Aragorn in Lord of the Rings

Aragorn lives for many years after the events of The Lord of the Rings, and there are important lore reasons as to why. Viggo Mortensen delivered an iconic portrayal as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies directed by Peter Jackson, and he’ll hopefully be returning to the character for the upcoming movie, The Hunt for Gollum. He’s introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring as the ranger, Strider, but the film delicately introduces new elements about his past before Legolas reveals that he’s the lost heir to Gondor at the Council of Elrond.

Gondor is one of the notable human kingdoms in Middle-earth, which was founded toward the end of the Second Age. At the start of The Lord of the Rings, Gondor is ruled by a Steward who acts in the place of the king. This makes it all the more important to the narrative and for the hope of Men for the king to return and lead the people to victory. Aragorn is heavily influenced by Arthurian legend and the idea that a mythological king and leader will one day return.

Aragorn Lives To Be 210 After The Lord Of The Rings

Aragorn Is King For More Than Half His Life

Aragorn with Anduril in Return of the King Aragorn first unsheathing Anduril in front of Elrond in Return of the King Aragorn charging the Black Gate in The Return of the King Gandalf riding Shadowfax beside Aragorn and Legolas in The Two Towers

Aragorn, son of Arathorn, is 87 years old at the time of The Lord of the Rings, making him significantly older than actor Viggo Mortensen, who was in his early 40s around the time of filming. This is a point of confusion for viewers watching the movies but who don’t know much about the lore, as this fact is mentioned in The Two Towers without much of a lore explanation to back it.

Aragorn passes away at the age of 210, living a long life as a renowned king, hero, and warrior.

In The Return of the King’s ending, Aragorn is crowned as the King of Gondor once again, and he lives on to have a peaceful reign from the year 3019 of the Third Age to 120 of the Fourth Age (spending 122 years as the acting monarch). Aragorn passes away at the age of 210, living a long life as a renowned king, hero, and warrior. He lives behind a son, Eldarion, who inherits the throne after him, and several daughters.

Aragorn’s Lineage Is The Reason He’s Able To Live So Long

Aragorn Is One Of The Dúnedain

A blended image of Numenor, Minas Tirith, and Isildur from Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The reason for Aragorn’s long life dates back to the end of the First Age of Middle-Earth, following the War of Wrath. The Edain were the group of Men who fought alongside the Elves against Morgoth. They were then blessed with longer life spans in return for their deeds. This group then became known as the Númenóreans, who are depicted in The Rings of Power. From them came the Dúnedain, who fled Númenór before it was destroyed and established roots in Middle-Earth.

Aragorn is known to have a small amount of Elf blood in him, but that’s not the reason for his long life in The Lord of the Rings. Aragorn is one of the Dúnedain, and though the gift has dissipated over thousands of years, he’s descended from royalty who had the longest lives, so his is still quite lengthy for a mortal. Faramir had some of this blood as well but only lived to be 120, as his wasn’t as royal.