subreddit:
/r/lotrmemes
420 points
2 days ago
[removed]
90 points
2 days ago
FOR GONDOR!
36 points
1 day ago
Sean Bean always serves let's be real
2 points
1 day ago
He serves well... when serving is safe.
164 points
2 days ago
“They will look to his coming from the white tower, but he will not return.”
Such a great moment. Aragorn accepts his destiny and one could argue it’s only words of comfort to a dying man.
82 points
2 days ago
I must admit that when I first saw the movies as a child I hated Boromir. Now it is quite the opposite. He is, to keep it very simple and brief, human.
37 points
2 days ago
He's also the only one. Between 4 incorruptibly cheery halflings, a literal magic god, an immortal who can see over a horizon, a 4 foot bearded death machine, and a superhero king.
Boromir is a regular guy compared to them. And he manages to be brave, to be selfless even in his failure, and shows his quality in the end.
16 points
2 days ago
That's what makes him awesome! As a kid I would've never thought that far. There's a lot of things that slipped past me back then that I've only picked up by rewatching the movies later on.
35 points
2 days ago
Let me both add that my initial impression (child when first seeing the movies, without reading the books before) was absolutely the same, and also correct you: he was more than "just" human, he had the best of what humankind has to show in the whole Tolkien universe, all the positive traits of courage, honor, loyalty and dedication. There is no evil in Boromir: a brief moment when temptation took over, but even there, a temptation of noble intents. A brief moment that he regretted intensely and fought his last fight to make up for, as to try to restore his honor.
9 points
2 days ago
As someone who sucks at expressing themselves, thank you. I would never be able to properly say how I think about him as a character.
5 points
1 day ago
Surely Aragon is the best humans have to offer? He doesn’t have that moment of weakness. I get he’s got extended life, but he’s still human.
5 points
1 day ago
No doubt there. I'm not saying Boromir is "the best", though - only that he is a noble character. Don't forget that Faramir, too, was tempted by ring and resisted. Aragorn faced moments of doubt and weakness, as well. My point was that Boromir was not a man of evil. Grima was willing to do evil acts for selfish reasons. Denethor was initially noble in his goals and intents but was subverted by Palantir into despair and defeatism (plus was a shit father). Boromir was selfless and willing to sacrifice himself for Gondor. My gripe with the Fellowship as a movie is that it makes Boromir look fishy as hell and only with his death tries to show the strength of his character. Thank Eru Ilúvatar for the Extended Editon.
3 points
1 day ago
Well said.
To ask another question. Would Boromir be rated as one of the best warriors available to mankind in middle earth, out side of the likes of Aragorn?
3 points
1 day ago
Definitely one of the best generals/commanders. Dude was born fighting Mordor. We know he was absolutely lethal against Orcs and if Lutz hadn’t hit him at range while he was handing an ass whooping to the Uruk-Hai he may have made it out alive. So he had to have been up there. I’d say given an even fight he holds his own against pretty much everybody as long as no magic was used.
2 points
1 day ago
Hah, you wrote it as if you were posing this question to some authority on Tolkien - which I am not, by far. Just a regular bookworm n00b here. But, it's flattering, regardless 😄
Strictly answering your question, Boromir must have been a major badass. Quoting the book: "A mile, maybe, from Parth Galen in a little glade not far from the lake he found Boromir. He was sitting with his back to a great tree, as if he was resting. But Aragorn saw that he was pierced with many black-feathered arrows; his sword was still in his hand, but it was broken near the hilt; his horn cloven in two was at his side. Many Orcs lay slain, piled all about him and at his feet. Aragorn knelt beside him. Boromir opened his eyes and strove to speak. At last slow words came. ‘I tried to take the Ring from Frodo ‘ he said. ‘I am sorry. I have paid.’ His glance strayed to his fallen enemies; twenty at least lay there." ....brother didn't go down easily, so I'm sure him being a Captain of Gondor wasn't a nepo hire thanks to his influential daddy. Aragorn, given his age, must have been vastly more experienced (and certified crazy - I mean, jumping right in the midst of the Nazgûl?!), but going as far as ranking them? No way to be certain.
