“The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien (post 6): When a character has ten different names, both character and author may have multiple personality.

Only a fifth of the way through this thousand-page epic, I notice that one of the characters already has three or four different names. And I see in Wikipedia that he will eventually have about ten different names: Strider, Aragorn, Dúnadan, Ranger of the North, Longshanks, Wingfoot, Elessar Telcontar, Envinyatar, Estel, and Thorongil (1).

It is easy to shrug off this multiple naming as amusing and explainable, since it relates to the ways that different language communities have named him under various circumstances; to different stages of his life (childhood vs. adulthood); and to whether or not his secret heritage has been revealed.

Nevertheless, in real life or fiction, it is unusual for one person to have ten different names, except in multiple personality, in which ten or more personalities are common. I don’t know if there will be anything else to suggest that this character has it.

So far, all I know is that the author was comfortable with giving a character multiple identifications, suggesting that the author’s personal experience had led him to consider it ordinary psychology.

1. Wikipedia. “Aragorn.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragorn