How many Rangers of the North were there ?

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by PrinceOfTheHalflings

*cough* The Romans had a professional full-time army.

The idea of a full-time standing army has been around since Sumer. But the interesting thing is that soldiers were always paid by their country, whereas I can't imagine that the Rangers would have been paid, as they would be the ones who would have done the paying.

I'm sure whenever they got to a Dunedan settlement they would be given free food and a place to stay, but judging by the way Butterbur talks of them I can't imagine that anyone in Bree, or anywhere else, would do so. Which means they must have either been self-sufficient (which suggests that there were a larger number), or that they traded with other nearby peoples. But what would they be trading? I can't think of anything they'd have that anyone else would want, especially with their reputation- I'm sure if people traded with them they would have a better reputation and be more well-known. But how else would they have got resources such as metal?