| This article is about the the member of the Fellowship. For the other namesakes, see Boromir (disambiguation). |
- "The Ring! Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing!"
- —from The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
Boromir was a valiant warrior of Gondor, renowned for his prowess in combat and skill on the battlefield. He was the eldest son of Denethor II, who was Steward of Gondor during the War of the Ring, and his wife Finduilas. Even the people of Rohan admired him, particularly Éomer. He was the older brother of Faramir.
Biography[]
Boromir in Osgiliath after its recapture
Before the War of the Ring[]
Boromir was born in the year TA 2978. He was the eldest child of Denethor II, the last Ruling Steward of Gondor and his wife Finduilas, and was the heir to the Stewardship. When Boromir was only ten years old, his mother died. Consequently, his father became grim and came to prefer Boromir over his brother, Faramir. Despite this fact, Boromir looked after his younger brother and they became very close. Boromir devoted himself to leading his people and fought in the battle for the eastern part of Osgiliath in TA 3018. He, his brother, and two others were the only survivors of the unit that held the bridge until its destruction; they had to swim the River Anduin to reach safety.
War of the Ring[]
- "Why should we not think that the Great Ring has come into our hands to serve us in the very hour of need? Wielding it the Free Lords of the Free may surely defeat the Enemy."
- —The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Council of Elrond"
Following the battle Boromir set out from Minas Tirith to Rivendell to decipher a riddle he had received (and his brother three times) in a dream:[1]
- Seek for the Sword that was broken,
- In Imladris it dwells,
- There shall be counsels taken,
- Stronger than Morgul-spells.
- There shall be shown a token,
- That Doom is near at hand,
- For Isildur's Bane shall waken,
- And the Halfling forth shall stand.
Boromir as depicted by Donato Giancola
Boromir departing Minas Tirith for Rivendell, by C.K. Göksoy
Boromir lost his horse in Tharbad and travelled the rest of the way on foot. The journey took 110 days.[1] He arrived at the beginning of the Council of Elrond where he described how Gondor was defending itself from Mordor and tried to convince them to give the One Ring to Gondor, where he felt it would be kept safe. But the council did not agree that the One Ring should go to Gondor, deciding that the only safe course was to destroy it.[1]
Boromir joined the Fellowship of the Ring and was warned by Elrond not to blow the Horn of Gondor until they were close to Gondor and in dire need.[1] On the voyage south Boromir advocated taking the Gap of Rohan, but was overruled as this lay too close to Isengard. He proved his worth as a capable warrior in Moria and assisted Aragorn in fighting off a large number of Orcs. After the loss of Gandalf and the Fellowship's departure from Moria, Boromir expressed opposition to Aragorn's decision to continue to Lothlórien, arguing that to go south was better. He believed the stories told in Gondor that Galadriel's magic would harm them. He eventually agreed to go after Aragorn assured him the Elves would help them. In Lothlórien, Boromir was disturbed by what he felt was Galadriel's testing of his mind, and he was suspicious of her motives.[2] Before leaving Lothlórien he was given the gift of an Elven-cloak and a golden belt.[3]
Boromir disliked the idea of destroying the One Ring, as he believed that it could be used to defeat Sauron once and for all, to save Gondor, and return it to its former glory; he tried to convince Frodo to give him the Ring. When Frodo refused, Boromir tried to take it by force but the hobbit put it on and fled.
Boromir, near Parth Galen, facing Orcs while the Fellowship is scattered, by Nick Deligaris.
