{{disambig-more|Faramir|[[Faramir (disambiguation)]]}}
{{gondorian infobox
| image=[[Image:Ellaine - Untitled.jpg|250px]]
| name=Faramir
| othernames=
| titles=[[Steward of Gondor]], [[Prince of Ithilien]]
| position=Captain of Gondor
| realm=[[Ithilien]], [[Gondor]]
| affiliation=
| language=[[Westron]], [[Sindarin]]
| birth={{TA|2983}}
| birthlocation=
| rule={{TA|3019}} - {{FoA|82}} (84 years)
| death={{FoA|82}}
| deathlocation=
| age=120
| house=[[House of Húrin]]
| parentage=[[Denethor|Denethor II]] and [[Finduilas (wife of Denethor)|Finduilas]]
| siblings=[[Boromir]]
| spouse=[[Éowyn]]
| children=[[Elboron]]<ref name="Elboron">{{PM|Elendil}}, p. 221</ref>
| gender=Male
| height=Tall<ref name="Herbs">{{TT|Herbs}}</ref>
| hair=Raven<ref name="Steward">{{RK|Steward}}</ref>
| eyes=Grey<ref name="Window"/>
| clothing=Green gauntlets, green hood and mask, green and brown clothing<ref name="Herbs"/>
| weapons=Sword,<ref name="Herbs"/> nail-knife<ref name="Forbidden">{{TT|Pool}}</ref>
| steed=
}}
{{quote|[Faramir] is bold, more bold than many deem; for in these days men are slow to believe that a captain can be wise and learned in the scrolls of lore and song, as he is, and yet a man of hardihood and swift judgement in the field. But such is Faramir. Less reckless and eager than [[Boromir]], but not less resolute.|[[Gandalf]]<ref name="MT">{{RK|MT}}</ref>}}
'''Faramir''' was the last [[Ruling Steward|Ruling]] [[Steward of Gondor]] and the first [[Prince of Ithilien]].

The second of [[Denethor]]'s two sons, Faramir was briefly the [[Ruling Steward]] after his father's death. Upon the arrival of the true king, King [[Aragorn|Aragorn Elessar]], he laid down his office, but Elessar renewed the hereditary appointment of [[Steward of Gondor|Steward]] as the advisor to the King. Faramir was also appointed [[Prince of Ithilien]].<ref name="Elendil">{{PM|Elendil}}, p. 207</ref>

==History==
Faramir was born in [[T. A. 2483]] 5 years after [[Boromir]]. Faramir was 5 when his mother died. When that happened Boromir and Faramir formed a great bond with each other, but [[Denethor]] grew cold and grim and favored Boromir over Faramir because Faramir reminded him of [[Finduilas]]. But there was no rivalry between Boromir and Faramir.
===In Ithilien===
Faramir acted as a Gondorian ranger in [[Ithilien]], harassing [[Haradrim]] and keeping evil things from entering the land from [[Minas Morgul]]. During one such raid he found [[Frodo Baggins]], [[Samwise Gamgee]] and [[Gollum]] observing an attack by his rangers on a column of [[Haradrim]]. The former two were captured as spies by the rangers though Gollum eluded them. Frodo was questioned by Faramir concerning their errand. Frodo recounted the journeys of the [[Fellowship of the Ring|Fellowship]] and its members but referred to the [[Quest for the Ring|purpose]] of the travels only cryptically. During the questioning he denied knowledge of Gollum but revealed that he travelled with both [[Aragorn]], the [[Heir of Isildur]], and [[Boromir]].<ref>{{TT|IV4}}</ref>

