martasfic | give me all your Boromir theories

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give me all your Boromir theories

I'm working on an essay for the August LOTR_Community_GFIC challenge, and I thought I'd crowdsource my research. That's where you all come in.

I've been thinking lately about the way people people view canon and want to explore that a bit, but not with some sort of "here's the right way to approach the books and use them in your fanfic story" screed. I'm less interested in convincing people that my preferred approach is right (where's the fun in fanfic if we can't enjoy people playing with JRRT's stories in new and fresh ways?), than I am with looking at how the different ways of approaching canon impact the way we present different characters. So I thought I'd do a case-study. Specifically: Tolkien tells us nothing about Boromir's sexuality - no wife, no kids, no tragic lost loves. Given that, how do we fill in the gaps? I'm not actually planning on giving my own answer to that question (though I'm sure most of you can guess!). Rather, I want to sketch out some common ways of looking at canon and try to show how those different approaches shape the way people might approach a question like this.

What can I say? I'm a grad student, and a philosopher. I think big. But I think by the time I'm done with it, it will be an interesting look at this topic, and I hope it will be fun to play with for me personally.

Which brings me to the real point of this post. It's been a long time since I've read The Lord of the Rings, to say nothing of the Letters or HoMe drafts or books actually about JRRT. So I'd like some help gathering facts. I'll probably do several posts asking for quotes on different topics, but I'd like to start about Boromir.

When you write think about Boromir, what characteristics come to mind? And more importantly, why do you think of hiim that way? I'm most interested in quotes (and I'll take anything - LOTR, Tolkien's posthumous writings, early drafts, letters, or anything like that is fair game), but if you have other reasoning I'm interested in that, too. And if you don't know why you write him the way you do (or think of him the way you do, if you don't write him), feel free to go ahead and just describe how you see him - and anyone else, please feel free to fill in the gaps for where you think that characterization comes from. Pet fanons are welcome, too. If you think he had a closet passion for Haradric poetry or was infamous in Dol Amroth for that time he got drunk and woke up with a regrettable tattoo, I want to hear it, particularly if there's a why involved (or even not). Links to stories where you developed those ideas are welcome, too.

One other thing. I may include ideas you mention in my essay (with credit, of course). If you don't want me to include your idea, I'd still love to hear it; just make it clear in your comment that you don't want me to mention your idea.

So have at it! What comes to your mind when you think of Boromir? And why?

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In my personal universe,Boromir has brief liasons with tavern wenches and also has a child, Elbeth, who is a recurring OC in my stories as Faramir adopts her.That to me ties in with Tolkien saying he would take no wife, that he refuses to be tied down.

I usually think first of his tragic death and his attempt to take the ring. I also think of his bond with Faramir.

Favourite Boromir quotes
'The Men of Gondor are valiant, and they will never submit; but they may be beaten down. Valour needs first strength, and then a weapon. Let the Ring be your weapon, if it has such power as you say. Take it and go forth to victory!'

'I tried to take the Ring from Frodo ' he said. 'I am sorry. I have paid.'

'Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed.'

He's not a character I greatly like but he fascinates me and I pity him.

I always believe he only had the "seek for the sword" dream because Faramir told him about it and the quest was meant for Faramir. He doesn't strike me as very bright, blowing his horn when they set out on their secret mission! that is an image that stays in my mind.

Your essay sounds interesting and i look forward to reading it.

I see him as intelligent, bold, honest,competent, straightforward and brave, but not particuarly subtle or reflective. I would not say that he lacked self-awareness altogether, more that he did not regard it as something particularly important. A pragmatic, goal-oriented person, but fatally narrow-field in his analytical capacity (if he had been a longer-term thinker, he would have got married and had heirs, given that both he and Faramir were fighting on the front line). He was absolutely no challenge to Denethor outside the purely military field, where I am confident Denethor was bright enough to give him his head once he had proved his skill. This is probably also why Denethor liked him better than he did Faramir.

He would probably have been a decent Steward, being secure enough in himself to trust advisers different from himself (his good relationship with his brother is a major point in his favour),and bright enough to probably be a decent judge of character when he is not feeling personally threatened in his position. At any point other than at the end-game of the great Sauron-Gondor struggle he would probably have been one of the great military Stewards.

