Boromir

"*The Ring! Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing!*"
—from *The Fellowship of the Ring*, "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
**Boromir** was a valiant warrior known in Gondor for his greatness, having already achieved great merit in Gondor prior to the Council of Elrond. He is the eldest son of Denethor II, who was Steward of Gondor during the War of the Ring, and his wife Finduilas. Even the people of Rohanadmired him, particularly Éomer. He is the older brother of Faramir.

## Biography[1]

### Before the War of the Ring[2]

[3]Boromir in Osgiliath after its recapture
Boromir was born in the year TA 2978. He was the eldest child of Denethor II (the penultimate Steward of Gondor) and his wife Finduilas, and would have taken over as Steward after Denethor's death, had he lived. When Boromir was only ten years old, his mother died. Consequently, his father became a grim person and visibly preferred Boromir over his brother, Faramir. Despite this fact, Boromir looked after his younger brother and they became very close. Boromir devoted himself to leading his people and fought in the battle for the eastern part of Osgiliath. He, his brother, and two others were the only survivors of the unit that held the bridge until its destruction; they had to swim the river Anduin to reach safety.

### War of the Ring[4]

[5]Boromir arriving at Rivendell

"*Why should we not think that the Great Ring has come into our hands to serve us in the very hour of need? Wielding it the Free Lords of the Free may surely defeat the Enemy.*"
—*The Fellowship of the Ring*, "The Council of Elrond"
Boromir, by order of his father, Denethor, set out from Minas Tirith to Rivendell to decipher a riddle that was given to him and his brother in their dreams:

*Seek for the Sword that was broken,*
*In Imladris it dwells,*
*There shall be counsels taken,*
*Stronger than Morgul-spells.*
*There shall be shown a token,*
*That Doom is near at hand,*
*For Isildur's Bane shall waken,*
*And the Halfling forth shall stand.*
Boromir lost his horse in Tharbad and travelled the rest of the way on foot. The journey took 110 days. He arrived at the beginning of the Council of Elrond where he talked about how Gondor was defending itself from Mordor and tried to convince them to give the One Ring to Gondor where he felt it would be kept safe. But the council disagreed with the One Ring's being taken to Gondor, deciding that the only safe course was to destroy it.

Boromir joined the Fellowship of the Ring and was warned by Elrond to not blow the Horn of Gondor until they were close to Gondor and in dire need. He proved his worth as a capable warrior in the Mines of Moria, and assisted Aragorn in fighting off a large number of orcs and goblins. After the loss of Gandalf and the Fellowship's departure of Moria, Boromir expressed opposition to Aragorns decision to continue to Lorien, argueing that to go south was better. He believed that stories told in Gondor of the Galadriel's magic would harm them. He eventually agreed to go after Aragorn assured him the elves would help them. In Lothlórien, Boromir was disturbed by what he felt was Galadriel's testing of his mind, and he was suspicious of her motives. Before leaving Lothlórien he was given the gift of an elven-cloak and a golden belt.

"*Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed.*"
—*The Two Towers*, "The Departure of Boromir" (Boromir's final words, spoken to Aragorn)
Boromir disliked the idea of destroying the One Ring, as he believed that it could be used to defeat Sauron once and for all, to save Gondor, and return it to its former glory; he tried to convince Frodo to give him the Ring. When Frodo refused, Boromir tried to take it by force but the hobbit put it on and fled.

After Boromir realized his actions were caused by the corruption of the One Ring, he repented, and upon returning to camp he was confronted by Aragorn about Frodo. Boromir told Aragorn that he had seen Frodo an hour ago where he had tried to convince Frodo to bring the One Ring to Minas Tirith. They then had an argument and Frodo walked off. After the argument Boromir went for a walk, until eventually returning to the camp. The Fellowship, especially Aragorn, believed that there was more to the confrontation than Boromir was telling them, but Aragorn did not press the issue. Upon hearing of Frodo's predicament, the rest of the Fellowship, particularly the Hobbits, scattered in an ill-concieved attempt to find him. Aragorn ordered Boromir to follow and look after Merry and Pippin while he took off after Sam.
[6]Boromir's body on a boat, on the Anduin
[7]Boromir with the horn of Gondor
During the search, Merry and Pippin ran into a group of Uruk-Hai, who tried to capture them. Boromir came to their aid and drove the orcs off, but more orcs came and Boromir was mortally wounded by many arrows. Aragorn found him dying under a tree, with Merry and Pippin gone. He stayed with Boromir until he died from his wounds.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli laid his body inside one of the boats of Lórien, and sent him down the Falls of Rauros. Afterwards, they sang the Lament for Boromir.

### Legacy[8]

[9]Boromir is seen in Denethor's vision
Three days after Boromir's death, his brother Faramir saw his funeral boat passing down the Anduin. Men of Gondor found Boromir's horn, the Horn of Gondor, broken in twain, and brought it to his father. This drove Denethor to despair, and when compounded with Faramir's later seemingly-mortal wounding and his knowledge of Mordor's indomitable might, he lost his mind. Many, including Faramir, often lamented Boromir's passing as Sauron readied his forces to attack, noting that his loss would be keenly felt by Gondor on the field of battle.

Boromir won respect even from his enemies: in *The Two Towers*, Ugluk boasts that it had been the Uruk-hai who "slew the mighty warrior," a clear reference to Boromir.