Faramir informed Frodo of Boromir's death, implying Frodo's involvement in it, though Frodo had not known of Boromir's death until that very moment. Unsure of how to deal with his captives, Faramir led Frodo and Sam, blindfolded, to [[Henneth Annûn]]. There he questioned them further in private, learning that the hobbits' errand was linked to the 'Isildur's bane' that had sent Boromir to [[Rivendell]] in the first place. Eager to earn their trust Faramir delivered his famous oath, saying that he "...would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were [[Minas Tirith]] falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs". In a slip up however Samwise revealed the nature of 'Isildur's bane' and so Faramir was tested, just as Boromir had been, by the lure of The Ring. Where Boromir failed Faramir succeeded, leading Samwise to remark that Faramir had "shown [his] quality".<ref>{{TT|IV5}}</ref>

During the night, Faramir's watch spotted Gollum fishing in the Forbidden Pool. Faramir called Frodo to him who confessed to the part of Gollum in their errand, begging Faramir not to slay him. Gollum was caught and questioned and then surrendered to Frodo. The following morning Faramir released Frodo and Sam (with Gollum), but warned them strongly against taking the pass of [[Cirith Ungol]].<ref>{{TT|IV6}}</ref>

===In Pelennor/Minas Tirith===

Faramir returned to [[Osgiliath]] after his encounter with the hobbits, supervising the defense there. However he retreated over the [[Pelennor Fields]] to report to Denethor and was almost caught by the [[Nazgûl]] on their [[Fell Beasts]], but was saved by [[Gandalf]]. Faramir reached Minas Tirith, telling Denethor and Gandalf of what befell in Ithilien, but soon departed to supervise the defenses at his father's bidding. In this venture the host of the [[Witch-king]] came upon Osgiliath and Faramir was struck down by the [[Black Breath]]. Only a sorie by [[Imrahil]] and his knights saved the wounded (including Faramir) from that onset.<ref>{{RK|V4}}</ref>

Faramir remained out of action for the rest of the War of the Ring. During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields|Battle of Pelennor Fields]] Denethor planned to burn his stricken son alongside him and Faramir was once again saved by Gandalf, though Denethor completed his suicide.<ref>{{RK|V7}}</ref> After this he was taken to the [[Houses of Healing]] and healed by [[Aragorn]] after the battle.<ref>{{RK|V8}}</ref> Faramir spent the rest of the war recovering in the Houses of Healing where he met [[Éowyn]], also grievously wounded.<ref>{{RK|VI5}}</ref> The two fell in love and were married after the war.<ref>{{RK|VI6}}</ref>

===After the War of the Ring===

After the destruction of the [[The One Ring|Ring]] and the [[Battle of the Morannon]], Faramir, as Steward, led the ceremony in the crowning of [[Aragorn]] as King of Gondor and Arnor.<ref>{{RK|VI5}}</ref> Aragorn reinstated the original role of the [[Stewards]] before the failing of the [[Kings of Gondor]] and made Faramir the [[Prince of Ithilien]]. As Prince of Ithilien, Faramir was one of the two Chief Commanders of [[Aragorn|King Elessar]] and his duty was to guard and maintain the eastern borders of Gondor. He also defeated the remaining enemies and cleansed the [[Morgul Vale]].

Faramir and Éowyn settled down in [[Emyn Arnen]], a range of hills in Ithilien in sight of [[Minas Tirith]], and Faramir became the [[Lord of Emyn Arnen]]. He and Eowyn had at least one son named [[Elboron]],<ref name="Elboron"/> who followed his father as Steward and Prince of Ithilien when Faramir died in the year {{FoA|82}}. Faramir lived to be 120 years old, due to the large percentage of pure [[Dúnedain]] ancestry he possessed as a member of the Gondorian nobility.<ref>{{App|South}}</ref>

== Inspirations ==
Faramir was, in the words of Tolkien, "modest, fair-minded and scrupulously just, and very merciful".<ref>{{L|244}}</ref> His appearance toward the end of ''[[The Two Towers]]'' apparently was as much of a surprise to Tolkien as it is to his readers. "I am sure I did not invent him," he wrote. "I did not even want him, though I like him".<ref>{{L|66}}</ref>

Faramir in many ways speaks for Tolkien, who was a soldier in [[World War I]], when he says, for example, "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness... I love only that which they defend".<ref name="Window">{{TT|Window}}</ref> Much later, Tolkien would write, "As far as any character is 'like me', it is Faramir".<ref>{{L|180}}</ref>

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
A major player in the second half of ''The Lord of the Rings'', Faramir has found his portrayal both diminished and expanded.

