Aragorn's Backstory Explained

While the idea of having a wizard by your side is a pretty good bonus for anyone wandering around the wild, that doesn't stop Aragorn from eventually beginning to branch off on his own. This independent streak eventually leads to two very famous journeys in his younger life. 

The first of these involves the horse-lords of Rohan. However, we're not talking about Éomer or even Théoden at this point. Aragorn's first visit to the green fields of Rohan takes place during the reign of Théoden's father, Thengel. While very little is reported about his specific actions, it's said in the appendix of The Return of the King that Aragorn fights in Thengel's armies. On top of that, the man himself tells Éomer in The Two Towers that, "I have been in this land before, more than once, and ridden with the host of the Rohirrim, though under other name and in other guise. ... I have spoken with Éomund your father, and with Théoden son of Thengel." In The Return of the King, he also tells Éowyn, "I walked in this land ere you were born to grace it." 

However, for all of his time spent in Rohan, the real action doesn't pick up until he heads south into Gondor. That's right, decades before The Lord of the Rings takes place, Aragorn visits the kingdom he would eventually rule. Once again, though, as in Rohan, he goes in "other guise."