Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, has announced that the two horses he rode in the films have passed away. Mortensen is famously a horse lover in addition to his acting career, and he purchased both of his trusty onscreen steeds from his journeys in Middle-earth after filming. Unfortunately, as happens with all of us, those creatures eventually passed on – as residents of Tolkien’s kingdom would say, “into the West.”
During the filming of The Two Towers and The Return of the King, Aragorn rode into the battles of Middle-earth on two brave mounts – Brego, played by Hollywood horse Uraeus, and Hasufel, played by Kenny. When the filming was finished, Mortensen purchased both Uraeus and Kenny to bring home with him. He also bought the white horse Florian, who played Arwen’s mount Asfaloth in the first film, as a gift for the stuntwoman who rode him.
Mortensen spoke recently with NME on his career and recent work, where he also explained that, sadly, Kenny and Uraeus have both passed on. The white horse Florian, however, is happily still kicking. “That one is still around, but the other two have passed away,” Mortensen said. “They were of a certain age already when we were shooting, and that’s twenty years ago now.” Of course, it makes sense that the animals have long lived out their time, but it also seems appropriate to pay homage to two less recognized cast members of the famous film.
Mortensen’s love of animals is one of the things that’s endeared him to a fiercely dedicated fan base. His turn as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings has been praised since the films debuted, mainly because of the authenticity he brought to the role. That includes his relationships with the horses he rode and stretches to his dedication to his stunt work and the devoted intensity he brought to the character’s more emotional scenes.
The legacy Mortensen left through those films will soon come back into the spotlight, as Amazon is currently producing its own Lord of the Rings-based series. While the new show won’t tread on the territory of the books themselves (mainly due to rights issues), it will cover the history of Middle-earth’s Second Age – notably, the island kingdom of Númenor. Númenor’s descendants became the Dúnedain, humans with exceptionally long lifespans, of which Aragorn is one. While Mortensen is unlikely to appear in the new series given the massive gap in canonical time, he undoubtedly remains a major influence on future Lord of the Rings adaptations. And, of course, Uraeus and Kenny left their mark on the franchise as well.
Source: NME