<center><gallery>
File:WiMe-Faramir-1--.png|<center>''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth]]''
Image:Faramir r-b.JPG|<center>''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)]]''
Image:Faramir the Ranger.jpg|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy]]''
</gallery></center>

'''1978: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)]]'':'''
:Faramir's role has been omitted. However, a young black-haired man is shown at the coronation of "King Aragorn", sitting on a horse beside Éowyn. It can be guessed that this is a cameo of Faramir. Whether he had at any time a larger part, that was cut for time restraints, is unknown.

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:Faramir is voiced by [[Andrew Seear]]. Because Boromir already named him during the Council of Elrond - in the book, he is simply called "my brother" - much of the mystery surrounding Faramir's first appearance is lost to the attentive listener.

'''1988: ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth]]'':'''
:Faramir is portrayed as a blond, bearded man. He can be controlled by the player.

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''
:[[David Wenham]] plays Faramir in this adaptation. He does not at first let Frodo, Sam, and Gollum go, but decides to bring them and the Ring to Gondor. He takes them west to [[Osgiliath]], crossing the river [[Anduin]], and not until the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]] attack the city does he release them. Many fans of the book criticize this change, saying that it seriously damages the character. [[Peter Jackson]]'s explanation is that he needed another adventure to delay Frodo and Sam, because the episode at [[Cirith Ungol]] was moved to the third movie, and so a new climax was needed. Another explanation often cited is that it was felt that for dramatic reasons it was necessary to show character ''development'', which meant that Faramir had to go through some kind of struggle or difficult decision. Jackson also argued that it was necessary for Faramir to be tempted by the Ring because everyone else was tempted, and letting Faramir be immune would be inconsistent, at least in the eyes of a film audience, and would weaken the films' portrayal of the Ring.

:In the [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended DVD Edition|extended edition]], Jackson has included a flashback scene showing that Denethor has been neglecting him and favoring Boromir, so that Faramir wanted to please his father by bringing him the Ring. The relationship is similarly strained in the books, but there his father's favoritism does not seem to affect his decisions in Ithilien. On the whole, however, new Extended Edition scenes with Faramir brought the character closer to the sympathetic treatment of the books.

== See Also ==
* [[:Category: Images_of_Faramir|Images of Faramir]]

{{references}}
{{seq-start}}
{{seq-head
| race= gondorian
| house= [[House of Húrin]]
| born={{TA|2983}}
| died={{FoA|82}}
}}
{{seq
| prow=
| pvac=
| prev=[[Denethor|Denethor II]]
| list=[[Ruling Steward|Ruling Steward of Gondor]]
| dates={{TA|3019}}-{{TA|3019}}
| next=None
| nvac=
| nrow=
}}
{{seq
| prow=
| pvac=Vacant
| prev=[[Mardil|Mardil Voronwë]], 969 years earlier
| list=[[Steward of Gondor|Steward to the King of Gondor]]
| dates={{TA|3019}} - {{FoA|82}}
| next=[[Elboron]]
| nvac=
| nrow=2
}}
{{seq
| prow=
| pvac=None
| prev=Position created
| list=[[Prince of Ithilien]]
| dates={{TA|3019}} - {{FoA|82}}
| next=
| nvac=
| nrow=
}}
{{seq-end}}
{{rulingstewards}}
[[Category:Gondorians]]
[[Category:Ruling stewards]]
[[Category:Stewards]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Fourth Age characters]]
[[Category:Third Age characters]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
[[de:Faramir (Sohn von Denethor II.)]]
[[fi:Faramir]]
[[fa:فارامیر]]

Boromir

2012-06-25T17:27:13Z

76.223.247.71: /* History */