Rangers of the North

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Rangers of the North, also known as the Dúnedain of the North, were the descendants of the Dúnedain from the lost kingdom of Arnor. Their menfolk ceaselessly patrolled the boundaries of Eriador. They were by necessity skilled with the sword, bow and spear.

The Rangers were grim in life, appearance, and dress. They wore rusty green and brown. The Rangers of the Grey Company (see below) were dressed in dark grey cloaks and openly wore a silver brooch shaped like a pointed star during the War of the Ring. These Rangers rode rough-haired, sturdy horses, were helmeted and carried shields. Their armament included spears and bows.

Like their distant cousins, the Rangers of Ithilien, the Rangers of the North spoke Sindarin (or some variation of it) in preference to the Common Speech. They were led by a Chieftain, whose ancestry could be traced back to Elendil and beyond, to the ancient Kings of Númenor.

During the War of the Ring, the Rangers of the North were led by Aragorn, but the northern Dúnedain were a dwindling and presumably widely scattered folk: when Halbarad received a message to gather as many of the Rangers as he could and lead them south to Aragorn’s aid, only thirty men (the Grey Company) were available at short notice for the journey. The Grey Company met up with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli at the Fords of the Isen in Rohan, and at Pelargir, along with the Dead Men of Dunharrow, they captured the ships of Umbar. The Dead Men then departed and the others continued on to fight in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. There, Halbarad was killed. They are also mentioned as part of the army Aragorn commanded at the Battle of Morannon.

