edited lord of the rings book 2019 -...

Luigi Morelli 2019

Tolkien, Mythology, Imagination and Spiritual Insight:

The Enduring Power of The Lord of the Rings

Luigi Morelli 2019

Luigi Morelli 2019

CONTENTS Introduction Chapter1:TheLordoftheRings:SuccessandParadoxes

- TheSuccessofTheLordoftheRings

- TolkienbetweentheMiddleAgesandModernTime

- TolkienbetweenChristianandPagan

PARTI:J.R.R.TolkienChapter2:BlendingScienceandArt:LanguageandLiterature

- BiographicalTurningPoints

- CharacterandPersonality:The“EpicMood”

- SomeSpecialInterests

- TolkienthePainter

- TolkienandtheImagination

- TolkienandChristianity

Chapter3:ADeeperLookatTolkien

- LivingintheWord

o InventedLanguages

o Tolkien’sLoveofLanguage

o Language:ScienceandArt

o LanguageandMythology

o LivingintheWord

- LivingintheDream

o TolkienandtheIdeaofReincarnation

o SomeOtherSpiritualExperiences

- LivinginFaery

o ExploringFaery

o AboutEntryintotheRealmofFaery

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PART II: The Lord of the Rings Chapter4:IntroductiontoTheLordoftheRings

- TheWritingofTheLordoftheRings

- BookOverviewandPointers

o BookI:TheFirstJourney

o BookII:TheJourneyoftheNineCompanions

o BookIII:TheTreasonofIsengard

o BookIV:TheJourneyoftheRing-Bearers

o BookV:TheWaroftheRing

o BookVI:TheEndoftheThirdAge

- GeneralThemes

Chapter5:TheArchetypalHumanBeing

- ArchetypesinTheLordoftheRings

- TheThreeandtheOne:ThePathsofGandalf,Aragorn,andFrodo

o ThePathofGandalf

o ThePathofAragorn

o ThePathofFrodo

o Gandalf,Aragorn,andFrodo

o OfSpirit,Soul,andBody

- TheFourandtheOne:ThePathsoftheFourHobbits

o TheMajorPair

o TheMinorPair

o FourHobbitsandFourTemperaments

Chapter6:TheWorldoftheSpirit

- SoulWorldandSpiritWorlds

o TomBombadil’sDomain

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o Rivendell,theHouseofElrond

o LórienandGaladriel

- AscentsandDescents

Conclusions:TheLordoftheRingsandPresentTime

- LivinginaTurningPointofHistory

- TheLongView

Bibliography

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Introduction

ThisbookdepartssomewhatfromwhatIhavewritteninpreviousyears.Theintentionof

writingaboutJ.R.R.Tolkiencameoutofatimeofrest,fromadeliberateattempttoplace

everythingofaresearchnatureonhold.AndthatiswhatIdid.FortwotothreemonthsI

abandonedmyselftothepuredelightofreading,orrereading,firstTheHobbit,thenTheLord

oftheRings.DuringanyfreetimeIhad,IreturnedtothereadingofTolkien’sopus;itformed

anoasisoutoftime,amagicalspaceinitself;itmodifiedthequalityofmydays,weeks,and

months.Awonderfulsoulcloakprotectedmefromthecaresoftheworld,andyetallowed

metomeetthosecaresmorefully,makingmewholeheartedlyagreewithW.H.Audenthat

“NofictionIhavereadhasgivenmemorejoy.”Puttingthebookdownwaspartlyanoccasion

ofgrieving.

Iremembermypreviousexperienceofreadingthebooksomethirtyyearsagoasa

youthof twenty-six. Ihadexploreda lotof science fictionor fantasy (MadeleineL’Engle,

LloydAlexander,andUrsulaK.LeGuinstandoutamongthem).Still,IreadTheLordofthe

Ringsonlyatmysister’sinsistence.AndIremembertheengrossingeffectofreadingit,and

thesenseofcompletion inputtingthebookdownafterthe lastpage. Ihappenedtohave

finisheditjustasmybusarrivedatitsdestinationinthemountainsofSantaCruz,California.

Iwasstillenvelopedinacloakofpeaceandawe.Igotdownfromthebusandraisedmygaze

tothetallredwoodsallaroundme,inawaythatIfeltmeantlookingatthe“real”world,after

havingfinishedbeinginanotherworld.Andmymindwaslivinginthiscontrastandtelling

mesomethinglike,“Youarereturningtothisworld,butyouhavejustbeeninaworldthatis

morerealthanthisexternalone.”

Itwasapleasure to immersemyself in this spaceofotherworldly inspirationand

delightforasecondtime.Concludingthissecondreading,IrememberedreadingTolkien’s

biographytwoyearsearlier.ItoldmyselfthatsurelythereissomethingmorethatTolkien

knew, or “something more that he was,” that made it possible for him to write such a

masterpiece;thatconvictiongrewandfoundconfirmationasIlookedmoredeeplyintohis

biography and work. It became only natural to try to honor such beauty by, well, . . .

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researchingit,andhopefullyofferingsomenewinsightsaboutthiscelebratedauthorandhis

enduringlegacy.

No doubt the first Tolkien experience nourished further my love of myths and

inspiredmelatertoworkonNorthandSouthAmericanlegends.Istillcarrythisfeelingin

relationtotheIroquoisWhiteRootsofPeace,alegendthatkeepsinformingmylife,andabout

theconfrontationof theTwins intherealmofXibalbaasweknowthemfromtheMayan

PopolVuh.

AndyetthereisasubstantivedifferencebetweenwhatImentionaboveandtheworld

Tolkieninvitesusinto.TheNorthandSouthAmericanlegendsmentionedabovearealegacy

ofthepast,ofotherformsofconsciousnessremotefromours.WhathappensinIroquoisand

Mayanmythsor legendsbafflestheconsciousnessthat isboundtothesensesandpurely

materialworld,becauseitcomesfromacompletelydifferentformofconsciousnessthanour

postmodernworldview,themoresothefurtherwegobackintime.Tolkien,acontemporary,

haswrittenalegendariumtowhichthemindsofmanyareinclinedtogiveasmuchcredence

astotheworldofancientNativeAmericans,ancientGreeks,ormodernnativepopulations.

HisgoalwastoofferEnglandthemythologyhefeltitwasmissing.Heseeminglyfailedatthis

project,onlytosucceedinsteadinofferingusamodernmythologyacceptedinallcornersof

theworld.

Another attempt has accompanied me in what I have written, from the love of

biographies. I have delighted in delving into the lives of famous people; delving until,

hopefully,somethingemergesthatismorethanaflatportrayalonatwo-dimensionalpage.

untilsomethingemergesfrombetweenlinesandwords,atleastforme.Iwouldcallitrising

toalivingimaginationoftheindividualinthebiography.Thoseareindividualswhoarenot

either quickly glossed over or exhaustively understood and shelved. Oftentimes these

biographies arise from looking at a life from many angles; what comes from a certain

biographerformsonefacetwhileotherviewsaddyetotheraspects.Andifeverythingworks

effectively,somethingmorethanthesumofthepartsemerges.

Attimesacontroversyaroundanindividualbecomestheverykeyofentranceinto

hisbiography.OneclearexampleofthismetmeinthebiographyofBlackElk,theLakota

Siouxchiefandmedicineman.Howcouldsomanyclamor thathiswasanauthenticand

exclusive Lakota spiritual faith—and others be equally convinced of Nick Black Elk’s

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commitmenttotheChristianCatholicfaith?Theansweris,“Wellyes,both/and.”Andthatis

why his personality is fascinating: because in himself he tried, andmanaged to quite an

extent,toreconcilethetermsofwhatisnormallyseenasanoppositionataculturallevel.In

hisbreastnosuchoppositionexisted.Such is thecaseofTolkien too,aswewill seehim

emergefromthisessay.HewasanavowedChristian,verymuchalignedwiththeRoman

Catholic faith. And yet one cannot help but think that the label “Catholic” confines the

grandeurofTolkien.Hismythologycoversmuchofwhatisconsideredthepre-Christianor

paganworldview, inwhichhe seems to be fully at home.At any rate,much of Tolkien’s

imaginations and insights break free of dogma and cultural restrictions of one kind or

another.

Tolkienseemstogatherinhimselfabundleofcontradictions.AChristian,heisyet

lovedbymanywhohaveaNewAgeorpaganworldview,nottomentionpeoplewithmore

secularaffiliations.Atraditionalist,evenmedievalist,yetheistheauthorofthemythsthat

mostgripthemodernmindbecauseoftherelevance,evenurgencyoftheirthemes.TheLord

oftheRingscouldnothavebeenwrittenatanotherpointinhistory;itcouldnotbetterfitthe

culturalmoodofthe“endofhistory”asweperceiveitallaroundus.Tolkien’sisnotonlyone

ofthemostreadbodyoflegendsinmoderntimes;peoplewhoreadhimdonottireofreading

himoverandagain.Iknowonereaderwhohasreadtheseriesfortytimes.Itistruethat,just

as Tolkien hasmany admirers, he has very clear detractors aswell. He does not take a

comfortablemiddle-of-the-roadposition.ReadingTolkienrequires,afterall,thechallengeof

enteringwhathecalledasecondaryreality,acreatedworldwithlawsofitsown.Wereaders

mustleavethiscomfortablerealityofoursensestoenteranew,challengingreality—butin

anothersense,weescapetobetterbeabletoreturn.Hisbooksarenotforeveryone;they

requirethewillingnesstostepacrossathreshold,atleastifonedoesn’tlovetheepicliterary

genreatfirst.

What many don’t know is that Tolkien was as much a scientist in his scholarly

pursuitsinphilologyashewasawell-knownauthoroffiction.Andthis,Iwouldargue,as

others have, is one of the major strengths of his work. Science—as applied to his

understandingof language,myth,andculture—isalliedtoart tocreatesomethingthat is

largerthaneither.AndTolkienwasasmuchofavisionaryashewasan“experiencer.”In

otherwords,whathecommunicatedwasveryoftenwhatheperceivedinhismind’seye.It

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maysoundperplexingtohearfromhimthathemostlydidnotinvent,andthatsuchwashis

bestwork.Whatdidhemeanbythat?

Why has Tolkien’swork endured to such an extent that even today,much to the

chagrinofthecriticsofhis“escapist”literature,hecomesatthetopofthelistofthemost-

readworksofEnglish literature?WhyhaveTheHobbitandTheLordof theRingsmovies

becomesuchbox-officehits?PartlybecauseTolkien’sworkcouldbe compared toanew

sacredtext,minorthoughitmaybeincomparisontoancienttradition.Still,onecanread

Tolkien onmany levels; on the surface we can delight in the characters, themagic, the

otherworldliness,thebeautyoflandscapes,theaccompanyingchallenges,action,triumphs

againstallodds,andsoforth.Asecondandthirdreadingwillshowthatthereisunsuspected

depth,acleverintricacyintheinterlacingofeventsinchaptersandbooks;thereareamazing

symmetriesandconnections;thereareencompassingviewsoftheagesofMiddle-earth,and

soforth.So,howcouldTolkienachieveallofthis?

LookingbackatthesuccessofTheLordoftheRings,Tolkiencommentedthat

itwaswrittenslowlyandwithgreatcarefordetail,andfinallyemergedasaFrameless

Picture:asearchlight,asitwere,onabriefperiodinHistory,andonasmallpartofour

Middle-Earth,surroundedbytheglimmeroflimitlessextensionsintimeandspace.Very

well;thatmayexplaintosomeextentwhyit“feels”likehistory;whyitwasacceptedfor

publication;andwhyithasprovedreadableforalargenumberofverydifferentkindsof

people.1

Furtherreflecting“onthewhollyunexpectedthingsthathavefolloweditspublication,”he

addswithwhatseemstohavebeenatouchofsurprise:Ifeelasifanever-darkeningskyoverourpresentworldhadbeensuddenlypierced,the

cloudsrolledback,andanalmostforgottensunlighthadpoureddownagain.Asifindeed

the horns of Hope had been heard again, as Pippin heard them suddenly at the

absolutenadirofthefortunesoftheWest.ButHow?AndWhy?2

Wewillreturntothispuzzlingletterattheendofourexplorations.

TheLordoftheRingsasatimely inspirationofferedtohumanitythroughanideal,

though certainly imperfect, instrument as J. R. R. Tolkien, summarizes everything I will

1Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,413.2Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,413.

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presenthere.IamcallingthisbookTolkien’sLordoftheRings:Mythology,Imagination,and

SpiritualInsightbecauseIwanttoaddsomethingtowhatweknowofTolkienthatappears

onlytangentiallyhereandthereinhisletters,invariousessays,orthroughTolkien’sfictional

characters.Tolkiencouldtalktothespiritofthetimeonlyinthewaythatspirittalkstospirit;

anauthorneedsadeepspiritualperceptiontoleadpeopletoaspiritualaccomplishmentof

thesizeofTheLordof theRings.Andheneeds tohaveadimensionofpersonal spiritual

experienceinordertoputitontopaperinaconvincingway.Thisbook’smainintentisto

shedlightonthesourcesofTolkien’sspiritualperceptionsandthedisciplinewithwhichhe

pursuedthem.ItisthespiritualdimensionofTolkien’sworkthatmakesitauniversallegacy.