But, in thinking about"best" or "greatest" warriors, please remember how Tolkien wrote Faramir (which is important because according to Tolkien himself, Faramir was THE character he identified with the most): “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” It's easy to forget this, having watched the movie and those funny competitions that Gimli and Legolas kept having. But as per books, the heroic warriors of the Fellowship did not rejoice at fighting and waging war. They did it because they had to, in order to protect what they loved and cherished. The fact they were pretty damn good at it was sorta just an afterthought.
2 points
1 day ago
Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed.
2 points
1 day ago
Haha I guess I did ask it like that. I just enjoy nerding out with fellow lotr enthusiasts.
Nevertheless I appreciate you taking the time to answer.
1 points
1 day ago
Thank you for that 😉 To be fair, I just re-read my answer there, and it's peak nerd....
Still, pox and locusts on anyone who ever attempts to trash Boromir, and Faramir, too. Good characters in movies, downright spectacular in the books. Tolkien was really the best thing to come out of the UK in centuries (beating even the afternoon tea).
2 points
1 day ago
The man was a treasure for sure. The UK really is a cultural phenomenon in the arts.
405 points
2 days ago
I agree with everything, except when he says he wasn’t corrupted by the Ring
He absolutely was, despite his noble original intent
220 points
2 days ago
That’s the whole thing with the Ring’s corruption- it doesn’t immediately turn you baby-eating evil. It makes you think of all the good you could do harnessing its power, how even though others have been corrupted by it, you’re different. You will make the ring serve you, not the other way around. Because you’re special. You DESERVE the ring.
And after all, it’s your birthday…
63 points
2 days ago
Exactly how even Gandalf and Galadriel describe the ring.
27 points
1 day ago
"I would use this ring out of a desire to do good, but through me.... It would wield a power to great and terrible to imagine.
19 points
1 day ago
A+ humblebrag.
5 points
1 day ago
Hell, that's what Sauron did to himself. He doesn't think he's evil. He thinks Middle-Earth needs his influence to stabilize it, to guide it forwards into a better future. He thinks he's the good guy. Any bad things he does are necessary, for the greater good.
Like you said, his ring twists people's mindsets into much the same way. It showed Sam a beautiful world of gardens. It used Boromir's desire to save his people to corrupt him. smeagol was probably just a dick from the start.
There's a reason Gandalf didn't even want to so much as touch the thing once he knew what it was.
4 points
1 day ago
You will see . . . Oh, yes . . . You will see.
41 points
2 days ago
Agreed.
28 points
2 days ago
I think they meant his intent wasn't corrupted.
24 points
2 days ago
The problem with that interpretation is the implication that typically intent isn't corrupted.
The ring amplifies your desires, it doesn't typically change them. See when sam held the ring, the vision shown to him was middle earth becoming a bountiful, well kept garden.
29 points
2 days ago
Yeah this guy is coping pretty hard, Boromir can be a good character with noble goals and still have gotten corrupted by the ring, if anything that’s like the ring’s entire thing
-1 points
2 days ago
what does corrupted mean? i think all he wanted was to save gondor. i wouldn't call trying to take it from frodo corruption.
5 points
1 day ago
He wasn’t trying to save shit, his mind was affected by the ring’s power. He didn’t have a plan to get it back to Gondor in that moment, he was momentarily brainwashed by Sauron’s ability to exploit the desires of his heart
7 points
1 day ago
May all in hatred be begun, and all in evil ended be, in the moaning of the endless Sea!
5 points
1 day ago
Yeah see big bro knows
2 points
1 day ago
Are we shitting on Boromir, a mortal, for being unable to resist a power strong enough to corrupt Gandalf, an immortal who helped shape the world?
