In The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn was a direct descendant of Isildur, the first King of Gondor. He felt an obligation to live up to Isildur's legacy, and more importantly, to avoid Isildur's mistakes.

Aragorn's courageous indifference to the thought of death leads him on a perilous side quest that would ultimately be the deciding factor in the conclusion of the Battle of Pelennor Fields.