WIZARDS, HUMANS, ELVES, DWARFS AND HOBBITS – J.R.R TOLKIEN’S FAITH INSPIRED TALES OF MIDDLE EARTH
Smitten By Faith Issue # 000082 February 17th 2024
Today, I invite my readers to look at faith through the eyes and spectacular imagination of a brilliant author who wrote the most thrilling, breath-taking and astonishing epic tales of fantasy and adventure. His carefully crafted plot and words remind many ( and me ) of the uniqueness of our Catholic faith. Yet, this writer is not a saint; nor a priest; nor does he exhibit any signs of holiness; and his readers certainly don't pray to him. But millions of his readers - actually more than 150 millions of them - certainly enjoy – they are thrilled - devouring his books which have now been translated into at least 30 languages. I am referring to J.R.R Tolkien and his fantasy epics – ‘The Hobbits’ ( 1937 ), ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy : ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ ( 1954); ‘The Two Towers’ (1954); ‘The Return of the King’ ( 1955) and other books in the vast trove of his myths and stories.
Left : A montage of the movie series ‘Lord of the Rings’, faithfully adapted and superbly directed by the New Zealand director, Peter Jackson. The movie series, released between 2001 and 2003 was the highest grossing film series of all time and won 17 Academy Awards at the Oscars.
Right : The books - ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy which have sold 150 million copies in 30 languages.
The English Author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien ( J.R.R Tolkien) was born in 1892 in Bloemfontein in South Africa. On the death of his father when J.R.R was 4 years old, the family returned to Birmingham, England. His mother Mabel then converted her entire Anglican household to Catholicism when J.R.R was 8 years old. Sadly, J.R.R was only 12 years old when Mabel died and J.R.R and his brother became wards of a loving and caring Catholic priest, Fr. Francis Xavier Morgan who played a major role in Tolkien’s life both as a religious influence and as a father figure. Fr. Morgan gave the Tolkien boys, especially to J.R.R the light of their Catholic faith which Tolkien said, “…nourished me and taught me all the little that I know.”
Right : The calm avuncular man of faith and magnificent imagination : J.R.R. Tolkien - Author and Professor of Anglo-Saxon Studies at Oxford.
Left : He is pictured with his ubiquitous pipe.
J.R.R studied at Exeter College at Oxford. After serving and surviving the devastating First World War where he experienced cruel trench warfare, injuries and deaths of some of his friends, Tolkien was thankfully able to put the brutality of the Great War behind him. With his great love for the English language, medieval literature, mythology, tales and legends, he was inspired to write his first book of fantasy, the ‘Hobbits’ for his 4 children and his loving wife, Edith. This first book later morphed into the trilogy of ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Tolkien died in 1973 in Bournemouth, Hampshire at the age of 81 leaving behind a vast legacy of his powerful world of make-believe which we can now see was grounded in Tolkien’s deep and unshakeable Catholic faith.
Tolkien himself said that ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a “…fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.” Tolkien did not classify his book as religious. In fact, the genre of the book is ‘fantasy/adventure’. However, one can’t fail but see that Catholic themes are all carefully captured by Tolkien in the many symbolisms he so skilfully wove within his epic tales. When asked, Tolkien said that his creative ability was a gift from God and the fantastic and capricious characters in the imaginary world of his ‘Middle Earth’, were meant not just to entertain his readers; he wanted to provide them with examples of Christian morals.
Above : The magical imaginary world of Middle Earth. The pictures above are of Rivendell Forests where the Council governing all the creatures of the Earth sit.
At the risk of over-simplifying the plot and leaving out the many immense twists and turns of the stories, here is a very brief summary of the essence of the ‘Lord of the Ring.
The setting is the fictional ‘Middle Earth’ in Tolkien’s pre-ancient, pre-Christian world. In terms of Middle Earth time, the life span of humans and the other creatures was hundreds of years and each of the ‘Three Ages’ of Middle Earth time were divided into thousands of years. Very importantly, Tolkien did not mean his imagined Middle Earth to be a god-less pagan world. Far from it. In Tolkien’s Middle Earth, there were always moral virtues and good and evil. And, for sure, there was ‘God’ – whether polytheistic or monotheistic – the benevolent God of all creation who prevails over all evil; a God who does have a plan to save the world.