Chieftains of the Dúnedain

1. Aranarth (T.A. 1938–2106) would have been King of Arnor at the death of his father Arvedui in T.A. 1975. When Aranarth was still a youth by the standards of his people, the Witch-king of Angmar destroyed the Northern Kingdom, overrunning Fornost. Most of the people, including Aranarth, fled to Lindon, but the King Arvedui went north to the Ice-Bay of Forochel. At Aranarth's urging, Círdan sent a ship to rescue Arvedui, but this ship never returned. It was later learned that the ship had sunk with Arvedui on board. By right, this made Aranarth now King of Arnor, but since his Kingdom had been destroyed he did not claim the title. Aranarth rode with the army of Gondor under Eärnur and saw the destruction of Angmar. Aranarth's people became known as the Rangers of the North (or Dúnedain), and he was the first of their Chieftains. In time, their origins were generally forgotten by the common people of Arnor. While the Rangers defended Arnor from the remnants of Angmar's evil, the Wizard Gandalf went to Dol Guldur, and drove out Sauron the Necromancer. Thus began the period known as the Watchful Peace, a time where attacks by the enemy were few and far between. All of Aranarth's successors were raised in Rivendell by Elrond while their fathers lived in the wild; each was given a name with the Kingly prefix of Ar(a)-, to signify that by right he would be King of Arnor.
2. Arahael (2102–2177) succeeded his father Aranarth in 2106. During his rule evil lessened, as it was the time of the Watchful Peace, and the Dúnedain slowly recovered. However, Arnor remained mostly unpopulated, and the city of Fornost was not resettled, going to ruin.
3. Aranuir (2084–2247) succeeded his father Arahael in 2177.
4. Aravir (2156–2319) succeeded his father Aranuir in 2247. During his rule the Watchful Peace slowly came to an end as Sauron returned to the north-west of Middle-earth, although his presence remained unknown.
5. Aragorn I (2227–2327) succeeded his father Aravir in T.A. 2319, but was killed by a pack of wild wolves in 2327. Wolves remained a threat to Eriador ever after, and the Rangers of the North had to fight them off many times. Aragorn II was his descendant and was named after him.
6. Araglas (2296–2455) succeeded his father Aragorn I in 2327, while still very young by the reckoning of his people.
7. Arahad I (2365–2523) succeeded his father Araglas in 2455. During his rule it was confirmed that Sauron had returned to Dol Guldur, and the Watchful Peace came to an end. In Rivendell the White Council was formed, of which he became a member, together with the Wizards and many Elf-lords. Some time later the Misty Mountains were once again invaded by the Orcs. Elrond's wife Celebrían was taken by Orcs and tortured. She later left Middle-earth for Valinor.
8. Aragost (2431–2588) succeeded his father Arahad I in 2523. His rule was an uneventful one, as the attention of the enemy was upon Gondor, where the Éothéod had settled the new realm of Rohan.
9. Aravorn (2497–2654) succeeded his father Aragost in 2588. During his rule Orc- and wolf-attacks continued, as the strength of Sauron slowly began to increase.
10. Arahad II (2563–2719), named for his great-grandfather Arahad I, succeeded his father Aravorn in 2654. During his rule the Hobbits of the Shire prospered under the protection by the Rangers, and the first pipe-weed was planted in the Shire's South Farthing. In the Shire, Isengrim II became the Thain and begun digging the Great Smials.
11. Arassuil (2628–2784) succeeded his father Arahad II in 2719. During his rule the Orcs of the Misty Mountains became more bold, daring to invade Eriador. The Rangers fought many battles trying to hold them back, but one party of Orcs managed to reach the Shire, where they were fought off by a party of brave Hobbits under Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took. Also during his rule, many lives were lost in the Long Winter of 2758; Gandalf and the Rangers had to help the Hobbits of the Shire survive.
12. Arathorn I (2693–2848) succeeded his father Arassuil in 2784. His rule was largely uneventful, as the Dúnedain and other peoples of Eriador were recovering from the Long Winter. At the southern fringes of his realm great events occurred: the Dwarven King Thrór was slain by Azog, an Orc of Moria. From 2793–2799 the War of the Dwarves and Orcs was fought all through the Misty Mountains, as Dwarves from all Seven Houses gathered to avenge Thrór, the Heir of Durin. After the War ended in 2799 at the Battle of Nanduhirion Eriador was safe from Orcs for many years, which meant that the Rangers of the North had a relatively safe period, asides from fighting the occasional Orc refugee. Most Orcs fled south to Rohan, trying to settle the White Mountains. Arathorn was killed by wolves in 2848.
13. Argonui (2757–2912) succeeded his father Arathorn I in T.A. 2848. During his rule, Gandalf entered Dol Guldur and discovered that it was Sauron who ruled there as he long had feared, and not the Witch-king of Angmar his servant. Thráin II the Dwarf died after giving Gandalf a map and a key. The White Council met in 2850, where Gandalf urged an attack on Dol Guldur to drive Sauron out, but Saruman overruled him. In 2890 Bilbo Baggins was born in the Shire, son of Bungo of the respectable Baggins family, and Belladonna, daughter of the Old Took. At the end of Argonui's rule in 2911 the Fell Winter began and White Wolves invaded Eriador from the North, some of them crossing the frozen river Baranduin into the Shire. Argonui died in 2912, possibly as a result of the Fell Winter.
14. Arador (2820–2930) succeeded his father Argonui in 2912. This was after the Fell Winter, and great floods devastated Enedwaith and Minhiriath. The city of Tharbad at the southern end of the former realm of Arnor was ruined and deserted. In 2930 Arador was captured and killed by Hill-Trolls north of Rivendell.
15. Arathorn II (2873–2933) married Gilraen, a descendant of Aranarth, though her father Dírhael initially opposed the union as he foresaw that Arathorn would have a short life. The couple had one son, Aragorn (born T.A. 2931). Arathorn II succeeded his father Arador as Chieftain in 2930 but was killed by Orcs three years later at the age of 60.
16. Aragorn II, one of the major characters in The Lord of the Rings, was born in T.A. 2931. His father was killed two years later. He came of age in T.A. 2951, and assumed lordship of the Dúnedain of Arnor. He was a member of the Company of the Ring and fought in the War of the Ring. In T.A. 3019 he was crowned King Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor. The same year he married Arwen, daughter of Elrond. Their son, Eldarion, succeeded him as king. In Eldarion the two bloodlines of the Half-Elven were reunited, Arwen being the daughter of the immortal Elrond and Aragorn the 60th-generation descendant of Elrond's mortal twin brother, Elros.

Portrayal in adaptations

The Rangers of the North are virtually omitted in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, save for a few mentions in the extended cuts. Here they are called "Dúnedain Rangers", possibly to distinguish them from the Rangers of Ithilien. However, Tolkien calls both groups Dúnedain (men of the west).

The terminology and distinction made in Jackson's films have made its way into some of its merchandise, like the computer and video games by Electronic Arts. In one of these, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, there is an original Ranger character called Elegost. In another, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, "Dúnedain Rangers" are playable units, but they are like the Ithilien Rangers. Halbarad is featured in The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game and, together with his fellow Rangers, in The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game.

The role of the Rangers of the North has been greatly expanded in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, which includes numerous Dúnedain spread across the remnants of Arnor and features several prominent Rangers (including Halbarad and several others created expressly for the game) as key characters in the first volume of its epic story.

See also

• Rangers
• Dúnedain
• Rangers of Ithilien

External links

• Rangers of the North at The Encyclopedia of Arda
• Dúnedain of the North at The Thain’s Book