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The Power
of Symbolism in The Lord of the Rings: Understanding the
Meaning Behind the Words
by Darren
Andrews
Introduction
Generations
have been enthralled by Tolkien's epic fantasy, The Lord of The
Rings. Its pages have been studied alongside the works of C.S.
Lewis at Brigham Young University, a society exists dedicated to preserving
it in the spirit of its author, and back in the 1970s (in England
at least) it was 'unofficial' required reading to enter the more respected
universities—if you wanted to be accepted by your peers! Latter-day
Saints have enjoyed the book as well, and it has not escaped being
quoted at least twice in the past 2-3 years by the Brethren.
Tolkien's one-thousand-page-plus
work is seen in a different light to most other fantasy literature.
It does not teach lust for power. It does not promote wizardry or
any of those other things some Christians, and some LDS, are—perhaps
justifiably—wary of. Once we are familiar with the work, the
intent, and the man, it becomes clear that this is a book that uplifts
and promotes triumph over evil and not a surrender to it or its
devices. Let's take a look, then, at the man, the work and the symbolism.
J.R.R. Tolkien,
born 1892, was both a philologist and a student of mythology; a
down-to-earth man nevertheless and filled with a remarkable amount
of common sense and clarity of thought. That he spent so much of
his time in fiction yet had so great a grasp of reality—both
of the seen and unseen—is perhaps his most intriguing quality,
and one that endears me to him and to his words.
A number of
documentaries and other TV shows discussing both the book and its
author were screened around the release of the movie, The Fellowship
of the Ring, in December 2001. None, however, looked—except
perhaps briefly—into the supernal truths wrapped up in the
symbolism of this high fantasy epic.
Religion
and Fairy-Stories
Tolkien held to the belief that so-called “fairy-stories” were
not just for children, but a powerful way of relating truth1
to the minds of adults too—indeed, that they were primarily
for adults and not children.2
He considered
himself a strict Roman Catholic but his writings indicate he was
not a man to blindly follow (or believe) what he was taught. He
thought deeply about a great many things. Concerning The Lord
of the Rings he wrote that it was “a fundamentally religious
and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in
the revision...the religious element is absorbed into the story
and the symbolism…”3
It is not, for
instance, generally well known that C.S. Lewis, one of the most
oft-quoted Christian writers by LDS leaders and authors, owed much
of his own conversion to Christianity to his friend and Oxford colleague,
J.R.R. Tolkien.
Cosmogony
It’s important to first understand a little about Tolkien’s world,
Middle-earth, if we are to understand why he spent so much time
creating it. This was no alien planet, but our world set in some
fictional era and possessed of a history that paralleled our own.
Tolkien built his world on the basis of language and then upon that
world’s creation, its myths and history. To him, world-building
(or subcreation as he called it), was as near to the divine act
of creation as one might rise, in artistic matters at least.
Let’s look a
little, then, into the cosmogony of Tolkien’s subcreated world.
Briefly, Middle-earth began as a thought before it was created physically.
During that pre-physical creation one of Ilúvatar’s4
[God’s] mighty spirits, Melkor5, rebelled. About
the same time as this rebellion, Ilúvatar sent certain Valar
(‘angelic powers’) down to create (physically) Middle-earth after
the Vision of the One (Ilúvatar).
The similarities
with LDS theology are obvious. The earth began as a spiritual creation
before it was created physically.6 Melkor is quite
clearly the premortal Lucifer, and the Valar we can compare
with Michael and those other choice spirits7 (‘angelic
powers’) that helped bring into being (physically) the spiritual
creation under the direction of Jehovah.
The main inhabitants
of Middle-earth, after its creation, were Men and Elves. Both were
called the Children of God, the Elves representing mankind before
the Fall in this Primary World. The Elves were immortal (they were
not subject to the effects of age or disease) and possessed of attributes
and skills above the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of Fallen
Man. And yet Tolkien does not make the mistake of thinking the Elves
wholly superior to Men. Mortality was considered a blessing to Men,
and immortality a peril to the Elves8, hinting at the
nature and need of the Fall of Adam as spoken of in the Book of
Mormon wherein we read that, among other things, “if Adam had not
transgressed…all things which were created must have remained in
the same state in which they were after they were created.”9
Such was the circumstance of the Elves.
