Arondir

Arondir
Affiliation	Tirharad Ostirith
Occupation	Watchman (Formerly)
Biographical information
Place of birth	Beleriand
Physical description
Species	Silvan Elf
Gender	Male
Height	6'0"
Eye color	Grey
Appearances
Portrayed by	Ismael Cruz Córdova
Debut	"A Shadow of the Past"

The past is with us all, whether we like it or not.

Arondir to Rowan.

Arondir is one of the main characters of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. He is a Silvan Elf who watches over the realms of Men. Arondir is portrayed by Ismael Cruz Córdova, first appearing in the episode "A Shadow of the Past".

Official Description

Arondir is a Silvan Elf, a branch of woodland elves who never left Middle-earth for Valinor. A soldier who grew up in the now-sunken lands of Beleriand, he has spent nearly a century keeping vigil over the men & women of the Southlands, whose ancestors sided with evil long ago. Now, the elves’ Age-long watch has nearly ended, but Arondir has grown fond of his charges – especially the healer-woman, Bronwyn.

Biography

Arondir is a Silvan Elf, hailing from the now sunken land of Beleriand. A grower before the war, Arondir became a soldier to fight the evil forces of Morgoth. For seventy-nine years, Arondir was posted to the watchtower at Ostirith to watch over the Men of the Southlands who were known to have supported Morgoth. Arondir watched over the village or Tirharad, becoming close with the local healer, Bronwyn, although he never acted on his feelings for the woman.

Fight for the Southlands

When High King Gil-galad declared the days of war to be over, the watchtowers were set to be disbanded and the Elves in the Southlands would return home. Arondir went to confess his feelings to Bronwyn, but was alerted to the presence of sickness to the east, near Hordern. Heading to the village with Bronwyn, who had been born there, Arondir found the village smoking and devastated. They determined the village had been destroyed by something that had dug a passage out of the ground and into the homes. Arondir followed the passage while Bronwyn raced back to the Southlands to warn her people of the impending threat. He followed it as far as he could before he was backed into a corner and attacked.

He was dragged to an Orc encampment and forced to do labor for them, which included digging new tunnels for them to navigate undetected. Arondir quickly encountered his former partner Médhor and their Watch Warden Revion. Together, they planned an escape with the other prisoners, as their conditions worsened. Water was rationed and when Revion refused to cut down the last tree in the Southlands, the Orcs game him water for showing strength - then murdered Médhor. Arodnir volunteered to cut it down which spared the lives of his company. When the time came, they fought back against the Orcs and used the sunlight against them. They fought valiantly but lost many lives in the process, as the Orcs were prepared for an escape. Arondir managed to get Revion free and the Watch Warden fled as planned, but was shot with arrows and killed while Arondir watched in horror. Defeated and unable to escape, he was dragged back into the pit and brought to Adar to face judgment.

Adar emerged to say goodbye to Magrot and gave him a mercy killing. He dismissed the other Orcs to speak privately with Arondir, who questioned the Elf's loyalty to the Orcs. Adar claimed Arondir was told many lies and that the world would need to be remade to right the wrongs committed. He freed Arondir to deliver a message to the men in Ostirith - they can forsake their land and swear fealty to him, or perish when he comes for the tower.

Arondir escaped the enslavement and returned to Tirharad, which had been overtaken by Orcs. He found Theo in the throws of a fight and saved his life. They ran through the dark woods while Orcs pursued them. Arondir caught an arrow mid-air and returned fire, expertly taking down the shooter. Theo struggled to run with his injury, as arrows whizzed by his head. Bronwyn emerged from the bushes to grab her son, shielding him from harm. Arondir sent more arrows until they can crossed a clearing, where the sun rose and stopped the Orcs who couldn't cross the threshold of darkness. They made it safely to Ostirith, where Arondir told Bronwyn about Adar's proposition.

Bronwyn climbed the Watchtower with Arondir to address her people. She told them of their enemies plan to attack and proposition. She wanted them to stand with her so the tower would be a symbol of their strength and not their fealty. Waldreg wanted to take his chances bowing to their enemy as their ancestors had lived. Over half the Southlanders followed him to Adar, though Theo remained behind with his mother. Arondir began to train Theo in archery, and Theo wondered why Arondir would stay and be buried in the tower with them after spending years demeaning their lives. Arondir had come to know, and care, for the hands and voices of those behind the whispers and knives. Even though half left, half of them stayed, including Theo. The boy finally told him about the mysterious hilt he had discovered. He recognized is shape as that of a key hole at the top of Ostirith.

Arondir told Bronwyn the hilt was a key conjured by some forgotten craft of the enemy to enslave her ancestors. He wasn't sure what it was key too, as the enemy commander only spoke of becoming a God and giving the Orcs a home in the lands. It would only be days or hours until the enemy arrived. She prepared to bow to the enemy but he stopped her because if she did this, she would take away the virtue her people had spent an age earning back. She would condemn her son and future descendants to a life of ridicule. She begged him to name another way. She thought he was right to watch them as her people were destined for the darkness. He reminded her more was at stake then their lives. When Morgoth attacked, whole continents sank. There was no telling what horrors the key might unlock in the hands of their enemy. Bronwyn felt powerless to stop him as the tower would fall. They both realized the tower might be their saving grace.

