"You
asked how do I know that the son of Denethor is dead. Tidings of death have
many wings. Night oft brings news to near kindred, ‘tis said. Boromir
was my brother."
"Boromir,
O Boromir!" he cried. "What did she say to you, the Lady that
dies not? What did she see? What woke in your heart then? Why went you ever to
Laurelindórenan, and came not by your own road, upon the horses of Rohan
riding home in the morning?"
"But
fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were
Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon
of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No. I do not wish for such
triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo."
"And
here in the wild I have you: two halflings, and a host of men at my call, and
the Ring of Rings. A pretty stroke of fortune! A chance for Faramir, Captain
of Gondor, to show his quality! Ha!"
"Then,
Éowyn of Rohan, I say to you that you are beautiful."
Faramir's
gentle nature, and respect for Gandalf, annoyed his father. Denethor often
referred to Faramir as a "wizard's pupil," which furthered his enmity
for his youngest son, and favored his firstborn son, Boromir. But despite
Faramir's dislike for war, he was a valiant man in battle, and was deeply loved
and revered by his soldiers, though not by his father, at least until the very
end.
During the retreat from Osgiliath to Minas Tirith, Faramir fell under the Black
Breath (scourge of the RingWraiths) and was wounded by a Southron dart. He
was saved from death by the healing hands of King Elessar (Aragorn), fulfilling
the old sage "the hands of a kind are the hands of a healer." During his stay in
the Houses of Healing, he met and fell in love with Éowyn, who herself had come
under the same spell and had recently felled the Lord of the Nazgul. After
the War of the Ring, they were married.
Earlier, Faramir had in fact come in contact with Frodo and Samwise on their
trek to Mordor. He was extremely suspicious of their guide, Gollum, and
cautioned them against proceeding along the course he had plotted for them,
which would lead through Cirith Ungol, and Shelob's lair. It was Faramir
who provisioned them for the weeks ahead and sheltered them temporarily,
speeding them along with blessings and aid, and in so doing, winning the respect
and admiration of Samwise Gamgee.
Faramir's
strongest statement was "I would not take this thing, if it lay by the
highway," referring of course to the Ring of Power. It is this deep
internal fortitude that perhaps differentiated him from his father and from his
brother. His moral integrity and foresight spared him from the fate that
killed his brother and drove his father mad.
