Faramir
Faramir | |
---|---|
Men | |
Family |
|
Spouse | Éowyn |
Home | Gondor |
Faramir is a fictional character in
Tolkien wrote that of all his characters, Faramir was the most like him: Tolkien had fought in the
Faramir has been the subject of illustrations by John Howe, Ted Nasmith and Anke Eißmann. He was voiced by Andrew Seear in the BBC's 1981 radio adaptation. He was played by David Wenham in Peter Jackson's film trilogy.
Narrative
Background
[Faramir] read the hearts of men as shrewdly as his father, but what he read moved him sooner to pity than to scorn. He was gentle in bearing, and a lover of lore and of music, and therefore by many in those days his courage was judged less than his brother's. But it was not so, except that he did not seek glory in danger without a purpose.[T 1]
Faramir was the son of
Faramir looked 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 [ran] nearly true".[T 8] He did not enjoy fighting for its own sake.[T 5]
Gondor had long been threatened by the nearby realm of
Shortly before the battle, Faramir had a prophetic dream, in which a voice spoke of the "Sword that was Broken" that was to be found at
The Two Towers
“For myself,” said Faramir, “I would see the White Tree in flower again in the courts of the kings, and the Silver Crown return, and Minas Tirith in peace: Minas Anor again as of old, full of light, high and fair, beautiful as a queen among other queens: not a mistress of many slaves, nay, not even a kind mistress of willing slaves. War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom.”
Faramir first encountered the
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 was wise enough to know that such a weapon was not to be used. He saw how his brother had been tempted beyond his strength, and wished that he had gone on the quest himself. He gave the Hobbits provisions and sent them on their way, warning Frodo that their guide, Gollum, was treacherous, and that an unknown terror lived on the pass of Cirith Ungol, where Gollum was leading them.[T 5]
The Return of the King
[Pippin said:] 'Here was one with an air of high nobility such as Aragorn at times revealed, less high perhaps, yet also less incalculable and remote: one of the Kings of Men born into a later time, but touched with the wisdom and sadness of the Elder Race. [...] He was a captain that men would follow, [...] even under the shadow of the black wings [of the Nazgûl].'[T 6]
The following evening, Faramir sent his company to reinforce the garrison at Osgiliath, while he and three men rode to Minas Tirith. They were pursued by the Nazgûl. Faramir rode back to help the fallen and was rescued by Gandalf. At Minas Tirith, Faramir reported to Denethor and Gandalf that he had met Frodo and Sam. Denethor became 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, led a large army from
After the battle,
Analysis
Medieval influences
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.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/BNF_Fr_4274_8v_knight_detail_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-BNF_Fr_4274_8v_knight_detail_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The medievalist Marjorie Burns sees a sign of Englishness, "a Robin Hood touch", in the green-clad Faramir and his men hunting the enemy in Ithilien.[3] 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][4] 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.[2] 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.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Allegiances_and_Betrayals_of_Frodo_and_Faramir.svg/440px-Allegiances_and_Betrayals_of_Frodo_and_Faramir.svg.png)
Tolkien's personal experiences
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/American_Boy_Meets_British_Girl-_Love_and_Romance_on_the_Home_Front%2C_Bournemouth%2C_England%2C_1941_D4757.jpg/180px-American_Boy_Meets_British_Girl-_Love_and_Romance_on_the_Home_Front%2C_Bournemouth%2C_England%2C_1941_D4757.jpg)
Tolkien's biographer
The scholar of literature Melissa A. Smith suggests that Tolkien's
Development
In
Faramir said: "Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart, Éowyn! But I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Éowyn, do you not love me?"