I've always believed that one reason why Denethor doted on Boromir was that Boromir presented no threat to Denethor's ego. Boromir was not Denethor's intellectual equal (not necessarily a bad thing, since few characters in LOTR are Denethor's intellectual equal; though I believe Faramir either was or came close to it, only lacking in years of experience rather than perception). Boromir also seems to have been his father's biggest fan, and never would have even thought of contradicting him.

I don't think Boromir is a fool, by any means. He's a competent strategist and outstanding fighter. It's just that I think he doesn't have his younger brother's (and to a lesser extent, his father's) capacity to think outside the box. If Boromir had survived, it's my personal opinion that he would have been bored out of his mind being being a Steward who actually had to be a political manager and administrator. Tolkien himself said that Boromir loved soldiering, more than the prospect of marrying or cultivating (or even wanting to cultivate) other interests.

Boromir is, in my opinion, a character who could be written as either heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or asexual. I think there is a possibility of homosexuality because, as the Heir to the rule of Gondor, I think Denethor would have married Boromir off years ago if not for the fact that perhaps Denethor doubted that Boromir could physically sire a future Steward.

Boromir seems to be the golden boy of Minas Tirith; everyone loves him. I think he was both spoiled and burdened by being Denethor's firstborn. My personal fanon is that Boromir reminded Denethor of Ecthelion; and Denethor had craved his own father's approval and did not feel as if he got as much of it as was his due; so he was probably thrilled to have this charismatic, macho son of his love and worship him.

Boromir's relationship with Faramir...Interesting. The child Boromir would have enjoyed having a baby brother who would look up to him; I think Boromir would have relished the role of protector and teacher. I do think the brothers loved each other. The fact that Faramir was "less self-regarding" than Boromir, and did not covet Boromir's place as future Steward/Power in Gondor, made him no threat to Boromir; and easier to love without fear. (though I do think that Faramir, being human, might well have occasionally resented Boromir's being so beloved by their father while Faramir was less favored) I see Little Faramir as a gutsy, agile kid tagging along after his big brother, and Boromir definitely helping the younger child start learning swordsmanship, etc. (or trying to help; young Boromir would certainly try; and it would not have occurred to him that he had not yet mastered swordsmanship himself!).

I don't see Boromir as thinking of the younger hobbits as little brother types - I loved Sean Bean in the FOTR movie, but that was not the book. I think he would treat them as rookie soldiers and try to watch out for them and protect them when possible, even to the point of dying for them (which he does); and maybe be amused by hobbits in general and noting that they are brave. When Pippin first sees Faramir, he thinks of admiring Boromir's lordly but kindly manner - that phrasing does not make me think of any kind of emotional intimacy shown by Boromir toward the youngest hobbit, such as a man far from home and family might show to a young person for whom he has brotherly feelings.

I second Anna's conviction that Boromir was straightforward and not particularly prone to reflection. I think his biggest flaw, perhaps like his father, was pride.

I will admit that I am biased in Faramir's favor as the best of the family (Denethor & sons); but Tolkien seems to share my bias, and he should know. Boromir was a good man at heart, I think; and one whose death was tragic; especially because he did not live to see Merry and Pippin delivered from the Orcs, or to see the final defeat of Sauron and Gondor made safe. I am not sure that Boromir would have accepted Aragorn's claim to the throne, at least without Imrahil and Faramir and Cousin Hurin and Eomer & 10,000 Rohirrim emphasizing the rightness of it, though.

Ah, Boromir! I can't resist talking about him! ;-) However, I'm leaving today on a trip so I can't put anything together at the moment. I'll be back with some quotes and some thoughts on my favorite guy as soon as possible -- hopefully later today!

Interestingly enough, I've got a Boromir essay I'm thinking of using for the August challenge, as well. It's an older one that I wrote awhile back, but didn't really share in a lot of places, so I thought I'd drag it out and see if anyone liked it. ;-) I love the idea of what you plan, and I think Boromir is an excellent choice as a case study.

"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.

(cont. because LJ says it's too long)

“You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Do not carry the weight of the dead.”)

Ooh, ooh, that was also my favorite movieverse!Boromir line - for the same reason!

Umm...what else? I usually portray him as fascinated and occasionally bemused by the hobbits. I also portray him as closer to Pippin than to the others, and more protective of the youngest member of the group--maybe because he offered to carry Pippin down the mountain first? And I like to refer to his acquaintance with Gandalf. Gandalf might have been closer to Faramir, but he would have to have known Boromir as well if he spent time in Minas Tirith (as we know he did). I think of him as liking and respectful of Mithrandir because he was kind to Faramir, but also just a little influenced by his father's suspicion and disdain of him-- not truly understanding the wizard's nature until they begin traveling together. (BTW, why, do you suppose, story-internally, that Gandalf does not acknowledge their acquaintance at the Council of Elrond? Was Boromir puzzled by that, or hurt or angry? I've pondered that, but I don't think I've ever dealt with it.)

