Middle-earth What-ifs

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Faramir Jones

This made later Gondorians, including the Stewards, uninterested in trying to find out if any descendants of Isildur, through Arevdui, still existed, let alone making an offer of the crown of Gondor. The earlier prejudice would be magnified, in terms of not wanting any scarce Gondorian resources being diverted to resurrect a 'failed state'.

This shows the huge obstacles Aragorn II had to climb to be considered a serious candidate for King of Gondor. What I feel was crucial was his ability to defeat Gondor's enemies, as Eärnil did centuries before.

I wonder if the prejudice dated to an extent back to the early days of the kingdoms, given that Meneldil "was in fact-well pleased by the departure of Isildur and his sons, and hoped that affairs in the North would keep them long occupied." ("The Disaster of the Gladden Fields" Note 10)

The thought of Meneldil suggests to me that there was perhaps a quite ancient disposition in Gondor against too close a relationship with Arnor and a desire for independence from the authority of the line of the High King of the Dúnedain.