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Date

2011

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Aragorn and Túrin, two of the greatest warriors and most important protagonists in Tolkien’s legendarium, represent opposing reactions to destiny, doom, hope, and the forces of fate. Aragorn, descendant of kings, exhibits a willing and unwavering acceptance of the decades of hard work and self‐denial he will have to undertake to claim his foretold place as the king who will unite the free people of Middle‐earth. Túrin, heir to a great House of Men in the First Age of Middle‐earth, is also heir to Morgoth’s curse on his father, and he attempts to escape, by almost any means possible, the tragedy which always dogs his footsteps. Both characters are also notable for accumulating a great number of different names in the course of their careers. In keeping with the fractal nature of Tolkien’s art, this is not merely a shallow coincidence—names are important signifiers of character, plot, social position, and relative power—and additionally, as we peel back the fractal layers, we will see that their relationships to their multiple names also tell the stories of their relationships to fate.

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Literature, English.

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