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 and were by necessity skilled with the sword, bow and spear.
The Rangers were grim in life, appearance, and dress, choosing to wear 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 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
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Aranarth (T.A. 1938/41–2106) 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.
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Arahael (2002–2177) 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.
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Aranuir (2084–2247) succeeded his father Arahael in 2177.
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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.
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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.
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Araglas (2296–2455) succeeded his father
Aragorn I in 2327, while still very young by the reckoning of his people.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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, aside 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Aragorn II (T.A. 2931-F.A. 120), 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. Even "Arnor" is never mentioned, except for one line in the extended edition of The Two Towers when Aragorn explains to Éowyn that he is a "Dunedain Ranger" though there are not many of them left because "the North-kingdom was destroyed". 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 some created expressly for the game) as key characters in the first volume of its epic story. In the game, Dúnedain have at least two major permanent settlements: Esteldin near the ruins of Fornost and Tinnundir at the shores of the lake Evendim, near Annuminas. When the Grey Company sets out to ride south, it consists almost entirely of named Rangers with whom players have already interacted before (in the Book, Halbarad, Elladan and Elrohir are the only named members).
See also
External links
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