Halbarad

A Dúnadan North Ranger, Halbarad was among the armies of Aragorn. He fought all through the weeks, which ended with the ultimate death of his nemesis Sauron.

Halbarad, a Dunedain Ranger of the North, along with his brethren, defended the former lands of Arnor which included The Shire and the township of Bree for many years before the War of the Ring. With their chieftain Aragorn II spending many many years abroad in the service of of the King of Rohan and the Steward of Gondor, and wandering far and wide the wilds of the lands; the captaincy of the Dunedain of the North was left in Halbarad's capable hands. In knowing of the Hobbits of the Shire Halbarad spoke kindly of them, "A little people, but of great worth are the Shire-folk. Little do they know of our long labor for the safekeeping of their borders, and yet I grudge it not."

As the events led up to the War of the Ring, Halbarad felt his chieftain Aragorn was in need of aid, and a message came to him from Galadriel via Elrond affirming this. He immediately put an urgent call for his Northern Dúnadain kinsman to gather in haste. Thirty Rangers who were nearby were able to heed his call, and being joined by brothers Elrohir and Elladan, the twin sons of Elrond, Halbarad led 'The Grey Company' southward in haste, seeking the land of Rohan.

Riding hard down the Greenway and crossing the Fords of Isen in the early morning hours of the 6th of March, 3019 III, they came into the land of Rohan and soon rode up upon King Theoden's party. They were called to halt by Éomer Éadig, the king's nephew and the Third Marshal of the Mark when he asked who rides in Rohan in the dark without leave from the King. Halbarad swiftly called the Grey Company to a halt and dismounted. They were glad they had reached Rohan, and they asked after Aragorn who joined Eomer. Theoden quickly gave his leave to them, finding they were Aragorn's kin, stating "If these kinsmen are in any way like yourself, my Lord Aragorn, thirty such knights will be a strength that cannot be counted by heads."

With the king's leave, the Grey Company rode with the Rohirrim, and much was spoken of between Aragorn, Halbarad, and the Sons of Elrond. A message from Elrond had accompanied the sons of Elrond, along with a bound standard that Arwen had made which Halbarad bore. Aragorn requested Halbarad to safely keep and bear the standard for yet a little while.

After they arrived at the Hornburg, Halbarad accompanied Aragorn to a hall where Aragorn stared at the Palantir to challenge Sauron. After a time, they emerged, and Aragorn appeared strained as if years had claimed him. With Sauron knowing that the heir of Elendil lived, the war would come quickly now.

Halbarad and the Grey Company then rode in haste to Dunharrow, where Aragorn stated that he would walk the Paths of the Dead. Halbarad and the Grey Company, along with the Sons of Elrond, Gimli of Erebor, and Legolas of the Woodland Realm would accompany him. The Paths of the Dead was located to the south down the Dimholt Road where the Dark Door led under the White Mountains. Upon arriving at the gates at dawn on the 8th of March, Halbarad forsaw his doom as he exclaimed, "This is an evil door, and my death lies beyond it. I will dare to pass it nonetheless..."

The way was haunting, but Aragorn would find the Hall of the Dead and called for the King of the Dead to gather at the Stone of Erech where he would call upon them to fulfill the oaths they had sworn to Isildur but had broken, cursing them. Halbarad unfurled the standard that was sent to Aragorn, and it appeared all black, and no tool was visible in the dark.

From there, the Army of the Dead accompanied the Grey Company through the Southern provinces of Gondor to the port city of Pelargir. There they confronted the Corsairs of Umbar who had sailed north to fulfill Sauron's calling. A battle was fought and the men of Umbar were defeated with the aid of the Army of the Dead, and Aragorn pronounced their oath of old to be fulfilled, and the Army of the Dead faded away, freed from their curse.

With the ships taken, Aragorn freed the slaves that manned the oars, and he and Halbarad and the Grey Company made haste up the Anduin River against its mighty current. It would take two days for the ships to reach the port of Harlond near Minas Tiirith for them to join the battle of the Fields of Pelennor. The standard of Aragorn was unfurled by Halbarad as the ships arrived, and this time, a device could be seen upon it... the Crown of Elendil, the Seven Stars, and the White Tree of Gondor. Carrying the standard into battle, Halbarad carrying the standard rallied the west when Eomer, surrounded upon a hillock and thinking all was lost. The fighting was joined by the army of Dol Amroth led by Prince Imrahil, and by the end of the day, the battle had been won. Unfortunately, many brave soldiers had been slain, and among the dead, Halbarad was found still holding the standard up.

Halbarad is, for the most part, Sindarin and is defined exactly as hal or tall and barad as tower. Halbarad is said to be a tall tower.

Halbarad was narrated by Martyn Read, a famous actor, in The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series).

In Born of Hope, a motion picture in 2009 which was made exclusively by fans, Halbarad made an appearance. The character Halbarad was portrayed by actor Ollie Goodchild, who was a young adult Halbarad, and actor Lars Mattes, who was a little boy Halbarad. The uncertainty of his appearance made Halbarad end up as an adolescent and Aragorn as an infant. To be specific, Aragorn was much younger than Halbarad. If all of these were right, Halbarad might be more than 90 years of age when he was defeated in the Pelennor Fields' Battle. But Halbarad never intended to have his place in the House of Elros. Halbarad was a successor, same with every Dunedain, of the Númenóreans. The elixir of longevity was offered to Numenor and not merely to Elros. Thus, Aragorn might be a lot much younger than Halbarad. Therefore, Halbarad was still a middle-aged man.

Halbarad shows up in the latest video game called The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. [1] He led the Dunedain and protected the Shire, founded on the premises of Sarn Ford. The players will have a blast on a hunt going to the depths of the Barrow-Downs to search for two missing rangers, namely, Kilaren and Luin. Halbarad sports a thick hair of grey and a full beard as seen in this video game.

In the digital version, The Lord of the Rings Online, [2] Halbarad comes to light. He was the front runner of Esteldin, a secret city of Dúnedain in the pace called North Downs. From that time on, he becomes the Grey Company's spearhead and guides the group from Rivendell, across Eregion, Enedwaith, as well as to the south of Dunland, to assist Aragorn in the city of Rohan.

1. ^The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
2. ^The Lord of the Rings Online.