Lord Of The Rings

[Gunga_ann]

Did you guys know that Tolkien was Catholic? He used a lot of his faith in the books. I thought that was cool. Lifeteen.com has some cool stuff on it. I just thought that was cool.. Thats all.......

[Gunga_ann]

I put this in here because they are now movies. A lot of things stand out now. Like Galadriel is Mary.

[musturde]

I heard Tolkien was asked if the triligy had any religious meaning to it and his answer was no. I'll look it up.

[Colleen]

Yes, Tolkien was a Catholic! He didn't really intend for the Lord of the Rings to be allegorical (and they're not really) like C.S. Lewis' Narnian stories, but he did acknowledge that there were similarities that he didn't fully realize when he was writing the books.

[url="http://www.ncregister.com/Register_News/011203jrr.htm"]Why Tolkien Says The Lord of the Rings Is Catholic [/url]

[quote]Tolkien insisted that the fact that he was "a Christian (which can be deduced from my stories), and in fact a Roman Catholic," was the most important and "really significant" element in his work.[/quote]

[url="http://www.crisismagazine.com/november2001/feature7.htm"]Tolkien's Catholic Imagination[/url]

[quote]Even among fantasy devotees who recognize Tolkien as the father of the modern genre, few realize that Tolkien insisted that The Lord of the Rings is "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work." This probably comes as a surprise to most Catholics as well.[/quote]
[quote]Tolkien rejected attempts to find Catholic symbolism in his work because he detested "allegory in all its manifestations." Indeed he frequently chided Lewis for trying to dress Christ up in the lion-suit of Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. For Tolkien, to look for such correspondences is to miss the point of Middle-earth, which is meant to be a real place and not just some amalgam of historical and religious debris.

Still, Tolkien acknowledged that his Catholic sensibilities unconsciously inspired characters and objects in his imaginative world. In a 1952 letter to Rev. Robert Murray (grandson of the founder of the Oxford English Dictionary and a family friend), he readily admitted that the Virgin Mary forms the basis for all of his "small perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity." It is not surprising, he admits, that the character of Galadriel—a created being endowed with radiant beauty, impeccable virtue, and powers of healing—resonates with the character of our Blessed Mother.

Nor could Tolkien deny that the Holy Eucharist appears in The Lord of the Rings as the waybread (lembas), given by the elves to the hobbits to eat on their journey. The lembas reinforces the hobbits’ wills and provides them with physical sustenance in the dark and barren lands on the way to Mount Doom. As the Church teaches, while the Eucharist still tastes and looks like bread and wine, our sensations shroud a deeper mystery: The Eucharist is truly Christ’s body and blood. So in The Lord of the Rings the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Eucharist appear shrouded in the mysterious elements of Middle-earth. The best way to understand this is to see such examples of Catholic symbolism as literary "accidents." To leave them out would have diminished the story; they are parts of Tolkien’s effort to make his world complete, true for all times and places.

As an author, Tolkien believed that his stories did in a limited and literary way what a priest does at the consecration: They present us with Christ and the entire story of creation and redemption through common elements of the world—in this case Middle-earth—which is shot through with the Truth of all Truths. [/quote]

More articles: [url="http://www.ducinaltum.netfirms.com/colleenlotr.html#articles"]here[/url]

[luciana]

Thank you for the links. I hadn't read those articles on the link to the LOTR website. The Crisis and National Catholic register articlesa I had read and knew they were excellent. I'll pass those links along.

[justfran]

IMHO, the beginning of the Silmarillion just screams Christianity. I had absolutely no idea that the Eucharist appears in LotR as (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin like to call it) "leeeeeembas" (go the commentaries on the 4-disc DVD!).
And I detest what that article says about Orli/Legolas fans! I don't know about other people, but I don't see him as "just another pretty face".

Edited June 11, 2004 by justfran

[~*AnCoRa33*~]

Tolkien helped convert C.S. Lewis!!!!

[immaculata]

My Tolkien term paper...

