Ranger Commission Document
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2018 1:47 pm
My business is document props - it's what I do for a living. I've been playing around with the idea of a Ranger commission that could be issued from Faramir or King Elessar. Some of this idea has come from gamers and LARPers who wanted such a document for a character but I thought I could offer it to some of you who might have a more "military" Ranger bent. Of course, these are designed for anyone portraying a Ranger of the Fourth Age.
In giving such a commission thought, I strayed away from a wholly "officer commission" as we have in modern times. The wording is similar but if such a document were issued, I believe it would have been issued to all of the Rangers and would just mention any rank that might be given. For that I referenced this line from the books,
'Rangers of Ithilien... were descended from folk who lived in Ithilien at one time, before it was overrun. From such men the Lord Denethor chose his forayers....'
The Two Towers, LoTR Book 4, Ch 4, Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
These are soldiers who are being chosen by the Steward himself so I don't think Faramir would have done away with that tradition and it's very likely that Aragorn would have continued to approve any Rangers chosen from the North.
My seal maker is in Switzerland. I do the graphic arts for him and he makes my seals. He lives in a small sparsely populated Swiss Alps village and must check his internet at the local Mayor's office once per week. I had him carve me two seals - one in 50mm and double-sided for King Elessar Telcontar. I used some of Tolkien's images of Aragorn's crown for the mounted figure and my own rendition of the Argonath for the reverse. Faramir's seal as Prince of Ithilien is smaller than Aragorn's at 30mm and is one sided.
I thought I would add a folded parchment piece to the bottom and affix Faramir's seal to the parchment itself while King Elessar's would hang, similar to the way medieval seals hung from cord. Of course Faramir's would have both seals while King Elessar's would have only his.
If any on the forum are interested in these, I will be glad to supply one to you for just the cost of shipping which will be around $8.00 domestic and $16.00 internationally. Because it takes a lot of wax to make these seals, I'm giving a time limit until Sept. 8, 2018 to let me know if you would like one and your pertinent information.
In giving such a commission thought, I strayed away from a wholly "officer commission" as we have in modern times. The wording is similar but if such a document were issued, I believe it would have been issued to all of the Rangers and would just mention any rank that might be given. For that I referenced this line from the books,
'Rangers of Ithilien... were descended from folk who lived in Ithilien at one time, before it was overrun. From such men the Lord Denethor chose his forayers....'
The Two Towers, LoTR Book 4, Ch 4, Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
These are soldiers who are being chosen by the Steward himself so I don't think Faramir would have done away with that tradition and it's very likely that Aragorn would have continued to approve any Rangers chosen from the North.
My seal maker is in Switzerland. I do the graphic arts for him and he makes my seals. He lives in a small sparsely populated Swiss Alps village and must check his internet at the local Mayor's office once per week. I had him carve me two seals - one in 50mm and double-sided for King Elessar Telcontar. I used some of Tolkien's images of Aragorn's crown for the mounted figure and my own rendition of the Argonath for the reverse. Faramir's seal as Prince of Ithilien is smaller than Aragorn's at 30mm and is one sided.
I thought I would add a folded parchment piece to the bottom and affix Faramir's seal to the parchment itself while King Elessar's would hang, similar to the way medieval seals hung from cord. Of course Faramir's would have both seals while King Elessar's would have only his.
If any on the forum are interested in these, I will be glad to supply one to you for just the cost of shipping which will be around $8.00 domestic and $16.00 internationally. Because it takes a lot of wax to make these seals, I'm giving a time limit until Sept. 8, 2018 to let me know if you would like one and your pertinent information.