Middle Earth consists of all creatures of the earth - men, women, wizards, hobbits, elves, dwarfs, gigantic animals, insects and also sinister monsters and creatures of darkness including ‘Orcs’ and the ‘Ringwraiths’. It is astonishing how Tolkien, a Professor of Anglo-Saxon Studies at Oxford could have come up with such names; such imagination ! In the first volume of the trilogy, we meet the dark Lord Sauron who is indeed the Lord of the Rings in the title. Sauron is the embodiment of Satan, the evil one. Sauron it was, in an earlier age almost 5,000 years ago who first forged as many as 11 rings ( 3 for elves, 7 for the dwarves and 9 for men) including the most important and powerful ‘One Ring’ with special powers of invisibility and which controlled all the other rings. The One Ring also had special powers of invisibility and amplification of the inherent qualities of the holder of the Ring. The dark side of the Ring too was that it would corrupt all who hold it. Sauron needed this One Ring to rule over the world.
Above Left : The One Ring - see the secret inscriptions on it which are hidden and only appear when the Ring is heated.
Soon after Sauron had crafted all the rings there was a great battle and siege. At this battle, Sauron was mortally wounded and King Isildur from the ancient kingdom of Gandor cut off the One Ring from the helpless Sauron's finger. However, Isildur then lost the Ring in the river at the Gladden Fields just before he himself was killed in an ambush. So the One Ring remained lost – for around 2,500 years - at the bottom of this muddy river. Without the One Ring Sauron cannot rule and destroy the entire world. He needs the Ring to finish his evil plan. Where is the One Ring ? Who has the ring ?
One day, the Ring ( without the inscriptions, looking just like an ordinary gold ring of no special significance ) was accidentally discovered by Smeagol also known as Gollum ( a strange unique type of Hobbit called a Stoor Hobbit) who was fishing in the river. Gollum kept this ring another 500 years after which, through a series of incidents, it passed to the Hobbit Bilgo Baggins who again kept it for a few decades before he then gifted this to his nephew Frodo Baggins. All this time, none of them knew about the devastating history of the ring. Until, one day the wandering Wizard Gandalf arrives at the Shires, sees the ring on Frodo’s finger and realises that this is the One Ring. With this knowledge comes great danger -especially if Sauron too is able to track down the Ring. Has he ? Indeed he has ! Suddenly, it is panic stations. Sauron ( after torturing Gollum ) has indeed discovered that the Hobbit Frodo is now in possession of the One Ring.
Gandalf has no choice but to reveal the awful truth of the One Ring to Frodo. He knows they must move fast. This sets in motion a whole chain of events and the mission of the ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ to finally destroy the One Ring. The Council appoints the 9 members of the ‘ Fellowship of the Ring’. The Wizard Gandalf, the Elf Legolas, the Dwarf Gimli, 2 Humans ( Aragorn and Boromir) and the 4 Hobbits : Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. The One Ring can only be destroyed in the fires of the volcanic crater, Mount Doom in Sauron’s hell, Mordor. The Fellowship of the Ring has been entrusted to do this perilous, almost impossible but never hopeless task as you will read below.
Let’s now take a quick look at some of the wonderful imaginary fantastical characters in ‘Lord of the Rings’. Let’s see how Tolkien connects them with his faith.
THE WIZARD GANDALF ( the Prophet and ‘ Servant of the Secret Fire’ )
Above : the Wizard Gandalf in his two iterations - As ‘Gandalf the Grey’ on the left and as ‘Gandalf the White’ on the right.
The beloved character of the Wizard Gandalf is that of a playful prophetic figure travelling all over Middle Earth; a leader commanding great respect. Tolkien creates in the Wizard Gandalf, a composite of Jesus Christ by giving Gandalf the role of the prophet. Gandalf is the wise man with untold knowledge and great powers of magic who carries with him all of history, time and knowledge of the ancients. From Gandalf, we also learn about love, hope, truth, kindness and basic goodness. Gandalf also refers to himself as the ‘servant of the secret fire’, an imperishable flame - a mysterious element of power which burns at the heart of the world. Some scholars have deduced that this is Tolkien’s reference to the Holy Spirit of the Holy Trinity.
Gandalf has a sense of humour and playfulness. He is the perfect person to tell Frodo about the horrific significance of his One Ring and the huge consequences of his being the Ring-Bearer. We see how Gandalf in the role of cheer-leader is able to ameliorate this devastating message with his gentle and playful interactions with Frodo and the other Hobbits, gently moving them along to their ultimate destiny. It is the wise Gandalf who gives hope to the Council of Elrond at Rivendell when the Fellowship of the Ring is formed. Of their almost impossible mission to destroy the Ring, Gandalf tells them, “It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.”
Later, after the terrible Battle of Helm’s Deep, Gandalf is slain as he ferociously fights for his friends. But, due to divine intervention, on the 5th day after he dies, he passes from Middle Earth, is resurrected and from the old Gandalf ( ‘Gandalf the Grey’), he becomes ‘Gandalf the White’ a wiser, more powerful but perhaps less playful Gandalf. Surely, Gandalf the White is meant by Tolkien to be the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ ?
