The Statue-Issue

The statue-issue

This text was written for the movie discussion group at www.theonering.net – hence the tone.

Ok, go easy on me, I haven’t figured this out completely yet, and we’re not talking about the irrefutable laws of physics, so of course there will be flaws, exceptions and deviations. Actually, I first thought statues were Boromir’s motif, but now I’m almost convinced they’re either Aragorn’s or Humankind’s. I’m still working on that (the difference between human and elvish artefacts etc.).

There are of course more statues than mentioned here, but these seem to be the most important ones. And there has to be some sort of décor, too…

Assumption: Statues are associated with Aragorn, they’re actually the motif of his royal dilemma, the materialization of his inner conflict. Here’s why I think they are. a) On Amon Sûl, where he is supposed to take his stand (and does, in the end) he almost “spoils it” and lets the Ring fall into the hands of the enemy – just like Isildur spoiled it. (Note: in Bree he is hiding, so this is actually the first time where he faces the enemy.) b) In Rivendell (the Boromir and Arwen sequence) a statue holds the shards of Narsil – his heritage, in a sequence that very much defines his character. c) Lothlórien: As in the Council of Elrond, the statues seem remote, not actually involved in the doings of Men. Yet, the important dialogue between Boromir and Aragorn takes place under a statue (that has turned its back on them) – the dialogue where Boromir at last seems to be changing his mind about “the kings of Gondor”. But Aragorn still isn’t keen on accepting this very duty.

© Tim Langer 2002, www.medienberater.de d) The Argonath: Now, if these aren’t statues with the name “Aragorn” all over them, I don’t know… They’re his ancestors, of course, and they reflect his dilemma – what’s the point of being a giant statue, when nobody sees you because you’re standing in the middle of nowhere? What’s the point of being king of an empire that has long declined? Good for birds to build a nest on, that’s what they are. e) Amon Hen/Parth Galen: first of all, there’s the giant head, where Boromir finds Frodo. This is where Isildur’s (read: Aragorn’s) bane becomes Boromir’s bane. There are some more statues, but most important are the ones supervising Boromir’s death. When Lurtz aims his first arrow at Boromir, behind him is a statue that seems to observe him. Then Boromir is being hit, and goes down just to reveal a statue that watches him get killed. The statues are Aragorn’s ancestors, the people of Númenor. So Boromir dies under the eyes of Aragorn’s folks. The Stewart of Gondor must fall for the king to come into being. Which is precisely what happens afterwards. When Boromir actually dies – and by his “I would have follwed you…” makes Aragorn king –, the statues are “gone”. They are no longer necessary.

You don’t agree? Well, then tell me why not: [email protected].