Aragorn

Aragorn is one of the more mysterious characters in "The Lord of the Rings." We all know him as one of the nine companions of Frodo, and the King of Gondor. However he was 87 when this journey started. What did he do before that?

When Aragorn was 2, his father, Arathorn, was killed, and his mother ,Gilraen, ran away with him to Rivendell where he grew up, with no knowledge that he was the destined king of Gondor. He was called "Estel" which  means "hope." Elrond of Rivendell raised Aragorn as his own son, and when Aragorn was 20, he finally decided to tell Aragorn his destiny. On this day, he gave Aragorn the ring of his fathers and the broken sword of Isildur. It was on this same day that Aragorn met Arwen.

After this meeting, Aragorn was entranced. He knew that Elrond would not be pleased with this match. So Aragorn wandered the wild for many years. During this time he became friends with Gandalf the Grey. They ventured together defeating the servants of Sauron. After these many years, Aragorn became weary, and he went wandered into Lothlorien, where Galadriel dressed him in light green, and he was put to peace.

Another person was in Lothlorien at the same time, Arwen. She was visiting her mother's kin, and there she and Aragorn fell in love. Arwen said then that she would bind herself to Aragorn and become a mortal. This would be fulfilled later in the story.

After this visit to Lothlorien, Aragron began to wander in the wild again. After many years of wandering he ended up joining the Fellowship of the Ring and aiding Frodo. You can read more about Aragorn's youth in the Appendix of "The Return of the King."