RĂan and Gilraen
And RĂan said to the Elves: âLet him be called Tuor, for that name his father chose, ere war came between us. And I beg of you to foster him, and to keep him hidden in your care; for I forebode that great good, for Elves and Men, shall come from him. But I must go in search of Huor, my lord.â
Then the Elves pitied her; but one Annael, who alone of all that went to war from that people had returned from the Nirnaeth, said to her: âAlas, lady, it is known now that Huor fell at the side of HĂșrin his brother; and he lies, I deem, in the great hill of slain that the Orcs have raised upon the field of battle.â
Therefore RĂan arose and left the dwelling of the Elves, and she passed through the land of Mithrim and came at last to the Haudh-en-Ndengin in the waste of Anfauglith, and there she laid her down and died.
- Unfinished Tales: Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin
âBut Ivorwen, his wife, who was also foresighted, answered: âThe more need of haste! The days are darkening before the storm, and great things are to come. If these two wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it will not come while this age lasts.
[...]
âThis is our last parting, Estel, my son. I am aged by care, even as one of lesser Men; and now that it draws near I cannot face the darkness of our time that gathers upon Middle-earth. I shall leave it soon.â
âAragorn tried to comfort her, saying: âYet there may be a light beyond the darkness; and if so, I would have you see it and be glad.â
âBut she answered only with this linnod: Ănen Ă-Estel Edain, Ăș-chebin estel anim, âI gave Hope to the DĂșnedain, I have kept no hope for myself.â
and Aragorn went away heavy of heart. Gilraen died before the next spring.
- Return of the King: Appendix A: The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
A parallel can be drawn about RĂan & Tuor and their descendants in the Third Age. Both women had experienced not only grief about losing their husband too early in the war against a dark lord with a baby to raise, but also the dwindling and the hardship of their people in this darkening world. So, I think, this famous line by Gilraen also applies to the state RĂan was in when she learned about her Huor's fate. She gave hope to the world, she kept none for herself. In a way, RĂan probably felt silmarly as Gilraen did, weary and heartbroken beyond care. They knew that their sons, Tuor and Aragorn, were destined for greatness, to bring hope for the world (Tuor's son EĂ€rendil became Gil-Estel. Aragorn was called Estel since his youth), even though they had no strength or enough remaining years left to see that task accomplished in the end.




















