Aragorn goes a'prowling where the stars are strange

[Anardil]

Throughout his long career as a Ranger, Aragorn travelled in many places and participated in a large number of heroic deeds. The greatest of his journeys however were certainly the ones he undertook in the far countries of Rhun and Harad. Here, we are told, he was "exploring the hearts of men, both good and evil, and uncovering the plots and devices of the servants of Sauron". Clearly, Aragorn's purpose was to spy on the Easterlings and Southrons. It seems to me that the name Incanus would have been more appropriately given to Aragorn than to Gandalf. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

What is less clear however is just when these mammoth journeys took place. We are told that in 2957-2980 Aragorn undertook his great journeys and errantries. At some point during those years, he went to the kingdom of Rohan and rode with the Rohirrim, in the service of King Thengel. Afterwards, he went to Minas Tirith and offered his services to Ecthelion, Steward of Gondor. Having fought many battles as a soldier, he ended his service by leading a small fleet of ships against the corsairs of Umbar, and then disappeared again. Later that same year (2980) he entered Lothlorien.

As far as I can guess, the great journey through Rhun and Harad could have taken place either:

1. Before Aragorn went to Rohan

2. After he left Gondor, but before he entered Lorien, or

3. After his engagement to Arwen in Lorien and his talk with Elrond.

It seems to me that there would not have been enough time in 2980 between his departure from Pelargir and his arrival in Lorien for Aragorn to travel very far. The journey itself would have taken at least a year, and much more time would have been required for Aragorn to become familiar enough with the language and culture of the inhabitants to do much spying. Also, we are told that he wanted to return to Rivendell and rest there "ere he journeyed into the far countries". I presume that by "far countries", Tolkien means Rhun and Harad. Therefore, I would guess that possibility 3 in the most probable.

[Manwe Sulimo]

Well, Umbar is in Haradwaith, so that takes care of the "strange stars" and his trip there. Rhûn is a bit more difficult...probably while he was searching for Gollum near Mordor?

[Afrodal Fenyar]

I don't think the stars are different in Umbar. He must have travelled to the southern globe.

[Dain]

I thought the stars were different in the southern hemisphere, though not completely. I mean, you are looking in a different direction...

As for when he wandered, I'd say there was plenty of time between '57 and '80 between (or even during) his survice to Rohan and Gondor when he could have visited far-flung lands. I'm not sure exactly when, though we do know he went south in '80, so maybe he was there scouting it out slightly before as well...

[GlingleglingleglingleFairy]

I've always wondered about the different stars thing, and Aragorn would have had to go far south for them to be different, maybe not quite to the southern hemisphere but definetly near the equator. However, I'm not at all an expert on astronomy so I may be wrong.

[Dain]

I found this in Appendix A:

He rode in the host of the Rohirrim, and fought for the Lord of Gondor by land and by sea; and then in the hour of victory he passed out of the knowledge of the Men of the West, and went alone into the East and deep into the South, exploring the hearts of Men, both evil and good, and uncovering the plots and devices of the servants of Sauron.
(p1035 in my recent Harper Collins)

So, it seems he left "in the hour of victory," whenever that may be. Is that his victory over Umbar? Anardil, you claim that victory was in 2980, but that seems unlikely from this passage...

[ April 21, 2003: Message edited by: Dain ]

[Anardil]

From Appendix A, Part (iv) (Gondor and the Heirs of Anarion), The Stewards:

"In much of what he [Ecthelion] did he had the aid and advice of a great captain whom he loved above all. Thorongil men called him in Gondor ... He came to Ecthelion from Rohan, where he had served the King Thengel...[he] gathered a small fleet, and he came to Umbar unlooked for by night...But when they came back to Pelargir, to men's grief and wonder, he would not return to Minas Tirith... For he took boat and crossed over Anduin, and there he said farewell to his companions and went on alone; and when he was last seen his face was towards the Mountains of Shadow.
There was dismay in the City at the departure of Thorongil, and to all men it seemed a great loss, unless it were to Denethor, the son of Ecthelion, a man now ripe for the Stewardship, to which after four years he succeeded on the death of his father."

Since Denethor became Steward in 2984 (Appendix B, The Tale of Years), it follows that the victory at Umbar took place four years earlier, in 2980. It is also stated in Appendix A Part (v) that when Aragorn entered Lorien, he "returned from perils on the dark confines of Mordor", which seems to fit with his having been last seen facing the Mountains of Shadow.

Concerning the possibility of his having visited the lands during or between his service in Rohan and Gondor, I do not think that this would have happened during his service in Rohan. The Rohirrim had nothing to do with the Easterlings and Haradrim. If Aragorn had been sent by Thengel on any sort of spying mission, he would probably have been sent to Dunland or some such place. On the other hand, it would certainly make a lot of sense for Ecthelion to send Thorongil on a mission to gather information on the enemies of Gondor in Rhun and Harad. This would also explain Aragorn's knowledge of the threat represented by the Corsairs of Umbar.

[Dain]

That is strange, because the two passages seem to disagree: mine seems to say he went south when he disappears, but yours seems to indicate he scouted around mordor and then to Lorien. Maybe he went south after that, as there seems to be 20 years between then and when Gandalf asks him to help him (3001), from which point he seems to be helping Gandalf more directly and hunting Gollum (though he doesn't catch him until he's released from Mordor 3017). Interesting!