# Were all the Rangers Dunedain?



## vgunn (Jul 3, 2003)

Were all the Rangers (North and Ithlien) Dunedain?


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## vgunn (Jul 3, 2003)

I believe is less of an issue for the Rangers of the North, however those with Faramir and the White Company in Ithlien it seems there is some debate. Would like to know what you think.


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## Beleg (Jul 3, 2003)

The rangers of North were indeed Dunedain of pure race, but the Ranger's of Ithilien IMO were mostly mixed with a few pureblood Numenorean families.


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## Manveru (Jul 3, 2003)

Rangers of the North = Dunedain, for certain...
As long as Rangers of Ithilien are concerned... I agree with Beleg:


> _from LotR-The Two Towers-Of Herbs And Stewed Rabbit:_
> *They took off their masks now and again to cool them, as the day-heat grew, and Frodo saw that they were goodly men, pale-skinned, dark of hair, with grey eyes and faces sad and proud. They spoke together in soft voices, at first using the Common Speech, but after the manner of older days, and then changing to another language of their own. To his amazement, as he listened Frodo became aware that it was the Elven-togue that they spoke, or one but little different; and he looked at them with wonder, for he knew then that they must be Dunedain of the South, men of the line of the Lords of Westernesse.
> After a time he spoke to them; but they were slow and cautious in answering. They named themselves Mablung and Damrod, soldiers of Gondor, and they were Rangers of Ithilien; for they were decended from folk who lived in Ithilien at one time, before it was overrun.*


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## vgunn (Jul 3, 2003)

Thanks for your responses and qoute.


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## Manveru (Jul 3, 2003)

> _Originally posted by vgunn _
> *Thanks for your responses and qoute. *


You're welcome


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## vgunn (Jul 20, 2003)

Hoping for more replies!


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## Manveru (Jul 20, 2003)

*Another quote...*

I've recently come across this quote (while re-reading LotR) and I thought it could be useful argument that Rangers of Ithilien were 'descendants' (more or less in true line) of the Men of Westerness:


> *Before they ate, Faramir and all his men turned and faced west in a moment of silence. Faramir signed to Frodo and Sam that they should do likewise.
> 'So we always do,' he said, as they sat down: 'we look towards Numenor that was, and beyond to Elvenhome that is, and to that which is beyond Elvenhome and will ever be.*
> _from LotR-The Two Towers-The Window on the West_


IMO it shows that the customs of Men of Westerness (Dunedain) were remembered and still practiced by their 'scions'...

And another one:


> This is what Faramir said to Frodo and Sam:
> *'For so we reckon Men in our lore, calling them the High, or Men of the West, which were Numenorians; and the Middle Peoples, Men of the Twilight, such as the Rohirrim and their kin that dwell still far in the North; and the Wild, the Men of Darkness.
> 'Yet now, if the Rohirrim are grown in some ways more like to us, enhanced in arts and gentleness, we too have become more like to them, and can scarce claim any longer the title High. We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight, but with memory of other things.*
> _from LotR-The Two Towers-The Window on the West_


Here Faramir says that people of Gondor can no longer be 'counted among' _"pureblood Numenorean families"_ (as Beleg stated this), but they still remember ''of other things'' <-- Numenor and its customs, IMHO


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## YayGollum (Jul 20, 2003)

That's just craziness. Does some quote actually say that every single one of those northern Ranging types were achingly and purely one type of human? I doubt it. There are other people around. I was under the insane impression that there weren't twenty-seven thousand of those people running around. Thinking that they must have gotten to know a few of the Middle Earth natives at some point.


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## Lantarion (Jul 21, 2003)

Yes, I mean the Dúnedain were diminishing, as I recall, so they must have had to mingle their blood with that of the people of Middle-earth (i.e. not from Númenor) in order to keep their numbers adequately high. I'm only deducing though.. 
Whereas the question concerned the 'Rangers', not the people of the Dúnedain in general as a population. The Rangers, I believe, were the soldiery and the like towards the end of the Third Age, and I think they were all 'pure-blood'.


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## Beleg (Jul 21, 2003)

And which other people YayGollum?


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## vgunn (Jul 21, 2003)

Yes that is the impression I get as well. Ranger in in Middle-Earth implies a title not a profession as such. That select group would all be of Numenorean blood, even the Rangers of Ithlien.


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## YayGollum (Jul 21, 2003)

The other people I wrote about were the Middle Earth natives. Not Numenoreans. sorry about that. oh well. Looks like you people think that the Ranging types were definitely and achingly and purely one type of human. My idea makes more sense, though. Especially when you people  have no quotes.


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## Beleg (Jul 22, 2003)

> The other people I wrote about were the Middle Earth natives. Not Numenoreans. sorry about that. oh well. Looks like you people think that the Ranging types were definitely and achingly and purely one type of human. My idea makes more sense, though. Especially when you people have no quotes.



The only other people, living in Arnor during the later half of the third age are the breelanders and to them the Rangers were a secrative and weird clan, and Norbury Erain they called deadmen's dike, which tells of their awareness about the present clan of the Rangers. 
They didn't even knew the real name or lineage of Aragon and It is doubtful whether they made much contact with the occasional ranger that would visit Breeland from time to time seeing how in LOTR, Barliman doesn't seem to trust Aragon a great deal. 
And I doubt that Rangers would intermary among the Dunelandings of Dunland and of Enedwaith. 
A possible reason for the diminishment of the Rangers of Arnor maybe because of their tendancy to intermary among themselves.


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## vgunn (Jul 22, 2003)

YayGollum,

Here are some quotes to support the argument that the Rangers were Dunedain.

Quote:

"They found them guarded, for the Rangers barred their way. But this was a task beyond the power of the Dunedain; and maybe it would still have proved so even if their captain, Aragorn, had been with them. But he was away to the north, upon the East Road near Bree; and the hearts even of the Dunedain misgave them."

- Hunt for the Ring, Unfinished Tales

Quote:

"Peace and freedom, do you say ? The North would have known them little but for us.What roads would any dare to travel, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dunedain were asleep..?" 

- LOTR

Quote:

"..all of our kindred that could be gathered in haste."

- Halbarad [one of the Thirty Dunedain, Ranger], LOTR


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## YayGollum (Jul 23, 2003)

Yikes, crazy vgunn person! I'm just saying that I doubt that they were achingly and purely and only one type of human. Not only that one type of human blood was in the veins of at least one of the Ranging types. Anyways, got it, Beleg_strongbow person. You doubt it. sorry about that. Maybe I'm just crazy.


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