The Rangers of Ithilien
The Rangers of Ithilien or Rangers of the South, much like their distant cousins the Rangers of the North, were a military group whose purpose was to defend Ithilien, the gate to Minas Tirith, and to prevent Haradrim and Orcs from entering Gondor.
History
The Rangers were selected from the descendants of the people who had dwelt in Ithilien before it fell from Gondor's control in TA 2901, at which time the refuge of Henneth Annûn, which became a primary base for the Rangers, was constructed.[1]
By the time of the War of the Ring, the Rangers often conducted ambushes against the Haradrim, attacked Orc scouts, and protected the old road from Minas Morgul to Osgiliath. Their chief at the time of the War of the Ring was Faramir, Captain of Gondor, and among those who served under Faramir were Mablung, Damrod, and Anborn.[2][1]
Description
They were camouflaged in green and brown cloaks, and fought chiefly by stealth as opposed to open warfare. They often crossed the Anduin in secret to harass the forces of the Enemy in Gondor's old domain. They were known for their proficiency with the bow, and their agility and stealth were said to be on par with the elves, even if they had only heard of them in stories.
Portrayal in adaptations
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy has an original Ranger of Ithilien named Madril, played by John Bach. He serves as Faramir's lieutenant. He helps defend Osgiliath, but is fatally injured and is eventually killed by Gothmog with a spear-thrust. New Zealand actor Alistair Browning played Damrod.
Video games
The Rangers of Ithilien
The likeness of the actor who portrays Anborn was also used in the 2006 EA video game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II as the portrait of the Men of the West's worker unit, and the Ithilien Rangers are playable archer-like units.
Translations around the world
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 伊西利安遊俠 |
| Czech | Hraničáři |
| Danish | Stifinderer af Ithilien |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Ch. IV: "Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Ch. V: "The Window on the West"