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annabthesolitarywriter · 2 months ago

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Boromir headcanons

Just a list of thoughts:

**Spoiler Alert for Boromir Week 2025 as well as other AUs of mine where Boromir Lives**

As a child, he was very active and struggled to pay attention to things he had no interest in (i.e. his classes). He did not like being read to and would only listen to his mother's bedtime stories if she voiced the characters featured in said stories or added some extra tidbits and fun facts to get his attention. He loved climbing trees and pulling harmless pranks on servants—Finduilas often scolded him about it and he often cried out of embarrassment and shame afterwards.

He adored his mother and worshipped the ground she walked on. Her death hit him harder than he let on and, from that day forward, he always wore a tiny star-shaped brooch which had once belonged to her and which he never took off. Finduilas used to say it would be his lucky charm and I like to think that she survived (in my AU) because that brooch protected him (in a metaphorical way). He later gifted that brooch to his wife Idhrildin on their wedding day as a wedding gift.

Boromir and the concept marriage=> he does not really think about it and it is definitely not a priority of his. In TA 3002, Denethor is in talks with both Imrahil and his sister Darilla (OC) to try and arrange his eldest son's possible betrothal to either Lothíriel (who is three at the time) or Lindariel (another OC), Darilla's only daughter. His final choice falls on Lindariel since Imrahil backs out of the arrangement. While Boromir certainly does not hate his cousin Lindariel...he certainly does not want to marry him and she does not want to marry him either. They both think it is madness and that Denethor has lost his mind. They are betrothed for a long while, but the whole thing is eventually called off.

He first meets his future wife at Aragorn's coronation. Her name is Idhrildin and she is the niece of Forlong the Fat of Lossarnach, being the daughter of his sister. Forlong's sister (OC; I still need to come up with a name for her) married Idhrion of Anórien (OC), which makes Idhrildin the only living heir to Anórien. At the time of their first meeting she is 22 years old and, like many others in Gondor, she deeply admires the eldest son of Denethor. She has never spoken to him but, still, she deeply admires him. She also thinks he is very handsome.

He and Idhrildin marry in TA 3020 have four children: Findelis (born TA 3021), Findelidrin (FoA 10), Idhrilwen (FoA 12) and Berenor (FoA 17). His first two daughters are partly named after his mother, but only partly. That is because Finduilas to Boromir was one of a kind and no one will ever compare to her in his mind. This is also why he is extremely uncomfortable with the idea of his brother being married to someone who shares a name with his mother. While he has absolutely nothing against his new sister-in-law, he never calls her by her name and his creativity is put to the test as he struggles to come up with nicknames. Berenor, his only son, is partly named after Idhrildin's deceased older brother (his name was Berenion).

