The Men Who Would Be Steward - Page 12
© Michael Martinez
By the time Aragorn arrives at Minas Tirith, it seems everyone but Denethor himself is ready and willing to acknowledge Aragorn's claim. Prince Imrahil, whose fief lies beyond the authority of the Stewards, declares for Aragorn openly. And Faramir does so as well. Eomer, King of Rohan, also supports Aragorn's claim, though the Rohirrim have no power or authority to intervene in Gondor's affairs. Their recognition nonetheless swells Aragorn's reputation. But the only clear proof Aragorn provides of who he is can be his sword, which is the sword Elendil had borne and which broke beneath him. All other heirlooms have either been lost, withheld, or given away.
It requires a Steward's recognition for Aragorn to become King of Gondor. A Steward must judge him and proclaim his worthiness to the people of Gondor. That would have been Boromir's task, and Boromir knew Aragorn far better than Faramir. But what would Boromir have done? The question is unanswerable. Boromir was conflicted, and he only found peace through sacrificing his life for others. He was guided by his ambition, and to some extent his forefathers were guided by similar ambitions. When Gandalf asked Denethor how he would order things, if he could have his own way, Denethor replied: "I would have things as they were in all the days of my life, and in the days of my longfathers before me: to be Lord of this City in peace, and to leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard's pupil."
The Stewards did not view themselves as caretakers. They were lords and princes. Even Faramir felt this way, when he met Frodo and Sam in Ithilien. When Frodo said that Aragorn alone would be able to claim Isildur's Bane for himself, if any had the right to do so, Faramir asked: "Why so, and not Boromir, prince of the City that the sons of Elendil founded?" Soon afterward, when Sam angrily confronts Faramir over the way he questions Frodo, Faramir points out: "I am commanded to slay all whom I find in this land without the leave of the Lord of Gondor."
For a thousand years, the Stewards have been the lords of Gondor. To suddenly learn that a claimant to the throne is on the way is a bit unnerving. And perhaps there have been false claimants to the throne in the past. Their way of life must be utterly and irrevocably changed when a new king sits upon the throne. And what will be left for the Stewards in the aftermath of such an event? When Faramir greets Aragorn in formal procession before the city of Minas Tirith, he lays aside his office as Steward. Technically, there is no law requiring Aragorn to restore that office to Faramir. In fact, there is no law requiring Faramir to acknowledge Aragorn as king. Just as Aragorn subtly alters his claim, naming himself Elendil's Heir rather than Isildur's Heir (as the Isildurian claim had already been rejected), so Faramir avoids naming Aragorn as Isildur's Heir. He names Isildur in Aragorn's lineage, but leaves Elendil's name for last.
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