Being Boromir

It’s been a few weeks. A lot has happened. The country has started moving again. Who knows what comes next? For this post I’m going to move away from the bible. But there is still a message of hope!

If you haven’t seen The Lord of the Rings: The Extended Edition, fair warning: SPOILER ALERT!

I have a brain that loves pictures and imagination. I can watch a film or read a book and find something in it I can use to talk about God and us. And LOTR has so much wisdom to it among the many battles that it’s a little treasure trove.

I grew up with LOTR. That and Star Wars always seemed to be on the TV (and Jurassic Park, but not as big a fan of that one).

I’ve been wanting to rewatch the films for ages but haven’t been able to justify the time. Now, however…

They are epic films on so many levels. The music, the scenery, the adventure, the quotes, the characters. I think the only thing I can fault in the films is American actors occasionally letting their English accent slip, and as accents are not one of my gifts it doesn’t bother me too much. (Note here, I haven’t actually read the books all the way through. I usually get stuck at the council meeting).

I could talk for hours about the number of quotes in these films. There are quotes to give hope, quotes to inspire and plenty of quotes to add humour to your day. (There’s a great one about potatoes…)

But I wanted to focus instead on the characters. There are such a range of characters in the films. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and each goes on their own adventure which isn’t necessarily the main one in the plot. It’s a bit like life if you think about it. Each of us has our own part to play in the narrative, even if it’s not the one we thought when we started out, and sometimes it’s not until we look back that we can see how important it was.

More than that, because of the range of characters in the plot, you may find you can identify with one of the characters. Or maybe you know people in real life who are very similar to the characters in the story. I am undoubtedly Pippin: naïve yet brave, good intentioned but also impulsive. And I’m quite short…

Saying that, I was struck by Boromir this time. I’ve always had a soft spot for Boromir. Maybe it has something to do with him being played by Sean Bean who I believe is one of the best actors around. But I grew up thinking Boromir wasn’t someone to aspire to be like. (Here come the spoilers)

Boromir is angry and disrespectful in the council meeting (we must all have experienced someone who knows best in our staff meetings!) He is constantly tempted by the ring and near the end even attacks the hero (Frodo) to try and take the ring from him. He is also the only one of the fellowship not given a gift in Lothlorien and who doesn’t survive the quest.

However, at a closer look there are certain qualities that we could aspire to. He is driven, in part, by a deep compassion for his people. He wants to use the ring as a weapon in order to save the lives of the people of Gondor. When he is outvoted, he joins the fellowship and fights bravely every time he is called upon. During the journey, he is the one who takes the time to teach Merry and Pippin to fight (well, tries to!) After the journey through the mines he is the one calling on the others to give the hobbits time to grieve for their friend. Time and again, you see compassion in these little moments.

Yes, he seems to continually talk about taking a detour via Gondor, but we also later learn that he has a very pushy father. Can anyone relate to that?

And yes, he does give in to temptation and attempt to take the ring by force. But we see almost immediate remorse when he realises what he has done. And he doesn’t give up. He could have run away in shame. Instead he stays and fights against overwhelming odds, singlehandedly fighting to protect the two members of the fellowship who are probably worth the least and are (logically at least) the most expendable. He makes some bad choices, but he is honourable and kind. And his determination to protect these two hobbits who are so far from home leads him to one of the most heroic death scenes out there (in my opinion).

But more than that. He is dying, and the first thing he tells Aragorn is that they ‘took the little ones’. Still trying to save people. And then he asks after Frodo and admits what he has done. He doesn’t hide it as a secret and take it to the grave, he brings it into the light.

Next to Aragorn, it is easy to view Boromir as lesser. Aragorn is humble, gentle and wise. But he is not perfect either. I think there is a lot we can learn from Boromir:

• Making a mistake doesn’t stop us from being a hero in our own and/or someone else’s story.
• No one is too small or unimportant to be worth fighting for and saving
• And when we do make a mistake, when we do give in to temptation, the best thing to do is to bring it into the light. Find someone we trust and tell them. Boromir dies in peace in the end, because he has nothing to hide and because Aragorn listens and doesn’t judge. Is there something today that is causing you to feel ashamed? Be wise in who you tell, but bring it into the light. Share it with God and with someone you trust and respect.