[quote][u]Tolkien’s Mythological Reality[/u]

The successful Lord of the Rings movie trilogy has re-awakened the world’s interest in the classic story of a band of Hobbits and their fight against the forces of evil. However, this lush screen production only mirrors a small portion of the richness of Middle Earth. Author J.R.R. Tolkien meticulously created the complex legends, languages and history of this mythological world, which hauntingly seems to echo this world. Tolkien’s fantasy world is steeped in the experiences of his own amazing life. Elements of his strong Catholic faith find their way into his novels, creating a deeper symbolism not expressed by the movies or a casual reading of his books. His childhood tragedies, the horrors of World War I, and his strong devotion to his Roman Catholic faith influence everything that Tolkien would later write about in his voluminous works.

Even from the beginning of his life, Tolkien was surrounded by an atmosphere of adventure and mystery. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His father, Arthur Tolkien, was stationed at the Bank of Africa in Bloemfontein. Tolkien and his brother Hilary were raised under the watchful eye of their mother, Mabel. When young Tolkien fell ill at the age of three, his mother decided to move the family back to England in hopes that the cooler climate would have a good effect on his health. Mrs. Tolkien brought the two boys to Birmingham, England to stay with her sister while their father stayed behind in Africa to finish business. Before their father had a chance to rejoin the family, however, he fell ill with rheumatic fever and died.

Tolkien and his brother were devastated by the loss of their father, and Mabel Tolkien now had the responsibility of raising the boys alone. At first, her family offered emotional and financial support. Tolkien’s mother, who had been raised in the Unitarian church, decided to convert to Catholicism in 1900. This decision forever changed the course of her family’s life. Scandalized by Mrs. Tolkien’s conversion, her family withdrew their financial support.

Estranged from her relatives and virtually penniless, Tolkien’s mother decided to home school her sons. She drilled her sons well, hoping to train them well enough to pass the entrance exams to a prestigious boys school to continue their education. Young Tolkien soon discovered a love of foreign languages. By age nine, he could read and write Latin, Greek and French. Tolkien would often sit for hours, inventing his own languages and writing encrypted messages that only he could read.
In 1904, Mabel Tolkien died from diabetes, leaving Tolkien and his brother Hilary in the care of Father Francis Morgan at the Birmingham Oratory. Before she died, Mrs. Tolkien made her Protestant relatives promise not to try to convert the boys. She wanted to make sure that the boys would have a solid Catholic upbringing. Their mother’s strong faith would influence the rest of Tolkien’s life, and her example would continue to inspire him.

At age sixteen, Tolkien and his younger brother moved in with the Faulkners, a wine seller and his wife. Another orphan also lived with the couple, nineteen year old Edith Bratt. Ronald Tolkien and Edith soon fell in love, but both Father Morgan and Edith’s aunt and uncle discouraged the relationship. Edith’s aunt and uncle forced her to leave the Faulkner’s house and forbade her to see Tolkien. However, Tolkien and Edith continued to secretly see each other. As soon as Tolkien turned twenty-one and was no longer under the legal guardianship of Father Morgan, he proposed to Edith. They married on March 12, 1916, after Edith agreed to convert to Catholicism.
As a student, Tolkien attended Exeter College, part of the University of Oxford. He favored the study of ancient Northern European languages, such as Medieval French, Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon. The myths of these ancient cultures fascinated Tolkien, and he wished to be able to read them in their original languages. While at Exeter, he met Professor W.A. Craigie. Craigie was an expert in philology, the study of how languages are created. Tolkien found himself telling the professor about his secret childhood languages. Professor Craigie was intrigued by Tolkien’s made up alphabet and encouraged him to examine it in detail. With Craigie’s help, Tolkien further developed the alphabet, making it more complex and realistic. This childhood pastime eventually became the basis for the Elvish language used in Tolkien’s later books.

