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Originally Posted by Selmo
We are not given all the details of Aragorn's life.
We're told that he ate, but we are not told that he coped with the inevitable (and smelly) consequences of eating.
We can safely assume that he did.
We're told that he was a great warrior, but we're not told that he carried weapons.
We can safely assume that he did.
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I'll give you your biological assumption, as these are purportedly humans and that's a requirement for all life. Can't agree that we can assume that he carried another weapon, as it's never mentioned (or if it is, someone will note it), and the only weapon that he displays to the Hobbits (and that they note) is the broken Narsil. He may have, when serving in Rohan, Gondor and other realms, carried weapons that completed his disguises, but when guiding the Ringbearer and company from Bree to Rivendell we know of no other weapons.
The logic of your first point applies to both Barliman and Aragorn (if human, then...), but your second point does not (the Innkeeper carried a cudgel/club methinks, and not a sword or shards of one, and even the club was only a later addition). Maybe he was a master of empty-handed combat?
Without any other evidence I would assume that Aragorn made due with what he carried or picked up when serving in whatever army. And we still haven't answered the question of why he was taking Narsil out for a walk
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Originally Posted by Guinevere
For the scene in Bree the broken Narsil was necessary for the plot to identify Aragorn, and I just guess that for once Tolkien didn't think of the consequences...
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Narsil verifies Aragorn to us, the readers, but does it really convince the Hobbits? The rhyme in Gandalf's letter regarding the reforging of Narsil does not say that the broken sword shall show the real Aragorn. Sam sees the evidence and still doubts. And what if this Strider were a play-acting spy? If he carried the broken sword
and a real unbroken sword, how would one know that he didn't slay the real Aragorn to steal Narsil? What better way for the enemy to infiltrate the councils of the Free Folk then for someone to get Narsil than show up looking like Aragorn? Saruman could do it.
The conspiracies grow like weeds in my yard...