He's a very hands-on dad, but he also wants his children to listen to their mother as she is a literal angel and he wants them to be well-mannered and civil in public. Boromir is generally very impulsive and he often doesn't think before he acts while his wife is essentially the opposite. He really would like his children NOT to be impulsive as he was growing up and that is why he encourages them to spend time with their mother. He hopes that her politeness and gentleness will rub off on them. Findelis (nicknamed "Lis") is very restrained and polite when addressing others (she knows how to control herself), but is very outspoken and blunt whenever she's around family, close friends and people she trusts. She knows to handle herself and knows what to say and when to say it. Although she hates them, she would never be disrespectful to Eldarion, Ioreth, Híril (OC; one of Elenna "Enna"'s ladies-in-waiting when she's Crown Princess and a relative of Ioreth. She's very much like the elderly healer in personality and always chides Enna about things) and the ladies of the court. Yet, she loathes them and is disgusted by their demeanor. She's also very emotional and sensitive and often cries about the way Enna is treated. She feels that it is her duty to help, but also feels completely helpless. Findelidrin (nicknamed "Idy" by baby Berenor and it sticks) is the one, out of Boromir's girls, who takes the most after him both in looks and in personality. She also hates Eldarion, Ioreth etc., but is not nearly as diplomatic as her older sister. She does not see the point of it and thinks putting on an act takes way too much energy. I sort of came up with an idea for a scene where the Borodhril family is having dinner and Berenor talks about meeting Ioreth for the first time and Findelidrin is like "How is that old hag still alive?" Boromir does reprimand her but he has to smother his giggling. He's secretly very proud of her sassiness and deadpan humor. Idhrilwen is the daughter who is most like her mother and is a literal angel. She's sheltered and extremely naïve. She thinks everybody a good side and thinks that everybody acts on it because...that's what she does. She is the most religious out of the children and forgives everyone. It seems to be a common belief within the fandom that Boromir does not really care for the Valar or Eru and I personally agree with that take. He acknowledges their existence, but he certainly does not spend his time praying or stuff like that. He's far too practical for it. Idhrildin is the religious one, but even she has misgivings at times. She does a lot of charity for the poor and the sick and wishes Eru and the Valar were more helpful in that regard. She's like "If they're that powerful, why don't they heal the people who need it? Why would they sit idle while people suffer?" Even though she questions some things, she is religious and would like her children to learn more about Eru and the Valar so that they can have their own opinion. Boromir agrees and they both let the kids work out their beliefs on their own. Boromir grows to respect the Maiar later on (or at least some of them), but his general dismissal of the Valar turns to near hatred when the Elenwë children start dying and they do nothing about it. Idhrildin would have been utterly broken about it.

So, in the previous point I said "would have been" instead of "is". That is because Idhrildin dies in FoA 19. I have already talked a little bit about their girls, but I have not really said anything about Berenor. He's born in FoA 17 and the birth is a long and complicated one. Boromir was fine with his three girls and potentially done with having other children, but she still hoped for a son to secure the line—and she develops an infection which, although promptly treated, leaves her extremely weak. She has recurrent fevers and other pregnancy-related issues that will eventually lead to her death. Boromir is obviously devastated and focuses only on his children for a long while, disappearing from court—he had eventually accepted a place on the Council, which required him to be in Minas Tirith more often than he would have liked—and momentarily cutting off all his other family, except for sending out letters and funeral cards to let them know that Idhrildin has died. He only sends Aragorn a "congratulations note" when Meleril is born, but is basically locked up in whatever residence he is in—primarily Osgiliath, I think, since it's closer to Minas Tirith and he wants to oversee the work that is still being done—with his family. The funeral is a small thing with only relatives attending and Enna falls out with Lis on that occasion. She is attending the funeral with Elphirion (her husband at the time), toddler Nimloth and is pregnant with Anárion. In a genuine attempt to comfort her cousin—who took her mother's death much worse than her little siblings—she tells her something like "At least she had a good death. She died by doing her duty and that's the kind of death I wish for myself. She ensured her son lived and that's what good mothers do. Thankfully, she was way better a person than I." Obviously Enna here was referring to the Elendur accident, which still haunts her and will haunt her for the rest of her life, severely impacting her relationship with her other children. She tries to forget about it, she forbids everybody to speak of it and acts like he never existed, but guilt always finds its way back to her. That is where Finduilas comes in (nope, not her dead grandma. Finduilas—one of her names since she basically has none—is the personification of her conscience and the physical manifestation of her guilt. Basically a mental disorder. She will haunt Enna till the day she dies and Enna's efforts to get rid of her will result in several suicide attempts. after which Finduilas always comes back). Anyway, back to Idhrildin's funeral. Enna is sincere and she thinks of her words as a compliment to her late aunt, whom she had loved and respected very much. She does not mean to offend anyone, but Lis takes it the wrong way and goes like "Not everything is always about you," and very angrily tells her to shut up and further unloads on her saying that she's a horrible human who deserves everything that has ever happened to her. Enna is stunned and heartbroken, but puts on her usual poker face and abruptly leaves the service. Elphirion apologizes on her behalf, picks up the children and follows his wife. Both Lis and Enna feel respectively horrible about the things they said to each other and Lis does send her several apology letters Enna throws in the fireplace. She thinks that her cousin offended too deeply and does not deserve her forgiveness. She refuses to speak to her and even Boromir's pleas do not change her mind about it. She thinks of her cousin's words as a personal betrayal and Enna does not forgive those who betray her. She does not harm them, but simply they cease to exist in her eyes. The cousins, once extremely close, become estranged. Lis keeps up with Enna's life as best as she can and shows up at Enna and Eönwë's wedding hoping to patch up things with her. Spoiler alert: it does not happen and she eventually leaves deciding to forget about her.

