Contents
Who is Isildur?
Isildur was one of the most important figures in the history of Middle-earth. He was the eldest son of Elendil, the High King of Gondor and Arnor, two great realms founded by the Númenóreans, a race of Men blessed with long life and wisdom by the god Eru Ilúvatar. Isildur was also the brother of Anárion, who ruled Gondor alongside him.
Isildur is best known for his role in the War of the Last Alliance, a coalition of Elves and Men that fought against the Dark Lord Sauron at the end of the Second Age. Isildur witnessed his father’s death at the hands of Sauron on the slopes of Mount Doom, and avenged him by cutting off Sauron’s finger with the One Ring on it, thus defeating him. However, Isildur also made a fateful decision: he refused to destroy the Ring and claimed it as his own.
This decision would haunt his descendants for centuries, as the Ring corrupted his heart and eventually led to his downfall. On his way back to Arnor, Isildur and his sons were ambushed by Orcs at the Gladden Fields. Isildur tried to escape by putting on the Ring and jumping into the river, but the Ring betrayed him and slipped off his finger, making him visible to his enemies. He was shot by an Orc arrow and killed, and the Ring was lost in the river.
Who is Aragorn?
Aragorn was one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy of novels written by J.R.R. Tolkien that chronicles the events of the Third Age of Middle-earth. He was also one of the last Númenóreans left in Middle-earth, and a descendant of both Isildur and Anárion.
Aragorn was born in 2931 of the Third Age, as Aragorn II son of Arathorn II, who was the Chieftain of the Dúnedain of Arnor, a remnant of Númenóreans who lived in exile in the north after their kingdom fell. When Aragorn was only two years old, his father was killed by Orcs, and he was taken to Rivendell by his mother Gilraen. There he was raised by Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell and an Elf-friend of his ancestors.
Elrond kept Aragorn’s true identity secret from him until he was twenty years old, when he revealed to him that he was the Heir of Isildur and Anárion, and gave him the Ring of Barahir and the Shards of Narsil, two heirlooms of his lineage. He also told him about Arwen, his daughter and Aragorn’s destined love.
Aragorn then left Rivendell and began his life as a Ranger, wandering across Middle-earth under various names such as Strider, Thorongil, Elessar, and Envinyatar. He fought against Sauron’s servants, protected the people of Eriador (especially the Hobbits of the Shire), befriended Gandalf the Grey, and joined forces with Legolas and Gimli to form
the Fellowship of the Ring.
Aragorn played a crucial role in the War of the Ring, as he helped Frodo Baggins reach Mordor to destroy
the One Ring (the same Ring that Isildur failed to destroy), led
the Army of
the Dead to
the Battle
of Pelennor Fields,
and challenged Sauron at
the Black Gate.
He also fulfilled
the prophecy
of
the Return
of
the King,
as he reclaimed
the throne
of Gondor
and Arnor,
and united
the kingdoms
of Men.
He married Arwen,
and ruled wisely
and well for 120 years,
until he died peacefully in 120 of
the Fourth Age.
Isildur and Aragorn are related through direct bloodline stemming from Isildur’s son Valandil, who was
the only son that survived
the Disaster
of Gladden Fields.
Valandil became
the King
of Arnor,
while Gondor
was ruled
by Meneldil,
the son
of Anárion.
The bloodline
of Isildur
went in unbroken succession from father to son, until the last King of Arnor, Arvedui, married Fíriel, the daughter of Ondoher, the last King of Gondor of the House of Anárion. Thus, Arvedui claimed the right to both thrones, but his claim was rejected by the Steward of Gondor, Pelendur.
Arnor soon fell to the Witch-king of Angmar, and its people became known as the Rangers of the North. They continued to preserve the line of Isildur, until it reached Aragorn. Aragorn was therefore the 39th Heir of Isildur, and also a descendant of Anárion through Fíriel. He was the rightful King of both Gondor and Arnor, and the only one who could wield the reforged sword Andúril, made from the Shards of Narsil that Isildur used to cut off Sauron’s Ring.
Conclusion
Isildur and Aragorn are two of the most important characters in Tolkien’s legendarium, as they represent the rise and fall, and the fall and rise, of the Númenórean kingship in Middle-earth. They are also related by blood, as Aragorn is a distant descendant of Isildur, and inherits his legacy and his destiny. Their stories are intertwined by the One Ring, which Isildur failed to destroy, and which Aragorn helped to destroy. They are both heroes in their own right, but also flawed and human.
