Henneth Annûn Story Archive

Welcome to the thread of all things Beregond (and Bergil) (and speculation about the as-ever absent wife). From the "Deconstructing Denethor" forum: Liz had claimed that Faramir was appreciated on his own merits by those "up close" to him, such as, Beregond. To which I replied that Beregond presents himself as "a plain man-at-arms" of the Third Company. He is not a captain, nor a part of some special regiment, nor a Ranger. He does have access, apparently, to all levels of the City, but he comes off as thoroughly ordinary. So the question is: would he really have known Faramir "up close" (and if so, when, where, how, and why), or was he simply someone who, although not himself versed in the arts as Faramir is, simply sees him clearly enough to recognize his virtues? Liz then said: Perhaps we should take this over to Domain of the Dunedain, but I'd love to know what answers you've come up with to your speculations. Have you written a fic about this? Or do you plan to do so? As you say, it would be a fascinating story to explore. No, I haven't personally written a fic about Beregond (although I would love to). The most time he's had 'on screen' was a brief scene in "From the Other River Bank", where Faramir returns his rascally son to him. They exchange a few words, and then everyone goes on his way. It was mainly meant to establish a contrast between Bergil's relationship with his father and Faramir's relationship with Denethor, although it also gave Beregond a reason to feel personally attached to Faramir, although I think he must already have recognized his worth. Beregond fics do not seem to be very common. I think Lindelea's fics are the only ones I know of that focus on him, other than a long since removed from the web slash fic.

 

Hi Dwim Thanks for starting the thread. So the question is: would he really have known Faramir "up close" (and if so, when, where, how, and why), I think it's entirely possible he could have spent time observing Faramir (and the rest of the Steward's family) if he'd been allocated specific guard duties within the Citadel itself. Do you think he would have seen the preference that Denethor is reported to have had for Boromir over Faramir? Or do you think he would see something else if he had a chance to observe them interacting with each other in a more informal situation? I wonder what it would be like to have to pretend to be part of the furniture while some of that was going on. Just what do you suppose "a plain man-at-arms" in the Tower Guard does all day? And, out of interest, how old do you think Beregond is? Do you see him as much older than Faramir or a little older or a similar age? Would love to hear your speculation Cheers, Liz

 

Trust the Lady Dwim to read my thoughts without wanting to ;) As of now I will only be able to answer the question about Beregond's age, but speculaton about the other questions will be posted once I am done with the next chapter of my fic ( of which you should steer clear, if you are overly fond of the original timeline, A/A and bachelor!Legolas as well as a stoic avoider of slash. Anybody who would like to make a guess at the main pairing? ;) ) Anyway, my personal version of Beregond is three years older than Faramir and his connection to the younger of the Steward's sons goes via Boromir (he was under his command) and a common interest in chess. That is all so far and I am sorry for the short answer and the long commercial ;) Maka

 

Beregond is a very enigmatic character in his way. The chief mystery being why a Man of such obvious parts is a mere 'man at arms'. He gives Pippin a summary of the military and political situation that Gandalf or Aragorn couldn't have bettered - and don't tell me your average run of guardsmen take such a specific and intelligent interest in current events! Not to mention successfully holding off some six or so armed men single handedly on the steps of the Stewards' house. Even more interesting is his casual comment to Pippin about not being a travelled man. He gives a distinct impression of knowing about military campaigns and hardships only at second hand - in other words he's never actually fought in the field. Given Beregond's obvious ability and Gondor's precarious state I find the fact he has apparently been denied even the opportunity to distinguish himself highly interesting - and came up with a reason why in 'Siege of Gondor' (adv!). He's got to be at least thirty, with that ten year old son, and is probably more. Has apparently spent his entire career as part of the Citadel Guard and as such would have had plenty of opportunity of observing the Steward's family at close quarters. My guess is he's significantly older than Boromir and Faramir and has known them since they were boys.

 

So the question is: would he really have known Faramir "up close" (and if so, when, where, how, and why), or was he simply someone who, although not himself versed in the arts as Faramir is, simply sees him clearly enough to recognize his virtues? Well, to throw in my two cents, I see Beregond as kind of an insightful guy, who sees Faramir for what he is. To me, Faramir’s attributes sometimes aren’t as obvious as Boromir’s were, and were overshadowed by Boromir’s popular attraction (skilled with arms, charismatic, etc…) I think that Beregond was the type of man to not only recognize Boromir’s popular attributes, but to see deeper with Faramir and see that, in a more subtle way, his attributes were just as noteworthy. As far as if Beregond knew Faramir, I haven’t really given it too much thought…although it does spark some interesting nuzguls. And, out of interest, how old do you think Beregond is? Do you see him as much older than Faramir or a little older or a similar age? I see Beregond as older than Faramir, maybe a “seasoned” warrior, who has gained such insight into men through experience. How much older? At least 10 years, maybe more. Cheryl

 

In the Denethor forum Dwimordene had this to say: Beregond presents himself as "a plain man-at-arms" of the Third Company (not even the First, just some company guarding the City, and apparently with access to the highest circles). I hope it's okay to quote this here, as it is a topic I think fits well within the thread. What exactly does "Third Company" denote? Is ist associcated with a hierachy, meaning those of the First Company are the best and then the 2nd, 3rd etc.? Or does it demark special areas of responsibility? I have read at least one story where being in the 3rd Company simply meant that you were responsible for the 3rd level of MT. Any opionions, appropriate quotes etc.? Imhiriel

 

What exactly does "Third Company" denote? Is ist associcated with a hierachy, meaning those of the First Company are the best and then the 2nd, 3rd etc.? Or does it demark special areas of responsibility? I have read at least one story where being in the 3rd Company simply meant that you were responsible for the 3rd level of MT I have to admit these ideas never occured to me. Personally, I think Tolkien was using the same basic kind of structure that he would have been familiar with from the British regular military. Not counting elite units, a company of infantry wouldn't have signified anything in particular; soldiers would just be assigned to companies with vacancies. I can't see military commanders wanting to put all the "best" soldiers in one company (not counting elite units) -- I think you'd want to spread the "best" around to train and inspire others. Giving specific companies specific levels of the city would work against the notion of teamwork and flexibility, it seems to me. Like the British and American armies, I'm sure individual companies have their own traditions and lore. The U.S. Army's Seventh Cavalry uses "Garry Owen" as its marching song, a tradition dating to the 19th century. Similar traditions exist throughout the US military, and I'm sure the British military is similar in this respect, especially the famous regional units. Your mileage may vary, of course! Melina

 

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