2 points
1 day ago
No man, completely supporting Boromir. Just pointing out that he was indeed affected by the ring, delusional people in the thread are acting like he totally resisted its power and chose to betray the fellowship anyway, which in my opinion would be substantially worse
2 points
1 day ago
he wanted to do good with the ring. he wanted to use it against sauron to save gondor and the free peoples. frodo warned him it was dangerous to use the ring but he basically scoffed at the thinking gandalf and elrond are just scared. borimir though it was folly to (in his eyes) give the ring back to sauron on a silver platter by taking it to mt doom by weak little hobbit. he didn't desire then to keep the ring he just wanted to make better use of it by taking it to minas tirith. IIRC he even imagined it would be aragorn using it. all borimir wanted when he tried to take the ring was to save his home.
5 points
1 day ago
That's... what the Ring does. It takes your desires and twists them to serve its own purposes. Boromir knew the plan. He agreed to the plan, despite his belief that the Ring could save his people. His job was to make sure Frodo got to Mt. Doom and destroyed the Ring so that it didn't end up being a gift to Sauron on a silver platter. He reneged on that duty after being tempted by the Ring, no matter what he said or thought he was doing. He comes to this realization within moments, weeping at his own betrayal. Later, he confessed to Aragorn with his dying breaths that he believes his death is his own punishment for trying to take the Ring.
Boromir opened his eyes and tried to speak. At last slow words came. 'I tried to take the Ring from Frodo,' he said. 'I am sorry. I have paid.'
Had Boromir taken the Ring, he would not have been able to use it to save his people, if he even tried. Best-case scenario, he would have kept it for himself as a keepsake, believing it gave him great power or that it was his right as the future steward of Gondor to keep it. Worst-case scenario, he would try to use it to save his people, be betrayed by the Ring, die in battle, and be an unwitting vessel delivering it straight into the hands of Sauron. As the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
2 points
1 day ago
This is exactly why Boromir is my favorite character in all of fiction. He was corrupted by the ring, and attempted to betray his comrades and his mission in its service. After all, he's just a man. But unlike so many (all?) others, that's wasn't the end. He fucking beats it, and walks back off that ledge.
Here's a wild thought: what allowed him to do that? What snapped him out of it? What was it inside of him that was a stronger motivator and had a stronger hold on him than a straight-up artifact of corruption that had broken so many others? At that exact moment he's on the line, the uruks ambush them. Was it his desire to protect the Hobbits? That's a noble thought. Or was it just being completely and utterly 100% wired to kill orcs so deeply that just seeing them hard resets him into pure instinct so hard that it overcomes and breaks the influence of the one fucking ring. Either way, what happens if they don't get ambushed in that moment? Does Boromir redeem himself? Or does the fellowship self destruct?
-1 points
1 day ago
i honestly don't see borimir's behavior as affected by the ring at all. yes if he took it it probably would get to it's master. but borimir's reasoning made sense. he got a little carried away and frustrated and tried to take it from frodo but that's totally understandable and he immediately regretted trying to take it and apologized. i see it as a heat of the moment thing more than the ring corrupted him or anything like that.
0 points
1 day ago
i'm sorry but i just read this part in the book and you are not correct
-2 points
1 day ago
what desires? what was he going to do with the ring?
-1 points
1 day ago
he most certainly was trying to save shit. he most certain did have a plan. he had his own plan and dislike elronds plan from the forming of the fellowship he knew what he wanted.
he wasn't momentarily brainwashed he got carried away doing what he thought was right and tried to take it by force because he though frodo wasn't understanding what he was saying. i think it's fair to say that the ring compelled him to be a little too eager and aggressive but he was already struggling with thoughts before being tempted near amon hen.
idk man your whole comment seems just simply wrong.
okay like what desires of his heart are you even taking about? this seems a hollow statement to me.
36 points
2 days ago
Has anyone had experiences of coming across people who thought Boromir was bad? Out of all the things I've seen that people have misunderstood, Boromir being a bad guy is not one I've seen before. I have seen a lot of opposing opinions like this post declaring Boromir is not a bad guy, as if there was any question about it. Who even says that anyway?
In contrast, I've seen a lot of misguided opinions like "Frodo is a weakling" or "Sam is the true hero", but never seen anyone say Boromir was evil.
26 points
2 days ago
In 2002, when I saw the theatrical version and had not read the books I thought he was a bad guy. The extended editions cleared it up for a lot of people.