The Southlanders defected from the watchtower so Arondir could collapse the tower and trap the Orcs inside while it crumbled. Once dozens of their foe were killed, they retreated to Tirharad where they prepared the village for the impending battle. He also hid the hilt in the floorboards beneath the local tavern. In a moment of calm, Arondir and Bronwyn sit by the well, where she confessed to not feeling ready. He removed his necklace that holds the alfirin seeds she gave him. He gave her some and shared his tradition of planting seeds before a battle, which she instantly understood as "a new life in defiance of death". He explained how one of the Valar watched over growing things and those who tend them. He placed her hand on the bark of a tree. They made a plan to plant the rest of the seeds when the battle was over, together, in a garden of their own with Theo. He kissed her beneath the tree.

By night fall, the Southlanders braced for the arrival of Adar's army. The Orcs arrived in a wave, which sparked the beginning of the battle for Tirharad. Arondir fought a hulking Orc whose brute strength and resilience proved a worthy opponent. Bronwyn saved him in the knick of time. They rejoined their people who celebrated the defeat of their foes, and Tredwill commended Arondir for fighting alongside them. However, the Elf noticed the red blood of their foes, and everyone came to the horrifying realization they had fought their defected people who had been dressed up as Orcs. A surviving Orc touted over having taken their people for this reason, and promised the rest would pay the toll too. Arrows shot into the village, hitting Tredwill. Arondir grabbed a makeshift shield and watched as Bronwyn was struck with two arrows. He and Theo rushed to her side as Arondir corralled the villages into the tavern.

Tredwill succumbed to his injuries, so Theo and Arondir turned their attention to Bronwyn, whose wound they had to burn shut with a fire iron and alfirin seeds. She passed out from the ordeal and Arondir held her hand until she awakened. The Orcs burst into the tavern and Arondir tried to fight back, but was outnumbered. The Orcs held knives to Theo and Bronwyn which forced him to concede. Adar asked Arondir in Quenya for what he sought. Arondir tries to bargain, but Adar instructed his Orcs to kill villagers until Arondir complied. He chose Bronwyn as his next victim, and Theo surrendered the hilt from beneath the floorboards. Moments later, the Númenórean army arrived on horseback with Galadriel as their leader. The Southlanders gained the upper-hand against their captors and ultimately won the second round for Tirharad. Arondir told Galadriel that she must stop Adar and ensure the artifact did not escape with him. She and Halbrand ultimately captured Adar and the hilt.

During the feast, Arondir brought Bronwyn to Míriel. Bronwyn thanked the Queen Regent for her help and felt indebted to her. Míriel acknowledges that Bronwyn is a leader now, but offered her relief in Lord Halbrand. She saw the necklace on his hip and the Southlanders muttered in recognition for their promised King. Arondir told Galadriel the people have awaited this moment for a long time, though she knew the Elves had waited longer. She handed him the hilt, still wrapped in cloth, then walked away. He noticed Theo off to himself told him not to torment himself, as many would have done the same in his place. Theo didn't think Arondir understood, as he didn't just feel guilty, but loss. When the hilt was in Theo's hands he felt powerful. Arondir told Theo to rid himself of it once and for all. He handed the hilt over with instructions to give it to Númenor to toss in the seat on their voyage home. Theo looks at his scars and then, when alone, unwrapped the hilt to discover only an ax. Waldreg took the real hilt to Ostirith and unlocked the dam which triggered the eruption of the fire mountain Orodruin. Arondir could only watch in horror as the village was covered in ash, soot, and fire.

Arondir, Bronwyn, and the Southlanders traveled by foot to the Númenórean camp outside of the Southlands. They reunited with Theo and, ss the Númenórean's departed, Arondnir wondered if the Queen Regent Míriel would keep her promise to return. Galadriel was certain that she would. As Galadriel returned to Ergeion, Arondir and his people made plans to travel to an old Númenórean colony.

Physical Appearance

Arondir is an Elf and as such, has a sense of heightened attractiveness and pointed ears. He has light-colored eyes, sharp features, and black hair.

The armor he dons is typical of his garrison of Silvan elves, and is filled with influences from their many loves. He also wears a ring on his thumb. The inscription reads: "May Your Arrows Sing" in Sindarin. His breastplate is ornately carved and the traditional armor of Silvan Elf-warriors.

Appearances

• Season One
  • "A Shadow of the Past" (First appearance)
  • "Adrift"
  • "Adar"
  • "The Great Wave"
  • "Partings"
  • "Udûn"
  • "The Eye"
• Season Two
  • "The Eagle and the Sceptre"
  • "Eldest"
  • "Where Is He?"
  • "Doomed to Die"
  • "Shadow and Flame"