4 days to the release of
Return of the King!
Bonus Fact--The Ring of Barahir:
Those of you who have had a chance to see the extended edition of the Two Towers will have noted the added scene in which Wormtongue describes a ring he noticed on Aragorn's finger. Saruman recognizes the ring from the description as the Ring of Barahir and realizes that Aragorn must be Isildur's heir. (This is, of course, not how it happens in the book, but it's not a change that I mind terribly.)
The Ring of Barahir has an interesting history going back to the First Age of Middle Earth. Barahir was descended from one of the first rulers of the groups of Men who came into that part of Middle Earth and aided the Elves in the battle against Morgoth. He saved King Finrod Felagund, Galadriel's brother, during a great battle before the gates of Morgoth's fortress Angband, and in gratitude Finrod swore "an oath of abiding friendship and aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin, and in token of his vow he gave to Barahir his ring." Later Barahir's ring comes to his son Beren after Barahir is slain by orcs.
Beren made his way into Doriath and fell in love with Luthien, daughter of King Thingol. Thingol did not wish his daughter to marry a mortal man and he said that he would not permit the marriage unless Beren brought him one of the Silmarils that Morgoth stole. Beren went to King Finrod to ask his aid in obtaining the Silmaril. Finrod honored his vow to aid the son of Barahir, though he died during the quest (rather tragically, in the dungeons of Morgoth's chief lieutenant, Sauron...but that is another story). The quest was ultimately successful, Beren married Luthien, and the Ring of Barahir was passed to their son Dior, then to his son Earendil, and then to his son Elros, the first king of Numenor.
Later the ring was given to Elros' great-great-granddaughter Silmarien. She was the eldest child of the fourth king of Numenor, Tar-Elendil, but at that time the kingship was being passed to the eldest son, not the eldest child. From her were descended Elendil and his sons Anarion and Isildur, who escaped the downfall of Numenor. Thus was the Ring of Barahir saved; all of the other heirlooms of the First Age were lost.
The Ring of Barahir became an heirloom of the North Kingdom. It was in the possession of King Arvedui when he was driven by the Witch-King of Angmar into the frozen northern shores of Middle Earth. He was aided there by "the Lossach, the Snowmen of Forochel". A ship arrived later in the winter to try to rescue them, but the Lossach advised him to wait until spring, because they had a premonition of danger. Arvedui would not listen to their council, and he went on the ship, which was later crushed by ice floes. Hence Arvedui died, in the year 1975 of the Third Age (several of the Palantiri were also lost in this shipwreck). But before he left Arvedui gave the Ring of Barahir into the keeping of the chief of the Lossach, saying "...if ever you are in need, my kin will ransom [this ring] with great store of all that you desire." Long after the shipwreck the Lossach managed to bring news of it back to the Dunedain, and thus the ring was saved. It continued to be passed down through the generations of the chieftains of the Rangers, for Arvedui was the last king of the North Kingdom (at the time of the Lord of the Rings). Thus it came to Aragorn as an heirloom of his house.
(Source: The Silmarillion, and Appendix A of LOTR)
Once again I forgot to post today's fact! Normally I post these before I leave each day, but I had to work today, and was running late, and was expecting to be home mid-afternoon, and, and, and...
I promise to post tomorrow's entry earlier.
11:06:51 PM 
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