Terror struck the peaceful microcosm of Exeter when Britain entered World War I in 1914. The nation joined in an alliance against a great common enemy, which would later be a theme developed in Tolkien’s writing. Oxford’s serene lawns quickly became an army training ground. Tolkien stayed in school long enough to finish his degree, then joined the 11th Lancashire Fusiliers. He was soon sent to France to fight in the Battle of the Somme, where 19,000 French and British men died on the first day (Arden). Tolkien watched as many of his closest boyhood friends fell in battle. After several months on the front line, Tolkien developed “trench fever,” a common name for delirium. He was sent back to England to recover.

When Tolkien was fully recovered from the terror of war, Professor Craigie offered him a job helping compile the Oxford English Dictionary. This project had been ongoing for forty years, but the group was nearing the end. With only the W-Z section left to finish, Tolkien assisted in researching and tracing the meanings of English words. In 1920, Tolkien was offered a teaching position at Leeds University. He quickly moved his family to Leeds, but was offered a position at Oxford University the same year. He accepted and moved back to Oxford to pursue his dream position.
Tolkien was famous for the enthusiasm and knowledge he had for the English language, although he was often hard to understand. His students described him as a mumbling lecturer, and even Tolkien himself admitted, “A friend of mine tells me that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it.” (Birzer 3) However, when reading a section of Anglo-Saxon poetry, or reciting a passage from Beowulf, Tolkien would speak with enthusiastic brilliance. His students often came to class to find Anglo-Saxon crossword puzzles sitting on their desks.

When Tolkien became one of the youngest dons at Oxford, he began an unlikely friendship with writer C.S. Lewis. The two youngest members of the faculty found that they shared a love for Norse mythology. They began to meet with other professors at the Coalbiter’s Club to read and discuss Norse poetry, and soon formed a literary society that called themselves “The Inklings.” As The Lord of the Rings began to take shape, Tolkien would read the story to the Inklings chapter by chapter. They frequently held heated debates, “Back and forth the conversation would flow. Latin tags flying around. Homer quoted in original to make a point. And, Tolkien, jumping up and down, declaiming in Anglo-Saxon” (Birzer 9). Often the conversation among the Inklings turned to religion. Lewis was raised Protestant but was now an agnostic, having lost his faith during his teenage years. Tolkien was instrumental in Lewis’ conversion to Christianity.

While teaching at Oxford, Tolkien began to toy with the idea of creating a fantasy realm, one that mirrored our own world. Since Tolkien viewed God as the all-powerful creator, he felt that the most noble vocation a man could have is to imitate that creation, and to create “secondary worlds.” While Middle Earth seems to be completely different from reality, it actually shares many of the same conflicts and characters of this world.

One day while grading Oxford entrance exams, Tolkien found himself scribbling a sentence on the back of a student’s essay. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit” (Neimark 59). From this nonsense line developed the story of the world of the Hobbits. These merry, fun-loving creatures lived in a peaceful village called The Shire. Tolkien toyed with the tale for several years, mostly as a story to amuse himself and his children.

What began as a simple bedtime story soon turned into a worldwide success. A former student of Tolkien, Susan Dagnell, worked for the publishing firm Allen & Unwin. She convinced Professor Tolkien to give her a copy of The Hobbit, and she in turn gave it to her boss, Sir Stanley Unwin. Unwin, who was busy with hundreds of manuscripts to read, gave the story to his ten-year-old son, Rayner to critique. For a few shillings, Rayner gave his father a detailed book report:

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who lived in a hobbit-hole and never went for adventures. At last Gandalf the wizard and his dwarves persuaded him to go. He had a very exciting time fighting goblins and wargs. At last they got to the lonely mountain; Smaug, the dragon who guards it is killed and after a terrific battle with the goblins he returned home- rich! This book, with the help of maps, does not need any illustrations. It is good and should appeal to all children between the ages of five and nine. (Shorto 32)

The Hobbit was published in 1937, and was soon awarded Best Children’s Story of the Year by the New York Herald-Tribune. When the book continued to sell steadily, Unwin asked Tolkien to write more stories about Hobbits. In reply, Tolkien sent Unwin a copy of his collection, The Silmarillion. This new novel read more like a textbook, however, than the bedtime story that the publishers expected. It was a detailed and complicated history of the elf kingdoms, including an unfinished mythology of the Elvish people. Tolkien’s goal was to provide a background for the Elvish languages that he had created by inventing a people and a history to support them. Unwin rejected The Silmarillion, but was still fascinated by the elaborate mythology.