Tolkien’sbiographyacquiresawholenewdimensionwhenwefullyexaminewhat

weknowofhisspiritualexperiences.Someofthoseappearinhisletters;othersinveiledbut

highlyconsistenttermsinhiswritings,especiallysomeunpublishedones.Sothisisthefirst

stageoflookingatsomephenomena:Tolkien’sworkasascientificphilologistandasafiction

writerformsanotheraspect;hisdeepperceptionofthelinkbetweenlanguages,mythology,

andculture;hisclearunderstandingofwhatthehumanbeingcanreceivefromthelifeof

dream(bigdreams,mindyou),visions,andartisticinspiration;hisdisciplineinworkingwith

allofthese;andbecauseitwasaninnerexperience,whathecarriedfrompreviouslives(at

leastone),howeveruncomfortablyitlivednexttohisCatholicism.

Onceweunderstandthesefoundations—thephenomenainTolkien’slifeandwork—

thenwecanstarttocharacterizewhatispresentinhisbodyof imaginations:theeonsof

earthexistenceandhowtheysucceedeachother;theLightandtheWordandtheirrolein

thecreationoftheworld.Andthentheendlesssetsofcontrasts:thedeathlessElvesandthe

mortal men; Morgoth and Sauron; the varying ways time flows in the Shire, in Tom

Bombadil’sdomain,inRivendell,andinLórien.WhyisTolkiensopainstakinglyspecificin

thewayhiscreatedworldworks?Whydoeshegotosuchlengthsinattachingappendices

andcross-referencingallthepartsofhiscreativework?Wasitjustwhatheadmitted,apart

ofhisexactingandpedanticnature?Orwastheremore?

ThereisdefinitelymoreifonelookstotheworkofTolkienfromtheperspectiveof

modern understanding of the spirit. There is genuine spiritual insight into deeper

dimensionsandconnectionsofexistence.Tolkien’sworkisdeeplymysticalorevenesoteric,

though he himself, quite rightly, would have shunned the term esoteric. His work was

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primarilyaconsistentandcoherentartisticcreation;somethingself-contained.Afterall,he

detestedallegoryanddetestedbringingtheprimaryworld(whichincludesreligiousviews),

intohiscreatedworld.Somaybehe justcouldn’thelpbutperceivemoredeeply into the

depthsofexistence,allthewhileinpureartisticfashion.Oneofhisreader’sexpressionof

appreciationparticularlytouchedTolkien.Inhiswords,

by a strange chance, just as I was beginning this letter, I had one from a man, who

classifiedhimself as “anunbeliever, or at best amanof belatedly anddimlydawning

religiousfeeling…butyou,”hesaid,“createaworldinwhichsomesortoffaithseemsto

beeverywherewithoutavisiblesource,likelightfromaninvisiblelamp.”3

Thisfeelingcouldbeechoedbymany.

Exploringthismysticalsphereisthelastaspectofthiswork.Thereisaclearreason

forthemarkthatTolkienhasleftonpeople’sheartsandminds.Heputsusintouchwithdeep

archetypesof existence.Wemaynotknow these,butwe cannot fail to sense thedeeper

realityofwhatcomesfromTolkien’swork.Towardtheendofthebookwewillexplorehow

Tolkienleadsusfromartisticimaginationstodeeperspiritualinsights.Thereissomuchthat

Tolkienhasallowedustofathomaboutthenatureoffreewillandfate;lifeanddeath;evil

anditsroleintheshapingoftheworld;theinitiationtowardthespirit,asintheexamplesof

GandalfandSaruman;thenatureofthespiritualworld.Thisattemptwillbeawaytomarry

artandscienceoncemore.Afterall,artandsciencewerethefoundationofTolkien’swork.

Andartandsciencecanhelpusshedlightonitsfurthestreaches.

Toconclude,awordofthanks.Thisworkwasrenderedpossiblepartlythroughthe

life-longdedicationofprofessorVerlynFlieger toTolkien’sopus.Of all the references to

Tolkien’swork,allherbooksandarticleshavebeencentraltomyunderstanding,bothof

TolkienandofTheLordoftheRings.Theyhavedirectedmetowardmanyadditionallinesof

personalinquiry.

3Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,413.

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PARTI:J.R.R.Tolkien

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CHAPTER1

TheLordoftheRings:SuccessandParadoxes

Aboveall[Tolkien’svision]leavesusknowingdeeplythatthereismoretobefoundinhis

fictionthanmeetstheeye,thatsomethingwonderfulandmysteriousanddeeplysignificant

liesjustbeyondourrationalperception,andthatifweweretobegivenonlyalittlemore

time,wewouldbeabletoseeit.

—VerlynFlieger

InthischapterwewilllookathowTolkien’strilogyseemstobeeverythingtoeveryone.It

hasbeenseenasfittingallreligiousandspiritualleanings,andclearlyspeakstothosewho

wouldshyawayfromtheword“religion”andcallthemselveshumanists.Mostinterestingof

all,TheLordoftheRingsequallysatisfiesPagansaswellastraditionalChristians.Howthis

ispossibleisactuallythegoalofthisexplorationandbooktosurface.

TheaboveisnottheonlyapparentcontradictioninTolkien’swork.TheLordofthe

Ringshasallthetrappingsofanancient,bygoneworld,andTolkien’spersonalitywouldseem

tofullysupportthistendencytowardsconstantlylookingback.Andyet,inmanyotherways,

itisthoroughlymodern,andthisiswhyitcanspeakaseffectivelyasitdoestotheyearnings

ofmodernhumanity.

THESUCCESSOFTHELORDOFTHERINGS

TheLordoftheRingsrodethecrestofthe1960sinAmericaandEurope.Eversincethenit

hasremainedoneofthemostbelovedfictionbooksofthe20thcentury.Andthemovement

didnotabateinthefollowingdecades.A1999AmazonpollfoundTheLordoftheRingstobe

the Amazon’s customers “book of the millennium.”4 Beyond the English-speaking world

4AndrewO’Hehir,“TheBookoftheCentury,”Salon,4June2001.https://web.archive.org/web/20060213000712/http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2001/06/04/tolkien/.

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Tolkienhasfansworldwide.A2003BigReadSurveyconfirmedthebookastheUK’s“best

lovednovel.”5A2004Germansurveydiscovered250,000whorankedthebooktheirfirst

choice.6 And at presentThe Lord of the Ringsremains one of the greatestworld literary

successes, with over 150 million copies sold.7 Harper Collins has counted almost 40

languagesforwhichtranslationsofTheHobbitand/orTheLordoftheRingsexist.InRussian,

Swedish,Norwegian,German,Polish,andSlovenianthereismorethanonetranslation.8

InAmerica,inspiredbythehippymovement,branchesoftheTolkienSocietyformed

everywhereinthesixties,extendingeventuallyintotheMythopoeicSocietywhichaddedthe

worksofC.S.LewisandCharlesWilliams.EventuallyTolkien’sworkbecamethesubjectof

thesesanddissertations.BeforebeingdiscoveredbythehippiesTheLordoftheRingswas

mostlyreadwithinChristiancircles.InDenmarkabookhasbeenpublishedthatrefersto

biblical motives in The Lord of the Rings and is used in preparing children for their

confirmation.9

ThefameacquiredbyTheLordoftheRingswasasurprisetoTolkien.Theenduring

success of the epic delights the fans and infuriates the advocates ofmore “serious” and

realistic literature. But this is only one part of the enigma that surrounds this modern

masterpiece.Letuslookatsomeoftheseaspects.

TOLKIENBETWEENTHEMIDDLEAGESANDMODERNTIME

Tolkien’spersonalityandliteraryworksattractscrutinyfromavarietyofperspectives.They

arethesourcesofmanyconundrums.Tolkienisverymoderninhisinterestsandoutlook,

5BBC,“TheBigRead,”April2003.https://web.archive.org/web/20121031065136/http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml.

6KrysiaDiver,“ALordforGermany,”SydneyMorningHerald,5October2004.https://web.archive.org/web/20070817074109/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/04/1096871805007.html.

7VitWagner,“TolkienProvesHe’sStilltheKing,”TorontoStar,16April2007.https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2007/04/16/tolkien_proves_hes_still_the_king.html.

8TheChildrenofHurin,“FrequentlyAskedQuestions.”https://web.archive.org/web/20070530043707/http://www.tolkien.co.uk/faq3.aspx.

9Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,xxi.

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butspentmostofhislifelookingbacktothepastoflanguageandmythology.Tolkienhimself

feltthathe,andhisfellowInklings—theliterarycirclethatincludedC.S.Lewis,Barfield,and

C.Williams—weresomehowoutofstepwiththeirtime.“We[Inklings]wereborninadark

ageoutofduetime(forus).Butthereisthiscomfort:otherwiseweshouldnotknow,orso

muchlove,whatwelove.Iimaginethefishoutofwateristheonlyfishtohaveaninklingof

water.”10Anchoredinthepastbutwithakeeneyeonthepresent—thisinsightmayprove

animportantonetofollow.

An example of the above: Tolkien expressed in interviews that after reading a

medieval work he felt impelled to write something similar but modern “in the same

tradition.”Andhedidtakeonthemedievaltraditioninmorethanoneway,noticeablyinthe

structureofthebook.RichardC.WestremindsusthatoneoftheearlyreviewsofTheLord

oftheRingscalledit“perhapsthelastliterarymasterpieceoftheMiddleAges.”11Tolkienwas

somewhatamusedbyalltheseinterpretationsandconflictingkindsofappreciation.

Contrarytowhathequotesabove,Westhimselftakesanotherangleonthebook:“The

LordoftheRingsisnotthelastmasterpieceoftheMiddleAges,butitwas,ifnothingmore,

ajustinstinctthatledTolkientochooseamedievaltechniqueforhismodernmasterpiece.”12

Westseesitasarightchoicetouseastructurethatisreminiscentofmedievaltimes—the

interlace—particularly used in romances of the 13th century, among which is the Grail

legendtradition.TheLordoftheRingsisalsoamixofoldandnew.Itisanovelthatobviously

speakstotheconsciousnessofourapocalyptic“endoftimes.”Andyet,itsinnerstructure

harkensbackmanycenturies;fulfillingTolkien’sdesiretowritesomethingmodern“inthe

sametradition.”

Modern “organicunity” calls foranarrativewitha singlemajor theme,whichcan

eventuallybeconnectedtoalimitednumberofcollateralthemes,allclearlysubordinatedto

themain one. Themain theme is stated in the introduction, develops organically in the

middlesection,andcomestoaresolutionintheepilogue.Incontrast,themedievalinterlace

wasofsuchcomplexitythatuntilmoderntimesthecriticscouldnotdetectacoherentdesign

10Pearce,Tolkien,ManandMyth,61.11West,“TheInterlaceStructureofTheLordoftheRings,”77.12West,“TheInterlaceStructureofTheLordoftheRings,”91.

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inmedievalromances.Thepeakofthistraditionwasreachedinmedievalromancesofthe

13thcentury,thetimeoftheGraillegends.

RichardC.WesthasdetectedinTheLordoftheRingsaveryexpertuseofmedieval

literarydevices.13Intheinterlace,incontrasttomodernorganicunity,everythingseemsto

happenatonce;thenarrativecallsourattentioninthedirectionofmanyevents,characters,

and themes. Any one of these can dominate at a given point. The paths of the various

charactersseparate,merge,anddivergeagainwithoutanyapparentcoherence.However,

theattentivereadermayrealizethatthereisastructurebecausenopartofthestorycanbe

alteredorremovedwithoutcausingdamagetothewhole.Oftenlatersectionsareannounced

earlier on, and earlier events reecho in later ones. Themes return with repetitions and

variations,whosepatternscanbediscerned.Therearenumerouscausesforagivenevent,

aswecannotice in real life, contrary to theseeminglypowerful singlecauseswe find in

organicunity.

Intheinterlacethereisnoclear-cutbeginningorendbecausethestoryisgenerallya

sectionofalargerwhole.ThiswasalsothecaseforTheLordoftheRings,whichneededan

appendixinordertodocumenttheconnectionsofthestorieswithTolkien’smythologyof

TheSilmarillion,whichwasonlypublishedafterhisdeath.

AlongsideTolkien’suseofthemedievalinterlaceishiscreationofacomprehensive

mythology.TheRomanticsofthe19thcenturydevelopedaninterestinfolkandfairytales

in the forging of a national cultural identity. In Germany this had been thework of the

BrothersGrimm.InmanywaysTolkienbehavedinEnglandlikethelastoftheRomantics.

IncollegeafterreadingtheFinnishKalevalaTolkienwrote:“Iwouldthatwehadmore

of it left—somethingof the samesort thatbelonged to theEnglish.” Someyears laterhe

wrote:

Donotlaugh!Butonceuponatime(mycresthaslongsincefallen)Ihadamindtomake

abodyofmoreorlessconnectedlegend,rangingfromthelargeandcosmogonic,tothe

levelofromanticfairy-story—thelargerfoundedonthelesserincontactwiththeearth,

thelesserdrawingsplendorfromthevastbackcloths—whichIcoulddedicatesimplyto:

toEngland;tomycountry...Iwoulddrawsomeofthegreattalesinfullness,andleave

13West,“TheInterlaceStructureofTheLordoftheRings.”

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manyonlyplacedintheschemeandsketched.Thecyclesshouldbelinkedtoamajestic

whole, and yet leave scope for otherminds andhands,wieldingpaint andmusic and

drama.Absurd.14

Tolkien’sgrandioseintentiondidnotfulfillthepromiseofanEnglishmythology;he

seeminglymissedthemark,butnotbymuch,orheevenexceededit.Onecanconfidentlysay

thereisnomodernmythologythatspeakstothehumansoulasdoesTheLordoftheRings.

