An Elf, a Man, and a Dwarf {Guest Post by Jemimah C.}

Hello for the third time! It's me again, Jemimah C., the avid Lord of the Rings enthusiast who has been writing about LOTR in my three-series guest post for Charity. You can read the two other posts by clicking on their titles here: Journeying Through Middle Earth and Middle Earth:Cities, Countries, Creatures, Costumes.

And now for the third and final post... It won't be so vastly different from the two others; for still (and I hope you aren't getting bored by it all), this post will be themed to one of my favorite book and movie trilogies of all time. None other than The Lord of the Rings. You should have seen that coming. So without further ado and explanation, please do read on.

"What business does an elf, a man, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?"

Those were the words spoken by Eomer, a banished leader from the rural country in Middle Earth by the name of Rohan, when he and his men came across a peculiar sight not many often see. An elf, a man, and a dwarf. A band of three diverse races. An unusual group.

The man was known as Aragorn, the elf was named Legolas, and the dwarf was called Gimli. But where and how did they come together? What brought this peculiar group of races to each other? It all started when the races of men, elves, and dwarves (and a wizard and some eavesdropping hobbits) met together to discuss the fate of the Sauron's ring. It was there that Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli offered their services and lives to aid the young hobbit ring-bearer, Frodo.

Aragorn: If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword.
Legolas: And you have my bow.
Gimli: And my axe!

They started out as a fellowship of nine, journeying toward Mordor with the intent to destroy the ring there. But along the way, the fellowship was severed. Some were lost to death, others were taken by the enemy, a few continued the quest to Morder. And the three, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli...they united with each other. To avenge their friends and fight for the good.

And now it's time to get to know each of this three "men."

The man, Aragorn, comes from Gondor. At a young age, he was taken to a different place and he spent most of his childhood there. Later, he chose the life of a ranger. Thus, he adapted a new alias. Strider.

Aragorn has a long and great history—one that directly comes from the royal lineage of Gondor. He's actually a king, though for some reasons, he doesn't claim the throne. Yet. Also, he's quite old at the age of eighty-odd, since he is a Dunedain—mortals who are blessed with long life.

Aragorn is a tough warrior, a skilled swordsman, and most of all, a humble, yet strong leader. Most of the time, he leads over his two other companions. But he always keeps an open ear to what they have to say.

Legolas Greenleaf, or the amazing blond-haired guy (oh wait, that wasn't supposed to be included here), is an elvish prince from the woodland realm of Mirkwood. He was one of the rather many elf representatives in the meeting where they discussed the fate of the ring. But among those elves, he's the one who voluntarily joined the quest—and an adventure of a lifetime.

So, Legolas is an elf. He looks like an elf, he talks like an elf, he moves like an elf. Shouldn't that be intrinsically natural? Legolas is far, far older than Aragorn and Gimli. Since the elves are immortal, Legolas is around a thousand plus years old in The Lord of the Rings. But he manages to still look very young and agile. Ask him what his secret for young looks and great strength is, and he'll say one bite of lembas bread. (Alright, that was meant as a joke.)

Legolas, as I mentioned, is one amazing fighter. Double that. Now make it times ten. Yes, he is an excellent sharpshooter with his bow and arrows. I don't think he ever misses a shot. He has many great "moments" in LOTR, in which he displays his daring bravery.

Gimli, son of Gloin, is the dwarf companion of Aragorn and Legolas. He's many years older than Aragorn, but definitely younger than Legolas. He's stout and small like most of his dwarvish kinfolk.

Speaking of kinfolk, Gimli is very proud of the dwarves. And that becomes a bit of a problem, because the elves and the dwarves have long been engaged in an age-old dispute among themselves. Perhaps that's the very reason why Gimli joined the fellowship in the first place. He didn't want an elf (also known as Legolas) to outdo him. After all, he'd rather die than see the ring in the hands of an elf. Or at least, at the beginning.

Gimli tends to grumble plenteously, but he proves to be a fun character with more than a kind heart. Gimli is a stalwart warrior, and he can be very intrepid with his trusty axe.

Even as the fellowship of nine disseminates, these three men from various races and different backgrounds form together an inseparable bond. It's almost hard to imagine them apart from each other! Certainly, misunderstandings and disagreements are inevitable. At some point, they all quarrel. Gimli and Legolas often spar over who has killed more orcs, goblins, trolls, oliphaunts (which, in Gimli's opnion, only counts as one), et cetera. But they willingly set aside their personal differences and their family feuds to become friends. Really good friends.

With Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, one will always "feel" safe. When watching the LOTR films, it's a relief to see their faces flash across the screen...which is sort of like a timeout from watching anxiously as Frodo and Sam near Mordor and other scenes like that. With the "threesome," there's a sense of knowing that you'll always see one victory after another. Because they are some of the best characters. Period.

They are also there for comic relief. Especially Legolas and Gimli.

Gimli: [failing to see over the wall] What's happening out there?
Legolas: Shall I describe it to you?
Gimli: [turns] Hmm?
Legolas: Or would you like me to find you a box?

Well, now that you've met the new "three musketeers," it's time for me to say farewell. Thank you so much for allowing me to guest post here, Charity!

{Images via Arwen-Undomiel.com and Google Images}

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About the writer: Lady Jemimah C. is a self-confessed elf maiden who resides in the polychromatic woods of Rivendell in Middle Earth. She delights in books and libraries, and is an avid fan of The Lord of the Rings. She is a fervent writer with a heart made of paper and iridescent ink-filled veins. Also a photography enthusiast, an aspiring thespian, an imaginative dreamer, a time traveler, an explorer. And foremost, she is a daughter of the King of kings and a servant of God. Her writer's corner, her "hobbit hole" is known to the world as Beautiful Blank Pages, her blog.