In early drafts, Tolkien had used the
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]
Portrayal in adaptations
Art
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6a/FaramirTrial.jpg/170px-FaramirTrial.jpg)
Faramir appears in several illustrations created by John Howe, Ted Nasmith and Anke Eißmann for The Lord of the Rings and related products.[9] One of the scenes from the book that received many depictions is Faramir and Éowyn's meeting at the top of Minas Tirith.[10]
Radio
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.[11][12]
Film
In
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0b/Faramir_ride.jpg/180px-Faramir_ride.jpg)
In
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.[18][19]
Video games
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."[20]
Notes
- Steward of Gondor, standing in for the King.[T 8]
References
Primary
- ^ a b c d Tolkien 1955, Appendix A: I (iv)
- ^ a b c Tolkien 1955, Appendix B, pp. 368–373
- ^ a b Tolkien 1955, book 6, ch. 5 "The Steward and the King"
- ^ a b Carpenter 2023, letter 244, draft, to a reader, 1963
- ^ a b c d e f Tolkien 1955, book 2, ch. 5 "The Window on the West"
- ^ a b Tolkien 1955, book 5, ch. 4 "The Siege of Gondor"
- ^ a b c Tolkien 1954a, book 2, ch. 2 "The Council of Elrond"
- ^ a b Tolkien 1955, book 5, ch. 1 "Minas Tirith"
- ^ Carpenter 2023, letter 323 to Christopher Tolkien, June 1971
- ^ Tolkien 1954a, Prologue: "Note on the Shire records"
- ^ a b c Carpenter 2023, letter 180 to Mr Thompson, draft, 14 January 1956
- ^ Tolkien 1990, chs. "Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit" and "Faramir"
- ^ Carpenter 2023, letter 66 to Christopher Tolkien, 6 May 1944
- ^ a b c Tolkien 1996, pp. 67–68, "The Appendix on Languages"
- ^ Tolkien 1954, book 4, ch. 2 "The Forbidden Pool"
Secondary
- ^ Solopova 2009, p. 42
- ^ a b c Chance 1980, p. 118.
- ^ Burns 2005, pp. 26–29.
- ^ Chance 1980, p. 29.
- ^ Chance 1980, p. 124.
- ^ a b c Smith 2015, pp. 204–217.
- ^ Garth 2003, p. 310.
- ^ Carpenter 1977, "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
- ^ See the illustrations by John Howe: [1], [2]
- ^ Anke Eißmann's gallery for Book 6 of The Lord of the Rings and Ted Nasmith's Éowyn and Faramir Archived 2008-02-07 at the Wayback Machine and The Sun Unveiled Archived 2008-02-07 at the Wayback Machine are prominent examples of art illustrating their meeting.
- ^ "Concerning The Lord of the Rings BBC 1981". The Lord of the Rings. Michael Martinez. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^ Brundige, Ellen. "A Masterpiece Worthy of the Masterpiece". Pointy ears and Gríma’s tears. Istad. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^ "J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Return of the King' CED". CedMagic.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2002. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ Cameras in Middle-earth: Filming The Two Towers, DVD Documentary
- ^ a b "The Next Reel". GreenCine. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005. Retrieved 16 August 2006.
- ^ "The Nature of Faramir: A Response". Old Special Reports. TheOneRing.net. 24 December 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^ "The Faramir Changes: Arguments Against". Old Special Reports. TheOneRing.net. 12 February 2003. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^ Conrad, Jeremy (23 November 2003). "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Special Extended Edition)". Reviews. IGN. p. 4. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^ Jonathon (3 November 2003). "Review: The Two Towers Extended Edition - Better, worse, or just plain silly?". News. The One Ring. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^ The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King video game He serves in place of his brother as the ninth character (CD). EA Games. 2003.
Sources
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ISBN 978-0-8020-3806-7.
- ISBN 978-0-04-928037-3.
- ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
- ISBN 978-0-333-29034-7.
- 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 OCLC 903655969.
- ISBN 978-0-9816607-1-4.
- OCLC 9552942.
- OCLC 1042159111.
- OCLC 519647821.
- ISBN 0-395-56008-X.
- ISBN 978-0-395-82760-4.