Itis,onecouldargue,theepitomeofastoryfortimesofgreattransition.Thoughclothedin

alltheaccoutrementsofpasttimes,TheLordoftheRingsbringsforwardthemesthatare

utterlymodern.

ThereissomethingofamixoftheoldandthenewinthenarrativeitselfofTheLord

oftheRings.WecanfindsomeoftheseelementsinthecontrastbetweenAragornandFrodo.

Aragorngathersinhisessencemuchofthebigger-than-lifehero;Frodounitesinhimselfall

thecontradictionsof theutterlyhuman.Aragorn is theheroof thequintessentialancient

epic story. He has to fight against all odds and show the qualities and consistence of a

legendaryhero.Thestorymakesitclearthatheisaholdoverofthepast,ofatimeinwhich

thekingwasafighterandahealer.Foranypersonofourtimeitishardtoidentifywithsuch

aparagonofperfectionandconstancy.

Frodo is a hero in spite of himself. He is drawn into the story almost against his

wishes.Hecontinuesthequestbecausethereisnobodyelsewhocantakehistaskandrelieve

him.HeisaHobbit,orasmaller-than-lifehumanbeing,withalltheloveofcomfortandthe

tug-of-warfeelinglifethatisthelotofmodernhumanbeings.Aragornisfirstsetonaquest

forthedefenseofthelandagainstSauron,andtheninsearchoftherestorationofakingdom.

Theromanticaspectofhisquestisonlythinlyalludedto;hisdaringfeatleadstothehappy

endingofhisreunionwiththebelovedArwen.Frodoistheheroofananti-quest,asVerlyn

Fliegeroftenpointsout.Hehastoenterdeeplyintothebellyofthedragon,nottoretrieveor

conquer,buttoridhumanityoftheRingthatchainsittoSauron,totheonewhoisitsdeepest

adversary.Hehastowrestlethroughmud,heat,anddespair,experiencethirstandhunger,

andcanonlysucceedoutofsheerwillanddetermination,butalmostinspiteofhimself.

14Tolkien,TheSilmarillion,xv.

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The villain of Tolkien’s romance—Sauron—never shows anything else than his

rovingeye.Theonlyothervisibledragon(thevillainofmedievalromances)isGollum,and

inmanywaysheisFrodo’sshadowordouble,heretooanelementthatwasnotknowntoor

incorporatedinmedievalromances.

Theepicendingisnotthehappyendingofthefairytalesofold.Frodo’sriddanceof

the Ring is all but straight and unequivocal. But it is in keeping with our modern

consciousness.Hisepilogue,however,istheoutcomeofalifewelllivedandaworthygoal

pursuedwithcourage:“[LikeBeowulfandArthur]theirstoriesendnothappilybutfittingly,

andthatisasitshouldbe,”concludesFlieger.15

OncemoreitisFliegerwhopointsoutthatTolkienismoreeffectivelyandnaturally

postmodernthanmanyofhiscontemporaries.OnthewaytoMordor,onthestepstoCirith

Ungol,SamandFrodorealizethattheyarepartofastoryjustliketheheroesofoldwhom

theyadmireandwhosestoriestheyhavereadorheardcountlesstimes.Andtheywonder

whethertheywillendupaspartofastorythemselves.Samwantstoknowwhetherfuture

generationswillreadoutof“agreatbigbookwithredandblack letters,yearsandyears

afterwards.Andpeoplewillsay: ‘Let’shearaboutFrodoandtheRing!’”16HereTolkien is

completelyself-referential;heistalkingaboutthestorythatthereaderhasinhisownhands;

andwhichinthecollector’seditioniswritten“withredandblackletters.”Atthepointin

whichSamuttersthewordsofcoursethestoryisstillwaitingtobewritten.It’sasifTolkien

wereplayingwith thenotionsofquantumphysics.Thisgoesastep further intomusings

aboutstoriesingeneralandthewayeachindividualperceiveshisroleinthem.Samwonders,

“Why,evenGollummightbegoodinatale...andheusedtoliketaleshimselfoncebyhis

ownaccount. Iwonder ifhe thinkshe’s theheroor thevillain?”17 It isC.S.Lewis,oneof

Tolkien’sclosestfriends,whorightlyintuitedthebook’s linkswithpasttraditionsandits

uttermodernitywhenhe reviewed the trilogy thus: “in the history ofRomance itself—a

15Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,158.16Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,321.17Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,322.

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history which stretches back to theOdyssey and beyond—it makes not a return but an

advanceorrevolution:theconquestofanewterritory.”18

TOLKIENBETWEENCHRISTIANANDPAGAN

Another interesting debate has involved many minds in the academic world with the

question “How did Tolkien’s opus reflect his Catholic Christianity?” And therefore “Was

TolkienreallyaCatholic?”Ifso,howcouldhavehewrittenTheLordoftheRingsandThe

Silmarillion?ItiscleartoanybodywhohasvisitedhisworkthatTolkiendidnotwriteanyof

hisstoriesasaChristianallegory.Hesimplywroteitfromgenuineartisticinspiration.Only

laterdidhepausetoreflectonhowitfitwithhisowntheology.Hedeliberatelywantedto

avoidbeingaChristianapologistintheveinofC.S.LewisorGeorgeMacDonald.

Ronald Hutton argues that Tolkien “was anxious to defend two very different

positionsatonce”andby thathemeant theChristianandthePagan.19Asanexamplehe

invokes the author’s defense of the Elves’ reincarnation in an unpublished letter, and

Tolkien’spositiononmagicproducingrealphysicalchange.

Hutton sees in Tolkien’s positions “Christianity with a particular twist . . .

Neoplatonism.”AndhearguesthatthisNeoplatonismincorporatesbothChristianandPagan

elements.AmongthePaganelements:aloveoffaeryanddeities,thoughheadmitsthesedo

not intervene in the affairs of human beings.20 Hutton argues that, after his youth (or

sometime later inhiswork),TolkienreturnedtoaChristianPlatonism.But,on theother

hand,hecontinuedtoreelaboratehisyouthfulmateriallateinlife.ThusHuttonconcludes:

“IfitwasChristian,thenitwasaChristianitysounorthodox,anddiluted,astomerittheterm

heretical. It could bemade orthodox only by discardingmany of its most characteristic

earlier elements.” And further: “As [the non-Christian elements in his mythology]

representedabouttwothirdsoftheingredientsthatmadeuphisimagineduniverse,they

arenotincidental,ormischievous,partofit.Theyarepartoftheessenceofthework,and

18Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,219.19Hutton,“ThePaganTolkien,”69.20Hutton,“ThePaganTolkien,”62–63.

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thereforeoftheman,andthatishowIjustifymychoiceoftitle[‘ThePaganTolkien”].”21In

anotherarticleHutton,replyingtoN.I.Agøy,adds:“Istillthinkthatwecanhavea‘pagan’

Tolkien.IalsothinkthatwecanhaveaChristianone.”22Thisamendedviewsumsupbest

Tolkien’sbeing,inmyopinion.

Tolkien’sownwordsbringthistruthtobearinaveryrefreshingway.DiscussingThe

LordoftheRings’s“theology”inaletterof1958,hewrote,“Theologically(ifthetermisnot

toograndiose)Iimaginethepicturetobelessdissonantfromwhatsome(includingmyself)

believe to be the truth.”23 With these words Tolkien implies he is surprised at the

concordancebetweenhismythologyandorthodoxChristianity.Thismeansthatheneverset

outtobeinaccordwithdoctrineinthefirstplace.Andfurtherinthesamedirection,toFather

RobertMurray,whopointedouttoGaladrielasaMaryfigure,hereplied:

Ihavebeencheeredspeciallybywhatyouhavesaid...becauseyouaremoreperceptive,

especially in some directions, than anyone else, and have even revealed tomemore

clearlysomethingsaboutmywork.IthinkIknowexactlywhatyoumeanbytheorderof

Grace; and of course by your references to Our Lady, upon which all my own small

perceptionofbeautybothinmajestyandsimplicityisfounded.24

Yet,otherscouldarguewithsuccess thatTolkien’sChristianityshines throughthe

pagesofhistrilogy.Tolkienoffersanotherinklingintotheevolutionofhiscosmologyinthe

same letter above toRobertMurray: “TheLordof theRings is of course a fundamentally

religiousandCatholicwork;unconsciouslysoatfirst,butconsciouslyintherevision.”He

furtherexplainsthathehadremovedallreferencestoinstitutionaltheologyinTheLordof

the Rings so that his work would remain theologically orthodox, so that the “religious

elementisabsorbedintothestoryandthesymbolism.”Thismaybethereasonwhymany

perceive the presence of the Christ in the opus. Stephen R. Lawhead says, “What an

extraordinarythingIthought:thoughTolkienmakesneversomuchasaglancingreference

21Hutton,“ThePaganTolkien,”69.22Hutton,“CanWeStillHaveaPaganTolkien?”103.23Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,283.24Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,172.

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toJesusChristinasingleparagraphofallTheLordoftheRings’thickvolumes,Hisfaceis

glimpsedonvirtuallyeverypage.”25

Magic, gods, traces of reincarnation, references to the initiations of old times—in

GandalfandSaruman—allborderonheresyifChristianityistobedefinedthroughthelens

ofCatholicism,orof anyotherChristiandenomination for thatmatter.AndyetTolkien’s

trilogyhasachievedthefeatofnavigatingthisseeminglyhugecontradiction.Asastoryof

PagantimesitisentirelyChristianinadeepersense;orrather,itdoesnotsetPaganagainst

Christianworldviewsbutratherseesthetwofromahighervintagepointthatembracesand

includes. Moreover, it is a story of a fictional past, rooted in Tolkien’s deep taste for

mythologyandtimesgone,andyettimelessandmodern.Fromthisperspectiveitcanspeak

to all who have at least some spiritual yearning in their soul, no matter how weak or

undefined.

IhavecomemoreandmoretorealizethatthereareunplumbeddepthsinTolkien’s

opus.Itistheintentionofthisbooktodigdeeperinthisdirection.Withthisinmindwewill

firstlookatthedeeperaspectsofTolkien’sbiographyandbeing,thenimmerseourselvesin

theimagesofTheLordoftheRings.

25QuotedinPearce,Tolkien,ManandMyth,82.

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CHAPTER2

BlendingScienceandArt:LanguageandLiterature

Itoccurstomethatinallexternals[Tolkien]resemblesthearchetypalOxforddon,attimes

eventhestagecaricatureofadon.Butthatisexactlywhatheisnot.Itisratherasifsome

strangespirithadtakenontheguiseofanelderlyprofessor.Thebodymaybepacingthis

shabbysuburbanlittleroom,butthemindisfaraway,roamingtheplainsandmountainsof

Middle-earth.

—HumphreyCarpenter

WhilelookingatTolkien’sbiographywehavenoillusionthatwewillfindanexplanationof

theopusinthelifeoftheauthor.ThisisnotthewayTolkienwouldhaveseenhisopus,for

heknewthatoftentheauthorofaworkthatspeaksforthetimeconveyssomethingthatgoes

beyondhisownpersonality.Thepersonality,plaguedbyitsflawsandshortcomings,cannot

serveasthesolesubstratumuponwhichposteritycanunderstandthe legacy.Humphrey

Carpenter,hisbiographer,pointsoutthateveninrelationtoTolkien’sveryfirstlegends,his

work“passesbeyondthis[fusionofIcelandicandFinnishtraditions]toachieveadegreeof

dramaticcomplexityandsubtletyofcharacterizationnotoftenfoundinancientlegends.”26

Theseedsofsomethingexceptionalwerealreadypresentintheearlydays.Thischapterand

thenextwillhighlightwhatwasoutoftheordinaryinTolkien’spersonality,evenwhenit

wascoveredupbyhisshortcomings.

Nomatterhowlimitedthepersonalityofanauthorisinrelationtohisorherliterary

legacy—especially great literature—nevertheless such works will illuminate something

abouttheircreator.Thischapterwillpointoutthatwehavenotfinishedunearthingallof

Tolkien’spersonality,whichcanonlybedonethroughTolkien’swordsthemselves.Itwillbe

26Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,96.

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ourattempttoshowthatthereismorethanhasbeensurmisedheretoforeaboutTolkien’s

personality.

Tolkienwas critical of psychologizing authors and artistic creations, saying “Only

one’sguardianAngel,or indeedGodHimself,couldunraveltherealrelationshipbetween

personalfactsandanauthor’sworks.”Andfurther,“Ishouldnotsupposethatartisticwork

proceededfromtheweaknessesthatproducedthem,butfromotherandstilluncorrupted

regionsofmybeing.”27Itisfromthisperspectivethatwewilllookatthephenomenainhis

life.Letthemrevealtoushereandtheresomeofthesymptomsthatpointtotheuncorrupted

regionsofTolkien’sbeing.

Astowhatwerethemajorinfluencesinhislife,Tolkienofferedusthreecategoriesof

facts:

1. Really significant facts: his birth in 1892, living his early years in “the Shire” in a

premechanical age (the four years spent in the cottage in Sarehole); his being a

CatholicChristian;hisrelationshipwithhismother(hefeltheowedhisfaithtoher)

2. Significantfacts:hisacademicvocationasaphilologistatOxfordUniversity;histaste

inlanguages

3. Insignificantfacts28

Inwhat comesnextwewill try tobuildan imaginationofTolkien,workingas closelyas

possibletohowtheauthorwouldhaveproducedtheimaginationsinhiswork.Weareaiming

atlettingTolkienthemanliveinourimagination.Todothiswewilllookathislife’sturning

points,hischaracterandpersonality,andlastlyandmostimportantlyhisunusualfaculties.

