Knight In Battered Armor - Honorary Member Profile, June 2010: Boromir

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Boromir is the son of Denethor, the current Steward of Gondor. Boromir is first seen in Rivendell in The Fellowship of the Ring, prior to/during the Council of Elrond (movie/book).

During the Council of Elrond, Boromir tried to convince the council members to send the One Ring to Minas Tirith, where he believed that it could be used as a weapon against the forces of Sauron. The council believed otherwise, believing that Sauron would be able to detect the Ring's presence there.

Soon thereafter, Boromir joined the Fellowship of the Ring in their quest to destroy the One Ring. During the Fellowship's journey to the Misty Mountains and the Mines of Moria, Boromir did what he could to help and protect the others in the Fellowship: digging a path through the snow while on the slopes of Caradhras and fighting the nameless terror at the entrance of the Gates of Moria.

Inside Moria, Boromir fought against the various goblins that had overtaken the realm of Moria. One of the most notable fights was in Balin's Tomb. Soon thereafter, Boromir and the others were forced to flee as Gandalf fell in battle with the Balrog.

After escaping Moria, Boromir and the Fellowship made their way to Lothlorien, where Boromir was disturbed by Galadriel's testing of his mind. While we don't know exactly what went on in his mind at this meeting, we know that he was distracted and at times preoccupied by bringing the Ring to Gondor.

Things came to a head at Parth Galen, near the Falls of Rauros. Here, Boromir finally succumbed to the temptation to take the Ring for himself. "True-hearted Men, they will not be corrupted. We of Minas Tirith have been staunch through long years of trial. We do not desire the power of wizard-lords, only strength to defend ourselves, strength in a just cause. And behold! In our need chance brings to light the Ring of Power. It is a gift, I say; a gift to the foes of Mordor. It is mad not to use it, to use the power of the Enemy against him. The fearless, the ruthless, these alone will achieve victory. What could not a warrior do in this hour, a great leader? What could not Aragorn do? Or if he refuses, why not Boromir? The Ring would give me power of Command. How I would drive the hosts of Mordor, and all men would flock to my banner!"

After seeing that Frodo remained unconvinced, Boromir commanded Frodo to relinquish the Ring. When Frodo refused, Boromir attempted to take the Ring by force. Frodo put on the Ring and fled. Boromir, realizing what had just happened, repented of his actions and wept, calling for Frodo's forgiveness.

Boromir returned to camp, and when asked about what had happened, he explained that he and Frodo had an argument, after which Frodo walked off and he (Boromir) had wandered the forest for a time. Not entirely believing all Boromir had related, the Fellowship split up and searched the forest for Frodo.

During this search, the Fellowship was ambushed by orcs and Uruk-Hai from Isengard. Boromir valiantly attemped to protect Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-Hai, but after receiving many arrow wounds (three in the film version of FotR), Boromir could fight no longer and the hobbits were taken.

Aragorn, having heard the blast of Boromir's horn, attempted to come to Boromir's aid, but came too late to prevent the hobbit's capture. As Boromir lay dying, he urged Aragorn to save Minas Tirith, believing that he himself had failed in that task. Aragorn reassured him that he had not failed, that "few have gained such a victory". Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas placed Boromir's body in one of the Elven boats, along with his sword, belt, cloak, broken horn, and the weapons of his slain foes. They set the boat adrift in the river toward the Falls of Rauros, and sang a "Lament of the Winds" as his funeral song.

"Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows, The West wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes. 'What news from the west, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight? Have you seen Boromir the Tall by moon or by starlight? 'I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey; I saw him walk in empty lands, until he passed away, Into the shadows of the North. I saw him then no more. The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor.' 'O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar, But you come not from the empty lands where no men are."

* * * * *

Boromir is a perfect example of a Knight In Battered Armor. He fights for his friends and comrades in arms. The 'battered' part comes from when he tried to force Frodo to give up the One Ring, and then attempted to steal it when Frodo refused to hand it over. He later redeemed himself by fighting the Uruk-Hai that ambushed Merry and Pippin. And even though he was wounded by arrows, he continued to fight until there was no more fight in him. He tooks hit; he was wounded, yet still fought on regardless of the outcome. He chose to fight despite overwhelming odds.

Truly, he is a Knight In Battered Armor.