I love "Boromir lives" stories, so long as they are plausible, and have even written one myself.

You can use as many of my ideas as you find useful!

There are plenty of men who marry late in Tolkien's universe. Given that power flows from ancestry (not divine right of kings, as far as I can see) and proximity to Elves (at least in Dúnedain kingdoms in the 2nd and 3rd Ages), that's something that needs justification.

The type of justification then turns on whether or not the son of powerful men then has an acknowledged lady love. If he has one, then justification has to do with waiting to produce an heir, and for me that's the main problem of interest given that scenario. How does one justify waiting when your entire culture is demanding you reproduce for the good of society? *looks at Aragorn as prime example*

If the son of power men does NOT have an acknowledged lady love, then the first questions are: Where is he from, how old is he and how close to power is he? Second or younger sons, men under twenty (in upper classes) - reasonable to think it's not necessarily an indicator of anything but that dad or mom hasn't found anyone suitable, and neither has he. In Dúnedain societies, there's the issue of age of consent being higher than one would expect for both real-world analogues and other Ardaverse realms of Men, and that has to be taken into account, though it seems to hold more in Arnor than Gondor.

If a male character from a powerful family is old enough to marry, is either the heir to his father's position, or has in fact inherited *looks at Aragorn*, and not only is not married, but doesn't seem to have any acknowledged attachment to women, then he's prima facie a candidate for exploring issues of homosexuality in Middle-earth, because he's defying heavily inculcated cultural and political expectations in societies. Since most male characters in this position are written as responsible figures, I assume it can't be a question of pure personal desire, but of a negotiation of some kind between personal desire and politics, and that's exactly the kind of story I like to write. Homosexuality or bisexuality become possibilities to help write that story, and then the choice of a non-heterosexual interpretation of the character helps build the world up in terms of why you might not want to advertize such forms of desire to the population at large - something that heterosexual desire doesn't necessarily do, unless you're dealing with polyamory or mistresses, or what not. I just haven't to date had any real interest in writing love triangles where it's one man and two women - I really get tired of that (unless it's Indis-Miriel-Finwë as an open threesome, because it avoids certain tropes that piss me off).

For Boromir specifically, there's a third issue: his lack of a wife is coupled with his "delighting in arms" and preferring strongly military history, which is then linked back to the example of Eärnur, the childless king, whose "only pleasure was in fighting". That sudden reference to pleasure is an interesting choice of words, and all too suggestive when coupled with Boromir. It's not necessity, but a certain pleasure he doesn't seem to get with women, that explains why he doesn't marry. To me, that's not just "I haven't found the right woman" (for some variable of "right" that may include things like "her family is powerful" or "this could be a peace treaty we need if I marry so and so"). That's "I don't get any enjoyment out of women and so don't want to marry" and that tips the balance: Boromir, to me, is not only slashable because there's no evidence of interest in women and the circumstances can support a homosexual interest, it's an active disinterest in women that makes me wonder if his interest lies rather in those who bear arms. It disqualifies him in my mind not only from heterosexuality but from bisexuality.

That's if I want to write about him in terms of the clash between personal desire and public duty.

Another interpretation of those facts could be: the Eärnur reference links us back to the tale of a son of less wisdom than his father, inasmuch as he doesn't marry and is mostly interested in warfare; the Denethor-Boromir relationship is a very good mirror of that, and it's cast as almost a morality play: the Good King and his Foolish Son, in both cases (well, Good Steward and his Foolish Son).

However, I tend not to like writing stories about people who just act unwisely because they are unwise; I prefer my protagonists not to be unwise in their very being, but to have reasons for making a bad choice consistently. The homosexuality angle can come in at that point and supply an understandable reason for resisting the smart, dynastically savvy choice.

Alternately, if I don't want to write about unwise sons, period, and I'm not interested in writing personal desire versus dynastic duty in that particular fashion, I tend just to ignore the sexual dimension and write Boromir as a political operator with his own motives, and sidestep why he doesn't want to marry as not contributing to the conflict of the story.