After Boromir realized his actions were caused by the corruption of the One Ring, he repented, and upon returning to camp he was confronted by Aragorn about Frodo. Boromir told Aragorn that he had seen Frodo an hour ago where he had tried to convince Frodo to bring the One Ring to Minas Tirith. They then had an argument and Frodo walked off. After the argument, Boromir went for a walk until eventually returning to the camp. The Fellowship, especially Aragorn, believed that there was more to the confrontation than Boromir was telling them, but Aragorn did not press the issue. Upon hearing of Frodo's predicament, the rest of the Fellowship, particularly the Hobbits, scattered in an ill-conceived attempt to find him. Aragorn ordered Boromir to follow and look after Merry and Pippin while he took off after Sam.[4]
Boromir's body approaching the Falls of Rauros, by Roger Garland
During the search, Merry and Pippin ran into a group of Uruk-hai, who tried to capture them. Boromir came to their aid and drove the Orcs off, but more Orcs came and Boromir was mortally wounded by many arrows. Aragorn found him dying under a tree, with Merry and Pippin gone. There Boromir confessed that he had attempted to take the ring from Frodo and expressed his remorse. Aragorn stayed with Boromir until he died from his wounds.[5]
- "Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed."
- —The Two Towers, "The Departure of Boromir" (Boromir's final words, spoken to Aragorn)
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli laid his body inside one of the boats of Lórien, and sent him down the Falls of Rauros. Afterwards, they sang the Song of Boromir.
Legacy[]
Three days after Boromir's death, his brother Faramir saw his funeral boat passing down the Anduin. Men of Gondor found Boromir's horn, the Horn of Gondor, broken in twain, and brought it to his father. This drove Denethor to despair, and when compounded with Faramir's later seemingly-mortal wounding and his knowledge of Mordor's indomitable might, he lost his mind. Many, including Faramir, often lamented Boromir's passing as Sauron readied his forces to attack, noting that his loss would be keenly felt by Gondor on the field of battle.
Boromir, played by Sean Bean in the films, with the horn of Gondor
Boromir won respect even from his enemies: in The Two Towers, Uglúk boasts that it had been the Uruk-hai who "slew the mighty warrior", a clear reference to Boromir.
Personality[]
Boromir contemplates the One Ring on the Redhorn Pass
Boromir was above all else exceedingly valiant and steadfast, and was held in great esteem by the fighting men of both Gondor and Rohan. He was noted as being somewhat dissimilar in manner and thought from both his father, Denethor, and his brother Faramir, but he loved them both greatly. He was selfless and bold, but he took little interest in the books and scrolls that his brother so often read, having little interest in lore. It was said of him by Éomer that he had a great deal in common with the people of Rohan. However, his desire to protect his people, and his inability to do so, left him vulnerable to the predations of the One Ring. This eventually caused him to attempt to take it from Frodo, though he deeply regretted this almost immediately after it occurred.
In adaptations[]
Boromir (1978 film)
In Ralph Bakshi's animated film[]
- "The halflings... Orcs took them. I think they are not dead."
- —The Lord of the Rings 1978 film, (Boromir's final words, spoken to Aragorn)
In Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings, Boromir was portrayed by the English voice actor Michael Graham Cox in which the character wears a helmet that resembles a stereotypical Viking's with a horn on each side.
In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy[]
- "I would have followed you, my brother; my captain; my king."
- —The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, (Boromir's final words, spoken to Aragorn)
Boromir is portrayed by the English actor Sean Bean in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as a brave and skilled warrior whose loyalty to Gondor tempts him to take the Ring for himself. He first appears in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at the Council of Elrond, where he suggests that Gondor use the One Ring as a weapon against Sauron. Although he squabbles with Aragorn over the kingship of Gondor, he joins the Fellowship of the Ring when it assembles. As the Fellowship travels toward Lórien, Boromir proves his worth as a fighter but continues to be tempted by the Ring. When the group arrives at Caras Galadhon, Galadriel speaks to him telepathically of the fall of Gondor.
At the end of the first film, Boromir tries to take the Ring from Frodo as Saruman's Uruk-hai attack the Fellowship. Frodo escapes by using the Ring, and Boromir dies defending Merry and Pippin from the Orcs. As he passes, he apologizes to Aragorn and acknowledges Aragorn's birth right to the throne of Men. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli then lay his body in a rowboat that floats down the Anduin, as in the books.
