Aragorn and Faramir's Friendship
Faramir and Aragorn live in a very different society from our own and freely express their affection for each other,as do Tolkien's characters in the book.
I see Aragorn and Faramir as eventually coming to love each other like brothers or father and son.
This article describes well the more affectionate way of life of a different culture.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=394155&in_page_id=1770
I subscribe to a newsletter called "Daily Om" and found the article for August 23th 2006 to to extremely appropriate with regard to Aragorn and Faramir's friendship.
I quote
August 23, 2006
To Be Human
Putting People On Pedestals
When we fall in love with someone or make a new friend, we sometimes see that person in a glowing light. Their good qualities dominate the foreground of our perception and their negative qualities. They just don't seem to have any. This temporary state of grace is commonly known as putting someone on a pedestal. Often times we put spiritual leaders and our gurus on pedestals. We have all done this to someone at one time or another, and as long as we remember that no one is actually "perfect," the pedestal phase of a relationship can be enjoyed for what it is-a phase. It's when we actually believe our own projection that troubles arise.
Everyone has problems, flaws, and blind spots, just as we do. When we entertain the illusion that someone is perfect, we don't allow them room to be human, so when they make an error in judgment or act in contradiction to our idea of perfection, we become disillusioned. We may get angry or distance ourselves in response. In the end, they are not to blame for the fact that we idealized them. Granted, they may have enjoyed seeing themselves as perfect through our eyes, but we are the ones who chose to believe an illusion. If you go through this process enough times, you learn that no one is perfect. We are all a combination of divine and human qualities and we all struggle. When we treat the people we love with this awareness, we actually allow for a much greater intimacy than when we held them aloft on an airy throne. The moment you see through your idealized projection is the moment you begin to see your loved one as he or she truly is.
We cannot truly connect with a person when we idealize them. In life, there are no pedestals-we are all walking on the same ground together. When we realize this, we can own our own divinity and our humanity. This is the key to balance and wholeness within ourselves and our relationships.
Another "Daily OM" article on the power of touch
October 14, 2010
Healing Our Bodies
Touch
It's important to not forget about the power of the human touch in our lives.
Sometimes we might concentrate so much on our spiritual lives that we overlook the wonders of being present in our physical form. When we are more aware of the fact that our bodies are also important in terms of our personal growth, we may find it easier to nurture them. One of the most powerful ways to do this is through human touch, for a loving, comforting touch allows us to access the part of ourselves that yearns for a sense of oneness with the world around us. Even simple forms of touch connect us not just to our bodies but also to the energetic presence of other people.
There are so many ways to incorporate touch in our daily lives, one of the easiest being a heartfelt embrace. Just making a point to hug someone on a daily basis and really feel our energy pass between each other can strengthen the bonds that keep us together. Hugs help us heal any hurt or upset we may have recently experienced by letting us release into the moment of the embrace and realize that no matter what happens to us, we have someone in our lives who supports and cares for us.
Another nourishing form of touch is massage. While we may think of massage as a luxury, it is actually an ancient form of healing that enables us to open up our energetic pathways in order to receive unlimited energy from the universe. It doesn't matter whether a simple massage comes from a loved one or a massage therapist, but by giving ourselves the gift of massage every once in a while, we are doing something healthy and beneficial for our bodies. Massage helps our bodies activate their own restorative powers, creating a wonderful way to engage fully in our own healing.
Letting ourselves take advantage of the healing nature of touch creates space where we can truly live in and experience the world through our bodies, allowing us to completely immerse ourselves in the loving sense of joy and wonder that is our life.
The "Daily Om" website is at
http://www.dailyom.com/
The Development of Aragorn and Faramir's friendship in my stories.
When Aragorn heals Faramir “First Meeting”, “Comes the Moment to Decide” “Light from the Shadows” he is drawn to the younger man, seeing him as what a grown son might have been like if he could have wed Arwen soon after their betrothal. Faramir is equally drawn towards Aragorn, seeing in him, the kindly father that Denethor was not. However, due to Denethor’s influence, Faramir suffers from low self-esteem and is loath to accept Aragorn’s offers either of friendship, or further treatment for his wounds, the latter on account of Aragorn’s Elven treatments causing him to release his emotions and reveal his scars, for which he fears to be thought weak.” Facing the Darkness”, “the White Tree” Faramir tends to worship Aragorn as an idol on a pedestal. Both suspect that they were meant to restore the glory of Gondor together, as Faramir is the one Húrin spared by the Valar.
Arwen decides her husband needs a friend and arranges for him to spend time with Faramir. “Shadow and Thought”. Ruffians with a grudge attack the two men and Aragorn is badly injured. Faramir nurses him back to heath, with help from an initially reluctant Éowyn. The ice is broken and the two men become friends.
In “Burden of Guilt”, Aragorn and Faramir are enjoying their new found friendship while they wait for their wives to give birth. Unfortunately, Faramir still regards Aragorn as perfect and flawless, while Aragorn treats Faramir more like a favoured pet than a near equal.
When a near tragedy strikes, both men realise that neither truly understood the other. Faramir, especially finds it hard to understand that Aragorn is nothing like his father. To save Faramir’s life, Aragorn forms a mental bond with him, usually reserved for close kin of friends of many years standing. Though harmony is restored, Faramir still has Aragorn on a pedestal.
In “Web of Treason” Aragorn is captured by traitors who wish to wed a child who might be Boromir’s offspring to Aragorn’s infant son. At Arwen’s request, Faramir joins the traitors in an attempt to rescue Aragorn, but to do so joins in torturing him.
Aragorn is saved, but is a broken man as result of the ordeal he suffered. He cannot understand how Faramir could have convincingly joined in the deception. Faramir is not the man he believed him to be. Faramir feels rejected yet again by his “father” and will offer no explanation of his actions. The friendship appears doomed, though Aragorn protects Faramir from the full weight of the law.
In “A Time to Reap” both Aragorn and Faramir are suffering as result of their estrangement and the wound Faramir dealt Aragorn refuses to heal. The land too is suffering, as there has been no rain. Their wise and anxious wives decide something must be done. Arwen sends Aragorn on a pilgrimage with Faramir to offer First Fruits to the One.
The two men hardly speak and almost come to blows, though, they inwardly they long to be reconciled. Aragorn has become harsh and arrogant and refuses to use his healing powers. On the mountain, he has a profound spiritual experience. Faramir finds a hidden lake and the two men cast aside all outward trappings and experience a rebirth.
Aragorn realises he loves Faramir as a son and nothing can change that. Faramir accepts he has found the father he always longed for. Both now accept that the other is not quite as they imagined them to be but that strengthens their love as each is seeing the real person at last..
Further adventures await the pair in which Aragorn regains his humility and wisdom when he agrees to work on a farm to spare Faramir’s reputation. The King also rediscovers his healing powers.
The story is based on the Grail myths with Aragorn as the wounded Fisher King.