If I'm looking to tell that kind of story, I tend to contrast him with Faramir in that although he's not uneducated, he has narrower tastes (he likes military history and epics, not romances or other genres). He's not untraveled, nor unexposed to other cultures - he's been known to travel to Rohan, and he could've been sent north to Dale and Erebor, or east to Dorwinion, or (depending on how you interpret international politics) to Harad. But his entire focus is on what will benefit Gondor, and he has less interest in delving into what makes people tick outside of that. That puts him in contrast with Dwim!Aragorn, whom I tend to write as no less focused on his goal, but as more cosmopolitan - open to other cultures and ideas because they interest him in their own right, although he knows where his allegiances lie.

He's a very physical character - so are most male characters in LoTR and Silm, but I get a sense he processes best in practice, not theory, and his evaluative grid is less fine-grained than his brother's or father's. Not dumb, just not as attentive to the finer distinctions. Therefore he'll make bad analogies like "Moria is as bad as Mordor" in order to argue against going into Moria. That's personal lived experience trumping other forms of evidence that might be open to someone with a more theoretical, literary-historical and less nationalist bent. In the realm of theory, he's a traditionalist (knows the sayings of Gondor and applies them to snowstorms), and tends to honor what Gondor is at present, namely an increasingly desperate military power, which I think predisposes him to a crippling realism, in a way. He respects authority, and tries to hold to that even when it conflicts with his opinions (the Council, the decision to go to Moria, the decision to go to Lórien) - as long as the proper procedure and proper figures have signed off, he's on board. Except when he really believes Gondor's survival can be bought by using the Ring.

Edited 2012-07-17 14:27 (UTC)

Thanks so much to everyone for the great ideas so far! I've read all the comments and while I don't have time to reply in depth, those interpretations are really interesting. I'm sure it will help me with this essay, and I hope everyone else enjoys thinking about Borya.

One thing: Are there any quotes that describe Boromir that have influenced how you think of him? I know there's the famous description of Boromir + Faramir in the appendices, and also Eomer's comment during the hunt for Merry and Pippin, that Boromir seemed to have a special kinship with the Rohirrim even more than with the Gondorians - are there any other descriptions I should be keeping in mind?

The one comparing him to Eärnur in the Appendices is pretty key, I think, for one type of storyline.

Likewise, his way of responding whenever things go in directions he doesn't personally think are a good idea: he tends to make clear his disapproval, but bow to the will of the group or the leader of the group (if this is not him).

I, of course, find his interactions with Strider in the Council of Elrond fascinating, but you know me - An Aragorn Fan of Sad Proportions, so really, is there anything having to do with Aragorn that I don't find fascinating? But it does set up an interesting dynamic of doubt, submission to perceived authority, to tradition, and then you add Faramir's claim in TTT that if Boromir were satisfied of Aragorn's claim, then "Boromir would greatly reverence him" (or something to that effect), and I think you get an interesting picture of Boromir's understanding of power, its origins, and the position he gives his own judgment when he's outside of Gondor.

It's also interesting that although Denethor is clearly attached to Boromir, we don't really get any information about how Boromir feels about his father. I can't think of a quote in which he says something about Denethor beyond naming his position. So that really is a kind of blank in his psychology and character - it all has to be inferred.

Okay, here goes. (FYI, I deleted my earlier comment with quotes, because I'll incorporate them into my comments here.)

I've still got one of my earliest copies of LotR from 40 years ago where I underlined all the "Boromir being heroic" lines in green. So I've been developing my Boromir theories for a really long time.

I see Boromir as being brave, bold and unafraid to act, honorable, kind, lordly, devoted to his brother and father, unwaveringly committed to Gondor and totally opposed to Mordor -- to the point that he sees almost everything through the "what is best for Gondor" lens. This has been his singular purpose from an early age, to make certain that Gondor is preserved and defended, opposing anything that might endanger it or give the Enemy the advantage. I believe this was the weak point in Boromir that the Ring played upon -- his feeling that taking the Ring into Mordor where it could be easily retaken to the doom of Gondor (and everyone else) was exceedingly foolish; it was a plan he was never really convinced could work.

Of course, when someone is as singular of purpose and strong in ability as Boromir, pride comes into the equation. Tolkien himself calls him proud, but IMHO he shares that quality with some of the other characters we meet in the course of the story. I always laugh a bit at the part in the Council of Elrond where Boromir and Aragorn are arguing about who is better qualified to be known as the defender of the weak. They both look pretty proud there to me! However, it is true that there comes a point when pride in one's own strength and abilities is blinding, and I do think that also played a part in Boromir's temptation. In the end, though, his honor and his bravery win out over pride, because he doesn't run away after his attempt at taking the Ring. He returns to the group and is the only one who stays and obeys Aragorn's orders as the Fellowship dissolves.