Tolkien started over and decided to focus his story around another Hobbit, Frodo Baggins. Unlike the other Hobbits in The Shire, Frodo was curious about the outside world and constantly looking for adventure. Tolkien linked the two stories using the ring that Bilbo had discovered during his travels in The Hobbit.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. (Shorto 38)

The Lord of the Rings followed the adventure story of Frodo and his request to return the Dark Lord’s ring to the fires of Mount Doom where it could be destroyed. Together with eight other individuals, they formed the Fellowship of the Ring to carry out the quest.

The complex history of Middle Earth that Tolkien weaves into his stories is comparable to the ruins of England from multiple cultures. While the English countryside has the great ruins of Stonehenge and the remains of the Roman rule, Middle Earth boasts a variety of cultures, each with their own history and stories (Arden). Tolkien’s favorite creation was the race of Elves, a race of ideal beings that were pure, beautiful and immortal. He gave them the noblest of languages, the Quenya and Sindavin, which are lyrical and lilting when spoken. In contrast, the Orcs and other slaves of the Dark Lord speak the Black Speech of Sauron, which is harsh and guttural. The Dwarves, trolls and hobbits all have their own specific dialects to add character to each race.

Tolkien also spent copious effort creating detailed maps of the Middle Earth terrain. (See Picture 1) He specified every detail of the Fellowship’s route on their way to Mount Doom, with the time and distance figured perfectly. He studied the phases of the moon and direction of the wind in order to add these elements to the story. Tolkien even used a British Army survey to determine how far soldiers could be expected to travel on foot to make sure that every aspect of the Fellowship’s travel was believable.

Aspects from his experiences in World War I also shaped Tolkien’s tale. The infantry were often considered “ordinary bloke,” while the ranking officers were more educated. However, while fighting in the trenches, he often witnessed class boundaries separating the English officers and their subordinates disappear during the horrors of war. In the same way, Samwise Gamgee, Frodo’s gardener and subordinate, joins him on his quest and soon becomes one of Frodo’s strongest allies. Sam provides the strength and encouragement Frodo needs to complete his duty.

Tolkien finally finished editing The Lord of the Rings in 1950, and sent it in to Allen & Unwin. Rayner Unwin, who had inherited the publishing firm from his father, was away on business when the manuscript arrived, so an unfamiliar editor read through Tolkien’s submission and rejected it. When Rayner Unwin returned home, he was shocked to find out about the decision made on the manuscript. He begged Tolkien to resubmit his manuscript, and agreed to publish it. The new text was so long, Unwin estimated he would lose £1,000, or close to $2,800. In order to cut costs, he agreed to print the book in three volumes over three years. Nonetheless, Unwin recognized that this new book was a work of genius, and felt that it was worth the risk. Special typesetting keys had to be ordered in order to print the Elvish alphabet, but after eighteen years The Lord of the Rings was finally finished. It was published in three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

The Lord of the Rings received very strong reviews, although tending towards both extremes. Tolkien’s fellow Oxford professors disapproved of his “juvenile trash,” and felt that he should have been teaching instead of wasting his time on fairy tales. Others were caught up in the spellbinding story and praised Tolkien’s work of genius. The varied critiques amused Tolkien, who penned, “The Lord of the Rings/ Is one of those things,/ If you like it you do/ If you don’t, then you boo” (Birzer 3).
The book took on extreme popularity in the United States, especially during the Vietnam War. The Lord of the Rings became a popular icon among the younger generation, and a cult following emerged on many college campuses. Frodo became part of the hippie culture, and Tolkien’s theme of good versus evil helped determine the frame of mind for a whole university generation.

