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http://writerswrite1.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/tolkiens-10-tips-for-creating-epic-heroes/

Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Creating Epic Heroes

by Roger Colby

Motivational Mirrors - Tolkien says that the motivation of Aragorn’s character was driven by his love for Arwen just as Samwise was driven by his love for Rosie. Rosie and Arwen were people who anchored the characters in something so that there was something at stake. Tolkien mirrored the two sets of lovers in order to emphasize the stronger of the two, namely Aragorn.

Create Opposites - Sauron is Aragorn’s opposite in that one is destined to be King of Gondor while the other is desperately trying to rule over all of Middle Earth. Aragorn is pure, noble and brave while Sauron is evil, deceptive and has others do his dirty work for him. In a way, Sauron’s evil shines a light on Aragorn’s goodness, even when he is known as Strider and seems like a rogue.

Give the Hero a Past With Purpose – Aragorn’s love for Arwen is something only told in the appendix of Tolkien’s text, but it becomes a secret motivation in his past for his fight against the darkness.

Give Your Hero Something to Restore – The restoration of the White Tree is something that gives Aragorn a destiny.

Give Your Hero a Mysterious Nature – The character of Strider/Aragorn was a character that Tolkien created as a mysterious protector. His backstory came in pieces, and when we read the text we find little bits about him as we go, unlike Frodo who is known intimately. Little details about Aragorn’s past emerge slowly and carefully, as if Tolkien is tossing bits of bread out to the gulls. This creates a mysterious nature for Aragorn that is effective and powerful, and when we see him at the end of the tale as king we are amazed at how Tolkien strung us along.

Give Your Hero a Life Without Guarantees – If we guarantee that our hero will make it to the end of the story without any peril or any stakes, we will have a flat hero indeed. The reader needs to fear for the hero’s life. They need to wonder if things will ever work out with their interpersonal relationships. There must be an overwhelming element of risk.

Keep Readers In the Dark – Tolkien did not tell us everything about what happens to his heroes, only what is necessary to move the story along. Here he is an advocate of keeping things simple and not boring the reader with all the details of what happened to Aragorn along the way.

Let the ‘Message’ Worry About Itself – Sometimes writers try too hard to preach to us about the way they think we should live. Tolkien did not worry about that, but let the narrative subtly waft the message to us on a cool Rivendell breeze.

Stay True to Your Characterization – Not once does Aragorn go outside his nature in this epic tale. He is always stalwart, brave and wise even in the face of danger. When we think he is doing something cowardly, he is actually doing something necessary.

Your Hero Must Be Willing to Sacrifice – Aragorn takes huge risks throughout the epic, facing off against the Black Riders on Weathertop, seeking the help of the dead warriors, charging into the depths of Moria, galloping toward the gates of Mordor, and countless other tasks. If your hero is not willing to sacrifice their life for their goal (even if that goal is simply a life of happiness or a goal set more in the real world) then that hero is not strong enough and needs work.