When Elrond sends invitations to all races of beings to attend his council in Rivendell, one such invitation is of course sent to the citadel of Minas Tirith, the white tower of Gondor. Here it is received by Denethor the Steward, who seizes upon it as a chance to bring the One Ring to his city and restore the power of Men. Thus he chooses Boromir, his eldest son, his source of pride and joy, to go forth and bring him the gift. But many Lord of the Rings fans argue that it should have been Faramir, not Boromir, who went to the council.
There are several good reasons for this argument, starting with Faramir’s prophetic dreams. When reading the books, there is a section in which Faramir of Gondor receives several bizarre dreams in which he sees references to the ring, to the halfling who carries it, and also to the shards of Narsil, the blade that was broken when cutting the ring from Sauron’s finger. These dreams appear as a kind of prophecy as if they are sent to him by some higher being or purpose. When the invitation to Elrond’s council arrives, Faramir then sees that these dreams were a sign, and wishes to attend the quest. However, Denethor trusts and values Boromir far more, and sends him in Faramir’s place. Perhaps these dreams were a sign that Frarmir was the chosen one, by forces at work far more powerful than their father.
Another reason that Faramir should have perhaps been involved in the council rather than his older brother, is that Faramir is believed to carry more of the traits of the Numenorians. Both Faramir and Boromir have Numenorian blood, as their lineage can be traced back to Elendil, one of the first kings, and the figure upon whom one of the Argonath is based. However, through the nobility, kindness, and patience that Faramir shows, he seems to have more of the Numenorian traits similar to those of Aragorn than Boromir does.
Faramir detests the war, and unnecessary killing, his famous quote “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.’ shows that he is only a part of the battle to protect the innocence, not because he has any relish for bloodshed. This is a very honorable and gentle trait, which he and Aragorn share. Unfortunately, when Boromir dies defending Merry and Pippin, the youngest members of the fellowship from the Uruk-Hai attack, the readers and the audience lose the chance to know how old he might have grown, had he survived his life’s natural span. But Faramir lives to the age of 120 years, showing that he has a strong link to the Numenorian blood by the extended lifeline he achieves.
So there are many reasons why Faramir would have been a great member of the fellowship. However, opposing fans argue that Boromir’s attendance, his trying to take the ring on Amon Hen, and the subsequent splitting of the fellowship were all completely necessary steps in the arc of the story. Boromir is, by no means, an evil character. He is a noble man, with a good heart and the right intentions, but he is misguided by the pressure of his father to restore Gondor to greatness.
The reason that Boromir agrees to take the quest and journey to Rivendell is to protect his little brother from harm, for he loves no one greater in all the world than Faramir. And although he is weaker willed than many other men in the story, which results in his succumbing to the ring's voice of allure, his desire to possess the object is not through sheer lust for power, as his father's is, but in a bid to help his people, who are suffering, and to bring about peaceful days in the kingdom. This can be seen by the fact that he and Aragorn are intending to go to the White City together. He does not want all of the glory, he doesn’t even want rulership of Minas Tirith, he wants to take the rightful heir home, and share in the prosperity for everyone.
In this way, it was right to send Boromir to the council, because all that stems from his actions wouldn’t have happened otherwise, and any number of other outcomes could have occurred, including the death of Frodo and the reclaiming of the ring by the dark lord. This is also true of Faramir’s story, for if he had have been one of the original companions, he wouldn’t have been able to let Frodo go in Osgiliath. He also wouldn’t have been wounded trying to besiege the keep, and would therefore never have met Eowyn in the houses of healing, who he later marries and unites the kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor with. Both brothers had their own parts to play, and both met their own fates along the journey.