Boromir's ability to act without hesitating is evident in a number of situations as the Fellowship heads south, and usually involves him leaping to the attack and being heroic. ;-) However, his quickness to respond with authority is never more evident than when it comes to the prophetic dream he and Faramir shared. In my mind, Boromir's dream that took him on the quest was as legitimate as Faramir's. The book tells us that Faramir had the dream a number of times, and Boromir had it only once -- then he acted on it. It wasn't until the dream came to Boromir that action was taken and they consulted their father, which led to Boromir taking on the quest. That fits with my view of Boromir; he has a dream that could perhaps lead to aid for Gondor, and so what's the point in waiting around? I'm sure Faramir shared his dream with his brother, as well, so they both know it's significant. I also see Boromir as wanting to protect his brother, and feeling himself better qualified physically to do it (whether that was actually true or not). So he won't allow Faramir to go, even though he is eager to do so.

As part of my own fanon that I have created around Boromir, I have him constantly joking about being indestructible -- in spite of the fact that he leaps into the fray without thinking, sometimes rashly. ;-)

I have only vaguely dealt with Boromir's not marrying, and that was in a fic called Gaffers and Gardens, where he and Sam are talking about home together. Boromir says the following:

"Having a lass waiting… it never seemed important to me. My country has been at war since before I was born. Since I was old enough to grip a sword and heft it, all my thought has been for that – for the defense of my people. There has been no time for anything else." He paused thoughtfully. "And what is the good of it? A land besieged and on the brink of destruction is no place for a family."

Edited 2012-07-17 21:04 (UTC)

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes that concern Boromir, which haven't been shared yet:

"When Boromir made his great journey from Gondor to Rivendell -- the courage and hardihood required is not fully recognized in the narrative -- the North-South Road no longer existed except for the crumbling remains of the causeways, by which a hazardous approach to Tharbad might be achieved, only to find ruins on dwindling mounds, and a dangerous ford formed by the ruins of the bridge, impassable if the river had not been there slow and shallow - but wide." (Unfinished Tales, History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Appendix D).

"Therefore my brother, seeing how desperate was our need, was eager to heed the dream and seek for Imladris; but since the way was full of doubt and danger, I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to give me leave, and long have I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay."

"Your news is all of woe!" cried Éomer in dismay. "Great harm is this death to Minas Tirith, and to us all. That was a worthy man! All spoke his praise. He came seldom to the Mark, for he was ever in the wars on the East-borders; but I have seen him. More like to the swift sons of Eorl than to the grave Men of Gondor he seemed to me, and likely to prove a great captain of his people when his time came. But we have had no word of this grief out of Gondor. When did he fall?"

"Alas!" [Theoden] said,"that these evil days should be mine, and should come in my old age instead of that peace which I have earned. Alas for Boromir the brave! The young perish and the old linger, withering."

"Pippin gazing at him saw how closely he resembled his brother Boromir - whom Pippin had liked from the first, admiring the great man's lordly but kindly manner."

"Yet between the brothers there was great love, and had been since childhood, when Boromir was the helper and protector of Faramir. No jealousy or rivalry had arisen between them since, for their father's favour or for the praise of men." (LotR Appendix A, (iv) GONDOR AND THE HEIRS OF ANÁRION)

Edited 2012-07-17 21:15 (UTC)

One more thing. ;-) I've always seen Boromir as someone awesome, yet fallible, and that made him someone to love rather than hate or despise. His weaknesses made him someone I could identify with, because even as he made brave, selfless choices, he also made bad, selfish choices -- and we all do the same. I do feel he truly repented after falling and died knowing he was forgiven by Aragorn, and that is the thing I remember, rather than the actual fall.

It was wondering what Boromir might have done with his life after repenting that led me to writing Boromir!Lives fic. Some of his character has perhaps been colored by the way he has developed in my story, since it's been going on for a long time now, but I think my belief in him since the beginning as a good and moral man with faults was always there and is at the core of my Boromir canon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

give me all your Boromir theories

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It depends on the type of story I want to tell.

Re: It depends on the type of story I want to tell, pt 2

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