Faramir the Romantic

[jamesrbrown]

Whoever said The Lord of the Rings lacks romance hasn't read The Return of the King very well. In preparation for Valentine's Day, let me share with you some of the Professor's ideas of what true love looks like and how a real Man handles himself with a lady.

Lady Éowyn and Faramir are in the garden of the Houses of Healing with the Warden and she has just explained her grief for not having died in battle.

At a sign from Faramir, the Warden bowed and departed. 'What would you have me do, lady?' said Faramir. 'I also am a prisoner of the healers.' He looked at her, and being a man whom pity deeply stirred, it seemed to him that her loveliness amid her grief would pierce his heart. And she looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and yet knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark would outmatch in battle.

'What do you wish?' he said again. 'If it lies in my power, I will do it.'

Later in the conversation, Faramir tells the Lady that it would "ease his care" if she would walk with him and speak to him in the garden while they heal. Here follows the text:

Then she raised her head and looked him in the eyes again; and a colour came in her pale face. 'How should I ease your care, my lord?' she said. 'And I do not desire the speech of living men.'

'Would you have my plain answer?' he said.

'I would.'

'Then, Éowyn of Rohan, I say to you that you are beautiful. In the valleys of our hills there are flowers fair and bright, and maidens fairer still; but neither flower nor lady have I seen till now in Gondor so lovely, and so sorrowful. It may be that only a few days are left ere darkness falls upon our world, and when it comes I hope to face it steadily; but it would ease my heart, if while the Sun yet shines, I could see you still. For you and I have both passed under the wings of Shadow, and the same hand drew us back.'

Here's what we Men can learn from Faramir the Romantic so far:

1. Be willing to serve your woman. Practice the words, "What do you wish?" and "I will do it."

2. Find common ground. "I too am a prisoner of the healers." "For you and I have both passed under the wings of Shadow."

3. Value conversation and companionship. "It would ease my care...if you walked and talked with me in the garden."

4. Tell her how beautiful she is using comparisons. "You are more lovely than all the flowers and fair maidens I have ever seen."

If we could learn just these 4 things Men, we might actually get the results Faramir got while standing on the walls of the City and looking out toward the Black Gate, waiting for the stroke of doom.

And as they stood so, their hands met and clasped, though they did not know it. And still they waited for they knew not what. Then presently it seemed to them that above the ridges of the distant mountains another vast mountain of darkness rose, towering up like a wave that should engulf the world, and about it lightning flickered; and then a tremor ran through the earth, and they felt the walls of the City quiver. A sound like a sigh went up from all the lands about them; and their hearts beat suddenly again.

'It reminds me of Númenor,' said Faramir, and wondered to hear himself speak.

'Of Númenor? said Éowyn.

'Yes,' said Faramir, 'of the land of Westernesse that foundered, and of the great dark wave climbing over the green lands and above the hills, and coming on, darkness unescapable. I often dream of it.'

'Then you think that the Darkness is coming?' said Éowyn. 'Darkness Unescapable?' And suddenly she drew close to him.

'No,' said Faramir, looking into her face. 'It was but a picture in the mind. I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Éowyn, Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!' And he stooped and kissed her brow.

And so they stood on the walls of the City of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven golden, streamed out mingling in the air. And the Shadow departed, and the Sun was unveiled, and light leaped forth; and the waters of Anduin shone like silver, and in all the houses of the City men sang for the joy that welled up in their hearts from what source they could not tell.

Okay. I have a special request for Jon Hodgson. Please paint a picture of that last paragraph with their hair mingling in the air. I would love to put that on a homemade Valentine's Day card for my wife!

By the way, we haven't even gotten to the parts where Faramir the Man tells her of his love and proposes to her. Great stuff!

[Hermes Serpent]

Where's the +1 or thumb's up or Like button when you need it. Great post and one to treasure for the emotion within it.

[StuartJ]

Okay. I have a special request for Jon Hodgson. Please paint a picture of that last paragraph with their hair mingling in the air. I would love to put that on a homemade Valentine's Day card for my wife!

What a great idea! I'd buy that print, just in case Jon is deliberating about taking you up on your 'commission', and made the picture commercially available.

[bluejay]

... and of course the wave of which Faramir dreamt was based on a real recurring nightmare that Tolkien himself had (and apparently Christopher Tolkien as well).