In the next chapter we will deepen the picture looking at the many-faceted aspects of

Tolkien’sinnerlife.

BIOGRAPHICALTURNINGPOINTS

WhenwelookattheintensityofTolkien’slife,someparticularlydifficulttrialsstandoutas

thechallengesthatcreatedtheconditionsfortheunfoldingofhispersonality.


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Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on January 3, 1892, and was

christenedJohnRonaldReuel.Atthattimeitwasarathersmalltownwithsomehundred

buildings.ThepredominantAfrikanerdidn’tmixmuchwith the localEnglishpopulation.

HavingreturnedtoEnglandatagethree,Tolkienhadveryfewrecollectionsofhisbirthplace:

a fewwords in Afrikaans, memories of the barren landscape, some dramatic butminor

events.

Hisfather,whowasstillinSouthAfrica,soonenteredaphaseofpoorhealthdueto

rheumaticfeveranddiedinearly1896.Hisinvestmentsbequeathedameagerinheritance

tothefamily.LefttoherownresourcesTolkien’smotherlookedforahouseamilesouthof

Birmingham,inthehamletofSarehole.Oneanecdotestrucktheboy’smindgrowingup:a

willowtreeheusedtoclimbwascutdownfornoapparentreason,andwithoutbeingputto

use.TheadultTolkienneverforgotit.

Sinceshehadteachingskills,MabelTolkienstartededucatingbothRonald,asTolkien

was called by his family, and his brother Hilary in Latin, French, and German. She soon

recognizedherson’sabilitywithlanguages.Amongtheearlyliteraryinfluencesforwhich

Tolkiengainedrespect,wereAliceinWonderland,theCurdiebooksbyGeorgeMacDonald,

andthefairybooksofAndrewLang—inthelatterparticularlythetaleofSigurd,theslayer

ofthedragonFafnir.ReminiscingabouttheseearlytalesTolkienstated,“Idesireddragons

withaprofounddesire....theworldthatcontainedeventheimaginationofFafnirwasricher

andmorebeautiful, atwhatever cost of peril.”29 In contrastTolkiendisregardedpopular

children’s literaturesuchasTreasureIsland,ThePiedPiper,orthetalesofHansChristian

Andersen.

Atherhusband’sdeathChristianityhadstartedtoplayanimportantroleforMabel.

She started to bring her children to a Catholic church in the slums of Birmingham, and

subsequentlyconvertedwithhersisterinthespringof1900.Bothmetwiththeoutrageof

theirAnglican family.Mabel remained faithful toher faith in spiteof theadded financial

strainsthatthechoicecaused,duetothedistancingofherfather,whowithdrewfinancial

help.Ronaldhimselfconvertedatageeight,inwhatbecamealifelongcommitment.

29Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,22–23.

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After four years in the cottage in Sarehole, which the youth called “the longest

seemingandthemostformativepartinmylife,”30MabelrentedahouseinMoseley,closer

tothecity’scenter.Theystayedthereonlybrieflybecausethehousewasduefordemolition,

untiltheymovedclosetotheCatholicchurchofSt.Dunstan.Ronaldwasveryunhappyabout

leaving“theShire”behind.

In1902thefamilymovedagaintoEdgbaston,closetotheBirminghamOratorywhere

FatherXavierMorgan,avaluedfriendofMabelwhowasgoingtoplayanimportantpartin

Tolkien’slife,servedasapriest.SoonMabelhadtoenterahospital,whereshewasdiagnosed

withdiabetes.Herconditionquicklydeteriorated,andshediedafteracomainNovember

1903.MabelhadappointedFatherXaviertobetheguardianofhertwosons.Shehadleft

him very little, but Father Francis contributed to the children from his own pocket and

arrangedforthesonstogolivewiththeirauntBeatrice,notfarfromtheOratory.

TheOratorybecameRonald’srealhome.Herehehadtoconformwithstrictreligious

observance, includingdaily attendance atMass andCommunion.His religious sensewas

verymuchformedintheseyears,strengthenedbyTolkien’sconvictionthathismotherhad

beenamartyrforthefaith.Atthispointinhislife,Tolkienhadacheerfuldispositionwitha

zestforlife,senseofhumor,andfriendliness,yetaccompaniedbyboutsofprofounddespair

fromwhichhefelthecouldseenowayout.

In1903RonaldenteredtheprestigiousKingEdward’sSchoolthankstoagrant.The

library at King Edward’s was administered by senior boys. Here Tolkien first met

ChristopherWisemanandRobGilson,withwhomheformedtheTCBS(TeaClubBorrovian

Society),whichwaslaterjoinedbyGeoffreyBacheSmith,theyoungestofthefour.Whatthe

youthshadincommonwasathoroughknowledgeofLatinandGreekliterature.Tothegroup

Tolkien also introducedBeowulf,The Pearl, andSir Gawain and theGreenKnight, Anglo-

Saxonandmedievalworksthatheexploreddeeplylaterinlife.

ThemostimportantmeetingoftheTCBSforTolkientookplaceduringtheChristmas

vacationof1914onaweekendspenttalkingtogether.Theywerestartingtoformulateplans

forsomecommonworkandfelttheywere“destinedtokindleanewlight.”Themeetingled

Tolkien todecide that hewas a poet.He later claimed “I have always laid that [towrite


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poetry]tothecreditoftheinspirationthatevenafewhourswiththefourbroughttous.”31

Hewroteoneofthefirstofhispoems,interestinglywrittenina“nonsensefairylanguage”—

ofwhichmorewillbesaidlater—inNovember1915.

TolkienwantedtofinishhisstudiesbeforevolunteeringintheBritishforcesinWorld

WarI.HeobtainedhisdegreemagnacumlaudeinEnglishlanguageandliteraturein1915

andwascommissionedsoonafterasasecondlieutenantintheLancasterFusiliers,together

withBacheSmith.ThefirstseedsofwhatwouldbecomeTheSilmarillionenteredhismind

justbeforeandduringhisengagementinWorldWarI.AsasignalsofficerhebecameaMorse

operator and learned to operate visual signals and a field telephone. It seems he was

extendinghispassionforlanguagetoeverypossibleformofitthathecouldencounter.

DestinybroughtTolkientooneofthenightmaresofmodernwarfare:theBattleofthe

Sommefoughtinthetrenches.OnthefirstdayofthebattletheBritishtroopssuffered19,000

casualtiesand60,000wounded,thegreatestwarlossinasingleday.Amongthecasualties

wasRobGilson.Tolkienwascrushedbythenews.ThesamefateengulfedBacheSmithsoon

after.

Thealliedarmieshadmiscalculatedwhat they thoughtwouldbea relativelyeasy

efforttodislodgetheGermans.Tolkien’sbattalionhadbeenheldinreserveatBouzincourt

onthefirstday,andwasnotmobilizeduntilaweeklater,whenthebattlefieldhadturned

intoaslaughterhouse.Andthereheremainedformonthsafterwards,eitherinthefrontlines

or in rest areas. TheBritish andGermans suffered some600,000 total casualties.Daniel

Grottaaptlysummarizesthiswarepisode:“Anentiregenerationofthebestandbrightest

wasshatteredforafewyardsofmud.”32MostofTolkien’sschoolanduniversityfriendshad

beenkilledorwounded,andnotnecessarily fromenemy fire;many froze todeathwhile

othersdiedofinfluenzaortrenchfever.Trenchfeverisaformofrickettsia,whosesymptoms

arecloselyrelatedtotyphusandflu.Itisrarelyfatal,butcanlastformonthsandreappear

longafter the first onset andhealing.Tolkien sufferedaparticularly strongattackof the

illness,lastingsomeeighteenmonths.

31Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,73.32Grotta,BiographyofJ.R.R.Tolkien,57.

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Tolkiencouldnothavewrittenwhileinthetrenches;buthestartedassoonashewas

hospitalized,writingthefirstsignificantdraftsofTheSilmarillionbetween1915and1918.33

WhatTolkiencalledtheFirstAgeofhismythologyhadbeencompleted,andhehadbegunto

developtheSecondAgeofMiddleEarthandtheriseofthecentralfigureofSauron.

TolkienwasfinallyreleasedfromactivedutyinOctober1918.Bysomedispensation

ofdestinyTolkienwasexposedtotheknowledgeofman’smostferociousbrutality(hecalled

it“animalhorror”),butthenalsosparedfromitbyaprovidentialillness,whichlikelyplayed

apartinreleasingandbringingtothesurfaceofconsciousnesswhatlivedinhisunconscious,

and formed the first seeds of The Silmarillion. In a 1938 Andrew Lang lecture Tolkien

estimatedthat“arealtasteforfairystorieswaswakenedbyphilologyonthethresholdof

manhood,andquickenedtofulllifebywar.”34

Tolkien’s strong friendships played an important role in encouraging Tolkien the

writer.Whenhewrote toBacheSmith tosay that theTCBSwasdead(after thedeathof

Gilson),thelatterreplied:“TheT.C.B.S.isnotfinishedandneverwillbe.”35Beforedyinghe

wroteagaintoTolkienthat

therewillstillbeamemberofT.C.B.StovoicewhatIdreamedandwhatweallagreed

upon....Deathcanmakeusloathsomeandhelplessindividuals,butitcannotputanend

totheimmortalfour!AdiscoveryIamgoingtocommunicatetoRobbeforeIgoofftonight.

...Yes,publish.You,Iamsure,arechosen,likeSaulamongthechildrenofIsrael....May

Godblessyou,mydearJohnRonald,andmayyousaythethingsIhavetriedtosaylong

afterIamnottheretosaythem,ifsuchbemylot.36(emphasisadded)

NotethattheaboveisnotconveyedasavaguefeelingbySmithbutasatruthfulinsight,a

“discovery.”Onecansurmisehehadaforebodingofhiscomingdeathandaresultingsense

ofurgencyincommunicatinghisinsight.

HumphreyCarpenterconcludesthatSmith’swordswereacallforRonaldtobeginhis

greatwork.AndWisemanlikewiseintuitedthatthiswasthedesireofTolkien,writingto

33Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,231.34Tolkien,“OnFairy-Stories,”inMonstersandtheCritics,135.35Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,84.36Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,86.

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him,“Yououghttostarttheepic.”37In1918Tolkien,encouragedbyWiseman,publisheda

collectionofGeoffreyBacheSmith’spoemsASpringHarvest.SmithhadencouragedTolkien

to turn towards a wider spectrum of poetic expression in the English language,

recommendingthelikesofBrowne,SidneyandBacon.Itisremarkabletonotethatoneof

thepoemsofSmithtalksofthelongingfortheWest,andofanislandinthewesternsea,both

themes thatwere tobecomecentral toTolkien’sopus. In fact thepoemisreminiscentof

Tolkien’sownTheSea-Bell:Nowtheoldwindsarewildaboutthehouse,

Andtheoldghostscrytomefromtheair

Ofafarislesetinthewesternsea,

Andoftheeveningsunlightlingeringthere.

Ah!Iamboundhere,boundandfettered,

Thedarkhousecrumbles,andthewoodsdecay,

Iwastoofaininlife,thatboundmehere;

Away,oldlong-lovedghosts,away,away!38

CouldthisbeoneofthethemesthatBacheSmithtriedtodevelop,ofwhichhesaidmayyou

saythethingsIhavetriedtosay?

BeforereachingagethirtyTolkienhadfacedthedeathofbothhisparentsandoftwo

ofhisclosestfriends,andknownpovertyfirst-hand.Hehadturnedwithsomeyearningto

religion and experienced the deepest horror of which the human soul is capable in the

Europeantrenchwarfare.Hehadawakenedhis loveof language,mythology,andwriting,

andhad already started towrite parts of the opus that hewould not publish during his

lifetime. There was a clarity of purpose in the young man that manifested in manifold

variationsandthemes.Wewillturntothesenow.

37Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,89-90.38Flieger,InterruptedMusic,223.

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CHARACTERANDPERSONALITY:THE“EPICMOOD”

Therewere two predominantmoods in Tolkien: by nature, Carpenter tells us, hewas a

“cheerfulalmostirrepressiblepersonwithagreatzestforlife.”39Hiseasysenseofhumor

and social disposition allowed him to make friends easily. On the other hand was a

melancholythatcouldplungehimintogreatdepthsofdespair.

Inhis collegedaysTolkien immersedhimself in everyopportunity that theworld

offered him, regardless of the fact that socially speaking he was the underdog. He was

thirstingforexperienceandlife.Heachievedsuccessinrugby,makingupforwhathelacked

inbodyweightwithaggressiveness.Infactrugbycausedhiminjuries,breakingandslightly

deforming his nose, and cutting his tongue. Hemade it onto the school team, curiously

ascribinghissuccessto“theimpulseofchivalry”:“Havingtheromanticupbringing,Imadea

boy-and-girlaffairserious,andmadeitthesourceofeffort.”40

InhiscollegedayshealsojoinedtheEssayClubandtheDialecticalSocietyandstarted

hisownclub,theApolausticks(thosedevotedtoself-indulgence).Heenjoyedplaceswhere

therewas“goodtalk,plentyoftobacco . . .andmalecompany.”41Hissociabledisposition

broughthimanywheresomethinglivelywashappening;predictably,heneglectedhisschool

work.Foratimehebecamelazy,playedtennis,orderedtailor-madesuits,andturnedstylish.

