The White Council

Re: Was Elrond being arrogant?

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: Hello Gentlemen, : I am new to this world of Tolkien having only read LoTR last year. I am learning a lot reading what has been posted. When I read the following tho, I just couldn't keep quiet :-)

: (major snip)

: : Or, in the words of Limp Bizkit, did Aragorn just do it all for the nookie? (Hmmm... Side query: Is Aragorn a ninety-year-old virgin?)

: What is so wrong about him being a virgin? Would you rather he sleep with all manner of women just because he isn't able to be with the woman he loves? I think it shows how honorable he was in staying faithful to her all those years. I also believe he was very lonely and wanted her in every way... not just sexually, but someone to talk with when he was going thru rough times. Do you think Arwen stayed faithful to Aragorn? or do you think she decided to play the field not knowing whether the man she loved would be able to live up to her father's bidding. If she was the woman I think she was... she was just as faithful to him as he was to her. She would not think of another man as her husband/lover because she loved Aragorn so much, just as he loved her.

: : (I know I was phrasing things here provocatively, but I just wanted to lay it all on the line. If you want it in other, less severe terms, then how about: Would Aragorn still have devoted his life to defeating Sauron if Elrond didn't put the (in)famous condition on him? (snip)

: I think Aragorn was able to be more single minded on his task by not having to worry about a wife and children. He didn't have to worry that someone might kidnap them or kill them to hurt him. He knew her father would protect her so he could accomplish what had to be done.

: Thank you for listening to me. :-)

: Gynger

But the question is, would Aragorn been so single-minded of purpose had Elrond not given his consent to him to marry Arwen? After all it is Arwen who is the motivating force for Aragorn to re-unite the two kingdoms. She is the prize that is offered. And Aragorn's success is the stipulation for receiving the prize. If Aragorn fails, Arwen will not marry him. So we might ask, what kind of love does Arwen have for Aragorn? She'll only marry him if he's a king, nothing less. Does Arwen even have a choice about who she marries? Would Arwen go against her father and marry Aragorn even if Aragorn had not become king? There have been so many posts in other places that talk about Arwen's love and devotion to Aragorn, but what happens to that love and devotion should Aragorn fail? No one seems aware of the politics at play here.