Thank you kathy. That clears it up.

I have to say, it was sort of nice to be able to gloss over random things I didn't understand, just figuring that it was explained in the book.

I watched FotR EE, TT EE and RotK over a 5 day period, so I must have imagined far more "elessars" than I heard. That or watching with closed captioning on made them stand out more.

When I first saw FotR in the theaters, I thought it was so cool that Sauron was the one to name Aragorn "Elessar"! I was such a book geek about the little things that I noticed that first time, including Gandalf's reference to that "business about the dragon," identifying Lobelia just from her obnoxious yelling at Bilbo through the door of Bag End, the book chapter shoutouts ("A long-expected party!" and "It was a shortcut." "A shortcut to what?" "Mushrooms!"), the fact that all of the food choices Bilbo was giving to Gandalf upon his arrival at Bag End were the items that the dwarves demanded of Bilbo in the beginning of The Hobbit.

Yeah. The whole "Elessar" name thing was vaguely portentous in the movie -- Galadriel does this big Important Pause, and says it, and it's all in subtitles and all -- whereas in the book, it's just like calling a dude by what he's wearing.

Hey you! Yeah, red suspenders! Get yer butt over here!

Somehow, King Red Suspenders doesn't sound quite as cool, but I bet it sounds cooler in Elvish.

Why is it never Arwen daughter of whatshername (that I'm blanking on right now)? Why is it always the men? (I know, I know, Tolkein lived in a different time. That just bugs me.)

Well, it wasn't just Tolkien being a DWEM. His characters are inspired by a different time. One with patronymics.

ETA: Arwen is Celebrian's daughter, but she has her own by-name: Undomiel, Arwen Evenstar. She's got her own mythic coolness going-on, which in the sagas (etc.) usually supercedes the parental name.

Somehow, King Red Suspenders doesn't sound quite as cool, but I bet it sounds cooler in Elvish.

Nutty just caused me to geek out and desire to rush home and see if I could cobble together the sindarin for Red Suspenders.

In the books, he discovers a green stone from an elf when he's trying to get Frodo to Rivendell (after he's stabbed on Weathertop). He wears it for the rest of the story, and the people of Gondor dub him Elessar (meaning "Elf-Stone") while he's doing the healing thing that was cut out of the theatrical version of RotK.

Um. Not quite. Glorfindel left a beryl on the bridge for them to find, yes. But that's not the green stone he's named after.

The Elfstone is a green jewel given to him by Galadriel, which ... hell. I forget the lineage. I think it used to belong to Celebrian, and it's symbolic of the bond between him & Arwen. In the movie, they use that odd silvery thing, but in the novel it's clear it's a green rock.

They do indeed call him after the stone he wears, but it's the stone Galadriel gives him, not the beryl.

Ah. Sorry!

I'm sure someone with a more comprehensive knowledge (::Cough::Jeff Mejia::cough::) will come along soon and correct us both. *grin*

From the Encyclopedia of Arda:

"High title and surname of Aragorn son of Arathorn. It was long foretold that he would take this name; it was given to him in Lórien by Galadriel. She granted him a gift of a green stone set in a silver brooch in the shape of an eagle as he and the Company of the Ring left her land (on 16 February III 3019). 'In this hour,' she said, 'take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the house of Elendil!'

When Aragorn took up the kingship of Gondor, he assumed the name Elessar, and later references to him take the form 'King Elessar'."

Away from the books, or I'd dig more.

ETA: A couple of quotes:

III 294: "... before them came walking slow the Lord Aragorn. He was clad in black mail, girt with silver, and he wore a long mantle of pure white clasped at the throat with a great jewel of green that shone from afar"

I 493 "... as she held it up the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring. 'This stone I gave to Celebrian my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope.'"

You got it in one. Orcs are French

And that's how they know what a menu is, and why meat should be back on it. Next to wine and stinky cheese. Gothcha.

'Ah, mes amis! Ze meat, she is back on ze menu, non? Honh Honh!'

Yeah, that's all I want to say.

'This stone I gave to Celebrian my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope.'

Galadriel to Celebrian to Arwen. Excellent.