Theworldly sideofTolkien’s characterwasbalancedbybouts of deepdespair in

whichhefeltengulfedbytheweightoftheworld,sotospeak.Hewouldseenowayoutfor

atime.However,healwaysmaintainedtheabilityoflookingathimselfandtheworldaround

withdetachmentandhumor.Theextremesofhismoodssubsistedinoldage,eventhough

hekeptuphisgregariousandsocialside.Hislatediariesshowusgreatdepthsofgloom,even

ifonlytemporary.Ontheotherhand,Tolkiencouldnotbecynical;hecouldneitherbehalf-

heartednordenycommitmenttowhatmatteredmosttohim.Hetendedtotakemattersto

heart.Onecoulddetectinthesedramaticheightsanddepthsthe“epicmood”thatismost

stronglyreflectedinTolkien’swritings.

39Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,31.40Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,48.41Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,53.

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Somethingelsewaspresentthatcouldcauseasurpriseinonesoathomewiththe

word,writtenorspoken,whatCarpentercallshis“swiftspeech”andthatTolkienhimself

called“congenitalandincurable.”42Itunderlinedandpointedtoanotherimportantfacetof

hispersonality.Tolkienknewthathewas thebuttof jokesamonghisOxfordcolleagues.

AboutthisCarpentercomments,“Trueoften:dueinparttohavingtoomuchtosayintoo

littletime,inlargerparttodiffidence,whichsuchcomments[ofhiscolleagues]increased.”43

Headds,“Wordscomeoutineagerrushes.Wholephrasesareelidedorcompressedinthe

hasteofemphasis.”44Whenmeetingsomeoneinterestedinhiswork,Tolkienwouldtalkand

moveinarestlessfashion,lightingapipethenleavingitasideandhardlysmokingfromit.

OncethelistenergotpastTolkien’smannerisms,onecouldunderstandhimatleastatthe

literallevel;butonecouldeasilybeleftbehindbytherapidityofhisintellectualarguments

orthenatureofhisallusivespeaking.ForalloftheseshortcomingsTolkienwasabletorecite

poetrywithgreatestclarity.

Something else could be fathomed by a keen ear in Tolkien’s voice. Carpenter

describeshisvoiceasstrange,deep,butwithoutresonanceand“withsomequalityinitthat

Icannotdefine,as ifhehadcomefromanotherageorcivilization.”45Thiselusivequality

seemstoreflectTolkien’sfeelingthatnotonlyhimselfbuttheotherInklingswerebornout

oftime.

It issomehowcuriousthatTolkien’sspeechwasnotveryclearsinceTolkien’s life

revolvedaroundtheword,writtenorspoken,ineverypossibleaspecteversincehisearliest

days. And Tolkien’s love for language in all its forms was awakened in him from early

childhood.

Atagesevenafterhestartedwritinghisowndragonstory,hismotherpointedtoone

linguisticmatter:thatyoucanonlysay“agreatgreendragon”insteadofwhathewrote,“a

green great dragon.” Characteristically forwhatwill follow in his biography, he stopped

writingandturnedtothestudyoflanguage.Thiswouldbethefirstrecordedtimeinwhich

42Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,372.43Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,396.44Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,5.45Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,5.

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thequestionof“languageorliterature”tookcenterstageinTolkien’sbiography.Itwould

becomealeitmotif,acentralthemearoundwhichhisliferevolved.

Tolkienwaslaterexposedtomanyliteraryinfluences,towhichherespondedintruly

uniqueways.AboutEnglishliteraturehesaid:“[I]neverfoundmuchthereinwhichtorest

myheart(orheartandheadtogether).IwasbroughtupintheClassics,andfirstdiscovered

the sensation of literary pleasure in Homer.”46 Part of his enjoyment he found in “any

aestheticpleasurethatIamcapableoffromtheformofwords(andespeciallyfromthefresh

associationofword-formwithword-sense).”47And this is somethinghe foundmost in a

foreign language—which he firstmet in Latin and French—or one that sounded foreign

becauseremoteintime,suchasAnglo-Saxon.

Tolkienwasasmuchinterestedinthesoundsofthewordsasintheirmeaning.In

contrastmusicheldlittleinterestforthechild.InfactwordsseemedforTolkientoreplace

music.Herelishedlisteningtowords,repeatingthem,whetherheknewtheirexactmeaning

ornot.AndalreadyinhisschooldayswhenpartoftheDebatingSocietyhewasabletooffer

afulladdressinGreekorinfluentGothicorAnglo-Saxon.

Ronaldcouldalreadyreadbyagefour.Helearnedtowritefromhismother,whose

handwritingwasapparentlyratherunconventional.Tolkienlearnedcalligraphyatthesame

timethathelearneddrawing,takinginspirationmostlyfromabookpublishedin1906that

baseditselfon10th-and11th-centurymodels.Andhefoundhimselfsupremelyinterested

inthiscraft,anaturalparalleltohislanguageinterests.C.S.Lewisnoticed,inwhatmayhave

been a slight exaggeration, that “he had a different style of handwriting for each of his

friends.”48

Alphabetswereonlyanaturaloutgrowthofthisseriesof interests.Laterinlifehe

invented alphabets along with his languages, including the certar or cirth for his runic

characters.Thisscriptwassupposedlydevelopedby theSindarinelvesofhisbooks. It is

usedinThror’smapandintheinscriptionabovetheDoorsofDurininTheLordoftheRings.

Healsodevelopedabeautifulscriptthathecalledtengwarforhiselves.Atthetimeofwriting

46Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,172.47Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,172.48Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,57.

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downhisfirstofTheLostTalesheinvented“theAlphabetofRúmil”andevencomposedhis

diaryentriesinthisalphabet.

Tolkienrecognizedhisloveforlanguagethus:

Itwasaninevitable,thoughconditionable,evolvementofthebirth-given.Ithasalways

beenwithme:thesensibilitytolinguisticpatternwhichaffectsmeemotionallylikecolour

ormusic;andthepassionateloveofgrowingthings;andthedeepresponsetolegends

(for lack of betterword) that havewhat I would call the North-western temper and

temperature.49

Hisloveforthewordwastodevelopbothinthedirectionofthescientificaspectin

philology,and in theartisticaspectofwhathecalled “trivial literature,”according to the

judgment of academia. Verlyn Flieger, who has studied Tolkien’s work thoroughly,

concludes,“Languagecamefirst,andhisdevelopmentofitforcedhimtorealizethatthere

can be no language without a people who speak it, no people without a culture which

expressesthem,noculturewithoutamythwhichinformsandshapesit.”50

Already in his youth Tolkien spent considerable time in evolving two fictitious

languages,latercodifiedasQuenyaandSindarin.ThusforTolkien,aswewillseelater,the

studyandinventionoflanguagesbecameafoundation.The“stories”weremadetoprovide

aworld for the language rather than the reverse. And this is a paradoxical aspect of his

personalitythatwillneedfurtherelucidation.HowineffectcouldTolkiensay“Tomeaname

comesfirstandthestoryfollows[inafootnoteheexplainsthatthisisexactlywhathappened

withhis“Hobbitinspiration.”]IshouldhavepreferredtowriteinElvish”?51

Afterworkingout the rudimentsofQuenya, a languagebasedonFinnish,Tolkien

beganworkingonhisvastlegendarium,ofwhichtheTrilogyformstheconclusion,inafirst

attemptto“reorganizesomeoftheKalevala,especiallythetaleofKullervothehapless,into

aformofmyown.”52Tolkientraceshisfirstattemptsbackwiththislanguagetotheyears

1912–13.

49Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,212.50Flieger,SplinteredLight,60.51Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,219.52Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,214.

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SOMESPECIALINTERESTS

Tolkien’sinterestintheliteraryworlddirectedhimtowardslanguageratherthanliterature,

as Oxford categorized the two fields of inquiry. Everything up to Chaucer was studied

primarilywith a scientific eye to the evolution of language. The name literature, and by

extensioneverythingofanartisticnature,wasgivenprimarilytoeverythingthatfollowed.

InauniquefashionTolkienconsideredmedievalliteraturefromanartisticperspectiveas

well as a scientific one. The scientific perspective interested him under the lens of the

evolution of consciousness, under which the word only made sense when it could be

perceived in the living context of a culture vastly different from the present. He could

immerse himself so deeply into the imagery of the ancient legends and myths, as few

probablycouldinhistime.Hedidnotdoubttheirintendedartisticquality.

Together with his medievalist frame of mind, Tolkien also had a very unique

perspectiveonhistory,onethathadevolvedfromtheelaborationoftheagesofMiddle-earth

inTheSilmarillion.ThroughoneofhischaractersintheunfinishedTheNotionClubPapers

TolkientellsusthatthemythicAtlantis(hisNúmenor)wasthedividinglinebetweenmyth

and history.53The Lord of the Rings then corresponds to the beginnings of the historical

period, and in talking about it Tolkien explains to his biographer the necessity of his

extensivecorrespondencewiththereadersandhisextensivereelaborationofthematerial:

Tolkiensawhisbooknotasaworkoffictionbutasachronicleofactualevents,andhimself

“notasanauthorwhohasmadeaslighterrorthatmustnowbecorrectedorexplainedaway,

butasahistorianwhomustcastlightonanobscurityinahistoricaldocument.”54

ExhaustingallthefacetsoftheTolkienbeingtakestime.Hislovefortheliteraryworld

andforhistorywenthandinhandwithadeepappreciationforthenaturalworld,evenatrue

participationwithinit,aswealreadysawfromtheimportancethathegavetothefouryears

spentinSarehole,thefragilepreservedenvironmentattheedgeoftheencroachingcity.

FromearlyonTolkienhaddeveloped skills indrawing, especially landscapes and

trees.Carpenteradds, “Andthoughhe likeddrawingtreeshe likedmostofall tobewith

53Flieger,InterruptedMusic,103.54Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,4.

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trees.”55OvertheyearsTolkienunderlinedeverandagainhislovefornatureandhisloathing

for technologyand itsencroachmenton thenaturalworld. Inmanyways inhis letterhe

remindsusofhislovefor“theShire”andhisexperienceofthepremechanicalageinearly

childhood.

NotsurprisinglyTolkienhadbeenveryinterestedinnaturalhistorysincechildhood;

itwasveryimportanttohimtodrawaccuratelyfromnature,asmanyofhisattemptsshow.

Thisinterestcarriedoninlaterlife,althoughquitesubduedbyhisotherpriorities,andit

manifestedinagiftforcarefulobservation.Threeexampleswillillustrateit.

Tolkien had turnedwith interest towards botany, particularly towardsmatters of

taxonomyintheScrofulariaceaefamily.Hewasinterestedinaplantwhoseaffiliationwith

thefamilywasnotsoobvious.Heintroduceshisinterestthus:“They[variations]rousein

mevisionsofkinshipanddescentthroughgreatages,andalsothoughtsofthemysteryof

pattern/designasathingotherthanitsindividualembodiment,andrecognizable.”56Hewas

interestedinaplantthatisa“missinglink”somewherebetweenfigwortandfoxglove,and

ingeneraltothelinksbetweenthebranchesofthefamily,whicharenotcommentedupon

inbotanybooks.Inasecondinstanceinhislettersheturnedhisinteresttothechangesthat

thecultivateddaisytype(Bellisperennis)undergoeswhenitseedsalawnandhastocompete

withthegrass,orwhenthelatter’sseedsfindafertilespotandthendevelop“fourtimesthe

size with a flower the size of a half-crown.”57 He also kept over the years very precise

observationsabouttreessuchasoakandash,whichovertheyearshesaw“wakening”one

veryclosetotheother.Butthenin1971henoticedthattheoakswereamongthefirstto“be

leafed”whiletheashesfollowedonlyamonthlater.58

Tolkien’s views on nature or human sciences rest, as in all his other domains of

inquiry,uponagiftforpreciseobservation,andthecapacityforaccompanyingthiswithhis

artistictouchinpainting.Likewise,intherealmofpsychology,hestandsincontrasttothe

prevailingmaterialistic trends. In lookingat theway thepsychological tendencysees the

55Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,22.56Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,402.57Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,403.58Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,408.

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workofanauthor,hecriticizesitthus:“Notthatthisattitudeofmindhasmysympathy:as

shouldbeclearlyperceivedinVol.I,p.272:Gandalf:‘Hethatbreaksathingtofindoutwhat

itishasleftthepathofwisdom.’”59Thiswassaidaboutpsychology,butitappliesjustaswell

tonaturalsciences.Inalaterletterhecallsthetendency“thisdestructiveprocess,”goinga

stepfurtherinthecharacterizationofhismorephenomena-basedapproachtoart.60Inthe

contrastTolkienisreferringtothescienceofSarumanasopposedtothatofGandalf.The

science of Saruman is thatwhich pursues purely immediate goals; the sum of “the ends

justify themeans.”Gandalf’sapproach is thatoneof sciencemarryingart that resembles

magic,orthateffortlesslyproducesmagic.

Anall-aroundinterest—artisticandscientific—inthewordwasmatchedinTolkien

withthesameattitudeinnaturalsciences,thoughthisonedidnotfindasgreatanunfolding

asdidhisphilologicalstudiesorhisliterature.Tolkiendoesmorethanappreciatenature;he

wantstoparticipateinitsbeingandlife.Heretoothisisachievedthroughanunsuspected

andlittle-reportedscientificinterest,matchedbyhisothernaturalartisticcapacities.Wewill

turntothisaspectofhisactivitytohighlighthowTolkienthewriterwasaccompaniedand

supportedbyTolkienthepainter.Allinallwehaveamanwholivesasamatteroffactinthe

world of imagination. Imagination itself serves him to characterize the world; in his

scientific/analyticworkitsupportsandcomplementshisprecise,fact-basedunderstanding

ofanysubjectmatter.

