Which member of the Fellowship would you aspire to?

[Mathew_Freeman]

I voted for Gimli!

Up the Stunties! (old Games Workshop joke)

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Aragorn. He's pure nobility in the trenches-- he does what needs to be done, at great cost to himself, when he could easily walk away from it all.

Not to mention, out of the Fellowship, he's second only to Gandalf in understanding what's happening and knowing his job.

 

[KnowTheToe]

I go with Aragorn for several reasons. First, he is a complex character. He has a strong sense of duty and commitment, is fighting internally with his need vs his ability to take his wrightful place as king of men, he has a hot girlfriend, he is intelligent and has a great understanding of what is a risk.

Boromir is another great character as mentioned in earlier posts, but he is dead and what fun would that be.

Gandalf is too attached to other powers to have the freedoms of action of all the other characters, so he would be my second to last choice, right behind Frodo. Frodo's road is very tough and who needs that.

 

[Cedric]

I mean, the movie Aragorn doesn't even come close to the book Aragorn. I believe they could have cast that role much better and I was just dissapointed by it.

I disagree with this vehemently. I think the movie Aragorn is a great choice! Solid acting, emotion, spirit and sense of personal power. The caring way he tends to the hobbits in need. The casual indifference and anger on his face as he approached the onrushing Orcs to do battle.

Great acting...excellent choice for Aragorn.

Cedric

 

[JRRNeiklot]

From the book: Jar-Ja, er Gimli.

From the movie: Gandalf.

 

[mmu1]

Boromir. I like his humanity - it ends up getting him killed, but at least he goes out in style.

 

[BenBrown]

It doesn't come out in the films all that well, but Merry Brandybuck is the most "ordinarily competent" of the bunch.

He's out of his depth, sure, but he knows it, and despite this he still has a good idea of what to do. Plus he's the one who spent time studying maps so that he knows where he is.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Great responses, everyone!

It might be nice to think of positive characteristics for each of the members of the Fellowship - it's so long since I read the book that I don't remember the details but I'm sure that Merry and Pippin come more to the fore by the end - and ultimately in the shire *they* are the ones that everyone considers the heroes!

Cheers

 

[The Sigil]

Re: Boromir

Earlier someone mentioned that Gandalf had earned his power by 'walking among the people', but the knowledge I gained from reading the books says that Gandalf, and indeed all the other wizards including Saruman, are not from Middle Earth and gained their powers my simply being born where ever it is they are from.

Gandalf's power, unlike Saruman's or Sauron's did not come from great, ostentatious displays of magic arts (the "power" to which you refer).

Gandalf's TRUE power was in his influence over others. Yes, he used powers (note the "s") not of this world, but his powers were not the source of his power.

Gandalf's influence for good was his power. He earned that influence by being noble and wise and being a true friend and counselor to others.

Gandalf seems to me have a view of his powers much like the one the devil Screwtape describes as being "humble" when you are powerful without "trying to convince yourself you are not." He is content to use his powers only when necessary, and even then most often to aid another, rather than himself. He doesn't "live" for his powers - if someone else had used powers like his to the same ends instead of him, he would be perfectly contented with that, too... so long as SOMEONE had so used them, it made no difference to him WHO used them (i.e., whether or not it was him).

The power of the Gandalf character to me is someone who COULD do a job himself, and DOES do it when no one else can - but who prefers to let others do the job - he is content to "simply give [them] a little nudge out of the door."

Real, true, power, in my mind, has nothing to do with "powers" (what you can do) and everything to do with what you are.

--The Sigil

 

[Corinth]

Aragorn, because he is the man that I desperately wish lived here and now- and one I aspire to be, though I fall far short of that goal. Rather, I am more like Boromir; I only hope that I do not choose as Boromir did, but rather as Aragorn did, should my test (as it were; I'm speaking metaphorically here) come.