I've seen lots of reasons for why Boromir went instead of Faramir. For me, it boiled down to the most basic of reasons.

What could Galadriel offer that would make Boromir depart so from his typical path? Most people do some variation of the ring itself, but Boromir intimated in FOTR that she offered something she did not have the power to give. I tried to think what could be so important, so dear to the heart of the man that he could be turned from the path. Then the chapter wrote itself.

I'm am so glad you like this, Kitt. Sorry, I am so long in my reply.

Lindorien

I think Boromir was a good guy. Obviously. The heart is a complex thing. My personal take is that Boromir never had a chance and that Galadriel nudged Boromir in the wrong direction for her own purposes. Its difficult to say, but the whole experience in Lorien was quite unlike Boromir's experience in Imladris from my interpretation. That coupled with Faramir's comments regarding the Lady of the Golden Wood and Boromir's own comments.

It really is too bad.

Lindorien

I feel compelled with everybody who comments to me about this story to explain that exactly HOW Finduilas' died is not at all clear. I read the passage in the appendix to mean that she suicided. Others read it differently, but I do think, my interpretation helps to explain a little of the family dynamics. The details surrounding the suicide are likewise pure poetic license.

I like to think the brother's had a very close bond. It is not painted that way in the books. Boromir never mentioned Faramir but once, in passing, in all of FOTR. He does not even mention him when he's dying. Faramir speaks more of him, and appears to be grieving, yet also seems a little more distant than I would expect. However, in a work as large as Tolkiens that tends to concentrate more heavily on history and actual story rather than on the complex relationships, much must be left by the side of the road. So it made me happy to think of these two as being two sides of the same coin and intimately connected one to the other.

Lindorien

When Sam and Frodo meet up with Faramir in Ithilien, Faramir did not speak highly of Galadriel. I had the impression that there was a basic tension there, a basic mistrust, awe perhaps. Faramir seemed to think that Galadriel might have had a negative effect upon his brother.

Boromir, after having spent months in the House of Elrond and traveling with Legolas was still loath to enter the wood of Lothlorien. For whatever reason, he was ill-equipped to handle that meeting with Galadriel.

It's a presumption, but because of their proximity, I had to wonder if there wasn't some historical unpleasantness between the two realms - Gondor and Lothlorien. Or perhaps its just the memory of Isildur and the Last Alliance still reverberating across the millenia. But Boromir? No, they made him nervous and awed him. Hard to tell about Faramir - but I'd wager that he likewise gave the Elves a wide berth.

Lindorien

Wow! It is so cool when somebody wanders by and blows the dust off of an older fic and then enjoys it. Sort of like finding some book published in the fifties and then saying, "Hey! I like this!"

I hope you continue to like this. It is one of my first fanfics, so it holds a special place in my heart. Rereading it now, however, I can see places where I might consider tweaking. Perhaps I will sometime.

Thanks for reading and do let me know your impressions as you continue.

Lindorien