TOLKIENTHEPAINTER

FromthedaysofhisadolescenceTolkienhadenjoyeddrawingfromnature.Evenduringhis

studiesTolkiendidnotgiveupthisartisticinterest;hesoonstartedtodrawmoreandmore

fromwhataroseinhisimaginationandinfactinventinglandscapes.Theseaplayedagreat

partinhisinspiration,andmostofhisillustrationswereconcernedwiththeimaginations

arisinginhiswritings.

MuchofwhatTolkienincorporatedinhisbodyofmythsandlegendscameinstrong

visionsordreams.Thisispartofwhatenablesthereadertoenterhisinventedworldsand


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whileinthemfeelpartofaworldthatevokesalastingsenseofwonder.ForTolkiensomeof

thesevisionshadsuchacompellingpresenceandstrengththatwritingwasameansoflaying

themtorest.Thisiswhathespecificallytoldfriendsabouthis“GreatWavedream,”which

he jokinglycalledhis“Atlantiscomplex” ina jibetothepsychologists.ToW.H.Audenhe

wrote:“Imeantheterriblerecurrentdream(beginningwithmemory)oftheGreatWave,

toweringup,andcominginineluctablyoverthetreesandgreenfields.(Ibequeatheditto

Faramir.)Idon’tthinkIhavehaditsinceIwrote‘DownfallofNúmenor’asthelastofthe

legends of the First and Second Age.”61 Arguably many of Tolkien’s abstract or most

imaginativepaintingsservedthesamepurpose.

Soonafterextensivelydrawingfromnature,andbeforeenteringtheworldofhisown

visions and dreams, Tolkien undertook a series of early drawings on abstract themes,

includingBefore,Afterwards,andWickedness.Particularlyinterestingisapaintingentitled

Thought (1912),whichportrays the themeasamythicalbeing.WayneG.Hammondand

ChristinaScullbelieveitcouldbesomeoneliketheValarcalledManwëinTheSilmarillion.62

InTheLostRoadwearetoldthat“Manwë,greatestoftheValar,satnowlonginthought,and

at length he spoke to the Valar, revealing to them the mind of the Father.”63What is

fascinating, according to Hammond and Scull, is that the painting antedates the earliest

Silmarillionwritingsbytwoyears.Andtheauthorsconclude,“Tolkien’sart [illustrations]

foreshadowedhistexts.”64Itismycontentionthatthethemesofthesepaintingswerefar

fromabstractexperiencesorartisticinventions.Wewillreturntothem.

AnothertwoabstractpaintingsweretitledUndertenishness,inwhichonecanseeboth

aforestandtheoutlineofasymmetricalbutterfly,anditscompanionGrownupishness.One

cannothelpfeelingthatTolkienisexploringpolarities.AnotherpaintingcalledOtherPeople

pointstoTolkien’sfeelingsthatotherpeoplewerepreventinghimfromwalkinghispath.A

moreoptimisticpainting,itsseemingpolarity,isthatofafigurehappilywalkingoffacliff

towardsashiningsun,stars,andmoonunderthehorizon.ThesearepartofwhatHammond

61Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,213.62HammondandScull,J.R.R.Tolkien,37.63QuotedinHammondandScull,J.R.R.Tolkien,37.64HammondandScull,J.R.R.Tolkien,37.

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andScullcallsometwenty“visionarypictures”thatTolkienpaintedbetween1911and1913.

Hecollectedtheminanenvelopethatwaslabeled“EarliestIshnesses,”probablyreferringto

picturesdrawnfromtheimagination,ratherthanfromnatureandlife.

Ofparticularinteresttoourexplorationsaretwootherpaintings:TheLandofPohja

andWater,WindandSand,of1915.TheLandofPohjagivesaflavoroffuturedirectionssince

itisinspiredbyaKalevalatheme.AndtheKalevalawouldsoondrawTolkienintoFinnish

studies,andthecreationoftheQuenyalanguageandthemythologyofTheSilmarillion.From

thetimeofthiswork,withfewexceptions,nearlyallofTolkien’spaintingsrefertohisown

writings.Theymirrortheexplosiveunleashingofhisimagination.

ThepaintingWater,WindandSandof1915isanillustrationforthepoem“SeaSong

ofanElderDay,”whichwasreelaboratedinthreeversions.Itwasatleastpartlyinspiredby

Tolkien’svisittoCornwall’sLizardpeninsula—themostsouth-westerlypointoftheBritish

mainland—whichleftadeepimpressiononhissoul.Thesecondversion,“SeaChantofan

ElderDay,”datestoMarch1915.Thethirdversion,“TheHornsofYlmir[Ulmo],”becamethe

songTuorsingstohissonEärendilintheirexilefollowingthefallofGondolin,anotherof

The Silmarillion themes. The illustration, Hammond and Scull deduct, must have been

executedforoneofthefirsttwoversionsofthepoem.65Ofgreat interest isa little figure

enclosedinawhitesphereatthefootofthepainting,pointingtosomeonebeingtransported

intothesceneoutofhisbody.ItcouldpointinfacttoTolkienhimselfexperiencingthescene

inavision.Theauthorsconclude,“Tolkien’screativitysometimesworkedinadvanceofhis

consciousness,andthepainteroccasionallyprecededthepoet.”ItisasifTolkienbothsaw

andheardsimultaneouslytheelementsofhismythology.

AnotherpaintingoftheepochistheonecalledTanaqui,whichdoesnotcorrespond

to the formof themountain that Tolkien calls Taniquetil. It seems thatTanaqui ismore

closelyassociatedwiththepoem“Kôr,”writtenalsoin1915.ThenameKôrreferstoboth

theElvencityandthehilluponwhichitwasbuilt.InlatertimesTolkiencalleditTirionupon

Túna.

65HammondandScull,J.R.R.Tolkien,46.

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Tolkien’s imagination lived in the word and in the inner wealth of images that

surfacedinhisconsciousnessthroughdreamsandvisions.Butitwentbeyond,topermeate

allofhisworldview.

TOLKIENANDTHEIMAGINATION

Tolkienfeltveryathomeintheworldofancientlegendsandmyths.Becausetheystillspoke

withclaritytohisconsciousness,hewasalarmedthatmostpeoplewouldnottakeheedof

theimportanceoffairytalesandmyths.ToTolkientheyspokeofeternaltruths.

OvertheyearsthecharactersofTolkien’sstories,manyofwhichliterallyirruptedin

thecontentofhislegendarium,tookalifeandarealityoftheirowninhispsycheandlife.As

anexampleofmany,toRaynerUnwin(sonofhispublisher)hewrote:“Ifeel,ifImaysayso,

thatourrelationsare likethatofRohanandGondor[twokingdomsfromTheLordofthe

Rings], and (as youknow) formypart theoathofEorlwill neverbebroken, and I shall

continuetorelyinandbegratefulforthewisdomandcourtesyofMinasTirith.”66

Above, as in so many other instances, Tolkien makes his point with an image.

Followingtheimage,onecansensethelawfulnessofhisthinking.Suchishisparallelofthe

CatholicChurchwiththegrowthofaplant:

“Mychurch”wasnotintendedbyOurLordtobestaticorremaininperpetualchildhood;

buttobealivingorganism(likenedtoaplant),whichdevelopsandchangesinexternals

bytheinteractionofitsbequeatheddivinelifeandhistory—theparticularcircumstances

oftheworldintowhichitisset.Thereisnoresemblancebetweenthe“mustard-seed”and

thefull-growntree.Forthoselivinginthedaysof itsbranchinggrowththeTreeisthe

thing,forthehistoryofalivingthingispartofitslife,andthehistoryofadivinethingis

sacred.Thewisemayknowthatitbeganwithaseed,butitisvaintotryanddigitup,for

itnolongerexists,andthevirtueandpowersthatithadnowresideintheTree.Verygood:

butinhusbandrytheauthorities,thekeepersoftheTree,mustlookafterit,accordingto

suchwisdomastheypossess,pruneit,removecankers,riditofparasites,andsoforth.67

Heendshis imaginativeappraisalbypointingoutthatthosewhowanttogoback ‘tothe

seed’(earlyChristianity)willdodamagebecausenaturecannotgoback,andbecausethey


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do so naively believing that that stagewas free from evils. The images allow Tolkien to

livingly enter the realm of polarities, the yins and yangs of existence that cannot be too

strictlydefined;onlylivinglyapprehended.

LetuscontinuewithaverytellingexampleofTolkien’srecoursetoimaginationasa

waytoperceiverealityaroundhim.Tolkienhadbeeninterestedinmanyschoolsofpainting

andexperimentedwiththeminhisyouth.IncomingacrossSurrealismhequalifieditas“a

state similar in quality and consciousness of morbidity to a high fever, when the mind

develops a distressing fecundity and facility in figure-making, seeing forms sinister or

grotesqueinallvisibleobjectsaboutit.”68Heretooit is interestingthathisassessmentis

givenwithanimage.

TwoofTolkien’sessaysaredevotedtolightanddarkness:“Beowulf,”writtenin1937

and“OnFairy-Stories”of1939.In“Beowulf”Tolkiencharacterizestheattitudeofmodern

researchers,when itcomestounderstandingmythor fairytales,witha littleparable.He

comparesEnglishwordstostonesandtheheritageofmythandlegendtoanoldhall.He

furthercomparesthelivinglanguageofapoettoahousethatborrowedsomeofthestones

oftheoldhall.69Thepoetbuildsatowerwithsomeofthestonesoftheoldhallaswell,from

whichhecanseefaroffoverthesea.Thescholarlyattitudeofthetimecorrespondstothat

ofpushingthetoweroverinordertoseeif theycanfindsomethingunderit,suchasold

inscriptions,whileallalongbelievingthatonlyanoddfellowwouldhavebuiltsuchatower

inthefirstplace.Thesescholarswillnotentrustthemselvestothestructureandvisionof

thepoemandthusmisstheopportunitytobecarriedbeyondthemselves,whichisexactly

whatTolkienattempts:toengagehisimaginationandletitbemovedinordertoparticipate

intheconsciousnessfromwhichtheBeowulfpoemsprang.

InthecaseofBeowulfTolkienwantsthereadertounderstandthatitisdeathbythe

forcesofdarknessthatgivesthepoemitsmeaning.Itisforthisreasonthatmonsters,not

otherhumanadversaries,intervene.AndTolkienperceivesthattheenemiesthatthefairy

storiesportraylivebothoutsideofandwithinthehumanbeing.

68HammondandScull,J.R.R.Tolkien,11.69Tolkien,MonstersandtheCritics,7–8.

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InviewofalltheaboveitisnottoosurprisingthatTolkienhadacertainabilityfor

acting. Inhisyouthhe took thepartofHermes inAristophanes’ThePeace, and later the

centralroleofMrs.MalapropinSheridan’sTheRivals.Hisperformanceswerepraised.Before

thewarhehadimpersonatedChaucerinthe“SummerDiversions”thattookplaceinOxford.

OneyearherecitedbyhearttheNun’sPriest’sTale,thenextoneTheReeve’sTale.Tolkien

alsotookadvantageoftheseactingskillswhenteaching.Theywouldallowhimtobringhis

subjecttolife,aswhenhewouldimpersonateanAnglo-Saxonbard,leadingthewriterJ.I.M.

Stewarttocomment,“Hecouldturnalectureroomintoameadhallinwhichhewasthebard

andwewerefeasting,listeningguests.”70

InclosingthispreliminaryexplorationofTolkien’sinnerworld,wewouldbeamiss

nottolookatTolkien’suniquelyindividualrelationshiptoChristianity.Afterall,heindicated

that this was one of the very important influences in his life. This too rested on strong

imaginativefoundations.

TOLKIENANDCHRISTIANITY

VariousauthorshavelinkedTolkien’sChristianitytoostronglytothedeathofhismother,

whomheconsideredamartyrtothefaith.Toseeitfromthisperspectivealonewouldbe

limiting.Tolkienclearly indicates inwhichwaythis faithwaspeculiarlyhisown.Wecan

detect at least two elements in it: a clearly devotional aspect linked to the practice of

Communion,andauniqueimaginativeunderstandingofthelifeofChristasamyth,though

ahistoricallyenactedmyth.Letuslookatboth.

Mabel Tolkien appointed Father Xavier to be the guardian of her two sons. She

arranged for themto livewith theirauntBeatrice,not far fromtheOratory.TheOratory

becameyoungRonald’srealhome,wherehisreligiousviewswereformedintheseyears.He

wasveryattachedtoofferinghisconfessionbeforeCommunion.Ininstanceswhenhefelt

unabletogotoconfessionhewoulddeprivehimselfofCommunionaswell.Atthosetimes,

Carpenter indicates, he would experience “a pathetic state of spiritual depression.”71 In



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reverse,Communioncouldoftenbringhimtoastateofgreatspiritualjoy.Thismaybewhy

TolkiencalledCommunion“theonlycureforsaggingorfaintingfaith.”72

Tolkienrelated to theOldandNewTestamentsashedid tomyths.ToC.S.Lewis

expressingearlyonthatmythsarelies,Tolkienenergeticallycounteredthattheyweren’t.