She finds, however, that it is not easy and her heart breaks anytime she hears about it. She finds, however that it is not that easy and her heart breaks anytime she hears of a new tragedy befalling the Elenwë family. Careful not to be seen, she attends the funeral services for the Elenwë children and weeps for them even though she never even met them in person. She is extremely worried that Enna will end up like Idhrildin and begs Boromir to talk some sense into her. Boromir does so, knowing that Eönwë is as devastated and as worried about Enna as he is. Boromir and the Maia have become quite close over the years and Boromir is afraid that something might happen to him too. He knows that the Maia blames himself for Enna's plight—similarly to how Boromir blames himself for his wife's death—and is not wholly convinced Eönwë could survive her. He fears for their whole family and for their surviving children especially. He loves them all as their own and wants to protect them.

Out of the Elenwë children, he is closest to Boromir (and, nope, it is not because the kid is named after him) and Elarion. These two little ones are twins and are troublemakers. They remind Boromir of how he used to be as a child and he always offers to babysit them, no matter how much trouble they cause. His time with them is probably cause of some serious introspection and many "Was I truly like that as a child?" moments. He probably also mentally apologized to his mom about it.

He and Eönwë have several conversations about war, trauma and related things. They train together (more like, Eönwë gives him tips on how to improve his very good technique) and offers to train soldiers in his service.

Speaking of soldiers, Boromir has too has his own Company to protect him and to travel with. Aragorn has the Grey Company, Faramir the White Company and Boromir has his very own Silver Company. I picked the Silver color because of this description I found (it is from Canva): "The best way to achieve a silver tone is by creating multiple shades of gray through the mix of black and white. By combining multiple grays and adding a final dollop of white, this will create a silver gradient." As I already mentioned Gray is the color for Aragorn and White is the color for Faramir. I feel like gray is a color that fits Boromir—he is described by many as a gray character which kind of makes sense. He is ambiguous but also good and pure of heart, which is obviously represented by white elements. Silver is a form of elevated gray in a way and I feel like it fits Boromir as a character. And, of course, my decision was majorly influenced by this scene (one of my favorite Boromir scenes in FOTR)

This is why I feel like his personal guard being called the Silver Company just fits. Its symbol is of course a Silver Trumpet. I have not thought of the official symbols for the Grey and White companies yet, but I will make another post about them. Another symbol of the Silver Company is the Broken Horn of Gondor. The Silver Trumpet is basically the Horn of Gondor 2.0, but I think Boromir would want to remember how he escaped death. In my AU(s), the events of Fellowship of the Ring unfold exactly as they do in the books and Boromir is injured by arrows, but doesn't not die. I feel like the theme of his sacrifice is important in a sense that his willingness to die in an effort to protect the people he loves is important. But that does not mean he necessarily has to die. Eru forgives him anyway because the intention is there and his intention is what truly matters. The Horn of Gondor breaks because he could potentially die and it has the symbolic meaning of him letting go of the past and becoming, in his own view, a better person. Also he refuses the Stewardship so...I think it is appropriate.

