By This Sword, I Rule! - Page 5
© Michael Martinez
So Tolkien presents us two faces of barbarism: the pure barbarian, untainted or justified by long privation, and the corrupt barbarian, lost in evil and darkness. It is the pure barbarian who represents the best of the romantic ideas once embodied by civilization. His barbarism is the barbarism of the outsider. He is not a savage or virulent foe come to sack and pillage the cities of the coast. He is a savior come to fulfill the ancient prophecies. His strength is pure and his heart is noble.
Barbarians are sometimes credited with reinvigorating decadent civilizations. And Aragorn is the Renewer. He initiates a period of renewed growth and vigor in Gondorian and Arnorian society. He infuses the Dunedain with new blood, too, by marrying Arwen, the Half-elven princess whose own people have been relegated to the status of barbarians.
Tolkien's barbarians, therefore, serve much the same purpose as Howard's barbarians. And undoubtedly both writers recognized the pitfalls of civilization, and appreciated how barbarism represents more than just a convenient foil for civilization. Barbarism is a constant new source of growth and vitality. As time saps the strength of the Roman legions, barbarians restore their power. And as time wears down Gondor's armies, forcing retreats from Mordor, Enedwaith, and Calenardhon, the Northmen arrive to take up the slack.
As Howard's Conan sought adventure in Aquilonia, Aragorn came from the barbaric north to adventure in the Gondorian south, and years later he claimed the throne of Gondor. Like Howard's Kull, Aragorn came from the sea to claim that throne. And just as Alexander sparked a Greek renaissance, Aragorn revitalized Gondor and carried its culture to foreign lands, including his own. Aragorn was a man of actions as well as words.
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