Faramir

Faramir is the son of Denethor, who becomes steward of Gondor a year after Faramir's birth.^{[T 2]} His mother is Finduilas, daughter of Prince Adrahil of Dol Amroth;^{[T 1]} she dies when Faramir is five, and is to him "but a memory of loveliness in far days and of his first grief".^{[T 3]} After her death Denethor becomes sombre, cold, and detached, but the relationship between Faramir and his elder brother Boromir, who is five years older, only grows closer, even though Denethor openly favours Boromir. Faramir is used to giving way and not airing his own opinions.^{[T 4]} Faramir displeases his father by welcoming the wizard Gandalf to Minas Tirith, Gondor's capital. Faramir, eager for knowledge, learns much from Gandalf about Gondor's history.^{[T 1][T 5]}

Faramir looks much like Boromir,^{[T 1][T 6]} who is described as "a tall man with a fair and noble face, dark-haired and grey-eyed, proud and stern of glance".^{[T 7]} In Faramir, "by some chance the blood of Westernesse [runs] nearly true".^{[T 8]} He does not enjoy fighting for its own sake.^{[T 5]}

Gondor had long been threatened by the nearby realm of Mordor, and in 3018 (when Faramir was 35) the Dark Lord Sauron begins the War of the Ring, attacking the ruined city of Osgiliath that guards the river crossing to Minas Tirith.^{[T 2]} Faramir and Boromir commands the defence.^{[T 7]}

Shortly before the battle, Faramir has a prophetic dream, in which a voice speaks of the "Sword that was Broken" that is to be found at Imladris far to the north, about the awakening of "Isildur's Bane", the approach of "Doom", and the appearance of "the Halfling". Faramir decides to journey to Imladris and seek the advice of Elrond the Half-elven, but Denethor sends Boromir instead.^{[T 5][T 7]}

Faramir first encounters the hobbits Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee in Ithilien, and recognises them to be the Halflings mentioned in his dreams. Faramir questions Frodo about his quest, and Frodo reveals that he, along with eight other companions including Boromir, had set out from Rivendell. During the interrogation, Faramir asks often about Boromir, since he knows, as Frodo does not, that Boromir is already dead. One night, Faramir had waded down to the Anduin after seeing a boat there. It contained the dead body of his brother, who had been killed by Orcs after Frodo had left the group. Frodo tries to avoid the subject of his quest, but Faramir realises that Frodo was carrying something important to Sauron. Sam accidentally speaks of Boromir's desire for the One Ring, thus revealing what Frodo is carrying. Faramir then shows the crucial difference between him and his proud brother:^{[T 5]}

But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo.^{[T 5]}

Faramir is wise enough to know that such a weapon is not to be used. He sees how his brother had been tempted beyond his strength, and wishes that he had gone on the quest himself. He gives the Hobbits provisions and sends them on their way, warning Frodo that their guide, Gollum, is treacherous, and that an unknown terror lives on the pass of Cirith Ungol, where Gollum is leading them.^{[T 5]}

The following evening, Faramir sends his company to reinforce the garrison at Osgiliath, while he and three men ride to Minas Tirith. They are pursued by the Nazgûl. Faramir rides back to help the fallen and is rescued by Gandalf. At Minas Tirith, Faramir reports to Denethor and Gandalf that he had met Frodo and Sam. Denethor becomes angry that Faramir had let them go to Mordor with the Ring, instead of bringing it to him.

The Witch-king of Angmar, leader of the Nazgûl, leads a large army from Minas Morgul, and seizes Osgiliath. Faramir stays with the rearguard, and is gravely wounded. The city's cavalry bring him back to Minas Tirith, and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields begins. Denethor believes the unconscious Faramir to be fatally injured. He has a funeral pyre built for himself and Faramir. The Hobbit Pippin Took, sworn into Denethor's service, alerts Gandalf, and Faramir is rescued from the flames. Mad with grief, Denethor lies down on the pyre, burning himself alive.

After the battle, Aragorn heals Faramir with athelas in the Houses of Healing. Recuperating, Faramir meets the Lady Éowyn of Rohan, and falls in love with her. At first, Éowyn refuses his advances, only desiring to find honour in death, but soon she loves him in return. Faramir becomes Steward, and prepares the city for the arrival of Aragorn, now King of Gondor. On the day of the coronation, Faramir surrenders his Stewardship. Aragorn, however, renews the office, announcing that as long as his line lasts, Faramir's descendants would be Stewards of Gondor. He makes Faramir Prince of Ithilien.^{[T 9]} In addition, as Steward Faramir serves as the King's chief counsellor and rules Gondor when the King is absent. With Éowyn, he settles in Ithilien, among the hills of the Emyn Arnen; they have a son named Elboron. After Faramir's death at the age of 120, his son succeeds him. Barahir, Faramir's grandson, writes The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, said in the frame story to have been inserted in the Thain's Book by the writer Findegil.^{[T 10]}