The Agency
of Man
If we look into the actual story, or plot, of The Lord of
the Rings itself we can see allegories of greater relevance
to us as individuals going through life’s journey. The One Ring,
the central artefact of the entire epic, offers power to those who
wield it. Yet it is evil and will enslave any who so try to use
it—whatever their intent. Frodo, on discovering the real nature
of the Ring, offers it to Gandalf whom he trusts and knows to be
both wise and powerful. Gandalf’s response lends much insight into
what the Ring really represents. Says Gandalf: “Do not tempt me…the
way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the
desire of strength to do good...the wish to wield it would be too
great."10
The book, as
we can see from Gandalf’s words and those of others in the story,
focuses then on the theme of agency, or Will as Tolkien called it.
The Ring therefore represents temptation to exercise dominion over
the Will of all others, to subjugate their power of choice. And
it is in the hands of a pure-hearted Hobbit (the meek and lowly
of heart) that the Ring has least effect, a clear affirmation that
humility can defeat the greatest of evils when God’s aid is implored.
Even in Ilúvatar’s
intervention we see a respect for the free will of the peoples of
Middle-earth. The story takes place (as most of its history) in
a time of apostasy, when worship of the One is unknown or very limited
(even among the Elves) yet Ilúvatar sends five (or more)
powerful Valar-like beings to Middle-earth. They are charged
not to dominate the Will of the inhabitants (a great temptation
because of their standing and power), and never to match their own
power against the Enemy directly except in circumstances prescribed
by the One. Rather, they are assigned to counsel and guide the Free
Peoples of Middle-earth. Alas, all save one named Gandalf deviate
from this path of duty; even the head of their Order is finally
corrupted after studying too deeply into the ways of the Enemy.
Conclusion
To my mind, Tolkien’s writings rank among the highest of fictional
Christian literature not least because of the powerful and enduring
truths hidden away behind the characters, events, and artefacts
of his world. There are some wonderfully insightful words and concepts
in Tolkien’s writings. I will end this article with a little excerpt
from one of his poems. Some may recognise it as part of the
Young Women’s theme used by the Church a few years ago:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not whither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.11
© Copyright
2002, Darren Andrews. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer:
The author wishes to make it known that the views expressed above
are his own and not necessarily those of the Church or of Tolkien
himself (who, it might be said, was reluctant to say too much on
strict interpretations).
Bibliography
1. The Lord of The Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien (George Allen
& Unwin: Great Britain, 1954).
2. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Humphrey
Carpenter with assistance by Christopher Tolkien, (George Allen
& Unwin: London, 1981).
3. Tree and Leaf, J.R.R. Tolkien (George Allen &
Unwin: Great Britain, 1964).
4. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Authorised Biography by Humphrey
Carpenter (George Allen & Unwin: Great Britain, 1977).
Endnotes
1. “The peculiar quality of the ‘joy’ in successful Fantasy
can thus be explained as a sudden glimpse of the underlying reality
of truth.” ("On Fairy-Stories", pp. 64, Tree and Leaf).
2. Tolkien said
that the “association of children and fairy-stories” was an “accident
of our domestic history.” (Ibid. pp. 34).
3. From a letter to Robert Murray, S.J., 2nd December 1953, The
Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 172.
4. ‘All-Father’ in the Quenya tongue (an Elvish language devised
by Tolkien)
5. ‘He who Arises in Might’ (Quenya) though Melkor called himself
‘King of the World’. Melkor’s design was to implement the Vision
of the One (that is, the spiritual creation, or Plan) in his own
way. Jealousy infected him and he became the Enemy of all who dwelt
on Middle-earth.
6. “For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken,
spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth…”
(see Moses 3:5).
7. “And God saw these [noble and great ones]…and he said: These
I will make my rulers…and there stood one among them that was like
unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We
will go down, for there is space there…and we will make an
earth…” (See Abraham 3:22-24; emphasis added).
8. “…Elves are certain aspects of Men and their talents and desires,
incarnated in my little world. They have certain freedoms and powers
we should like to have, and the beauty and peril and sorrow of the
possession of these things is exhibited in them…” (from a draft
letter to Peter Hastings, September 1954, The Letters of J.R.R.
Tolkien, p. 189.
9. See 2 Nephi 2:22.
10. The Fellowship of the Ring, pp. 60.
11. Ibid., p. 241.
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