Happy Tolkien Reading Day!
A Tolkien Ask for You:Β
Canon describes Faramir as both a scholar and a warrior, but do you have any headcanons about more specific interests and hobbies he has?
Yay thank you so much for the ask! What a fun question to muse on!
One headcanon I've had for a while is that Faramir is very into learning about the history of warfare. He likes pouring over old documents that he can scrounge up from the archives and reading detailed accounts of old battles, down to the level of specific maneuvers, numbers of troops, and supply logistics. This comes from a couple of places: first of all, it's a way to reconcile what is expected of him (being a warrior and a leader of men) with his innate scholarly, academic nature. I also very strongly headcanon him as a bit of a pedant and an optimizer, and so I imagine him being a bit judgy about some of the choices outlined in the aforementioned documents, when he can think of a more optimal strategy. Continuing with this theme of Faramir trying to interweave his life with scholarly pursuits where he can, I imagine him being a bit of a naturalist, albeit to practical ends. I think he takes the time to learn as much as he can about the flora and fauna of Ithilien, becoming an expert in identifying plants and trees. This again serves a dual role: knowing medicinal and forageable plants would certainly enable to take better care of himself and his men in the wilderness, but I think in his heart of hearts, he also just loves collecting knowledge for knowledge's sake, and spending time among green and growing things.
Finally, a less well-formed headcanon is that I imagine Faramir wanting to be a bit more of a "man of the people" than his father or brother. By this I mean that I imagine him being fascinated by mundane tasks like baking bread, basic carpentry, weapon repair/blacksmithing, etc. Even though his high status affords him the privilege to have someone else take care of these things for him, I think he feels a bit uncomfortable with that privilege. I think he would relish any opportunities he gets to learn how to do things for himself and gain practical knowledge. He would pride himself on joining his men equally in taking care of those sorts of chores. I also imagine these interests dovetailing nicely with his proclivity towards pedantry: I think he's a perfectionist and loves to do things *right*, including the mundane.
Alright, I could ramble on but I think I'll cut myself off here. Thank you again for the ask and the opportunity to yap about one of my favorite characters <3 Happy Tolkien Reading Day!!!