The Silver Company is established when he is officially created Prince of Anórien and Lord of Osgiliath. Osgiliath is on the Anduin and, although it is never clearly stated where it is, it seems like it could be close. The One Wiki To Rule Them All website says, quote, "There were no cities in Anórien", but Osgiliath kind of looks like it could be? I am not an expert, but what is the point of a fief without cities? Osgiliath seems fairly close to the border...so, Lord of Osgiliath it is and I am done. He is lord of Osgiliath from TA 3019-onward and Prince of Anórien (formally) from TA 3021-onward. I briefly considered making him "Prince of Osgiliath and Lord of Anórien", but since Faramir is Lord of Emyn Arnen (the city) and Prince of Ithilien (the fief), I think it makes more sense for Boromir to be lord of a city (Osgiliath) and prince of a fief (Anórien). Elevating Idhrildin from Lady to Princess is a good way to help her claim what is rightfully hers. She still needs a son, but at least it is an improvement.

Ironically, his marriage to Idhrildin, although very much one of love, is also the perfect political match. He is created Prince on occasion of his first daughter's birth in TA 3021, but he joins the Council only in FoA 15 and does not participate in all the sessions. Enna's insistence is the main reason why he gives in. She's pregnant, young and alone and Boromir thinks that being a member of the King's Council might give him the opportunity to take care of her since it seems to him that no one else is doing it.

Gardening is one of his favorite hobbies. He also loves taking care of his dogs (he has had many throughout his life) and he loves to gifts his children puppies (or kittens. Animals. He loves animals)

He takes care of his nieces and nephews whenever Faramir and Finduilas are busy and thinks of the Elenwë children as his own grandchildren (Faramir can and should share his grandpa duties).

He cannot stand his uncle Imrahil (at least, my version of Imrahil). He has always found his uncle's obsession with his mother extremely creepy and he feels like he only loved an idealized version of her that never existed (as most people in Gondor did). He was always deeply uncomfortable with the whole sanctification of his mother and is very protective of her memory as a result. He and Imrahil often quarrel about it and Imrahil insists he knows better because "You were only a boy of ten when she died and never knew her." He fully cuts contact with his uncle after he kicks a pregnant Enna out of his palace. For context: in FoA 15, Enna pays Boromir and Idhrildin a visit and stays at their place for a few weeks. She's pregnant and Boromir immediately notices how in pain and sick she is. He takes matters into her own hands and has eat like a normal person and lets her sleep and rest. She stays there for a few weeks—possibly even a month or two; I am sure Eldarion doesn't mind—until she has to go back to Minas Tirith to start her confinement. Before she does so, Enna wants to visit Imrahil. He loses his wife that year (I still don't know when exactly), but by that time he is already a widower and Enna wants to make sure he's alright. So she visits him and he's shocked to see she's gained weight and let herself go (his words not mine). He tells her that his sister would've never done anything of the sort and that he is disappointed in her. Enna apologizes and tries to comfort him, but the minute she mentions his dead wife, Imrahil loses it and has her thrown out of his palace (note that he is technically not even allowed to do it, since Enna outranks him, but...yeah, that's what happens). Enna, Maira (her maid/best friend) and the rest of her staff are reduced to sleeping on the beach with no bedsheets or anything to warm up. They could turn back right away but the horses need rest too and Enna is so distressed she can't even move. Maira tries to get her to sleep a bit, but she's too nervous and can't stop thinking. They turn back the following morning and Enna yells that she wants her uncle and wants to return to Osgiliath (aw 😭). So that's what happens and Enna just runs (or tries to, as she is seven months along by then) to him and just hugs him. Boromir is stunned, surprised, worried and she very reluctantly tells him what happened. The rage Boromir feels is...quite something. He immediately writes to Aragorn AND Faramir (Enna does not really want her dad to know about it, but Boromir just ignores her because Imrahil crossed the line and Faramir needs to know) and...let's just say Aragorn doesn't take it very well. But it is a tale for another post. The most important thing to know about this is that Boromir feels extremely guilty for not protecting his niece enough and curses the whole of Minas Tirith for letting this happen. He's also one of the first people to comfort her when the child dies and acts as her therapist for a while.