Above Left : Aragorn as the mysterious hunter and warrior, the ‘Strider’.
Above Right : Aragorn as King
ARAGORN ( a brave warrior defined by his optimism and belief in God )
The brave and handsome Aragorn has royal lineage. He was born to be a King as the heir of the legendary King Isildur’s ancient Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. But this is kept a secret from him until he is 20. Brought up in secrecy among the Elves in Rivendell, he appears at first as a mysterious hunter, the ‘Strider’ and also distinguishes himself as a brave soldier. At the end, when Aragorn is finally crowned King, he displays total humility as he bows ( as King ) to Frodo and the Hobbits acknowledging them for their bravery and courage.
When Gandalf brings Frodo before the Council of Elrond and the’ Fellowship of the Ring’ is officially declared, Frodo volunteers to bear the Ring to its destruction in the hell fires of the Crater of Doom in Mordor. The Hobbits and Gandalf willingly go with him. Aragorn also unequivocally offers to go with them. He says, “If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword.” After that, throughout the Fellowship’s long and dangerous journey, Aragorn the warrior is engaged in many intense and ferocious battles, risking his life willingly and consistently to protect Frodo and the mission of the Ring. At the many battles he fought including Helms Deep, Pellenor Fields and Amon Hen, we see the heroic warrior Aragorn at his finest.
Above : Some of the epic battle scenes from the movie series, Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien shows us that as a soldier, Aragorn is not defined by violence and wars but by his unshakeable optimism and faith – that ultimately God and good will prevail. A very vital lesson for Christians. As a soldier, Aragorn also displays not just courage but total loyalty. Frodo and the destruction of the Ring is his responsibility. When, at the end, the terrified Frodo almost gives up and offers to abandon the One Ring to Aragorn, he refuses and gently encourages Frodo to go the last stretch. He says, “ I would have gone with you to the end – into the very fires of Mordor.” So Aragorn draws up his magical sword, stands tall, breathes courage and hope to Frodo and tells him to go – to run like the blazes – for his life; while he Aragorn stays to defend the position and remains to keep the attackers at bay – with his life if he has to. This requires not just courage but deep faith on Aragorn’s part – that the terrified Frodo will actually run into the jaws of hell to complete his mission to destroy the Ring - instead of escaping to safety. Because for Aragorn, “…there is always hope” and that it is never acceptable to give up hope ; that the best weapon we can have is hope itself. Tolkien gives to Aragorn, a resounding compelling speech as he stands before his men facing with absolute dread, the gigantic overwhelming forces of Sauron’s armies. Aragorn tells them, “ A day may come when the courage of man fails; when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day !”
Above : The beautiful peaceful Shires of Middle Earth
The Shires are a peaceful, beautiful, bucolic green haven of harmony and peace in Middle Earth. The Shires are inhabited by the Hobbits, a fictional race of people conjured up by Tolkien who said that the Shires and the Hobbits who inhabited the place represented for him a vision of life as it is supposed to be lived; free of greed and ambition and in harmony with nature and each other.
THE HOBBITS ( Docility and Goodness )
Above Right : The Hobbits just before they leave the Shires. Innocent and pure and all set to provide the camaraderie of friendship to Frodo as they leave on their mission.
Above left : Innocents no more - during the mission as one catastrophe after another befalls the Fellowship; you can see the terror and stress on the faces of all the Hobbits.
In Tolkien’s imagination, the Hobbits are a race of humans who are about half the height of a normal human being. They are short at around 3 feet and a bit. But they are not dwarfs. They love eating, drinking and smoking pipes ( just like Tolkien !). Hobbits are overwhelmingly good, warm-hearted and totally guile-less. They live in total harmony with their fellow Hobbits and there are no fights; no wars. We love all the Hobbits – tiny short little fellows ( even as some cruelly refer to them as ‘misfits’ in the world of tall beautiful people). Tolkien said that he was at heart a Hobbit. He said, “ I am in fact a Hobbit in all but size. I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands. I smoke a pipe and like good plain food..” We too find ourselves identifying with the Hobbits – just as Tolkien did. We are in full sync with the brave Frodo to whom has fallen the task to save the world; a trust he and the other Hobbits would defend with their humble lives. And for sure, we cannot help but absolutely fall in love with Frodo’s best friend, Samwise Gamgee, a simple Hobbit gardener of the Shires. In the Trilogy, what we learn most about the Hobbits is their docility. A wonderful Christian virtue.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
( Matthew 5:5)
The quote above is from the Gospel of Matthew where he writes about some of the most beautiful teachings of Jesus Christ at the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus refers to the ‘Beatitudes’ - a list of people who will receive a blessing. To be meek is to be gentle, humble and lowly. The meek do not assert themselves over others in order to further their own agendas in their own strength, but they will nonetheless inherit the earth because they trust in God to direct the outcome of events.
