Archetypal View: Aragorn
Aragorn: A Study of the Good King Archetype
This is part of an ongoing series that views contemporary films through the lens of archetypal psychology and the King, Warrior, Magician, Lover model of the masculine psyche as defined by the late Jungian analyst Robert L. Moore in his book of that name. It’s an attempt by me to refresh that work by presenting more current and diverse examples of the archetypes than what are given in that excellent but somewhat outdated book.
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With the writing and publication of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien gifted the modern West a real mythology that could reawaken the archetypal potentials within each of us. When viewed through the archetypal prism of Robert Moore’s King, Warrior, Magician, Lover we can find excellent examples of how each of the four powers is expressed in both their positive and shadow forms.
The character of Aragorn, played to perfection in the film trilogy by Viggo Mortensen, offers us a rare example of what makes a Good and Just King.
We first meet him as Strider, a Warrior without a Kingdom, roaming Middle Earth with his band of Rangers, fighting the forces of evil and protecting the innocent and vulnerable. He’s known for his great skill in battle and his honour and integrity as a Warrior who serves and protects wherever he is needed, but he isn’t quite ready to take his rightful place on the throne (and he knows it).
The Good King must not only be a Good Warrior, he must be a “Lord of the Four Quarters” (as described by John Weir Perry in his book on the King in mythology).
As the wise woman Ioreth states, "The hands of the King are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known." For a Warrior to become a healer he must be connected to the Lover, — the archetype that instills a sense of care and concern for life, and the Magician — the archetype that awakens vision and intuition.
At one point Aragorn refuses the crown because he knows he’s not ready to take the throne, an act that shows great knowledge and humility. Over the course of the trilogy we see him being initiated into the Lover and Magician aspects through his love of the “Lady of Rivendell” Arwen, and the mentorship of Elrond and Gandalf.
In the end, he accepts his rightful place as King Elessar (appropriately named after the Elven jewel that carries the light of the sun and gives healing and renewal to all those who look upon it) — an act that heals both the fractured Kingdom and his own fractured identity. Aragorn comes to his Kingship honestly, and by the end of the trilogy embodies all the qualities of the Good King — order, justice, fertility, and the capacity to bestow blessings.
Interested in an archetypal approach to men’s work?
Check out The Four Initiations, my 6-week coaching program based on King, Warrior, Magician, Lover
Tags: tolkien, men’s work, lord of the rings, masculinity, myth, archetype, archetypal psychology, jung, marie-louise von franz, four initiations, robert moore
