The 7 deadly sins vs. The 7 heavenly virtues.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Perhaps if I can ever sit in one place long enough without accidentally deleting two hours worth of work , I can put together a decent reply! Anyhow...

Feanor, do you think the way Boromir generally was, for example, Angry, Lustful, Greedy...etc, do you think that had anything to do with his death? Or, maybe to put it as, do you think that's part of the reason he "died?" Where, people like Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, who are genrally "trustful" and let's say "good" were able to suceed? Or do you think that Tolkien didn't intend that?

No, I do not. I do not think Boromir was a sinful person (except for those sins that comes with human error and bad luck) at all. In fact, I think that Boromir was a highly virtuous person... until he was exposed to the Ring. The evil of the Ring affected everyone who knew of it, whether they saw it or not, but why Boromir so strongly? Would Boromir ever have succombed to the sins that I outlined before, had he not been exposed to it?

In terms of the Virtues, Boromir was a great guy.

Of Faith: As illustrated in some passages of The Two Towers, men of Gondor are religious.

"Ware! Ware!" cried Damrod to his companion. "May the Valar turn him aside! Mumak! Mumak!" (Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit; page 646)

"...we look towards Numenor that was, and beyond to Elvenhome that is, and to that which is beyond Elvenhome and will ever be." (The Window on the West; page 661)

In that sense of faith, Boromir, as a son and heir to the House of Stewards, he, I would imagine, would hold a rather high amount of faith. He also has faith in the ability of Gondor to prevail, and in the hearts and courage of the men he leads.

Of Hope: Boromir travelled to Imladris in the first place in hopes of unravelling a mystery. He had no way of knowing if he'd ever make it or not; he did not even really know where he was going, but he continued, and prevailed, just because he had such strong hope that his travel would be worth it.

Of Charity: Boromir was a soldier. A captain of Gondor. What better way to help the needy than by devoting your life to their protection?

Of Fortitude: I should not even have to explain the depths of Boromir's courage, but for appearance's sake, I will site a reference:

"And very valiant indeed he was: no heir of Minas Tirith has for long years been so hardy in toil, so onward into battle, or blown a mightier note on the Great Horn." (The Window on the West; page 665)

Of Justice: Boromir was a captain of Gondor. If he was not just, he would not have that position (or so I sincerely hope).

Of Temperance: I have no canon proof of anything on this subject, so I will skip it.

Of Prudence: Being careful... not making stupid decisions... In a life of soldiery, as a higher-up, so to speak, Boromir would not have lived as long as he did without some show of prudence.

But after Boromir's first contact with the Ring, descriptions of him change slightly from the reverance of his underlings and brother, to his moods and his actions. Boromir's fall into sin came only after confronted with pure evil.

Of Pride: As Nurumaiel said, there is a difference between pride and arrogance. Before, if Boromir was proud of himself, he had every reason for it. To repeat myself,

"And very valiant indeed he was: no heir of Minas Tirith has for long years been so hardy in toil, so onward into battle, or blown a mightier note on the Great Horn." (The Window on the West; page 665)

And yet, as Faramir says of men of Gondor:

"We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt.

It was after Boromir became part of the Fellowship that he started insisting that his voice be heard, that he started showing off:

Of Envy: Boromir never would have envied Frodo (never would have had a reason too), had he not lusted after the Ring. Two sins for one... the Dark Side must have loved that one.

Of Gluttony: Yet again, no canonical evidence that I know of. If you can find a passage describing in great detail Boromir's over-indulgence of food, than please share.

Of Lust: Boromir lusted after the Ring. I know that any lusting on his part otherwise (unless it was for Arwen or something) would have no applicability to the story, and would therefore not be there, but I really can't see pre-Ring Boromir as being a lusty guy.

Of Anger: Sure everybody gets angry, but the reference I used for this was of Boromir attacking Frodo. No Ring, no circumstances, no anger, no attack. Easy to see, yes?

Of Greed: Greed for power, I suppose. Boromir wanted Gondor to have the power to conquer all the bad guys. That's not really a bad thing, when idea is NOT enhanced by the idea of a Ring that could give you that power.

Of Sloth: Yet again, no canonical evidence on this one. It's not particularly likely that he was the lazy type of guy.

Anyhow, do you see my point? Boromir was a good, nay great, man... until the Ring took effect on him. He was not inherently sinful, although, like any human, he had the inborn ability to maybe give in under the right circumstances.

Fea