While The Lord of the Rings seems at first to be a simple fantasy tale, Tolkien one commented to a Jesuit friend that the book was “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision” (Alton). Tolkien felt that he could best honor his Creator by studying the creation. By creating a parallel universe in The Lord of the Rings, he used it as a way to glorify and praise God. The story the Fellowship mirrors our modern struggle, that is, to undo evil. Just as Frodo was on a quest to unmake the Ring that should have never come into being, so also is mankind on a struggle to reverse the Original Sin that should have never been committed. Tolkien re-presents the story of creation through the use of common elements. In a way, Tolkien echoed the Eucharistic Consecration though which Christ’s divinity becomes present to us through ordinary elements of bread and wine. While the Eucharist merely looks like bread and wine, it shrouds the deeper mystery of Christ’s body and blood. Likewise, several Catholic elements, such as Mary and the Eucharist, are shrouded in the characters and elements of Middle Earth.

Tolkien had a deep devotion to the Eucharist, as shown by a letter written to his son Michael, “I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth” (Birzer 63). The Eucharist is strongly symbolized in his book through the lembas, or “way bread” that the Hobbits eat throughout their journey. Before departing from the Elvish kingdom on their way to Mount Doom, the Fellowship shares a final supper where the mystical Elvish bread is shared, as well as a common cup. This “way bread” sustains Frodo and Sam on their quest, giving them physical sustenance as well as reinforcing their wills. Evil refuses to partake of the sacred bread, and when some Orcs find leftover pieces of lembas, they attempt to destroy it.

For Tolkien, the Virgin Mary was the epitome of all beauty. As the human tabernacle for the God made flesh, he pictured her as awesomely beautiful. Tolkien often said that his knowledge of Mary was the basis for any thing of beauty that he created (Boffetti). Especially in the Elvish queens Galadriel and Elbereth, we see this impeccable virtue, radiant beauty and powers of healing that were based on the Blessed Mother. Galadriel, the Elvin queen of Lorian, creates the White Council, which is dedicated to overthrowing the dark Lord Sauron and resisting his power, just as Mary helps us resist the power of Satan.

Elbereth is another Marian type. She is the wife of Manwë, the maker of light and stars. She is referred to as the “Queen of Heaven,” and the Elves invoke her in prayer. Prior to the Last Battle, the final triumph of Ilúvar over evil, Elbereth predicts the battle’s approach. She forms the constellation of Mehelmacar as a warning, appearing strikingly similar to the woman in the Book of Revelation who is “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” (Revelation 12:1).

Middle Earth is filled with a plethora of characters, both noble and corrupt. Tolkien strongly emphasizes that everyone can be ruined by pride and ambition. Likewise, even the most wicked of characters has the capacity for redemption. The One Ring serves as the source of temptation for the characters. Gandalf and Boromir, the heroes of the story, are both tempted by the Ring’s promise of glory. The Hobbits eventually desire to lay aside their suffering and not finish their quest to Mount Doom.

The villains in Tolkien’s story often are shown as good creatures who have fallen into evil, such as in the case of the Dark Lord Sauron. He was once a powerful angel-guardian, but was corrupted by his evil desires. He serves as Middle Earth’s Satan, a fallen angel. Even the pathetic creature Gollum once began as a normal Hobbit until he was ruined by the Ring’s power. Throughout the novel, Gollum is torn between his lust to posses the Ring and his loyalty to the Hobbits.
Gollum offers to lead the Hobbits to Mount Doom, but Frodo does not trust him. Gandalf reminds Frodo, “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all the ends” (Birzer 59). Gandalf’s insight illustrates the mercy of God, and the wisdom of His plan. Later at Mount Doom, when Frodo fails to throw the Ring into the fire, Gollum bites off Frodo’s finger in an effort to claim the Ring as his own. Gollum slips and falls into the fiery pit, destroying the Ring and its dark power. Tolkien shows us through this ironic twist of fate that we should not violate God’s plan, no matter how little sense it makes at the time.