Heconveyedthatthey“reflectasplinteredfragmentofthetruelight,theeternaltruththat

isinGod.”73AndinTolkien’sestimationthestoryofChristisbothatruemythandahistorical

event.Tolkienfeltthatwhathadonlybeenannouncedintheimagesoftheresurrectionof

thegodsinoldmythsbecamehistoricalintheCrucifixionandResurrectionofChrist.While

ahistoricalevent,thedeedofGolgothaalsoretainedthequalityofmyth:

The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kindwhich embraces all the

essenceof fairy-stories.Theycontainmanymarvels—peculiarlyartistic,beautiful,and

moving: “mythical” in their perfect, self-contained significance. . . . But this story has

enteredHistory and theprimaryworld; thedesire andaspirationof sub-creationhas

been raised to the fulfillment of Creation. The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe

[contraryofcatastrophe]ofMan’shistory.TheResurrectionistheeucatastropheofthe

storyoftheIncarnation.Thisstorybeginsandendsinjoy.Ithaspre-eminentlythe“inner

consistencyofreality.”74

TorelatetomuchofTolkien’smeta-historicalunderstandingoftheworld,wemust

placethehumanbeingamidtheconditionofEden,theChristianFall,andtheeventofChrist’s

CrucifixionandResurrection.TalkingaboutEden,Tolkientellsus:

IdonotnowfeeleitherashamedordubiousontheEden“myth.”...certainlytherewas

anEdenonthisveryunhappyearth.Wealllongforit,andweareconstantlyglimpsingit:

ourwholenatureat itsbestandleastcorrupted, itsgentlestandmosthumane, isstill

soakedwiththissenseof“exile.”75

This tension between Fall and Resurrection informs much of Tolkien’s worldview and

imagination,eventhoughheneverallowedhisfaithtoentertheworldofhiscreation.

72Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,337–39.73WalterHooper,interviewwithJosephPearce,Oxford,August20,1966,quotedinPearce,Tolkien,ManandMyth,58.

74Tolkien,“OnFairy-Stories,”MonstersandtheCritics,155–56.75Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,109–10.

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InTolkien’sviewhumankindhasbeenalienatedfromitsdivineoriginthroughthe

biblical Fall. To this Fall Tolkien attributes the strange fate and guilt thatweighs on the

humancondition.Theneedtoescape—thatTolkieneffectedinhismythsandstories—offers

the possibility to return; to overcome human separation and experience re-union,

communion. And the final “great escape,” the greatest consolation offered by the happy

ending, is the escape fromdeath, an experienceof Christ’sResurrection. ForTolkien the

Christian storyoffers the final consolation; it promises re-unionandabsolves fromguilt.

EverythingthatTolkiencalledsub-creation—underwhichheincludedallliterarycreation—

echoestheprimaryexperienceoftheresurrection.

Tolkien’s life trials allowed him to know the most tragic dichotomies and open

woundsofthemodernsoul—suchasabandonment,hunger,anddeath—andthetrialsofthe

20th century at large—social inequality, the ravages of industrialization, and the most

devastatingdestructionthatwarcouldbring.

Fromveryearlyonhehadastrongrelationshipwith,andloveforlanguage,which

evolvedinasmanydirectionsaspossible:fromthecreationofnewlanguagestotheyearning

foranEnglishmythology,tothepursuitoftheunderstandingofhowlanguagehasevolved

andconsciousnesschangedwithit.Thus,hebroughttogetherscienceandart,eventhough

athearthewasfirstandforemostanartist.

Indeed,Tolkienwasanartistthroughandthrough.Hehadagiftforkeenobservation

ofnaturalphenomena,whichnaturallyvergedintotheartistic.Thisledhimtodrawingand

painting,overwhichhehadsomedegreeofmasteryandwhichsupportedhiminhisliterary

pursuits.

Whatappearsinthe“external”Tolkienismirroredinthe“inner”Tolkien,asitwere.

Tolkienhadanuncannyability,orratherpreference,forexpressinghimselfinfullyartistic

andimaginativeterms.Whetherhereferredtomattersofreligionormodernevents,hesaw

inthemarealitythatcouldnotbeencompassedwiththesimple,oftenstrongopinionsof

whichhis contemporaries in timesofdeeppolarization, suchas theworldwars, seemed

mostfond.Rather,hefeltthatthenuancesofacomplexrealitycouldonlybestbecaptured

withanencompassing,oftenprovokingimage.

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WehaveattemptedtocircumambulateTolkien’sbeingfrom360degrees,asitwere,

andoffereddifferentandcomplementaryperspectives.Wewillnowattempttobringthese

together,toshowhowthewholeismorethanthesumoftheparts.

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CHAPTER3

ADeeperLookatTolkien

BeforehimstoodtheTree,hisTreefinished.IfyoucouldsaythatofaTreethatwasalive,its

leavesopening,itsbranchesgrowingandbendinginthewindthatNigglehadsooftenfelt

andguessed,andhadsooftenfailedtocatch.HegazedattheTree,andslowlyheliftedhis

armsandopenedthemwide.

“It’sagift!”hesaid.

—J.R.R.Tolkien,LeafbyNiggle

Wehavejustfinishedlookingatthehistorical,externalsideofTolkien’spersonality.This

chapterwillattempttoexploreTolkien’srichinnerlife.Whatspecialqualitieswerepresent

in such a large soul? How did Tolkien see the world, and what were the formative

experiences thatreflectedand laid the foundation forbeingable towriteTheLordof the

Rings?Wewillcallthem“livingintheword,”“livinginthedream,”and“livinginFaery.”

WewillthusexplorewhatmadeTolkien’srelationshiptolanguageunique.First,his

loveforlanguagealreadyappearedinveryearlydays;itsomehowmarkedoutTolkienfor

hisdestinyandtask.Second,Tolkienhadspiritualexperiences,whichwereliketheexposed

tip of the iceberg of his personality. Chief among themwaswhat appears tome to be a

previous-lifeexperienceinso-calledAtlantis,whichopenedupforhimanunderstandingof

thelifeofbigdreamsandvisions.Finally,thewayitselfinwhichTolkienwaslaunchedinto

hislegendariumcouldbeseenasanextensionofhisspiritualexperiences,oratleastgiveus

indicationsaboutaveryuniquekindofliteraryinspiration.

LIVINGINTHEWORD

FromanearlyageTolkienwasinterestedinwordsfortheirownsake,fascinatedbytheir

soundandmusicality.Helovedtorecitewordsregardlessoftheirmeaning,somuchsothat

onecanstarttogainafeelingthattheytooktheplaceofmusicinthechild’smind.Languages

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fascinatedhim.DuringhisdaysatKingEdwards,whilelearningGreek,hewasenthralledby

thecontrastbetweenitsfluidity,itshardness,andits“surfaceglitter.”Inhiscollegedayshe

tookupthestudyofOldWelsh,whosesoundhedeeplyappreciated,justasachildhestood

spellboundbytheWelshplacenamesoncoaltrucks:Nantyglo,Senghenydd,Blaenrhondda,

Penrhiwceiber.

InventedLanguages

WhenreferringtohiswritingsTolkienoncesaidthat

it is not a hobby [writing and publishing fairy-stories and romances], in the sense of

somethingquitedifferentfromsomeone’swork,takenupasarelief-outlet.Theinvention

oflanguagesisthefoundation.The“stories”weremaderathertoprovideaworldforthe

languagethanthereverse.Tomeanamecomesfirstandthestoryfollows.Ishouldhave

preferredtowriteinElvish.76

Statementslikethesearenotisolated.Infactsomethingofthisverysamenaturewasstated

byTolkieninrelationtoTheLordoftheRings.Andwhen,around1930,Tolkienjotteddown

almostwithout thinking, “Inahole in theground there livedahobbit,”hewaswritinga

sentencethatonlylaterwouldtakehiminthedirectionofthecelebratedTheHobbit.Atthe

timehestillhadtodiscoverthenatureofaHobbit.

To see how all of this is possible, let us take a look at Tolkien’s love affair with

languages.DuringsecondaryschoolwhileimmersedintheofficialGreekandLatinstudies,

heturnedhisinteresttoGothic,Anglo-Saxon,andWelsh.Thisstudyfedhisearlytastefor

inventing his own idioms, particularly his early Elvish language, aboutwhich one of his

eulogist comments, “This was no arbitrary gibberish, but a really possible tongue, with

consistentroots,soundlaws,andinflexions, intowhichhepouredallhis imaginativeand

philologicalpowers.”77 It is very indicative thatTolkien firstdeveloped languages forhis

beings(particularlytheElves)andthendevelopedamythologyforthem.VerlynFlieger,who

hasdevotedmuchofherlifetoanunderstandingofTolkien,concludes,“Languagecamefirst,

andhis development of it forcedhim to realize that there canbeno languagewithout a

76Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,219.77QuotedinPearce,Tolkien,ManandMyth,33.

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peoplewhospeakit,nopeoplewithoutaculturewhichexpressesthem,noculturewithout

amythwhichinformsandshapesit.”78

ThereaderwillrememberthatTolkienfirstwrotehisowndragonstorywhenhewas

seven.Hismotherpointedoutthathecouldnotsay“agreengreatdragon”butonly“agreat

green dragon.” This puzzled him and moved him from stories to language. On a later

occasion,uponreadingtheCristhecameacrosstwolinesaboutEarendel:“HailEarendel,

brightestofangels/abovethemiddle-earthsentuntomen.”Referringto the timeof the

discoveryTolkien later commented, “Therewas somethingvery remote and strange and

beautifulbehindthesewords,ifIcouldgraspit,farbeyondancientEnglish.”79Thisoffered

himthemotivationtostartworkingonhisownLayofEarendel.

InordertounderstandtheimportanceofTolkien’sinventedlanguages,wewillfirst

look at his biography and letters, then to some of his unfinishedwork.He delivered his

lectureASecretVicetotheJohnsonSociety,PembrokeCollege,Oxford,in1931.80Itcouldbe

arguedthiswasthefirsttimeTolkienspokepublicly,thoughinaveryveiledfashion,about

hisworkin“sub-creation.”Tolkiencallshissecretpassionbotha“newgame”anda“new

art.”

In chronological order Tolkien first mentions Nevbosh (the “New Nonsense”) a

language that he invented together with his cousin Marjorie Incledon. The language

phoneticallydistortedwordsfromcommonlanguages(English,French,Latin);itwascloser

toacodethananinventedlanguageandwasonlysharedbythetwoinventors.

SoonafterTolkienturnedhisenergiestoNaffarin,basedonLatinandSpanish.Hefelt

itwasastepforwardbecausethroughitheattemptedtofulfill “the instinct for linguistic

invention—the fitting of notion to oral symbol, and pleasure in contemplating the new

relationshipestablished.”81Atthetimeofthelectureheoutlinedwhathethoughtwerethe

essentialelementsforlanguageinvention:

78Flieger,SplinteredLight,60.79Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,64.80Tolkien,ASecretVice,xii.81Tolkien,ASecretVice,15–16.

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- thecreationofaestheticallypleasingsoundforms

- asenseoffitnessbetweensymbolandmeaning

- anelaborateandingeniousgrammar

- afictionalhistoricalbackgroundthatgives“anillusionofcoherenceandunitytothe

whole”

TherehadbeenvariousinventedlanguagesbeforeTolkien.Examplesincludethose

ofThomasMore,BishopGodwyn, CyranodeBergerac, and Jonathan Swift. Specimensof

inventedlanguagesalsoappearedintheworksofEdwardBulwer(LordLytton),EdgarAllan

Poe,andPercyGreg.Inaddition,thelate1920sandearly1930ssawthedevelopmentofso-

called International Auxiliary Languages and language experimentation in art, mainly

throughtheliterarymovementofModernism.AmongtheInternationalAuxiliaryLanguages

wereVolapük,Ido,Novial,andthemorewell-knownEsperanto.Interestingly,Tolkienwasa

patronofthe24thBritishEsperantoCongressin1933.Althoughhelenthissupporttothe

developmentofthelanguage,hejudgedthenewlyinventedlanguage,andalltheotherones,

deadbecausethoroughlydeprivedofapast,realorfictional.82

Tolkienfinallybrokethroughtoamoreproductiveexperimentwhenheturnedhis

attention towhatwould becomeQuenya,which hadmuch of its rooting in Finnish. The

languagewasinTolkien’smindderivedfromanearlierform—fromwhichasecondElvish

language was later added—and used by the Elves of Middle-earth. A second language,

Sindarin,wasmorecloselymodeledaroundWelsh.

TolkiensetthebasisforhisQuenyalanguageinthespringof1915inhisTheQuenya

LexiconandtheQuenyaPhonology.ThelanguagewasinspiredbyTolkien’sloveofFinnish

andhisreadingoftheKalevala.Heretooloveoflanguageandmythologygohandinhand:

QuenyawasusedatlengthinTheBookofLostTales.Andby1920Tolkienhadcompletedhis

QuenyaGrammar.TolkienexpressedthatinQuenyahefoundhis“ownmostnormalphonetic

taste.”

SindarinwasoriginallycalledGnomishorGoldogrin.ItwasassociatedwiththeElves

exiledfromValinor,alsooriginallycalledGnomesorNoldoli.TolkienusedWelshsoundsto

82Tolkien,ASecretVice,xlvii.

