Re-reading the Lord of the Rings, Chapter 58
There are a two points beside the main one, the contrast between Faramir's and Aragorn's love story, that should be noted.
First the instinct of the people of Minas Tirith, who feel the change of their fate, and second Aragorn's insistance on being crowned by Gandalf.
The latter is of course a statement about the relation between King and Church, that it doesn't befit a king to be king by his own grace, but that he has to be the champion of those, who are the shepherds of their flock - or their stewards, as Gandalf put it.
Aragorn has thus shrunk a little and isn't any longer the one, who's been anointed by the plight of the people, but one of his servants further down the line, if it can be said like this, since Tolkien's theology is strictly conservative and knows neither authority nor need to begin anything new, but I'd consider it a mistake to see more than a style-choice in Olórin's angelic nature, for Tolkien certainly knew that our world requires something else in order to honour the teachings of the prophets over the course of the centuries, and that what it requires requires itself a new beginning once upon a time. (If this was different, there would not have been any new beginning in the last 60 000 years. Of course, one might say that the truth hasn't changed in all that time, but the relevance of its different parts has and every age has to pursue its own science, the science of our time being the search for equilibria achieved by manipulation, a science by now old and overly powerful, which is of course why we have the Ring problem today.)
The mentioned instinct, on the other hand, is a testament to freedom, for the slave has all the direction that he needs from his master. One might even say that freedom is nothing more than to have the chance to act upon the callings of one's heart and that it's thus necessarily opaque and at the same time mysteriously knowing.
And that is a good point to depart from towards the main point, for Faramir's love story speaks of stations and needs, whereas Aragorn's love story speaks of conditions and vows.
Not much sympathy deserved the latter, if haggling for individual freedom was at the heart of it, as it may of course appear, since both sides look upon the issue as a contract to be entered, if certain conditions are being met, like with the Ents and the Ent-wives.
If it was so, Faramir and Éowyn appeared more virtuous, for egoistic as their motives may be, at least they dare to seek their luck together.
That Aragorn and Arwen do not, but neither are they like Ents. There's something else there and it's not the shame not to be good enough for each other, something else...
Arwen must come to Aragorn in the way that she does, because they couldn't live any other way. Life has closed itself to them, they have hearts not meant for the present state of affairs and Aragorn must renew the time*, before their love can blossom.
In the end there are only scoundrels outside the gates of the New Jerusalem.
Here Aragorn grows again and becomes Christ.
*As opposed to the film Groundhog Day, where it's not the time's fault, but Bill Murray's.
First the instinct of the people of Minas Tirith, who feel the change of their fate, and second Aragorn's insistance on being crowned by Gandalf.
The latter is of course a statement about the relation between King and Church, that it doesn't befit a king to be king by his own grace, but that he has to be the champion of those, who are the shepherds of their flock - or their stewards, as Gandalf put it.
Aragorn has thus shrunk a little and isn't any longer the one, who's been anointed by the plight of the people, but one of his servants further down the line, if it can be said like this, since Tolkien's theology is strictly conservative and knows neither authority nor need to begin anything new, but I'd consider it a mistake to see more than a style-choice in Olórin's angelic nature, for Tolkien certainly knew that our world requires something else in order to honour the teachings of the prophets over the course of the centuries, and that what it requires requires itself a new beginning once upon a time. (If this was different, there would not have been any new beginning in the last 60 000 years. Of course, one might say that the truth hasn't changed in all that time, but the relevance of its different parts has and every age has to pursue its own science, the science of our time being the search for equilibria achieved by manipulation, a science by now old and overly powerful, which is of course why we have the Ring problem today.)
The mentioned instinct, on the other hand, is a testament to freedom, for the slave has all the direction that he needs from his master. One might even say that freedom is nothing more than to have the chance to act upon the callings of one's heart and that it's thus necessarily opaque and at the same time mysteriously knowing.
And that is a good point to depart from towards the main point, for Faramir's love story speaks of stations and needs, whereas Aragorn's love story speaks of conditions and vows.
Not much sympathy deserved the latter, if haggling for individual freedom was at the heart of it, as it may of course appear, since both sides look upon the issue as a contract to be entered, if certain conditions are being met, like with the Ents and the Ent-wives.
If it was so, Faramir and Éowyn appeared more virtuous, for egoistic as their motives may be, at least they dare to seek their luck together.
That Aragorn and Arwen do not, but neither are they like Ents. There's something else there and it's not the shame not to be good enough for each other, something else...
Arwen must come to Aragorn in the way that she does, because they couldn't live any other way. Life has closed itself to them, they have hearts not meant for the present state of affairs and Aragorn must renew the time*, before their love can blossom.
In the end there are only scoundrels outside the gates of the New Jerusalem.
Here Aragorn grows again and becomes Christ.
*As opposed to the film Groundhog Day, where it's not the time's fault, but Bill Murray's.
Eingetragen Am/um
11:06
