An Arwen Stunt Double Was Gifted An Actual Horse From LOTR's Viggo Mortensen

Aragorn would be nothing without his horse Brego. Throughout Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the character as played by Viggo Mortensen is constantly seen on the bay horse weaving in and out of trees, orcs, or arrows, depending on the scene. The horse carries him across grass, snow, and mud as he edges closer to his goal of reuniting his kingdom. A would-be king needs his steed.

Of course, Aragorn's steed isn't the only equine star of the trilogy. Legolas' Arod, Arwen's Asfaloth, and Gandalf's Shadowfax all take the spotlight at various points, with even Éowyn's Windfola getting its time to shine. On top of that, as Mortensen himself has revealed, the horses have remained a part of the cast's lives even after 2003's "The Return of the King" left theaters. After production on the films ended, Mortensen bought no less than three horses once they went up for sale. And while he kept two of them, he reserved one for a very lucky fellow cast member.

Speaking with NME about his hoofed "Lord of the Rings" souvenirs, Mortensen revealed that one of them had in fact stood in for Brego during filming. "There were actually three horses that I bought, they were up for sale once the movies were done," he explained. "There were the two I'd ridden — a chestnut and then the big bay that Aragorn rides."

But he decided not to keep the third horse, which stood in for Arwen's Asfaloth in the movies. According to Mortensen, he gave that particular horse to the woman who served as stunt double for Arwen in the memorable scene in which Arwen escapes from the Black Riders with Frodo. Mortensen added that he became friends with the stunt double, explaining, "I knew how much she liked that horse, so I bought it for her."

While both of Mortensen's horses have since passed away, he revealed that the one who played Asfaloth is still alive and kicking. That's welcome news for anyone who rightfully thought Asfaloth was an MVP of the trilogy.