Boromir - WikiHQ

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Boromir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers), and is mentioned in the last volume, The Return of the King. He was the heir apparent of Denethor II (the 26th Steward of Gondor) and the elder brother of Faramir. In the course of the story Boromir joined the Fellowship of the Ring.

Boromir is portrayed as a noble character who believed passionately in the greatness of his kingdom and fought indomitably for it. His great stamina and physical strength, together with a forceful and commanding personality, made him a widely admired commander in Gondor's army and the favourite of his father Denethor. As a member of the Fellowship, his desperation to save his country ultimately drove him to betray his companions and attempt to seize the Ring, but he was redeemed by his repentance and brave last stand.

Commentators have remarked on Boromir's vainglory and desire for the Ring. They have compared him both to other proud Tolkien characters such as Fëanor and Túrin Turambar, and to medieval heroes like Roland, who also blew a horn in battle and was killed in the wilderness. His boat-funeral, too, has been likened to Scyld Scefing's ship-burial in Beowulf.

Boromir appears in animated and live-action films of Lord of the Rings, and in radio and television versions.

Appearances

Boromir is the son of Denethor II and Lady Finduilas of Dol Amroth. He has a younger brother Faramir. A year after Faramir was born their father became the ruling Steward of Gondor, and Boromir became heir apparent, inheriting the Horn of Gondor. When Boromir's mother Finduilas dies, he is only 10.

Denethor always favours Boromir over Faramir; he loves Boromir "too much, perhaps; the more so because they were unlike".

In response to prophetic dreams that come to Faramir and later to himself, Boromir claims the quest of riding to Rivendell. His journey lasts a hundred and eleven days, and he travels through "roads forgotten" to reach Rivendell, though, as he says, "few knew where it lay".

Boromir accompanies the Fellowship south from Rivendell. Before departing, he sounds the Horn of Gondor, saying he "would not go forth like a thief into the night". On the journey south, he questions the wisdom of their leader Gandalf. On the Fellowship's attempt to pass over the Misty Mountains, he advises that firewood be collected before the attempt to climb Caradhras, saving them from freezing in a blizzard. In the retreat from Caradhras, Boromir proves his strength as he and Aragorn force a way through shoulder-high snowbanks back down the mountain.

The Fellowship then pass under the mountains through the caverns of Moria where Gandalf is killed, and Aragorn becomes their guide. At the borders of the Elven realm of Lothlórien, Boromir is unnerved by the thought of entering, pleading with Aragorn to find another way "though it led through a hedge of swords"; he cites stories of elvish witchcraft, and the "strange paths" they had already taken which had caused Gandalf's death. Once in Lórien, Boromir is greatly disturbed by Galadriel's testing of his mind, telling Aragorn "not to be too sure of this lady and her purposes". On parting, Galadriel gives Boromir a golden belt and an Elven-cloak.

Boromir had always planned to go to Minas Tirith, and despite the consensus reached at Rivendell that the Ring must be destroyed in Mordor, he urges the Fellowship to accompany him to Minas Tirith before going on to Mordor. As Frodo ponders his course from Parth Galen, Boromir privately urges him to use the Ring in Gondor's defence, rather than to "throw it away". Finally, he succumbs to the temptation to take the Ring for himself, justifying this by his duty to his people and his belief in his own integrity.