"Well, when heads are at a loss bodies must serve, as we say in my country."
Nice, apt, and pithy aphorism, makes me wonder what Gondorian situation started it.
Boromir quotes:
"But happily your Caradhras has forgotten that you have Men with you. And doughty Men too, if I may say ; though lesser Men with spades might have served you better."
An LOL! moment, and a wonderful example of his dry sense of humor.
Boromir insisting he won't go to Moria unless there's a unanimous vote to do so, then when the wolves start howling is the first to say "How far is Moria?"
(And then even though I know you are talking about book-Boromir, I just have to include this one quote from movie-Boromir-- which I like because it could very well be something he *might* have said:
“You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Do not carry the weight of the dead.”)
I imagine Boromir as one who tends to think with his feelings, if that makes any sense.
My idea of him is one of a brave and noble man, a warrior and captain first and foremost. Though Faramir describes him as more interested in war and glory than in history, I don't believe Boromir was uneducated or that he was a poor scholar-- if he were alive nowadays, I think he'd be what we call a "jock", someone who is very competitive in a physical way. Not unintelligent, but simply more *interested* in the physical, even in an intellectual way-- in the way a *good* coach or teacher would be.
But he's loyal. He's loyal to his father, who (IMO) plays on his loyalties and is part of the reason for Boromir's despair. Yet he also is loyal to his brother-- Faramir clearly loved him and there was mutual affection between them in spite of Denethor's favoritism. He was loyal to his country, a patriot. And in spite of his moment of weakness over the Ring, he was loyal to the Company.
It's my firm belief that at the end, he actually shook off the Ring's influence; otherwise if he were truly under its sway, he'd have tried to go after Frodo. (I dealt with that in my essay "The Myth of the One Ring's Power" a few years ago.)
Why do I think these things? Well, even before the films, I thought of him as one of the "Good Guys" who simply had a moment of weakness, but to be honest, one of the movie-verse elements that influenced me a lot was Sean Bean's portrayal of him-- he humanized him a lot.
Fanon? One of my own fanons is that he began to tutor Merry and Pippin in swordcraft in Rivendell. And I think that he felt special affection for Merry and Pippin, maybe thinking of them as "little brother" figures. I also believe he respected Frodo, and liked Sam-- though Sam was shy of him. In one of my earliest stories, he has a conversation with Frodo in Rivendell, and begins his respect and friendship for him there, also mentally vowing to help keep Frodo's loved ones safe.
Why did he fall to the Ring's temptation? Well, in spite of his years and his experiences as a warrior, he wasn't very experienced in the world outside Gondor. He had never had anything to do with Elves or Dwarves or Hobbits or any other races besides Men (except for Orcs, who were only good for killing) and I think he probably felt somewhat isolated among them. Even Aragorn was raised among Elves and probably seemed somewhat alien to him.
no subject
Nice, apt, and pithy aphorism, makes me wonder what Gondorian situation started it.
Boromir quotes:
"But happily your Caradhras has forgotten that you have Men with you. And doughty Men too, if I may say ; though lesser Men with spades might have served you better."
An LOL! moment, and a wonderful example of his dry sense of humor.
Boromir insisting he won't go to Moria unless there's a unanimous vote to do so, then when the wolves start howling is the first to say "How far is Moria?"
(And then even though I know you are talking about book-Boromir, I just have to include this one quote from movie-Boromir-- which I like because it could very well be something he *might* have said:
“You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Do not carry the weight of the dead.”)
I imagine Boromir as one who tends to think with his feelings, if that makes any sense.
My idea of him is one of a brave and noble man, a warrior and captain first and foremost. Though Faramir describes him as more interested in war and glory than in history, I don't believe Boromir was uneducated or that he was a poor scholar-- if he were alive nowadays, I think he'd be what we call a "jock", someone who is very competitive in a physical way. Not unintelligent, but simply more *interested* in the physical, even in an intellectual way-- in the way a *good* coach or teacher would be.
But he's loyal. He's loyal to his father, who (IMO) plays on his loyalties and is part of the reason for Boromir's despair. Yet he also is loyal to his brother-- Faramir clearly loved him and there was mutual affection between them in spite of Denethor's favoritism. He was loyal to his country, a patriot. And in spite of his moment of weakness over the Ring, he was loyal to the Company.
It's my firm belief that at the end, he actually shook off the Ring's influence; otherwise if he were truly under its sway, he'd have tried to go after Frodo. (I dealt with that in my essay "The Myth of the One Ring's Power" a few years ago.)
Why do I think these things? Well, even before the films, I thought of him as one of the "Good Guys" who simply had a moment of weakness, but to be honest, one of the movie-verse elements that influenced me a lot was Sean Bean's portrayal of him-- he humanized him a lot.
Fanon? One of my own fanons is that he began to tutor Merry and Pippin in swordcraft in Rivendell. And I think that he felt special affection for Merry and Pippin, maybe thinking of them as "little brother" figures. I also believe he respected Frodo, and liked Sam-- though Sam was shy of him. In one of my earliest stories, he has a conversation with Frodo in Rivendell, and begins his respect and friendship for him there, also mentally vowing to help keep Frodo's loved ones safe.
Why did he fall to the Ring's temptation? Well, in spite of his years and his experiences as a warrior, he wasn't very experienced in the world outside Gondor. He had never had anything to do with Elves or Dwarves or Hobbits or any other races besides Men (except for Orcs, who were only good for killing) and I think he probably felt somewhat isolated among them. Even Aragorn was raised among Elves and probably seemed somewhat alien to him.
(cont. because LJ says it's too long)