By This Sword, I Rule! - Page 2
© Michael Martinez
Aragorn's rangers sometimes strike me as a caricature of Robin Hood's merry men, twisted into a serene nobility. There is no Little John in Aragorn's tale of outlawry, but Halbarad might have made an interesting Will Stutley. Legolas could have joined the fun as Will Scarlet, a bit effete but strong and deadly. Gimli would have to serve as Friar Tuck, deadly with a blade, quick to hoist a giblet and top it off with a flagon of wine. In public the Rangers of Eriador seem to have been rather stoic and quiet, but I'm sure they ripped up a tavern or two. The Forsaken Inn may owe its name to Arathorn II's bachelor party, for all we know.
When Robin blows his horn, the merry men come running with weapons ready, and they are a deadly force to be reckoned with when their rage is ignited. So, too, are the Dunedain who ride to Aragorn's aid in answer to his unvoiced need. Kull had his Red Slayers and Conan had his reiver buddies, but Aragorn had 30 Rangers.
One of the most memorable moments for me in a Kull story came in the fragment where Kull leads his bodyguards (400 strong) to the river Styx. There the ancient ferryman warns them that whomever crosses will not return. He tells of a mighty army, thousands strong, which crossed the river. The battle they engaged in with unnamed foes could be heard for miles and lasted for days. And then there was silence. Kull did the honorable thing. He offered to let anyone who was afraid to stay behind, but none of his guards were willing to desert him. He could only praise them by saying, "Ye are men."
Aragorn, in a Kull-like fashion, led his thirty lucky guys through the Paths of the Dead. They, too, refused to abandon their leader. It's just hard to imagine a city guy, even Boromir, commanding that kind of love and respect from his soldiers. And Boromir was no sloucher, either. When he showed up at Rivendell, he had been in the wild for months. He must have looked pretty rough, even if the Elf maidens did give him a quick shave and haircut before the big council. So Boromir at the very least achieved Honorary Barbarian status.
And yet, there is a problem with drawing a barbarian analogy for Tolkien's Dunedain. They may not have lived in cities any longer, but they had not abandoned civilization. Civilization had withered away around them, but they preserved its best qualities. The unsophisticated Rohirrim seemed like rustic boys next to Aragorn's small company of Eriadorian Rangers.
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