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Lord_Sauron
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Post What if Faramir had of gone to Riverndell instead of Boromir?
on: June 16, 2013 02:07
This topic of course is just speculation.

What if Faramir had of gone to Riverndell instead of Boromir?.
Do you think it would have altered Boromir's fate?

[Edited on 06/16/2013 by Lord_Sauron]
wolfbladequeen
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on: June 16, 2013 02:32
I think that Faramir wouldn't have tried to take the ring, though I don't know whether he would have gone to Mordor with Sam and Frodo, or Rohan with the others. Boromir might still have been killed in battle, or he might have survived. If he had survived, would he have made things awkward for Aragorn, or given his position up graciously?
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Ilandir
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on: June 16, 2013 02:34
This is, of course, entirely speculative and based on what we know of the actual events that happened. But the way I see it is that if that scenario actually happened and Faramir became a member of the Fellowship, then the Quest would have probably failed.

Knowing Faramir's reluctance and strong stand against taking the Ring (unlike Boromir), would probably have significantly changed the events at Amon Hen and the entire course of the story. Think about it, Faramir would probably have given into Aragorn's decision to strike East, instead of having to decide between that and Minas Tirith. This would not have led Frodo to venture off onto his own to decide upon the matter and therefore the Fellowship would not have been broken - but possibly have fled over the Emyn Muil and(as we all know) would have found it impossible to enter Mordor through the Black Gate.

Thus, not reuniting with Gandalf; no saving of Helm's Deep - fall of Rohan and soon of Gondor; and no way into Mordor and destroy the Ring. Maybe a bit far fetched but that's probably what would have happened had Boromir been replaced with Faramir.
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Belegolas
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on: June 16, 2013 02:19
Hmm...this is a hard one. We know how accepting Faramir was of Aragorn being king, so if he had been on the quest, there probably wouldn't have been much tension between them. Boromir planned to go back to Minas Tirith from the beginning, so the main question at Amon Hen was whether he would choose to stay with the group or they stay with him. As for Faramir, if we assume he was planning on returning to Gondor like Boromir, I think his loyalty to Aragorn would win over. Also, Faramir was a Ranger of Ithilien. That might give him reason to want to keep going. He knew the area and could probably find some of his men to help him out. I think we can safely conclude he would have gone to Mordor.

This brings up another issue: how long would they last going straight to Mordor? With Faramir not trying to take the Ring, the Fellowship most likely would not have broken at all and they would all simply walk into Mordor together. Two Hobbits and Gollum can sneak around unseen, but what about two Men, four Hobbits, an Elf and a Dwarf? Avoiding Sauron's spies might be a little bit harder. I think Gandalf would have found a way to reunite with them in Ithilien, but that wouldn't make them invisible to the Nazgul or anything. Then what about Gollum? Would the others have spared him? Gandalf would, Aragorn and Faramir might, but picture the night when he attacks Frodo. My guess is that Legolas would shoot at whatever little slimy thing was strangling the Ringbearer and suddenly they don't know the secret passage into Mordor. Plus, being around the Ring for a longer period of time might not be so easy. Merry, Pippin, Legolas and Gimli were hardly tested against it. One of them might finally succumb to it on the way to Mordor and the whole Fellowship is wrecked. Let alone the fact that no one is saving Rohan and Gondor right now.

Thank you, Boromir, for being a weak-willed human.

[Edited on 06/16/2013 by Belegolas]
tarcolan
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on: June 16, 2013 03:27
And lo, the Valar were angry saying "What have we told you about straying outside of
canon?" This is more suitable for the Make One Change thread in the Green Dragon but
never mind. I'm sure this has been discussed elsewhere but I can't find where. I agree
with Ilandir for the most part although I'm even more pessimistic. The company would
probably have been discovered at the Black Gate. As Belegolas says three hobbits can stay unseen and move with stealth but a company? With a clumsy dwarf?. End of story. Certainly Gollum would have kept his distance anyway.

Frodo's decision to go alone was galvanised by Boromir's actions, but he was already
troubled by the choice he would have to make. I think he was aware that the Ring would start to have an effect on the others, so he may already have decided to leave them at some point. We can then assume that Faramir would have gone with Aragorn and that Boromir would probably be in Ithilien ready to snaffle the Ring. Disaster. Another alternative is that Frodo could have spoken of his vision on Amon Hen, of the corsairs coming up the coast, if he hadn't been in such a hurry. Faramir may well have decided to warn Minas Tirith and thereafter be posted to Ithilien in time to meet Frodo, or not. Which is more likely?

As Ilandir says the story pivots on what happens at Amon Hen.
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cirdaneth
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on: March 17, 2014 04:37
We've had lots of what-ifs on this forum over the last decade, Tarcolan and as long as they don't get out of hand, your mods feel they can lead to further insights. If they DO get out of hand we can rein them in. Carry on, people!
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