Fate and good fortune are very important aspects of many of Tolkien’s stories. They act as a symbol of hope in difficult times, a belief that no matter how dark the night may seem, the sun will always rise the next morning. But fate always intertwines with choice within his books too, and can change depending on the decisions that the characters make. Was it fate for Bilbo to have found and picked up the One Ring in the tunnels below the goblin kingdom during The Hobbit? Was it fate that Faramir later found Frodo and Sam wandering the fields of Ithillien, and was able to aid them on their quest into Mordor? Or was it all part of a larger, preconceived plan of the greater beings in the world, like Eru Illuvatar, who created Middle Earth and watches over it from afar?
There are many seemingly chance encounters throughout both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Characters seem to end up in just the right place at the right time to be able to save one another, offer guidance, and play some important part in overcoming the challenges that lie ahead. But one of the most questioned meetings in the Fellowship of the Ring is that of Aragorn and the four hobbits, who run into each other at the Prancing Pony in Bree. In the persona of Strider the Ranger, Aragorn seems to materialize just in the nick of time as the anxious hobbits realize that Gandalf isn’t coming, and that they are trapped with no help and no direction of what to do next. So was this fortuitous encounter a mere coincidence?
The answer, in some ways, is both yes and no. In one sense, it was never meant to be Aragorn who met them there, it was always supposed to be Ganadalf. But fate intervened and Gandalf was betrayed by Saruman the white, who kept him captive on the Tower of Orthanc. This meant that Aragorn had to step in and take over this leg of the journey, to make sure that the hobbits reached Rivendell safely. So Aragorn being at the Prancing Pony specifically is a twist of fate involving Saruman’s nefarious plan, which could not have been anticipated. It is revealed that Aragorn only came to be there because he overheard the four hobbits further up the road, after their encounter in the Old Forest with Tom Bombadil:
“I was behind the hedge this evening on the road west of Bree, when four hobbits came out of the Downlands. I need not repeat all that they said to old Bombadil or to one another, but one thing interested me. One of them said ‘the name Baggins must not be mentioned. I am Mr. Underhill, if any name must be given’. That interested me so much that I followed them here.”
So running into them on the road was a coincidence at that specific time and place, which led him to meet them at the Inn. But Aragorn being in the area in the first place was no coincidence. He had been watching the Shire for many weeks at this point. He knew that he should be looking out for the hobbits, and he already knew about the Ring of Power and the dangerous task they were about to undertake. He is obviously an old friend of Gandalf’s, and was looking after the Shire because Gandalf has asked him to. When trying to gain Frodo’s trust, and reassure the company that he is friend, not foe, he tells them:
“I came west with him in the spring. I have often kept watch on the borders of the Shire in the last few years, when he was busy elsewhere. He seldom left it unguarded.”
So Aragorn was asked by Gandalf to keep an eye out for the young hobbits leaving their homeland with such important and dangerous cargo. He has been watching the road and waiting to encounter them so that he can offer them his guidance and his protection. In this sense, their meeting was no accident; Aragorn was always there in case the hobbits needed him — as they do now that Gandalf cannot be there to guide them. This is also confirmed in the letter that Gandalf writes to Frodo describing Aragorn, noting that some call him Strider, and letting him know that he is a friend who can be trusted.
At this point, the hobbits have a choice on whether to trust this stranger. They must decide whether they will follow him into the darkness despite his shady appearance and the fact that they have known him a matter of hours, or whether to try to find their own way in a world where there are enemies at every turn. Luckily for them, they choose to have faith in the ranger. Aragorn becomes their fiercest protector on the road to Rivendell, their most loyal friend, and eventually their king. It may seem like a chance encounter, but Aragorn was always there, ready to step in when he was most needed.