Faramir was the character J.R.R. Tolkien felt was most like himself in Middle-earth

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Faramir, the noble Steward of Gondor, was not part of Tolkien's original plan for The Lord of the Rings. Yet, the author later identified this soldier-scholar as his closest literary counterpart, sharing his experiences of war, a reverence for history, and a haunting, recurring vision of inescapable darkness.

Faramir was invented spontaneously during the writing of The Two Towers, a creative pivot that expanded the depth of Gondor and Rohan. Unlike his brother Boromir, who was stern and tempted by the One Ring, Faramir demonstrated profound restraint. When he encountered Frodo in Ithilien, he famously rejected the temptation of the Ring, declaring he would not take it even if it were the only way to save his city. Scholars like Elizabeth Solopova suggest this moral fortitude reflects the courage found in the medieval poem The Battle of Maldon, where duty and integrity outweigh the desire for personal glory.

Tolkien’s biographer, John Garth, notes that Faramir embodies the author’s own duality as both a soldier and a scholar. Having served as an officer during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, Tolkien imbued Faramir with his own private, prophetic dream of a 'Great Wave'—a vision of darkness that Tolkien noted was also inherited by his son, Michael. This shared history extends to Faramir’s courtship of Éowyn. Melissa A. Smith argues that their rapid connection reflects the intensity of 'war brides' during the First World War, mirroring how Tolkien himself married Edith Bratt just before his deployment to the Western Front.

The character's reception has been shaped by various interpretations. While Jane Chance highlights Faramir’s role within a complex web of Germanic allegiance, others, such as Marjorie Burns and P.N. Harrison, compare his green-clad, wilderness-dwelling persona to the English folk hero Robin Hood. Peter Jackson’s film adaptation introduced significant controversy by having Faramir initially attempt to seize the Ring, a departure from the book that Jackson justified as necessary for cinematic pacing and consistency. Despite these varied portrayals, Faramir remains a central figure of wisdom and restraint, eventually becoming Prince of Ithilien and establishing a lineage of Stewards that lasted until the end of the King's line.

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