Both Jesus and Aragorn display an innate humble leadership ability that naturally attracts loyal followers. Throughout His ministry, Jesus leads his disciples and followers, and they submit fully to his leadership; likewise, in Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is a strong leader who holds the respect of all of his followers. One of our first glimpses of Aragorn''s leadership occurs after Gandalf falls into the darkness at Moria. Immediately after Gandalfs fall, Aragorn tells the fellowship, "Come! I will lead you now...
Follow me! (Tolkien 579) Aragorn takes charge of the fellowship without hesitation, and the fellowship follows him and submits to his leadership without any reluctance, showing his great leadership along with people''s willingness to accept him as their leader. His leadership is further developed as he leads Legolas and Gimli in their search for Merry and Pippin. Even though Aragorn is doubtful of his decisions, he still holds the trust of Legolas and Gimli, and his decisions eventually prove to have been wisely made.
These glimpses of Aragorn''s leadership lead up to is ultimate display of leadership when the Dunedain, Legolas, and Gimli follow him through the Paths of the Dead. Because this path is known for its certain death, Aragorn''s followers are demonstrating their absolute trust in him and loyalty to his leadership. Similarly, even though the disciples'' close relationship to Jesus made them susceptible to persecution, they continued to trust Him and remain loyal to His leadership and authority. Furthermore, Aragorn, like Jesus, exhibits an unworldly strength of will in his resistance to temptation and his ability to overcome evil.
Aragorn is the only person in Lord of the Rings who we assume has the strength of will to both resist the evil of the Palantir and subdue it to his will. His resistance of the effects of the Palantir definitely sets him apart from all other characters in the trilogy; even some of the great characters such as Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf, would likely be influenced by the stone''s evil power. We see the same incredible resistance when Jesus resists the devil''s temptation in the desert, which would have been too powerful for any other human to resist.
Furthermore, when Aragorn consults the Palantir, he is also able to overpower Sauron and subdue the stone to his will. He tells Gimli that "l [Aragorn] am the lawful master of the stone, and I had both the right and strength to use it. " (Two Towers 1059) His proclamation that he is the master of the stone with the strength to use it depicts him as having the same power over evil that Jesus has when he conquers Hell. Overall, both of their powers to resist temptation and their abilities to overcome evil help them fulfill their purposes in the struggle against evil.
Finally, the lives of both Jesus and Aragorn are the fulfillments of prophecy; each is meant to overcome death , bring healing to His people, and take His rignttul place as King. Jesus demonstrates his power over death whenever he raises from the dead; although Aragorn does not technically come back from death, he symbolically overcomes death when he travels through the Paths of the Dead. This path is representative of an underworld, and when Aragorn emerges from the path alive, he shows his dominion over death and fulfills the prophecies foretelling his Journey.
After his arrival at Minas Tirith, Aragorn is vividly depicted as a type of Christ as he heals the wounded people in the city. When he does this, loreth recalls the prophecy that "The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known. " (Return of the King 1149) Therefore, as Aragorn fulfills the prophecy of healing the people in Minas Tirith, he also confirms that he is the heir the throne of Gondor, which he assumes after the ring is destroyed.
In Lord of the Rings, Aragorn resembles Christ in his natural leadership, strength f will, and fulfillment of ancient prophecies. Like Jesus when he leads his disciples and followers, Aragorn is a respected leader, in whom all of his followers have complete trust. Aragorn also possesses an unworldly strength of will, similar to that of Jesus, which allows him to resist great evil and even subdue the Palantir to his will. Finally, Aragorn''s life is a fulfillment of ancient prophecies that foretell of his overcoming death, bringing healing to his people, and taking his rightful place as the King of Gondor.
Aragorn''s portrayal in this epic battle against evil depicts him as being Middle-Earth''s ultimate Savior, Just as Christ is our Savior. Works Cited Tolkien, J. R. R. The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Two Towers; Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965. Print. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965. Print.
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