FRODO ( the sacrificial lamb )
Right : Frodo - the happy, good-natured Hobbit before the mission begins.
Left : The terrified Frodo with his fateful One Ring when he realises the awful destiny he has.
It would seem that Tolkien ended up writing ‘The Lord of the Rings’ as a religious work – even if he did not set out to do so in the first place. We can see how some of the characters in his books are various composites of Jesus Christ. Just as the human Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world on the weight of his shoulders, in Frodo’s role as the bearer of the One ring, we see the Ring on Frodo as the sin he is bearing on behalf of the world. Jesus Christ bore the burden of man’s sins by carrying his cross to Golgotha and so Frodo does the same as he carries the Ring to keep it away from the wicked Sauron. We see Frodo’s sacrifice as he leaves the comfort of his beautiful Shires and his people to undertake the perilous task entrusted to him. Just a small humble Hobbit, Frodo is the sacrificial lamb as he carries out the greatest sacrifice for the salvation of his fellow men. After Gandalf reveals the truth about the Ring and after the Council at Elrond in Rivendell instructs Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring to proceed on their nearly impossible mission to destroy the Ring, in spite of the sheer enormity and responsibility which goes with his role as the bearer of the One Ring, Frodo does not shirk his duty or fall apart.
Later on in the story, when Frodo and Sam find themselves trapped in the monster spider ‘Shelobs Lair’, Tolkien describes how Frodo is stung by poison and then wrapped in the great big devastating cocoon of the giant spider Shelob’s web. I am reminded of the analogy in the Bible - of how after the Crucifixion, they took Jesus down from the cross and Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Jesus in his clean linens and placed him in his own tomb after the crucifixion.
SAMWISE GAMGEE ( the Courageous Ultimate Friend )
Above Right : Samwise Gamgee - the loyal friend
Above Left : Heroic Sam faithfully carries the weakened Frodo up Mount Doom to fulfil their mission to destroy the Ring.
The Hobbit, Samwise Gamgee represents courage, love, loyalty and friendship. Sam is the quiet hero and the ultimate friend.
Earlier, when Frodo is trapped in Shelob’s Lair, Sam thinks Frodo is dead. His friend is gone but the mission to destroy the ring is uppermost. So, Sam grabs the Ring from Frodo’s finger and continues alone, taking the One Ring to the Mountain of Doom to destroy it in the volcano’s magma. However, during the journey, when Sam overhears the Orcs speaking, he realises that Frodo is actually not dead. So, he immediately returns for Frodo enduring many unbelievable near-death obstacles along the way. When Sam finally reaches the half-dead Frodo, he returns the ring to Frodo’s finger and then together they resume their mission. But Frodo is too weakened from the spider’s poison to walk fast or far. So, Sam picks up his friend and valiantly carries Frodo the rest of the way up the mountain of Doom. Sam says : “I may not be able to carry it ( the ring) for you, but I can carry you.”
Sam’s love, friendship and loyalty to his friend Frodo actually saves the day and Sam turns out to be the unsung hero with his quiet courage. Sam truly exemplifies the Christian virtues of humility courage, steadfastness and loyalty.
THE END
Without giving too much away for those who want to read the books, it all ends well and the One Ring is destroyed in the fiery magma of the Crater of Doom. At the edge of the crater, Frodo and Sam are accosted by Gollum who bites off Frodo’s ring finger ! The Ring is now with Gollum who will surely pass it to Sauron. But then, what happens ? While gloating over his victory, Gollum steps too close to the edge of the crater; he loses his footing and he falls into the fiery chasm below - both Gollum and the One Ring ! So now the One Ring is totally destroyed triggering the death of Sauron and the world is saved.
And Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo and Sam ? What happens to them at the end ? They all survive. Aragorn is crowned King. Sam stays on in the Shires – continuing his peaceful life and raising a beautiful family. Frodo and Gandalf leave Middle Earth and set sail for the ‘Undying Lands’, a blessed realm of Immortals outside Middle Earth, where ( as a result of their great sacrifice and bravery) they have been invited to stay by the immortal Elves. In the ‘Undying Lands’, Frodo and Gandalf will live in peace and harmony for all eternity.
So, thank you dear Reader, for floating with me in this wonderful incandescent beautiful fantasy world – of love, friendship, hope, goodness and God - created by the magical words of J.R.R Tolkien. Let’s end with Tolkien’s words :
“ Farewell, and may the blessing of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!”
AMEN !
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