Professor Tolkien preferred to continue with his quiet life of teaching at Oxford while writing his famous trilogy. At age sixty-seven, he reached mandatory retirement age at Oxford and settled into a life of seclusion in Bournemouth. After his beloved wife Edith died in 1971 at age eighty-two, Tolkien moved back to Oxford where he received an honorary doctorate from Oxford University and was awarded the Cross of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien died on September 2, 1973, and was buried alongside his wife. Tolkien’s son Christopher became his literary heir and worked to organize, analyze and assemble Tolkien’s unfinished works into a final edition of The Silmarillion.

Tolkien carefully worked to create a world of fantasy that revealed truths about our own world. Imagery from World War I as well as religious themes and moral lessons are present throughout the books. Tolkien specifically worked to make a statement about this world through his creation of a parallel universe. Apart from his Catholic faith, Tolkien’s narrative is just another bedtime story filled with wizards and elves. Seen through the lens of his experiences and beliefs, The Lord of the Rings takes on a deeper and more profound meaning, revealing to the reader truths about the human condition. [/quote]

[Colleen]

That's an awesome paper, immaculata!

[immaculata]

[quote name='Colleen' date='Jun 11 2004, 08:52 PM'] That's an awesome paper, immaculata! [/quote]
You actually READ the whole thing???



You're a glutton for punishment, my dear.

[Jake Huether]

Immaculata,

Uhm, that was like, a professional paper. Can I copy it and email it to my mom?

Seriously that was sweet!

God bless you.

[Colleen]

[quote name='immaculata' date='Jun 11 2004, 09:27 PM'] You actually READ the whole thing???



You're a glutton for punishment, my dear.

[/quote]
What are you talking about? It's excellent, and it's about Lord of the Rings, so of course I read the whole thing!

Good job!

[Jake Huether]

[quote name='Jake Huether' date='Jun 16 2004, 04:01 PM'] Immaculata,

Uhm, that was like, a professional paper. Can I copy it and email it to my mom?

Seriously that was sweet!

God bless you. [/quote]
Bump for an answer to my question...

Can I copy it and email it to my mom?

Great article!

[Archangel Raphael]

Great article, Tolkien tends to continue to grow more and more my inspiration for fantasy writing And what ministers to me is, that he never intended it entirely to be allegorical, but because of his heart for God, it showed through his writing. That's how all our work should be like, we should learn from this, and come to a point in our lives that whatever we do naturally would have some reflection of our Faith in them.

What I think is most amazing is that the LOTR has alot of Christian principles and ethics in it, especially in the third movie when Gandalf and Pippin are helping defend Minus Tirith. Where then Pippin says, "This is the end, isn't it?" Gandalf then replies, "The end? Oh no, death is only the beginning of a new journey." And he goes on explaining about heaven n all, that was great. Also too in the first movie when Gandalf goes, "Do not be so eager to deal out judgement and death, even the very wise cannot see all ends." (Referring to when Frodo thought it was a pity Bilbo didn't kill Gollum) Another one that actually struck me and I've been doing my best to put it in use in my life, is this line from Gandalf: "All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you." And that is very true, everyone should meditate on that, and look and ask yourself: "What am I doing that is hindering or doing nothing to reach my destiny God's given me in my life?"

That's the question that's always on my mind, and because of it, I'm sure not to do things that take up so much of my time that yet has nothing to do with God's Will in my life.

Edited June 17, 2004 by Archangel Raphael

[immaculata]

[quote name='Jake Huether' date='Jun 16 2004, 06:01 PM'] Immaculata,

Uhm, that was like, a professional paper. Can I copy it and email it to my mom?

Seriously that was sweet!

God bless you. [/quote]
Whoa! Sorry I totally missed this!! Yeah, if you want to, just don't go publishing my great work of art. This was one term paper I was actually excited about writing!!!