Is Isildur related to Aragorn? The new Middle-earth fantasy series Rings of Power surprised audiences with the introduction of Elendil and his son Isildur. Elendil and Isildur are both Númenóreans, hailing from the star-shaped island of Númenor off the coast of Middle-earth.
So far in the Rings of Power series, the father and son duo have already come to Middle-earth with Galadriel and Halbrand to defend the Southlands from the evil Adar and his orcs. They both play a big role in the future of Tolkien's fantasy world, and while Elendil is eventually killed by Sauron, his son Isildur is the one who manages to cut the One Ring from Sauron's finger, temporarily destroying him.
Isildur later becomes the founder and king of the region of Gondor in Middle-earth, which we see in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies. However, with his long dark hair, love for horses, and links to Gondor, have had been reminding fans of another Lord of the Rings character. Inevitably, people watching Rings of Power have been asking the question: is Isildur related to Aragorn?
Is Isildur related to Aragorn?
Yes, Isildur is related to Aragorn. More accurately, Aragorn is a distant descendent of Isildur’s, which is why Aragorn is described as being descended from ‘a line of kings’, as ‘Isildur’s heir’, and is the heir to the throne of Gondor – the kingdom that Isildur founded.
Unlike in Tolkien’s books, in the fantasy movies Aragorn is hesitant about taking on the role of king of Gondor but is eventually persuaded to live up to his destiny by Elrond and Arwen.
So, this explains the many links between the two characters. Unlike Isildur, who ends up being corrupted by the One Ring, Aragorn is vital to its destruction. First, by helping Frodo get to Rivendell and the council of Elrond, and later on when he leads to joint forces of Gondor and Rohan in the Battle of the Black Gate in order to distract Sauron from Frodo’s journey.
Even though his descendant Isildur failed to destroy the One Ring when given the chance, Aragorn more than made up for the failings of his ancestor. For more Middle-earth deep dives, check out our guides to Balrogs and Durin or if you want to learn more about the people of the Second Age, check out our list of the best Rings of Power characters.