Aragorn is a human and a great hero in the books and films of The Lord of the Rings. As the heir of Gondor, he plays an important role. Originally, however, author J.R.R. Tolkien had something else in mind for him.
In The Lord of the Rings, there are several heroes traversing Middle-earth. Among them are Frodo and Sam, who carry the One Ring to Mordor, and Boromir, who shows courage despite his weaknesses – unlike his actor.
Alongside them, Aragorn is one of the most famous heroes in Middle-earth. He is a human who leads the Fellowship of the Ring after Gandalf’s death and ultimately claims his rightful heritage as king of Gondor.
However, the creator of Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien, had different plans for Aragorn. In the early drafts of The Lord of the Rings, the character was anything but a proud warrior.
A Hobbit with Wooden Feet?
What did Aragorn look like at first? In Tolkien’s early versions of his world-famous novel, Aragorn was not called Aragorn but Trotter. Moreover, he was not a human of the Dúnedain species but a hobbit.
So he was quite similar to Frodo, Sam, or Bilbo. Trotter was a nickname; the character’s full name was Peregrin Boffin, and he was even a cousin of Bilbo.
His distinctive feature were wooden feet, which he had acquired after being tortured in Mordor. Yes, you read that right: this version of the later Aragorn was already confronting Sauron and his minions before the actual storyline of The Lord of the Rings.
Trotter was no insignificant character even back then. He was present at Elrond’s council in Rivendell and joined the Fellowship on their mission to destroy the Ring. You can find a ranking of all nine companions on MeinMMO.
Over time, Tolkien further developed his story and changed the character of Trotter. Not only did he get a new name, namely Aragorn, but his race and appearance also changed.
He became a human with an impressive background and a promising future. Nonetheless, Tolkien stuck to the nickname “Trotter” until the first proper version of his book. “Strider,” as many initially called the character, only came much later.
Though the concept of Aragorn as a hobbit seems amusing, it was a good decision by Tolkien to alter the character and give him significantly more importance in the story. Who knows if Sauron would have been defeated without the help of Aragorn. He has certainly gathered enough experience in his 87 years of life, but he is by no means the oldest: This is how old the characters from The Lord of the Rings are at the time of the story.
