While Frodo Baggins might be the main protagonist from The Lord of the Rings who destroys the One Ring, Aragorn has his own heroic journey that happens simultaneously. He goes from Ranger in the North to the King of Gondor, but along the way, he deals with a lot of struggles.
Fans of both the books and the films know that Aragorn is a loyal, courageous figure, but not everyone knows some of the saddest things that happened to him. His life definitely wasn’t easy, and some of the most tragic details aren’t even in the films.
He didn’t know his true lineage for many years
Aragorn was raised for most of his life as a foster child of Lord Elrond after his mother left him there. His mother, Gilraen, instructed Elrond to not tell Aragorn right away who he truly was.
Aragorn, who was given the name Estel in Rivendell, was twenty years old when he finally learned that he was a descendant of Isildur and heir to the throne of Gondor.
His father died when he was just two years old
The reason why Aragorn was left in Rivendell in the first place was that his father had just died. He was only two years old when this happened. His father, Arathorn II, was the Chieftain of the Dúnedain when he was killed by orcs.
So, Aragorn wouldn’t have known or ed his father at all despite him being a very kingly and important figure.
He had to reclaim the throne to marry Arwen
Many things in The Lord of the Rings are fairly old-fashioned including the fact that Aragorn needed Lord Elrond’s permission to marry Arwen.
Elrond refused to give his blessing until Aragorn claimed the title of King of Gondor. This was a way for Elrond to try to protect his daughter from losing her immortality, but it also kept Arwen and Aragorn from being married as Aragorn’s life went by.
His mother hid him in Rivendell so he wouldn’t be killed
Given Aragorn’s royal lineage, it might seem surprising that he was taken away from his people after his father’s death. However, as he would have been next in line as the Chieftain of the Dúnedain and the Rangers of the North, he was definitely much too young at the time to take on that role.
Gilraen feared that Aragorn would be killed in a similar manner as his father and grandfather had been. This is because the forces of Sauron were looking for Isildur’s heirs and meaning to wipe them out.
The history of his people is rather grim
As you can see from the information above, the family history that Aragorn was born into is rather ominous. While they were descendants of Isildur and had a claim as both Kings of Gondor and Arnor, they had gone from being mighty to wandering people who were mostly secretive.
Also, the weight of the past of Isildur and his refusal to destroy the One Ring was almost a curse of sorts.
Because he dealt with a lot of self-doubt
It’s worth noting that the Aragorn in the books and the Aragorn in the films have some key differences. To make for a more cinematic story, the movie Aragorn is much more reluctant to claim his heritage, and he’s more filled with doubt than his book counterpart.
However, in the movies, he is deeply weighted down by guilt and fears that he will be as weak as Isildur.
He was deeply impacted when Boromir died
Aragorn and Boromir are at odds given Aragorn’s potential claim to the throne as the rightful heir. Boromir’s father, Denethor, and their line of stewards had ruled Gondor for generations after the line of kings was broken.
However, when Boromir died, these two were united in the future they wanted for their people. This death was obviously upsetting to Aragorn who also was a leader in many ways of the Fellowship.
His mother’s death
While Aragorn’s father, Arathorn, died when Aragorn was really young, his mother lived a long life. In the appendices of the books, we learn that Gilraen lived with her people in Eriador and only saw Aragorn sporadically which is sad in and of itself. She ed away around twelve years before Aragorn was crowned king.
And, in the extended edition of the movies, there is a scene where Aragorn visits her grave.
He had to deal handle many leadership responsibilities
While Gandalf starts out as the leader of the Fellowship, these responsibilities go to Aragorn when Gandalf falls in Moria. And, it’s not just these worries that Aragorn had in his life.
Before being crowned King of the Reunited Kingdom, Aragorn had taken up his mantle as leader of the Dunedain already. As such, he was responsible for his own people and eventually for all humans on Middle-Earth.
His love for Arwen would also mean her death
The most tragic thing about Aragorn is his love story with Arwen. It’s a beautiful story on the one hand, but it is also sad on another. Arwen gave up her immortality to be with Aragorn, and while the details of how this works are complex, Aragorn carried this guilt with him.
This is why he is reluctant at first to be with Arwen because he knows her life will be cut short because of him.
