Aragorn is easily one of the most recognizable characters in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film franchise, making his secretive past compelling — but not many fans know that, technically, Aragorn is part-elf. The author of the book, J.R.R. Tolkien, created Middle-earth with such detail and complexity that there are still certain characters and lineages that those mostly familiar with Peter Jackson's LotR movies and Amazon's The Rings of Power may not have heard of. While Aragorn is one of the most studied characters of the franchise, there has still been a variety of discussions on whether he is an Elf. Aragorn isn't half elvish (or even close), but the blood of Númenor flowing in his veins does have a link to Tolkien's elves.
It's no secret the long-lived Aragorn isn't a typical man of Gondor. Curiously, though the lore of Middle-earth is adequately tackled by the Lord of the Rings movies, it's never explicitly stated that Aragorn, son of Arathorn, is part-elf — but that fact that he isn't a regular human is quite obvious. This is partly where the confusion lies, as audiences unfamiliar with Tolkien's work are largely unacquainted with the blood of Númenor and its importance to Middle-earth history. In the interest of better understanding a truly seminal character from the roots of the fantasy genre, here's everything else audiences need to know about Aragorn's elven heritage.
Aragorn Is Part Elf, But It Doesn't Matter That Much
When viewers are first introduced to Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), he is seemingly a skillful ranger. However, he is later revealed to be the heir of Isildur - the first ring-bearer and throne of the kingdom of Gondor. This means he has the blood of Númenor flowing through him, a small-but-notable fact that has greater impact than Aragorn being the rightful king of Gondor. In fact, Aragorn's ancestry can be traced back to 6,000 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, which explains his complicated racial background.
The blood of Númenor in Aragorn became genetically distinct during events currently being shown in The Rings of Power. At the beginning of the Second Age, the island of Númenor became home to a kingdom of Men first led by the Half-Elf Elros, who'd decided to live a mortal life. The line of kings that followed Elros spanned over 3,000 years, with the Men of Númenor given a divine blessing that enabled them to live longer than any other mortal, explaining Aragorn's age. After the island of Númenor was destroyed, the bloodline moved inland and ruled over the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. Despite this, the family line faded over time, and they eventually became known as the Chieftains of Dunedain, who quietly fought against Sauron's dark forces as rangers. Toward the end of the Third Age, the 15th Chieftain of Dunedain, Arathorn, and his wife Galraen welcomed their first and only child, Aragorn.
Therefore, Aragorn is part Elf, but it is insignificant compared to the rest of his heritage. That doesn't mean that his Elven lineage doesn't play a vital part in the Lord of the Rings storyline, however. Following the death of Aragorn's father, Arathorn, he takes on the mantle as the 16th Chief of Dunedain and the heir to Gondor and Arnor's thrones. To protect Aragorn from Sauron's forces, Aragorn's distant relative Elrond takes him in as his own in Rivendell. Elrond keeps Aragorn's lineage a secret for years until he is 20, when he finally tells Aragorn the truth. After telling Aragorn the truth of his identity, Elrond gifts him with the shards of Narsil, pieces of a sword that had been used by his ancestors for thousands of years before its destruction fighting Sauron. Shortly after Aragorn learns the truth of his lineage, he meets Elrond's daughter, Arwen, whom he instantly falls in love with.
Arwen And Aragorn's Age Gap Matters A Lot
That fact that Aragorn is part elf is certainly interesting, but it didn't matter that much to Tolkien himself. As far as elf-human relations go, he placed much more thematic weight on the age gap between Aragorn and Arwen. While on the surface, Aragorn's and Arwen's love story may seem odd due to their relation and huge age gap, it serves as a crucial point to the main storyline. In fact, the iconic couple being related was done on purpose by J.R.R. Tolkien, who took special care to craft intricate lineages and history to shape Middle-earth. Through Aragorn and Arwen's union, Tolkien was able to close a critical disparity within the story.
Where Elros chose mortality and Elrond chose immortality, Arwen chose mortality to marry Aragorn, which closed the cycle and resulted in a fully fleshed-out, extensive family legacy. This ultimately shows that Aragorn's Elven lineage was not for nothing. As for Aragorn's post-Lord of the Rings story, J.R.R. Tolkien never expressed much interest in writing about the Fourth Age, with Aragorn's eventual rule over his kingdoms bringing about the end of the epic storyline. A few short ages and stories exist, but none featuring Aragorn going on more adventures.
When Did Aragorn Die?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy ended iconically with Aragorn telling the Hobbits that they bow to no one. After this the Fellowship went their separate ways, with Sam returning to the Shire and Frodo sailing to the undying lands with Gandalf. As for the technically part-elf Aragorn, he ruled Gondor for 120 years before dying at the age of 210. Being partly elvish due to the blood of Númenor flowing through him, Aragorn could have lived longer still. However, he decided to die in order for his son Eldarion to rule in his stead. Thanks to his Elven immortality, Aragorn - also known as Strider and Elessar - gave Gondor over a century of stable leadership, which was the Numenorean's last heroic act in Middle-earth. Unlike kingdoms in certain other franchises based on works by authors with R.R. in their name, Gondor actually enjoyed something of a happily-ever-after once the events of Lord of the Rings were wrapped up, thanks in part to Aragorn being part-elf.
