Recently, a charming anecdote went viral regarding The Lord of the Rings‘ leading man (one of many) and his beard. As a child, Twitter user Alex Perry’s mother wrote to J.R.R. Tolkien with a simple question. Of course, at the time, she couldn’t have known Tolkien scholars would go on to cite her letter in published articles. The powerful question? “Did Aragorn have a beard in The Lord of the Rings books?” The answer, of course, is not that serious. But it is interesting to consider how this little bit of Lord of the Rings history, and the extra information Tolkien gave to go with it, could impact another Lord of the Rings property. Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series is heading our way soon. And this Lord of the Rings show features one of the other characters namedropped in Tolkien’s response, Isildur.
Here is what Perry shared about her mother’s correspondence with Tolkien about Aragorn’s beard:
I recently discovered that a fan letter my mum sent Tolkien when she was 15 is cited regularly in Tolkien scholarship, due to him answering her question about whether Aragorn canonically has a beard or not (he does not)
— Alex Perry, smiling politely (@Sneakachu25) February 28, 2022
She believes he took the time to respond because she wrote to him in the Elvish language. I will never compete with her on being a gigantic nerd because that is truly world cup level
— Alex Perry, smiling politely (@Sneakachu25) February 28, 2022
FAQs:
The letter still exists! I don’t have it. We went through a v rough patch after dad died & mum considered selling it, my uncle kindly offered to buy it to keep it in the family so he has it. I do want a scan but he has a lot going on rn & I don’t want to hassle him— Alex Perry, smiling politely (@Sneakachu25) March 1, 2022
I just asked her and she says she doesn’t think it was properly Sindarin or Quenya – she thinks she cheated and transcribed English in Elvish letters. If she gets milkshake ducked over this, it’s my fault: I shall take the ducking in her stead
— Alex Perry, smiling politely (@Sneakachu25) March 1, 2022
This was the early 70s, so in her defence she says she didn’t even have the information about the languages so gave it her best shot. She DID however also ask him about the Elvish numerical system which he also answered
— Alex Perry, smiling politely (@Sneakachu25) March 1, 2022
Honestly, we love this story. And we love hearing these extra details about The Lord of the Rings’ world the delighted both children and scholars, alike. (And, finally, we love the excuse to post many bearded Aragorn images.) According to Tor.com, here’s what Tolkien had to say on the matter of Aragorn’s beard, “Men normally had them when full-grown, hence Eomer, Theoden, and all others named. But not Denethor, Boromir, Faramir, Aragorn, Isildur, or other Numenorean chieftains.”
There you have it. Aragorn’s iconic stubble and sometimes full-grown beard from The Lord of the Rings movies is not Tolkien canonical. But it is wonderful. Of course, every new property creates its own new canon. And, ultimately, whether a character has a beard or not doesn’t seem that important—it’s just a fun fact to mull over. But while we’re mulling, we can’t help but wonder if all this beard-buzz will impact the Amazon Lord of the Rings series.
After all, Tolkien also calls out Isildur in his hairy response. And Isildur is slated to play a big role in the upcoming show. One of its major plots will revolve around “the rise and fall of the island kingdom of Númenor. (Emphasis on the fall.)” And Isildur will play a central role there. Will Rings of Power defer to Tolkien or will they too stray from what canon prescribes? We can’t yet say for sure because we haven’t yet glimpsed the character, so far. Though we are sure he is hiding in one of the many unnamed character posters the Lord of the Rings show released.
But you can be sure we’ll have our eyes out for it when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on September 2.