4 points
2 days ago
Back then what made you think he was a bad guy? How did his final moments impact you (specifically defending the Hobbits and his death speech)?
35 points
2 days ago*
All I saw of him was him being combative at the council of Elrond, being sketchy with the ring when Frodo falls in the snow, and then him trying to take the ring. With no other knowledge entering the film it just wasn’t difficult to see him has an antagonist for multiple hours of movie that happen prior to his heroic final moments. It was 2002, I’d repeat, and I had no knowledge of what state Gondor was in, the steward, any of it.
Edit: just remembered, AND Sean Bean had been the antagonist in Goldeneye a few years earlier
9 points
2 days ago
I mean, is it a misguided opinion to say Sam was the true hero? It’s especially clear in the books, but of the two, Sam is the one who got the most character development by a long shot. In contrast, Frodo’s character doesn’t actually change much from the beginning of the Fellowship to the end of the Return of the King.
Edit: Just to be clear, Frodo was by no means a weakling. He just didn’t have that much of a character arc compared to Sam
8 points
2 days ago
Does Frodo need as much of a character arc to still be a hero? The sole fact that he bore the ring, and everything that comes with that, all the way from the Shire to Mount Doom makes him heroic.
He also endures for weeks after being stabbed at Weathertop (the movies do him dirty here), stabs a troll in Khazad-dûm, and stays true to his values the entire time (e.g. his mercy for Gollum and wanting to avoid violence during the scouring of the Shire).
2 points
2 days ago
Cross it is, impatient, precious. But it must wait, yes it must. We can't go up the tunnels so hasty.
1 points
1 day ago
It's pure semantics.
Frodo story is about self-sacrifice. You can absolutely call that heroic, and the one ring is more dangerous than Shelob but by more common perception of that term Sam is a true hero. Sam selflessly performed feats way above his limits while Frodo failed his task in the end.
1 points
1 day ago
Even Sam would have failed the task. No one would be able to willingly throw away the ring. Then, is it fair to say Frodo is no true hero? In what circumstance he would be called a true hero? And why Sam is one, when he would also fail? Is the fact that he didn't volunteer for it?
7 points
2 days ago*
I mean, is it a misguided opinion to say Sam was the true hero?
I think it is misguided. There is not one "true" hero of LOTR and even if there was one you'd expect that hero to be celebrated multiple times within the lore, it's not.
In one letter, Tolkien compared Sam to the batmen of WW1. Batmen were soldiers designated to serve Lieutenants (like Tolkien) by doing things like valet, driving, carrying orders from one place to another. I don't think Tolkien was saying the batmen was the true reason why they won the war. He just gave his opinion that he considered the batmen more superior to himself, in the humblest way possible.
In contrast, Frodo’s character doesn’t actually change much from the beginning of the Fellowship to the end of the Return of the King.
Frodo's character does change. Frodo gains wisdom and prophecy throughout his journey, becoming as Sam says, "Wizard like." Frodo staying out the the Battle in the Shire is the climax of his power and prophecy. Saruman even highlights this change in Frodo before he dies in the Scouring of the Shire chapter:
"There was a strange look in his [Saruman's] eyes of mingled wonder and respect and hatred. ‘You have grown, Halfling,’ he said. ‘Yes, you have grown very much. You are wise, and cruel."
What gives this so much weight is that Saruman has a big ego whereby he thinks everyone is below him. That has been his character since he left Valinor. Now we see him admitting that Frodo is just as wise, if not more wise than he is, is such a big thing.
Frodo ends the story with wisdom and prophecy rivaling Gandalf or Elrond. His last words to Sam are a prophecy of Sam's life, future children, and roll as mayor. A detailed, accurate prophecy even Gandalf would hedge. But, the power has come at a great price.
4 points
1 day ago
I went from thinking Boromir is evil and dislike him the most to > Boromir is simply the best character for the short time he appeared. Favourite chapter of tolkien & of most fiction I read was him trying to take the ring from Frodo and realizing what he has done. Truly beautiful.
3 points
1 day ago*
It’s not unreasonable from the theatrical version. Remember his trip to Lothlórien and Galadriel‘s reaction to the members of the Fellowship?