## Personality[10]

Boromir was above all else exceedingly valiant and steadfast, and was held in great esteem by the fighting men of many nations. He was noted as being somewhat dissimilar in manner and thought from both his father, Denethor, and his brother Faramir, but he loved them both greatly. He was selfless and bold, but he took little interest in the books and scrolls that his brother so often read, having little interest in lore. It was said of him by Éomer that he had a great deal in common with the people of Rohan. However, his desire to protect his people, and his inability to do so, left him vulnerable to the predations of the One Ring. This eventually caused him to attempt to take it from Frodo, though he deeply regretted this almost immediately after it occurred. At one point, when envisioning he would have hoped to achieve if he took the One Ring and overthrew Sauron, his world after Sauron's defeat was one of peace and security, where he used the Ring to rule with wisdom and generosity.
[11]Boromir contemplates the One Ring at the Misty Mountains.

## Portrayal in adaptations[12]

### *The Lord of the Rings* film trilogy[13]

"*I would have followed you, my brother; my captain; my king.*"
—*The Fellowship of the Ring,* (Boromir's final words, spoken to Aragorn)
Boromir is portrayed by the English actor Sean Bean in Peter Jackson's trilogy as a brave and skilled warrior whose loyalty to Gondor tempts him to take the Ring for himself. He first appears in *The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring* at the Council of Elrond, where he suggests that Gondor use the One Ring as a weapon against Sauron. Although he squabbles with Aragorn over the kingship of Gondor, he joins the Fellowship of the Ring when it assembles. As the Fellowship travels toward Lórien, Boromir proves his worth as a fighter but continues to be tempted by the Ring. When the group arrives at Caras Galadhon, Galadriel speaks to him telepathically of the fall of Gondor.

At the end of the first film, Boromir tries to take the Ring from Frodo as Saruman's Uruk-hai attack the Fellowship. Frodo escapes by using the Ring, and Boromir dies defending Merry and Pippin from the orcs. As he passes, he apologizes to Aragorn and acknowledges Aragorn's birthright to the throne of men. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli then lay his body in a rowboat that floats down the Anduin, as in the books.

Boromir only appears in the extended editions of *The Two Towers* and *The Return of the King*. In *The Two Towers*, he appears in Faramir's flashback of the Battle of Osgiliath. Boromir and Faramir lead a host of Gondorian soldiers in liberating the city, and Boromir gives a patriotic speech. Denethor arrives and instructs Boromir to travel to Rivendell and bring back the One Ring. In this sequence, Boromir is portrayed as trying to balance his love for his younger brother and country with his goal of doing his father's will.

In *The Return of the King*, he appears briefly in one of Denethor's hallucinations.

Boromir is known for two famous movie lines that have been the spark of many internet memes; "They have a cave troll," and "One does not simply walk into Mordor."

#### Non-canonical weapons[14]

* Armor

Boromir's armor was the standard armor of a Gondor foot soldier. When travelling with the Fellowship of the Ring, Boromir was more lightly armored, wearing only chain-mail, leather and a well-made pair of Gondor vambraces later worn by Aragorn.

Boromir is also mentioned as having a helmet, but it makes no appearance except once, when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are arraying him for burial.
[15]Boromir's shield
The shield that Boromir carried was circular, unique by its design, and easily recognizable.

The wood frame had been dyed black, and in the middle was a large steel boss that was riveted to the back of the shield; fixed into the boss was a handle made of horn that was edged with bronze rings. Around the edge were engraved wings and the seven stars of Gondor's noble heritage. When not using it, Boromir carried the shield over his shoulder with the finely tooled leather gauge that was riveted to the boss and the steel rim that ran around the edge of the shield, again secured by a number of rivets. It was a solid piece of work that could be wielded quickly and effectively; the curved, circular shield had no points that an enemy could catch on, so their blows would slide across and past the shield. When this happened, the attacker's forward movement would unbalance him, allowing Boromir to bring his sword down upon his out-thrust and exposed arm and neck. If the blow was light enough, the upraised shield would arrest the swing of the blow and Boromir could thrust under the foe's shield and into his belly.
[16]Boromir's sword
Boromir's sword was like its owner: large, broad, and powerful. To use it single-handedly required great strength in the arm and wrist, both of which this he had in abundance. It is a hand-and-a-half sword, meaning Boromir could wield it with one hand allowing him to use his shield to a melee effect The blade was over three inches across at its widest point; it had a flattened diamond shape in section with an equally wide fuller in order to keep the weight down. However, the fuller ended some way short if the tip, thereby keeping as much strength in the end of the blade as possible. It was sharpened on both edges and tapered actually at the tip, which meant that it would have been equally effective for slashing against lightly armoured opponents.

The guard was the same shape as that on his father’s sword, as well as those on all Third Age Gondor-made swords. The handgrip was wide like the blade, matched to Boromir's hand, and the scent-stopper pommel was an elegant and simple piece of steel, again large to counterbalance the weight of this warrior's blade. The scabbard was wood covered in leather that had been decorated with crisscrossing strips of leather down its length together with a steel locket and an elegant steel shape that matched the shape of the pommel. It was attached directly to the belt that had been stamped with a delicate leaf pattern repeated along its length. It may be that this was a gift from his mother.

Boromir also carried a dagger that matched the sword's blade-shape and pommel design. The only difference was that it was decorated with bronze details; the handgrip was wrapped in fine bronze wire instead of leather, the pommel was gilded with bronze and the guard was formed from a single piece of shaped bronze. Unusual for a dagger, the wide blade was fuller so that in all respects it resembled the tip of Boromir's sword. In the movie it is last seen when he throws it into the neck of an Uruk-hai who was attempting to attack Merry and Pippin from behind.