 

The Tolkien scholar Elizabeth Solopova states that Faramir's decision to reject the One Ring shows influences from a kind of courage and behaviour that was known to Tolkien from the medieval poem The Battle of Maldon. By not taking the Ring, Faramir rejects the desire for power and glory which a defeat of Sauron would bring him.^[2]

The Tolkien scholar Jane Chance analyses Faramir's place in what she identifies as an elaborate web of relationships based on a medieval Germanic worldview. Firstly, she describes Faramir and Boromir as a pair of opposites, good and evil brothers, which she likens to Theoden and Denethor whom she considers a pair of good and evil "Kings".^[a][3] Secondly, she explores what she sees as a series of parallel instances of feudal allegiance (a man's oath of service to his lord, in return for protection) and betrayal (the breaking of that oath) involving Faramir and Frodo. Sam serves Frodo faithfully, but accidentally betrays him to Faramir with the smoke from his cooking fire and then by mentioning the Ring. Gollum's allegiance to Frodo is in the form of an oath sworn on the Ring, to obey Frodo and not to run off. Frodo "betrays" Gollum by luring him into the captivity of Faramir's men. Gollum then swears to Faramir that he will never return to the forbidden pool. The last of the parallel allegiance relationships is that Faramir grants Frodo protection, in the manner of a Germanic lord, and in return Frodo offers his service.^[1] Thirdly, after the War of the Ring, society is renewed as Aragorn marries Arwen, bringing the races of Man and Elf together, while in parallel to that Faramir marries Éowyn, bringing together the nations of Rohan and Gondor.^[4]

 

 

Several scholars have noted a likeness between Faramir and the legendary medieval figure of Robin Hood. Marjorie Burns sees a sign of Englishness, "a Robin Hood touch", in the green-clad Faramir and his men hunting the enemy in the forested Ithilien.^[5] P.N. Harrison comments that Faramir's "wilderness dwelling, his skill with the bow, and his choice of a green cloak, mask, and gauntlets as clothing all invite direct comparisons" with the outlaw of Sherwood Forest.^[6] Ben Reinhard, in Mythlore, writes that while there are medieval-style knights in The Lord of the Rings, and Faramir's conduct and speech are in many ways perfectly chivalric, he is definitely not a "knight in shining armour". Instead, he leads the attack on the men of Harad "in a thoroughly unchivalric guerilla ambuscade", while "clothing, weaponry, tactics, and [concealed] refuge" all indicate the opposite of the shining knight: the outlaw in the Greenwood.^[7]

 

Tolkien's biographer John Garth, in his book Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth, writes that the resemblance between Faramir and the author, which Tolkien admitted in a letter ("As far as any character is 'like me', it is Faramir"),^{[T 11]} was that the two men were both soldiers and scholars, Faramir having "a reverence for the old histories and sacred values that helps him through a bitter war."^[9] Tolkien served as an officer in the British Army during the First World War, fighting in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.^[10] Tolkien bestowed his dream of "darkness unescapable" on Faramir, who narrates the dream to Éowyn.^{[T 3][T 11]} Of this, Tolkien wrote, "when Faramir speaks of his private vision of the Great Wave, he speaks for me. That vision and dream has been ever with me — and has been inherited (as I only discovered recently) by one of my children, Michael."^{[T 11]}

The scholar of literature Melissa A. Smith suggests that Tolkien's First World War experience of war brides may be reflected in Faramir's brief courtship of Éowyn.^[8] She notes that Tolkien wrote in response to criticism that "In my experience feelings and decisions ripen very quickly (as measured by mere 'clock-time', which is actually not justly applicable) in periods of great stress, and especially under the expectation of imminent death".^{[T 4]} Smith adds that Tolkien indeed married Edith Bratt just before he was posted to the Western Front in France.^[8]

Faramir's resemblance to the author and the medieval outlaw

Attribute	Faramir	Tolkien	Robin Hood
Brief wartime courtship[8]	Y	Y
Scholar-soldier[9]	Y	Y
Dream of "darkness inescapable"[T 11]	Y	Y
Green clothing[7]	Y		Y
Skill with bow[7]	Y		Y
Ambush tactics[7]	Y		Y
Concealed refuge in forest[7]	Y		Y

In The History of The Lord of the Rings, Christopher Tolkien recorded that his father had not foreseen the emergence of Faramir during the writing of the book, only inventing him at the actual point of his appearance in The Two Towers.^{[T 12]} Tolkien himself noted that the introduction of Faramir had led to postponement of the book's dénouement and to further development of the background for Gondor and Rohan.^{[T 13]}