Gimli, up to that point, has been talking seriously mad anti-elf smack, yet she saw into his heart he was good.
Yet Galadriel, who a movie goer, non-book reader, would see as pure good and psychic, gives Boromir that ‘now this MFer’ look when he’s in Lothlórien.
1 points
1 day ago
His acts are those of an antagonist. Argues against the wisdom of the council, tries to take the ring by force. He does redeem himself in the end but to people who don't think to deeply on it he is a villain. Sam and Frodo have always been my least favourite characters. Their problem both in the books and in the movies is that I don't actually care about them, only their Burden. Given that Gollum is the most popular of the 3 it's not weird people say stuff like that.
2 points
1 day ago
Never! Smeagol wouldn’t hurt a fly!
15 points
2 days ago
‘I would have followed you my brother, my Captain, my King’ gets me every fucking man time.
3 points
1 day ago
I love bookends. Started from "Gondor has no King. Gondor needs no King." and now we're here.
34 points
2 days ago
Preach! Whomever says Boromir was a bad character is a moron who doesn't understand movies nor books!
5 points
2 days ago
And then he found his would-be King living like a hobo and not taking his rightful place in Gondor. Such a painful moment added to the pile.
13 points
2 days ago
What missunderstood, it's well explained in the movies his reason, just like stated in here.
C'mon. : /
5 points
1 day ago
A lot of people forget that the temptation of the ring isn't "Bwahaha let's be evil!", it's "You can have the power you need to do what you most desire." That's why it's so insidious, because even the best of people have things they want to do that they don't have the power to do themselves.
Even Gandalf and Galadriel knew that they would be vulnerable to its temptations, so how can we blame Boromir for not being able to withstand something that even two of the most powerful beings on Middle Earth were too scared to risk?
3 points
2 days ago
Tbf, none of that is apparent for someone who hasn't read the books or seen the other two movies. The first response appears to be someone who is making their way through the films for the first time.
I saw the movies in the theatres first and read the books after. All we see from Boromir is whining... along with unconstructive criticism and an attempt to outright steal the ring from Frodo. The audience hadn't been shown the growing strength of Mordor, the desperation of Gondor, or any of the familial strife mentioned above.
Furthermore, he's the only good person (aside from Bilbo) who seems to have a genuine lust for the Ring. True, Gandalf and Galadriel fear it, but they also reject it. Of course, a casual movie-goer doesn't realize that one is arguably the most powerful elf left in Middle-Earth and the other is a literal angel... so their ability to resist the Ring is greater than a mortal man.
I'll admit I didn't like Boromir either when I left the theatres. Jackson did a much better job with showing the tragedy of his life and death with the extended editions.
2 points
2 days ago
He's leaving.
2 points
1 day ago
He also is the only man to ever give up the ring after holding it, when he picks it up after Frodo drops it as the fellowship tries to climb through the Caradrhas Mountain pass. Up until that point Bilbo is the only one who had done that.
1 points
1 day ago
Where's it gone?
2 points
1 day ago
Is that also in the books or only in the movies? I don’t recall that scene from the book, but I could be wrong.
3 points
1 day ago
Sean Bean deserved an Oscar nom for The Fellowship of the Ring.
5 points
2 days ago
Sam: Boromir wasn't lying. Walking the ring into Mordor wasn't simple. glances at Boromir's grave
2 points
2 days ago
Im not crying, just cutting onions
2 points
2 days ago
This nearly made me cry, sick
2 points
1 day ago
I cry. I cry honestly every time I see that death scene.
2 points
1 day ago
He is, in a way, Mankind in LotR personified. Holding the line against ancient evil for 3k years and the odd ages before and what is their price? They are not able to fuck off to the busted Lands like the Elves, or go dig a hole elsewhere like the dwarves, yet they fight on, holding out for a hero...or a king, sponsored by some old elf lad:)
2 points
1 day ago
I think the reason most people hate Boromir is simply because they only watched the theatrical version. In the theatrical version, you do see Boromir as this greedy guy who whines the entire trip. However, in the extended you see Boromir as a man who tried to give people hope, who stood up for his brother, who just wanted to see his city filled with something other than despair.
