The Hands of the King, The Hands of a Healer

The Touch, Call, and Spirit of the King

The first time I played Dungeons & Dragons, I created a character who—at least initially—may or may not have borne a striking resemblance to a certain Strider (including “in a pale stern face a pair of keen grey eyes”). As I considered which spells my character ought to learn and whether the immediate needs of the party were healing spells or other types, the concept of a Ranger who heals reminded me of a particular passage from The Return of the King.

In the chapter “The Houses of Healing” in The Return of the King, Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry all lie close to death in the eponymous space. Gandalf has sent for Aragorn, explaining that “it is only in the coming of Aragorn that any hope remains for the sick that lie in the House. Thus spoke Ioreth, wise-woman of Gondor: “The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known.”^¹

This Gondorian proverb quoted by Ioreth—“The hands of the king are the hands of a healer”—struck me, and as I considered it, I noticed a pattern that emerges as Aragorn heals Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry.

As the healer king approaches each of them, he does three things. He touches them, he calls their name, and he causes the room to be filled with the fragrance of kingsfoil. Not only do we see Aragorn prove his kingship via this sign; we also find our attention directed to another King whose touch, call, and Spirit heal his people.

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