In early drafts, Tolkien had used the familiar forms thou and thee to show a sudden shift in the relationship between Faramir and Éowyn, a "deliberate change to a form of affection or endearment".^{[T 14]} Christopher Tolkien comments that

The 'sudden change' to which he referred here ... is possibly to be seen in their first meeting in the garden of the Houses of Healing, where Faramir says: 'Then, Éowyn of Rohan, I say to you that you are beautiful', but at the end of his speech changes to the 'familiar' form, 'But thou and I have both passed under the wings of the Shadow' (whereas Éowyn continues to use 'you'). In the following meetings, in this text, Faramir uses the 'familiar' forms, but Éowyn does not do so until the last ('Dost thou not know?'); and soon after this point my father went back over what he had written and changed every 'thou' and 'thee' to 'you'.^{[T 14]}

 

Faramir appears in several illustrations created by John Howe, Ted Nasmith and Anke Eißmann for The Lord of the Rings and related products.^[11] One of the scenes from the book that received many depictions is Faramir and Éowyn's meeting at the top of Minas Tirith.^[12]

In the BBC's 1981 radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, Faramir is voiced by Andrew Seear. The radio drama adhered faithfully to the books, and Peter Jackson gave the adaptation credit in the production of his film trilogy.^[13][14]

In Rankin/Bass' 1980 adaptation of The Return of the King, a dark-haired man taken to be Faramir is shown next to Éowyn in greeting Aragorn as he arrives to Minas Tirith.^[15]

 

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Faramir is played by David Wenham. The actor jokes that he got the role because he and Sean Bean, who played Boromir, both had large noses.^[16] The plot of the second film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, introduces a significant deviation from the book: Faramir does not at first let Frodo, Sam, and Gollum go, but decides to bring them and the Ring to Gondor. He takes them to Osgiliath and not until the Nazgûl attack the city and Frodo comes under the threat of capture does he release them. Jackson's explanation is that he needed another adventure to delay Frodo and Sam, because the episode at Cirith Ungol was moved to the third film, and so a new climax was needed.^[17] On the timeline given by Tolkien, Frodo and Sam had only reached the Black Gate at the time of the fall of Isengard.^{[T 2]} Jackson argues that it was necessary for Faramir to be tempted by the Ring because in his films everyone else was tempted, and letting Faramir be immune would seem inconsistent to a film audience.^[17] Jackson's portrayal of the Rangers' treatment of Gollum, who is beaten up, and Faramir's implicit compliance, have been criticised.^[18][19] In the book, Faramir calls the creature Sméagol instead of Gollum, and tells his men to "treat him gently, but watch him".^{[T 15]}

In the extended edition of The Two Towers, Jackson included an invented flashback scene in which Denethor neglects Faramir in favour of Boromir when sending him to Rivendell, so that Faramir wanted to please his father by bringing him the Ring. (The relationship is similarly strained in the book, but his father's favouritism does not seem to affect his decisions in Ithilien.) Reviewers have opined that the extended edition presents Faramir in a more favourable light.^[20][21]

Faramir is a bonus playable character in the video game The Return of the King. In a bonus video track within this game, Wenham says that "Faramir and Boromir were brothers, and it isn't beyond possibility that Faramir would have gone to Rivendell instead. And if that [had] happened, Faramir could have survived and returned to Gondor."^[22]

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Faramir.

• Burns, Marjorie (2005). Perilous Realms: Celtic and Norse in Tolkien's Middle-earth. University of Toronto Press. pp. 26–29. ISBN 978-0-8020-3806-7.
• Carpenter, Humphrey (1977). J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-04-928037-3.
• Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981]. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
• Chance, Jane (1980) [1979]. Tolkien's Art: 'A Mythology for England'. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-29034-7.
• Garth, John (2003). Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00711-953-0.
• Smith, Melissa A. (2015). "At Home and Abroad: Éowyn's Two-fold Figuring as War Bride in The Lord of the Rings". In Croft, Janet Brennan; Donovan, Leslie A. (eds.). Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J. R. R. Tolkien. Mythopoeic Press. pp. 204–217. ISBN 978-1-887726-01-6. OCLC 903655969.
• Solopova, Elizabeth (2009). Languages, Myths and History: An Introduction to the Linguistic and Literary Background of J. R. R. Tolkien's Fiction. New York City: North Landing Books. ISBN 978-0-9816607-1-4.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954a). The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 9552942.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955). The Return of the King. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 519647821.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1990). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The War of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-56008-X.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1996). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Peoples of Middle-earth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-82760-4.