Boromir imagined by Denethor
Boromir only appears in the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King. In The Two Towers, he appears in Faramir's flashback of the Battle of Osgiliath. Boromir and Faramir lead a host of Gondorian soldiers in liberating the city, and Boromir gives a patriotic speech. Denethor arrives and instructs Boromir to travel to Rivendell and bring back the One Ring. In this sequence, Boromir is portrayed as trying to balance his love for his younger brother and country with his goal of doing his father's will.
In The Return of the King, he appears briefly in one of Denethor's hallucinations.
Boromir is known for two famous movie lines that have been the spark of many internet memes; "They have a cave troll," and "One does not simply walk into Mordor."
In radio[]
In the 1955 BBC play, he was portrayed by the British voice actor Derek Prentice. In the Mind's Eye 1979 play, he was portrayed by the American voice actor Erik Bauersfeld. In the final BBC radio play of 1981, he was again voiced by Michael Graham Cox.
In video games[]
- Boromir appears in the 1994 SNES game J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Volume 1, however, he declines to join the fellowship.
- Boromir appears in both the 2002 Playstation 2, Xbox, PC and a separate Gameboy Advance game The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
- Boromir appears in the LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Video Game, voiced by Sean Bean.
- He also makes an appearance in the online multiplayer game The Lord of the Rings Online.
- Boromir is a playable hero in the real-time strategy The Battle for Middle-earth series.
- Boromir is a playable character via DLC in The Lord of the Rings: Conquest.
- Boromir is a playable unit in The Lord of the Rings: Tactics.
Voice dubbing actors[]
| Foreign Language | Voice dubbing artist |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Salvador Delgado |
| Spanish (Spain) | Jordi Boixaderas |
| Portuguese (Brazil) (Television/DVD) | Dráuzio de Oliveira |
| German | Torsten Michaelis |
| Italian (Italy) | Massimo Corvo |
| Hungarian | András Sinkovits-Vitay |
| French (France) | François-Eric Gendron |
| Japanese | Rikiya Koyama |
| Korean | 성완경(Wan-Kyung Sung) |
| Czech (Czech Republic) | Lukáš Hlavica |
| Slovak | Jozef Vajda |
| Turkish | Uğur Polat |
Gallery[]
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Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ቦሮሚር |
| Arabic | بورومیر |
| Armenian | Բոռոմիր |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Боромір |
| Bengali | বরোমির |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Боромир |
| Burmese | ဗောရောမိရ္ |
| Catalan | Bóromir |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 波羅莫 |
| Chinese (China) | 博罗米尔 |
| Georgian | ბორომირი |
| Greek | Μπόρομιρ |
| Gujarati | બોરોમિર |
| Hebrew | בורומיר |
| Hindi | बोरोमिर |
| Japanese | ボロミア |
| Kannada | ಬೊರೊಮಿರ್ |
| Kazakh | Боромир (Cyrillic) Boromïr (Latin) |
| Korean | 보로미르 |
| Kurdish | بۆرۆمیر (Central) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Боромир |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Боромир |
| Marathi | बोरोमीर |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Боромир |
| Nepalese | बोरोमिर |
| Pastho | بورومیر ? |
| Persian | برومیر |
| Punjabi | ਬੋਰੋਮੀਰ |
| Russian | Боромир |
| Serbian | Боромир (Cyrillic) Boromir (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | බොරොමිර් |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Боромир |
| Tamil | போறோமிர் |
| Telugu | బోరోమిర్ |
| Thai | โบโรเมียร์ |
| Ukrainian | Боромір, Боромир |
| Urdu | بورومیر |
| Uzbek | Боромир (Cycillic) Boromir (Latin) |
| Yiddish | באָראָמיר |
| The Fellowship of the Ring | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frodo · Sam · Merry · Pippin · Gandalf · Aragorn · Legolas · Gimli · Boromir | ||||||||
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. II: "The Council of Elrond"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. VII: "The Mirror of Galadriel"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. VIII: "Farewell to Lórien"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. X: "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Three, Ch. I: "The Departure of Boromir"