The road goes ever on and on

It's almost been two weeks since my last exploration.  First attempt at posting got delayed by the raining and subsequent flooding in the Nashville area on May 1 and 2.  Second attempt delayed by lack of sleep, as well as a friend's birthday celebration (involving a sushi bar and a 9pm showing of Ironman 2), among other things.

So here I am, sitting on the enclosed deck of the house my parents are living in, finally getting around to posting again.

Now, without further ado, I shall begin...

April 30, 2010

Down the street a ways from where I live on 5th Avenue South there runs a set of train tracks.  I've passed them many a time on my way to Pinkerton Park, and seen many people following the tracks a ways, but I've never done it myself until now.

This is a cool building next to the train tracks.  Very near where I began my explorations.

About to start walking...

I really like doing shots like this.  Not sure why, I just do.

 "I hear the train a-comin'.  It's rollin' round the bend..."

One of a few bridges I had to cross.

I eventually went past the Factory on Franklin Road and ... whatever that other road is called.  I can't think of it right now.

Nice semi-enclosed (ish) part of the tracks.  Not a lot of direct sunlight, which was nice.  Made for some nice pictures.

Getting close to my turn-around spot.

By this point I had been walking for a 45 minutes to an hour, and decided it was time to head back.  Didn't want to repeat my 3-hour outing from my last exploration.  :)

And now I'm heading back.

And that's about it.  I took a lot of pictures, but most of them are so similar, I didn't want to post many this time.  I don't know when or where my next exploration is going to take place, but I'll let you know when I find out.  Until then:

"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields.  And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand." - Irish Blessing

Still upcoming, or whatever

I haven't forgotten to post the results of my last exploration of Franklin.  I was going to do it last Friday, but forgot, then last weekend it rained practically nonstop in the Nashville area, resulting in some major flooding in many, many places, most of which are still recovering.

I've been working, not sleeping well, and doing one of the things I do well:

Procrastinating.

Seriously, it's a big problem.  Granted, the rainfall and subsequent flooding has been a major issue, but I haven't been able to go out and help people help other people because of work.  I've had ample time to post my pictures.

And as I currently have nothing planned for after work tomorrow, here's what I'm going to do:  I'm going to write myself a reminder with BIG FREAKIN' LETTERS in black Sharpie, and make myself remember to not only write the blog entry, but work on -

- honorary member profile(s) for my facebook group "Knights In Battered Armor."
- my story

All three of these have been sorely neglected and I no longer have any acceptable excuse for not working on them.

*as I write/read what I wrote, it's already "tomorrow," so, all that is now referring to mid/late afternoon (at the earliest) on Saturday, May 8, 2010.  Until I go to bed.  Breaks for food and bathroom allowed.  Movies and tv shows (watched online) are a no-no.

Delayed/Postponed

Well, I was going to go exploring again today, and post pictures for you all to see, but the weather has not been accommodating.  It's going to have to wait until Mon-Thur evening or Friday morning.

First Tattoo (w/pics)

I asked the artist to draw up a nice looking text similar to a photo of a tattoo I printed out earlier in the day.  He did an awesome job, I must say.  (And as it turns out, he went to school with one of my friends from Christ Community.  Small world.) 

One hour of work and $100 later...

It's Gaelic for - "To God Alone Be The Glory" / "Glory Be To God Alone"
*you get the idea...

Tattoo

Planning on getting my first tattoo tomorrow.  Pictures will probably be posted a couple days or so afterwards (here and on Facebook).  To quote The Emperor's New Groove: "It's my birthday gift to me!"

Car Troubles

I'm having car troubles.  The thermostat on my car needs to be replaced (I believe), because I cannot drive my car more than a few miles without it overheating very quickly.  Twice now, it's decided to just puke out all the coolant in the reservoir after being driving a short distance.  I don't know how much it's going to cost to get the part (online, or at a parts store).  I could probably afford it now (since I just got paid) if it isn't expensive, but I also had to take the majority of my paycheck and pay rent for this month, so I don't have a lot left for things like buying parts for my car.

I walk to work every day, and to most places I need to go, like the library, so unless I need to go to church or someplace that will take me an hour or two to walk to, I'll be ok without a car.

Trying not to stress and worry.

Glóir do Dhia amháin.