Now, if you have been keeping up with my writing and my OCs, you probably know that Enna was adopted by Faramir and Éowyn when she was a newborn. Boromir obviously knows about it and, while he has always been tempted to tell her the truth, he has always refrained from doing so because he was worried about how he might affect her. He did not really know her parents all that well (since I have changed my mind about Elegil and Elanel attending the coronation, they might have bumped into one another and said a few words to each other, but I do not think they were knew one another well or were even friends. They could have easily been as I headcanon Boromir and Elegil to be similar, but Elegil just wanted to go home, so a friendship would have very unlikely to blossom. However, I do plan to include a conversation between the two of them and it will probably go like this:

(E=> Elegil; B=> Boromir)

E=> "Are you married, my lord?"

B=> "I was never interested in marriage."

E=> "I was not either...until I met my wife. We have a little boy, he is one."

*Proceeds to ramble about his little boy for AGES*

Mind you, Boromir adores children and loves talking about them, but I suspect he even he might leave at some point. Elegil just does not ever stop talking about his family. He talks about it so much it gets very annoying after a while. He's the kind of the guy who keeps quiet on most things (he's definitely a man of action), but he just unloads whenever his family is mentioned. He loves them VERY MUCH and I think Boromir would relate. Elegil's mother dies a few weeks after Aragorn's coronation—she dies in Minas Tirith—and he returns North with his elderly father, his wife and baby Elerion. Elegil returns South for the last time in TA 3021 and he might meet Boromir again, but I am not exactly sure. By then, Boromir and Idhrildin are in Anórien and Elegil has no reason to go there. He might just drop by and say hi, but we will have to see.

When Enna eventually learns the truth, Boromir is yet again by her side, but she feels like he betrayed her and stops talking to him. She sort of cuts ties with most of her family members as a result of trauma and self-perceived unworthiness. She hates everyone but, most of all, she hates herself. She feels like she everything she was ever told was a lie and develops even more trusts issues. Boromir understands that he needs to give her space and fully entrusts her to Eönwë since he is the only person she relies on and trusts at this point.

As expected, he also comforts his little brother during this time. Although Faramir is a bit more useless than you might expect, that is because he never was told anything. Éowyn dies in FoA 11 while giving birth to Elboron and her death breaks him. He is not there with her when she dies and he blames himself for it. He is forever changed by it and loses much of his will to live and personality. He remarries in FoA 16 roughly three weeks before Enna marries Eldarion and, while he grows to respect and love his new wife (Finduilas), he will never love anyone as much as he loved Éowyn. Finduilas is also struggling to cope with a loss of her own, as she is still in love with Aranarth (=Aragorn's nephew, the son of his youngest sister. He dies on a riding accident in FoA 1 at 15. Finduilas and Aranarth were the same age and she is twenty-five years younger than Faramir. Their marriage is arranged by Enna with Aragorn's approval and her intention is to give Elboron a mother figure). Faramir is essentially trapped in a marriage he does not care for—he only marries Finduilas because Enna asks it of him—and spends most of time away from court...where his daughter is. They communicate through letters and Enna lies to him repeatedly saying how happy she is and how well Eldarion treats her. Faramir believes her—he has no reason to doubt her as she has always told the truth before—and since he hears no complaints she convinces himself Enna is happy and that Aragorn and the Royal Family will look after her. When he eventually learns of the abuse Enna suffered, he gets mad at Aragorn, but, most of all, he is mad at himself and shies away from even further from his fatherly duties because he is afraid of messing things up even more. He essentially entrusts Enna to his brother.

