the familiar "thee" for the first time. I love that.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Aw. That is cool.

[oyceter]

I never picked up on that when I read it as a kid! I always thought it was just formal language or something, but yeah, it really makes sense now!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

You know people who thought Eowyn was teh eval? I've just mostly run into people who think that Arwen is The Boring and thus want Aragorn to cheat on her.

But yeah, he doesn't waver - even when he thinks that he has no hope of seeing Arwen again, she's still the woman in his heart.

[oyceter]

Yeah.... mostly 18-21 yr. old males who had never read the books and thought Liv Tyler was hot. I rolled my eyes a lot.

[lasultrix.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It's part of Éowyn's tragedy.

(And can I just once more express how deeply upset I am that we didn't get shown the Faramir/Éowyn?)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

That would have been cool - they're both great characters and very pretty people. But damn, the ending was already hella long and I can understand why he'd cut that part, as it wasn't about the main characters.

[morgaine22.livejournal.com]

Aragorn was right - compared to how well Arwen knows him, Eowyn does know but a shadow.

Actually, I took that as more about what she believed she loved. As in, she loved the idea of Aragorn: The savior/leader of her people and Middle Earth. She fell for an image but she didn't know him (how could she in the time/situation they were in?)

But one would note that in the book when the two part it says (without any of that 'shadow' stuff), "Then he kissed her hand, and sprang into the saddle, and rode away, and did not look back; and only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore." So I'm hesitant to accept any theories that dismiss Eowyn; she was Tolkien's first choice for Aragorn in his first drafts. =)

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

"Then he kissed her hand, and sprang into the saddle, and rode away, and did not look back; and only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore."

But it's important to note that this is the sort of thing he's being doing for the past fifty years. Riding into one kingdom or another. Becoming a big dramatic military hero. And the disappearing into the mist when work takes him elsewhere. And leaving a lot of broken hearts in his wake. Doe is mean he actually would love Eowyn, or does it mean he's aware of how she hurts, and sympathetic though hee can't give her what she wants?

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I love that image - Aragorn disappears into the mist, as yet another Not-Arwen stares after him, heartbroken. It just amuses me for reasons that I can't quite articulate.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Thanks then.

There's that and yet another young Denethor glad to see him go.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Was there an Arwen in the first drafts? Because my respect for the man would plummet if he left his steady for the hot young thing.

[morgaine22.livejournal.com]

That's a good question which I honestly can't remember... I'll look around for the article I read. The site it was on has strangely disappeared. =/

[grimorie.livejournal.com]

Arwen *is* a constant in his life, and her faith in him never wavered in both movie and book. And in someways Aragorn does change (methinks he becomes more rigid and stern thought not unkindly) when he takes the crown and renames himself Elessar, though I think the world of Eowyn I think she wouldn't be able to handle Aragorn's change from a humble warrior to a stern king.... erm, I had that better phrased in my mind. *g*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yes, Arwen is the keeper of faith - she doesn't lose hope in Aragorn for a moment. Even when she leaves, it's because both Aragorn and her father tell her to, not because her hope has faded.

Actually, she's one of the most positive characters - "There is still hope." "There is death, but there is also life." - which may be part of the reason that I like her. And she and Aragorn kiss pretty, which is a factor for me, for I am shallow.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Still Aragorn/Arwen, Legolas/Gimli, Merry/Pippin

Merry and Pippin are first cousins. That's just wrong. :-)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I accept my wrongness. I may even revel in it.

hey, first cousins can marry in some states!

[sherrold-ish.livejournal.com]

Okay, sure, not male first cousins, but that's a different issue altogether. ;)

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