Aragorn went by many names in The Lord of the Rings, but Peter Jackson’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies explored just a few. Born on March 1, 2931, in the Third Age, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, managed to live 210 years of his Númenórean-descended lifespan. This was a good long age, considering Númenórean lifespans decreased over the years since the inception of their race. In that time, Aragorn was born to a couple in hiding, given to an Elvish king to be raised, traveled Middle-earth extensively, and finally became the King of Gondor and Arnor, entailing a few idenтιтies.

Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship in Lord of the Rings ended up being one of the main driving factors of Aragorn’s ascent to the throne. Elrond told Aragorn that he would only let him marry his daughter, Arwen, if he became king, thereby proving himself worthy. But also, Aragorn was destined for the throne as Isildur’s heir. Love and destiny pushed Aragorn to travel the world in preparation for his task, earning himself multiple names and aliases to help him along the way. Many different civilizations of Middle-earth had their own name for Aragorn.

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Aragorn II

Son Of Arathorn In The Lord Of The Rings

Aragorn was the son of Arathorn in The Lord of the Rings, a member of both the lines of Isildur and Anárion. This was courtesy of Arvedui and Fíriel, married in T.A. 1940, who united the line of Isildur with the line of Anárion via their son, Aranarth. Aragorn was Strider’s birth name, and he was named after Aranarth’s great-great-grandson, Aragorn I. At the time of Arvedui and Fíriel, the Realms in Exile had begun to fall apart.

Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion, were the original founders of Gondor and Arnor – the Realms in Exile. By Arvedui’s time, the lines of Elendil’s sons had split into such separate peoples that Arvedui had to file a claim for the throne of the Gondor. He failed, and not long after, Arnor’s divided realms were savaged by the Witch-king of Angmar. As such, Arnor’s folk became a wandering people, hiding from further attack, and henceforth the Dúnedain were born.

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Thorongil

Aragorn ᴀssumed An Alias In His Travels Of Gondor

Aranarth was known as the first Chieftain of the Dúnedain, and his line descended all the way down to Aragorn, who eventually ᴀssumed the alias of Thorongil. Starting from Aranarth’s son, Arahael, onwards, Chieftains of the Dúnedain were sent to Rivendell to be raised. This is because it was widely held that they were a royal line to be educated as such, rather than in the rustic dwellings that the Dúnedain established as part of their nomadic lifestyle.

What’s more, the Dúnedain were descended from Elendil, the Númenórean fleeing Lord of the Rings’ famous Fall of Númenor to found Gondor and Arnor. Elendil, in turn, was of the line of Elros – Elrond’s brother. The Dúnedain were Elrond’s family. Raised in Rivendell but determined to blaze his own trail, Aragorn’s travels took him to Gondor, where he served under the king using the name of Thorongil. Liaising with Gandalf, he hid his idenтιтy to keep his service simple, rather than start a conversation about his claim to the throne.

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Strider, Or Telcontar In Quenya

The Chieftain Of The Dúnedain In Lord Of The Rings

Aragorn is also called Strider in Lord of the Rings because of his height and Ranger status. The Dúnedain – the remnants of Arnor – were also known as the Rangers. They wandered Bree and the Shire, keeping its folk safe in line with what they saw as their royal duty. As such, Bree-folk and Shire-folk knew them as “rangers” – those who wandered, essentially. Similar to this moniker, Eriador’s people nicknamed Aragorn Strider.

Aragorn’s Númenórean heritage resulted in a great height (at least 6’6″), which, combined with his traveling livelihood, ended up getting him nicknamed Strider. Aragorn’s height also got him called Longshanks. Aragorn didn’t seem overly fond of either name, but he didn’t insist on being called Aragorn. This royal name could have aroused suspicion on many fronts. Gondor may have been wary of his claim to the throne, while Sauron would have been wary of the descendant of the man who vanquished him in Lord of the Rings’ Second Age – Isildur.

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Estel

Aragorn Was Given One Of LotR’s Best Names

Aragorn was given to Rivendell and nicknamed Estel there. Sauron could return in Lord of the Rings, as the wise of Middle-earth knew. Elrond, one of the last remaining Eldar and a keeper of extensive lore, “then knew that the Enemy was seeking to discover the Heir of Isildur, if any remained upon earth” (The Lord of the Rings). Elrond renamed Aragorn to keep him safe, using an Elvish word.

“Estel” means hope, faith, or trust in Lord of the Rings’ Elvish language of Quenya, making Aragorn’s Rivendell name one of the finest in Middle-earth. “Hope” is a nice name, and “Estel” is even nicer, approximating real-life words for “star” in romance languages (“star” is “stella” in Latin and Italian). This is strangely appropriate, since Varda was the Elves’ preferred Valier, goddess of stars. But most importantly, Estel was a complex concept in Middle-earth, describing trust in God’s plan, which Aragorn had in spades.

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Elfstone, Or Elessar In Quenya

Aragorn Proudly Declared His Elvish Heritage

Aragorn is often known as Elessar, which is Quenya for Elfstone. Lord of the Rings’ Aragorn is different from the books in a few ways, and one of those is how he doesn’t have his Elfstone. The Elfstone is a mythical object in Lord of the Rings lore, made in the First or Second Age, depending on which source is consulted. In one legend, it was pᴀssed from Gandalf to Galadriel, along with a prophecy that she would give it to one called Elessar.

In The Lord of the Rings novel, Galadriel gave Aragorn the Elfstone, along with a sheath for his sword. This was her parting gift to him as the Fellowship left Lothlórien. She told Aragorn of how she had given it to her daughter, who in turn had given it to hers – Arwen. As such, the gift reflected Galadriel’s seal of approval regarding her granddaughter’s choice of husband. She also named him, essentially, in this moment, saying “In this hour take the name that was foretold” long ago in The Lord of the Rings.