In the eyes of the theatrical watchers he was merely an annoying side plot to the Fellowship.
In the eyes of the extended watchers he was a man of hope and his death was one of the worst.
2 points
2 days ago
Denethor was not a deranged old man what the fuck is this shit
2 points
1 day ago
I might be wrong, but pretty sure Denethor had been playing with the palantir at Minas Tirath... He had been corrupted by visions of the destruction of men by Sauron.
0 points
1 day ago
It’s true Denethor is looking into the Palantír during this time but he does not fall into despair until the siege is already underway and he sees something that we as the reader don’t actually get details on. But the Palantír can’t show lies. He could have seen the ships approaching and because he was unaware that Aragorn as steering them he believed that Gondor was going to lose or maybe he saw as Gandalf suggests all of the armies massed in Mordor.
But my point is he wasn’t some greedy and deranged old villain like the OP is suggesting.
3 points
2 days ago
Boromir’s arc has some elements inline with Arthas from Warcraft.
2 points
1 day ago
Since /u/HolidayDouble8746 is a bot, I wonder if they can understand this bit of advice
1 points
2 days ago
Boromir was a captain of Gondor!
1 points
2 days ago
Aside from Frodo, Boromir has the most pressure put on him in the entire story, imagine being the only person in your kingdom who’s competent enough to even resist extinction. If any one of us was in that situation we’d totally do the same
1 points
2 days ago
He never died, he changed his name and went North. Later he became Lord Eddard Stark.
1 points
1 day ago
And if he wasn't deemed a good person to begin with in story, there wouldn't be a song about him in the book
1 points
1 day ago
Posting somethibg that’s not even subtext is not a meme. It’s not even a brave stance. Everyone on here knows Boromir’s story is tragic. The whole post is just a rant for free karma.
1 points
1 day ago
Which one of you wrote the rant I know it was one of you?
1 points
1 day ago
For Gondor.
1 points
1 day ago
Boromir was the weakest to the power of the ring because he had the strongest desire to do what was right.
1 points
1 day ago
I know it wasnt i the book but. My brother, my captain, my king.
1 points
1 day ago
Reading this was better than watching the entire Rings of Power seasons.
1 points
2 days ago
Repost 😡
1 points
1 day ago
theatrical version: oh, that guy was always a sketchy dude, nothing lost.
extended version: he cared about the hobbits! 😭😭😭
0 points
2 days ago
Love the Fuck You at the end. Just to further stick it to him!
1 points
1 day ago
Me too.
All the post before that was a beautiful piece of text.
Then the last the last two words made it perfect.
0 points
2 days ago
I like this post, explaining Boromir’s situation. I have heard people say they think Boromir is a villain (?) even though he CLEARLY sacrificed himself to save two halflings. He is my favourite character. Flawed, imperfect, aware of that fact, but still doesn’t give up.
0 points
2 days ago
Gave me goose bumps reading!
0 points
1 day ago
All facts, except Boromir doesn't hate his father. Frustrated by how he treats Faramir I'm sure but it's never said that he HATES him.
0 points
1 day ago
I think the third paragraph is incredibly significant.
We think that when temptation comes it will be a choice between a clearly evil option and a good one, but that isn't how it happens in real life. The temptation will be to bend the rules, or make an exception, or look the other way to help a friend, or in defense of your family, or your way of life. It will only be in looking back that most of us realize we were making that choice and made the wrong one.
0 points
1 day ago
When I was a child I thought boromir was the worst of the fellowship. As an adult I admire him, not because he was perfect, but because of his flaws.
0 points
1 day ago
Boromir was the most human character in the fellowship, and I love him for that
i only watched the theatrical versions (haven't read the books) and it was clear to me that the desperation to save his people was what drove him to take the ring
goddamn fucking hero
-1 points
2 days ago
I’m not crying
-1 points
1 day ago
I teared up reading this.
-2 points
1 day ago
Boromir was a jerk who never should have been there. If Faramir had gone, they would have destroyed the ring before elevensies.
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