[Valarian]

'Then you think that the Darkness is coming?' said Éowyn. 'Darkness Unescapable?' And suddenly she drew close to him.

'No,' said Faramir, looking into her face. 'It was but a picture in the mind. I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Éowyn, Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!' And he stooped and kissed her brow.

And so they stood on the walls of the City of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven golden, streamed out mingling in the air. And the Shadow departed, and the Sun was unveiled, and light leaped forth; and the waters of Anduin shone like silver, and in all the houses of the City men sang for the joy that welled up in their hearts from what source they could not tell.[/i]

Okay. I have a special request for Jon Hodgson. Please paint a picture of that last paragraph with their hair mingling in the air. I would love to put that on a homemade Valentine's Day card for my wife!

it would make a nice picture for the Gondor supplement

[Rich H]

Faramir is by far my favourite character of the Lord of the Rings; he's wise, brave, considerate, romantic - such an incredible character. Even though his 'screen time' is limited he feels like such a well rounded and believable character - it's a credit to Tolkien's writing that he is. He's also wonderfully portrayed in the BBC Radio Play.

Lovely post as well James, thank you.

[jamesrbrown]

... and of course the wave of which Faramir dreamt was based on a real recurring nightmare that Tolkien himself had (and apparently Christopher Tolkien as well).

Do you have the reference for this information? I would certainly love to read about it. Is it in the Letters or the Histories, or somewhere else?

Where's the +1 or thumb's up or Like button when you need it. Great post and one to treasure for the emotion within it.

There are so many scenes of emotion in The Lord of the Rings. Many critics did not like Tolkien's writing at the time (or even still), but I am enthralled with it, I must admit.

What a great idea! I'd buy that print, just in case Jon is deliberating about taking you up on your 'commission', and made the picture commercially available.

I'd buy that print too! Like Faramir said, "If it lies in my power, I will do it!"

Lovely post as well James, thank you.

You are very welcome! Valentine's Day is coming and it is such a special day for me and my bride: I asked her to marry me 21 years ago, kneeling down in the snow in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania next to the Delaware river. I am blessed beyond words that she said yes.

[bluejay]

Yes James, Tolkien mentions his dream several times in his Letters.

He also mentions how Faramir basically was added at that moment, so quite late in the story really.

Letter 66 (to Christopher Tolkien)

A new character has come on the scene (I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking into the woods of Ithilien): Faramir, the brother of Boromir...

Letter 163 (to WH Auden)

... I have what some might call an Atlantis complex. Possibly inherited, though my parents died too young for me to know such things about them, and too young to transfer such things by words. Inherited from me (I suppose) by one only of my children, though I did not know that about my son until recently, and he did not know it about me. I mean the terrible recurrent dream (beginning with memory) of the Great Wave, towering up, and coming in ineluctably over the trees and green fields. (I bequeathed it to Faramir.) I don't think I have had it since I wrote the 'Downfall of Númenor' as the last of the legends of the First and Second Age.

Hope this is useful!

EDIT: Corrected typos

[Matchstick]

I say to you that you are beautiful. In the valleys of our hills there are flowers fair and bright, and maidens fairer still; but neither flower nor lady have I seen till now in Gondor so lovely, and so sorrowful. It may be that only a few days are left ere darkness falls upon our world, and when it comes I hope to face it steadily; but it would ease my heart, if while the Sun yet shines, I could see you still.'

Those were my vows at my wedding.

1. Be willing to serve your woman. Practice the words, "What do you wish?" and "I will do it."

I think I see what you're trying to say here, but you're her husband, not her butler. Marriage is not about one spouse sacrificing themselves in favor of what the other wants, it's about peers who work together to make each other happy.

[jamesrbrown]

1. Be willing to serve your woman. Practice the words, "What do you wish?" and "I will do it."

I think I see what you're trying to say here, but you're her husband, not her butler. Marriage is not about one spouse sacrificing themselves in favor of what the other wants, it's about peers who work together to make each other happy.

This is awesome we get to chat about marriage issues using Faramir and Éowyn as our examples. I am sure we agree more than you think, but make no mistake, I try very hard to be my wife's butler, and provider, and encourager, and anything else she needs. I often do sacrifice my own desires to satisfy hers. In return, she does the same for me. In fact, she has probably done more for me than I for her. As you say, we work together at it. Mutual love and respect. Mutual submission. Not perfect, but growing toward perfect kindness and oneness.