Boromir also is the one who convinces Faramir to let Enna marry Eönwë. While Faramir initially worships the ground Eönwë walks on, he starts to resent him when he and Gandalf leave for their "Middle-earth tour" in late FoA 15. Eönwë needs a Middle-earth update (he still slips and calls it Beleriand sometimes) and he wants Enna to forget about him. Enna has always been fascinated by the Maiar and has had a childish crush on him ever since. Even when she was five and learning about him with her tutor, she thought of him as her Prince Charming. Eönwë feels very uncomfortable with it and that is also one of the reasons why he suddenly leaves. Faramir hates him for that—he could have protected her, but he did not—and holds it against him. So when Eönwë and Enna fall in love and Eönwë wants to marry her (it will take a while for him to get to that point) Faramir very angrily refuses. He even insults poor Bird-boy so...it is safe to say he is not a fan. Boromir will have a talk with them both, but I do not Faramir will be on good terms with Eönwë ever again until a few months before Eönwë dies.

I headcanon Boromir to be one of those extremely emotional people who just weep for hours on end at funerals and I think he will be devastated when Eönwë dies. He will be glad that he is reunited with Enna, but he will be heartbroken and he will be completely shattered when Mírion lets himself go three years later. For reference, Eönwë dies on November 9, FoA 43 and Mírion dies on October 16, FoA 46. Less than three years later. Boromir wept for all the Elenwë children equally, but I think his namesake's and Mírion's deaths will affect him the most. I think that, little by little, he loses his will to leave. By then, Idhrildin has been dead for decades, his children are now grown (I do not know if they marry. Berenor probably will, but I do not know about the sisters), Mairon is defeated...I feel like he will have nothing left to fight for.

I think he'll die sometime about FoA 53 or something like that. Since the rewrite ends in FoA 47, his death will not be featured in the main story, but I will probably write a One-shot about it. The death date is February, 26 (canonical death date). I do not even know what causes his death yet, but I think he will be in his 90s by then so...old age? Heartbreak due to all the losses he suffered? A mix of both perhaps?

PS:

About the Lossarnach issue. Idhrildin's uncle, Forlong, is lord of Lossarnach, but he dies childless during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. As he has no children and Idhrildin has no brothers (Berenion is already dead by then), she is technically—not officially, but technically—heir to Lossarnach. Sort of. This is actually very relevant and will be cause of drama since Aragorn plans to marry off his eldest daughter (Gilraen, named after her paternal grandmother) to Eldarion's tutor and wants to give the guy a fief. Daerion, that is his name, was Denethor's ward and probably a major Boromir fan because of it. Daerion is basically lord just in name since he has no wealth of his own—he was never wealthy—and is only relevant because he is the Crown Prince's tutor. At least, at the very beginning. He is a major schemer who knows how lie and plays others like a fiddle. That is his greatest ability and uses it to his full advantage. He takes care of Eldarion in more ways than one and, as reward for his "loyalty", he is betrothed to Gilraen, who is to become Lady of Lossarnach by marriage. The marriage does not come to pass for a number of reasons (one of them being Daerion's execution) and Gilraen marries Elerion, Enna's brother and future Lord of Fornost Erain. As a result, there is virtually no one ruling Lossarnach. Maybe Berenor will also be Lord (or Prince) of Lossarnach eventually? While it would be a good idea, I am not sure whether a single person could rule over two fiefs. Too much responsibility.

*Checks for other canon characters who are still alive and that could be friendly with Borodhril, so that there is no animosity. Someone Idhrildin trusts. And someone for Anfalas as well*

Additional headcanons if Idhrildin lives:

The Prince & Princess of Anórien

Moodboard description:

Top Row=> the Silver Trumpet (symbol of the Silver Company); an image representing Osgiliath after being rebuilt and the symbol of the fief of Anórien (Anórien means Sun-lands, so...it is beyond appropriate)

Middle Row=> Boromir and Idhrildin (Idhrildin faceclaim: Alma Terzic) and a picture of Aragorn's coronation because that is they meet

Bottom Row=> A picture of an armor because...Boromir; the Drúadan Forest and Borodhril's wedding aesthetic.