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buildthesecondlanguage.Heusedasystemofmutation(howwordsareaffectedwhenthey

areclosetootherwords)almostidenticalwithWelshmutations.Thissecondlanguagealso

appearedinTheBookofLostTales.ItwasfinallycalledSindarin,thelanguageoftenusedin

TheLordoftheRings.TolkienassociatesQuenyawiththehighestElvenrace,andwiththe

highestandpurestofhisimaginedbeings.Quenyahadmoreopenvowels,asinFinnish,than

hisSindarin.

Around1937TolkienwroteTheLhammas(“Accountof theTongues”) inwhichhe

created a “Tree of Tongues” showing how each language is related to older ones and

contemporaryones,andhowthelanguageofElvesrelatedtothatofMenandDwarves.83Out

ofanoriginalrootlanguagehederivestwelveElvishlanguagesordialects.Thesplintering

oftheselanguagesoccurredwhentheElveswentseparateways.Atfirstsomedecidedto

jointheValar(thegods)intheWest,andothersremainedbehind.LatersomeoftheElves

lefttheWesttoreturntoMiddle-earth.Thelanguagesplinteredateachstepoftheway.

Tolkien’sLoveofLanguage

InhislegendariumTolkientookgreatcareinthedeterminationofhisnames.Hegavealot

of attention to them and wrote with a certain pride to Stanley Unwin his publisher:

“PersonallyIbelieve(andherebelieveIamagoodjudge)theyaregood,andalargepartof

theeffect.Theyarecoherentandconsistentandmadeupontworelatedlinguisticformulae,

sothattheyachievearealitynotfullyachievedtomyfeelingbyothername-inventors(say

SwiftorDunsany).”84

HumphreyCarpenter,Tolkien’sbiographer,hasretracedhowtheauthorwouldform

thenameswithgreatcarebyfirstdecidingonameaning,thendevelopingtheformfirstin

onelanguagethenintheother(mostoftenheusedSindarinasthelastversion).Atother

times, however, he would construct a name that seemed appropriate to the character

withoutregardtolinguisticroots.OvertimeTolkiencametolookuponhislanguagesasreal

ones.Inthismoodhewouldapproachcontradictionsorunsatisfyingnamesnotasproblems

tobefixed,butsomethingtobediscovered,leadingCarpentertoconclude,“Inpartitwasan

83InTheLostRoad,quotedinTolkien,ASecretVice,xxix.84Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,26.

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intellectualgameofPatience...andinpartitgrewfromhisbeliefintheultimatetruthofhis

mythology.”85

SomuchfortheofficialTolkien.SomethingmoreappearsfromtheTolkienoffiction,

theTolkienthatspeaksthroughhischaracters,especiallyintwoworksofsciencefiction,or

rathertime-travel,thatremainedincomplete:TheLostRoadandTheNotionClubPapers.

TheLostRoad,whichmeandersthroughvarioushistoricalages,wastoendwiththe

heroatthedrowningofAtlantis.Timetraveliswhatoccursinconsciousnessthroughthe

intermediaryofunusualpersonalexperiences, rather thanresorting to timemachinesor

other technological devices. The book spans epochs of time through the thread of serial

identityoffather-sonpairings.Acloselytunedfatherandsonpairdreamthemselvesbackin

timeandcarrythethreadoftheirfolkmemory,throughserial identityoftheirpreceding

ancestors.Inotherwordsthereisacollectivememoryrunningthroughthebloodlines.

The book was initially meant to have a series of historical settings, culminating

backwardsintheAtlanteanepisode.Amongthese:aLombardstory,a“Norsestoryofship-

burial,”a“Tuatha-de-Danaanstory,”astoryconcerning“paintedcaves,”andothersbefore

thefloodofNúmenor.Thebook’snarrativeisinterruptedatthefourthchapter,attheplace

inwhich themaincharacterswouldhaveenteredtheexplorationof the fallofNúmenor.

CarpenterestimatesthatTolkien’sTheLostRoadwaswrittensometimeafterthecompletion

of the legend of Atlantis/Númenor, which corresponds to “Akallabêth,” a part of The

Silmarillion.86WewillreturntotheimportanceofAtlantissoon.

Tolkien’s son Christopher indicates that The Lost Road is a kind of idealized

autobiography.87 It is in this attempted time travel that Tolkien portrays the history

professorAlboinwhohearswordsriseinhisconsciousness“thatseemtobefragmentsof

ancientandforgottenlanguages.”

Thefatherandsonpair,OswinandAlboin,arethemaincharactersinthefirstpartof

theplot,andAlboincloselyconveysmuchoftheautobiographicalflavor.Thedatespenciled

85Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,95.86Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,170.87Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,53.

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inforhisbirth—February4,1890/1891—correspondtoonlyoneortwoyearsearlierand

onedayafterTolkien’sbirthdate.88

LikeTolkien,AlboinhastolearnGreek.However,onhisownhedecidestostudyOld

English, Norse, Welsh, and Irish, though these are not encouraged in his curriculum—

anotherautobiographicalparallel.“Alboinlikedtheflavouroftheoldernorthernlanguages,

quiteasmuchashelikedsomeofthethingswritteninthem....sound-changeswereahobby

ofhis,attheagewhenotherboyswerelearningabouttheinsidesofmotor-cars.”89Andhe

hadanintuitivegraspoftheselanguages,ofwhathecalls“languageatmosphere”:

You get echoes coming through, you know, in oddwords here and there—often very

commonwordsintheirownlanguage,butquiteunexplainedbytheetymologists;andin

thegeneral shapeandsoundofall thewords, somehow;as if somethingwaspeeping

throughfromdeepunderthesurface.90

AtonepointAlbointellshisfather:“ButIgotalotofjollynewwordsafewdaysago:

Iamsurelomelindemeansnightingale,forinstance,andcertainlylomeisnight(thoughnot

darkness).”91Noticehere that thewordscome,and then theyare interpretedas for their

meaning;contrarytotheprocessofartificiallycreatingalanguage.ItseemsthatTolkienis

revealinghere—inthecomfortofanunpublishedbook—somethingmoreabouthispassion

forlanguages.

Wegetafeelingofhowthethemesofmythology,culture,andlanguagearepartand

parcelofthewholesearchofAlboin,whosays“Iliketogoback—andnotwithraceonly,or

cultureonly,orlanguage;butwithallthree.”92SurveyinghislifeAlboinsayssomethingthat

Tolkiencouldhaverelatedto:thatthepurposeormoodofhislifehasbeenoneoftraveling

backintime,anexperiencethatheequatestowalkingonlong-forgottenroads,echoingthe

titleofthebook.

88Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,53.89Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,39.90Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,40.91Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,41.92Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,40.

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TheNotionClubPapersportendtoreportthemeetingsofanOxforddiscussiongroup

calledtheNotionClub,thatresembledinspiritmuchoftheInklings.Manyofthemembers

oftheclubcarrypartsofTolkien’spersona.Thepublishedpartofthestoryrevolvesaround

Númenor/Atlantis,orTolkien’sGreatWavedream.

AmongthecharacterswhobearsomeresemblancetoTolkienareRamer,professor

ofFinno-Ugricphilology;AlwinArundelLowdham,interestedinAnglo-Saxon,Icelandic,and

comparativephilology;andWilfridTrewinJeremy,whospecializesinescapismandwrites

abouttimetravelandimaginarylands.AninterestingadditionisthatofRupertDolbear,who

actsa little likeTolkien’sconsciousness,alertinguswhensomethingrelevant isabout to

happen,orofferingseeminglyfar-off,butquitetothepoint,insights.

InthestoryLowdham,whoreceiveswordsinhissleepconsciousness,explains:

Mostofthese“ghost-words”...begantocomethroughasIsaid,whenIwasaboutten:

andalmostatonceIstartedtonotethemdown....Butlateron,whenIwasolderandI

hadalittlemorelinguisticexperience,Ibegantopayseriousattentiontomy“ghosts”,

andsawthattheyweresomethingquitedifferentfromthegameoftryingtomakeup

privatelanguages.93

NotethathereTolkienbringstogethertwoelements;thedesiretocraftaprivatelanguage,

andtheinspirationthroughwhichhereceiveswordsinhissleep.Thistooseemstomirror

Tolkien’sevolutioninrelationtolanguagesthathefirstinventsandlaterdiscovers.

Further in what becomes very interesting in relation to Tolkien’s life, the same

Lowdhamstates:

AssoonasIstartedlookingoutforthem,sotospeak,theghostsbegantocomeoftener

andclearer;andwhenIhadgotalotofthemnoteddown,Isawthattheywerenotallof

the samekind: theyhaddifferentphonetic styles, stylesasunlikeas,well—Latinand

Hebrew....Well,firstofallIrecognizedthatalotoftheseghostswereAnglo-Saxon,or

relatedstuff.WhatwasleftIarrangedintwolists,AandB,accordingtotheirstyle,with

athirdrag-baglistCforoddthingsthatdidn’tseemtofitinanywhere.Butitwaslanguage

Athatreallyattractedme;justsuitedme.Istilllikeitbest.94

Thequestionoflanguagepreferencetoohasaverybiographicalecho.

93Tolkien,SauronDefeated,238.94Tolkien,SauronDefeated,238.

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ConcerninglanguagesAandBLowdhamthenrealizesthattheyarerelatedneitherto

anylanguageeverheardnorwiththelanguagesheinventedatanearlystage.Andthenhe

addsthat

theycamethroughmade:soundandsensealreadyconjoined.Icannolongernigglewith

them than I can alter the sound of thewordpolis in Greek. . . . Nothing changes but

occasionally my spelling. . . . In other words they have the effect and taste of real

languages.Butonecanhavepreferencesamongreallanguages,andasIsay,IlikeAbest.95

LowdhamcallsthetwolanguagesAvallonianandAdunaic,andmarkshispreference

fortheolderoneofthetwo,Avallonian.Adunaicisinconsciousnessclosertothepresent.

“ButAvallonian...Seemstomemoreaugust,moreancient,and,well,sacredandliturgical.I

usedtocall itElven-Latin.Theechoesof itcarryonefaraway.Veryfaraway.Awayfrom

Middle-earthaltogether,Iexpect.”96ThecharacterizationofElven-LatinrendersAvallonian

reminiscentofTolkien’sofficialQuenya,whichhepreferredoverthelaterSindarin.

Language:ScienceandArt

Inhisfirstattemptatcollegein1913,TolkiendidnotachieveFirstClassHonourModerations

(onlyaSecondClass)butneverthelessachieveda“purealpha”orapracticallyfaultlesspaper

inComparativePhilology.AfterbeingdischargedfromthearmyTolkien’sfirstjoboccupied

himforatimeatputtingthefinishingtouchesatoneofthemostcomprehensiveeffortsever

tocraftanEnglishdictionary.Dr.Bradley,whosupervisedthework,saidofTolkien:“His

workgivesevidenceofanunusualmasteryofAnglo-Saxonandofthefactsandprinciplesof

thecomparativegrammaroftheGermaniclanguages.IndeedIhavenohesitationinsaying

thatIhaveneverknownamanofhisagewhoisintheserespectshisequal.”97

Inhis earlydaysatOxfordTolkienwanted to reduce thegapbetweenwhatwere

called Language (philology) and Literature. There were many factions and strong

animosities.UndertakingthistaskwasnaturalforTolkiensincehisloveforphilologywas

firmly grounded in appreciation for literature. By 1931 he had achieved a remarkable

95Tolkien,SauronDefeated,240.96Tolkien,SauronDefeated,241.97Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,101.

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success—thanksinparttothesupportofC.S.Lewis.Hewastherecognizedarchitectofa

revised syllabus that achieved a great deal of rapprochement between Language and

Literature.

WehavealreadyexploredTolkien’sBeowulfessay.Inanotheressay,titled“Sigelwara

Land,” Tolkien concentrates on the meaning of the Old English word Sigelwaran or

Sigelhearwantostandforsomethinglike“blackpeoplelivinginahotregion.”Torecapture

meaningandunderstandingoftheconsciousnessofthetimes,thescholarlyattitudehasto

beaccompaniedbyawillingnesstostimulatetheimaginationtoenteralostdimensionof

consciousness. Tolkien’s scholarship allies here great precision with imaginative

penetration. On the basis of all the above Carpenter characterizes Tolkien’s philological

writingas“forcefulinitsimagery. . .howeverabstruseorunpromisingthesubjectmight

seem.”98ThusTolkiencombinedascrupulousandpainstakingconcernforaccuracywithan

uncannyabilityforunearthingpatternsandrelationships.

Thesameattitudeofscholarshipandimaginationpenetratesallhisfictionwork.The

LordoftheRingsisaBeowulfinreverse;heretheartisticparttakesthefrontseat,butthe

researcher isn’t that far off, accompanyinghis characters and geographyofMiddle-earth

withdigressions,maps,andappendices.HereagaintheestimationofVerlynFliegerisworth

quotinginfull:

Research into early forms and uses of words, the search after lost meanings and

nuances—ascientificstudyinthetruestsenseoftheword—ledhimthroughscienceinto

art,andfromartintoanalmostspiritualrealmwhereinthewordwastheconveyerof

primaltruth,themagicvehiclenotjustofcommunicationbutofgenuinecommunion.As

such,wordswere forTolkiennot justawindowontothepastbut thekeyto that lost

relationshipbetweenmanandGodofwhichoursenseoftheFallisouronlymemory.99

WewillreturntothisaspectofTolkien’sgenius.

Tolkienwaskeenlyawareofhowwordshavelostgreatpartoftheirmeaningand

magic in present time. He felt that farmers and tradesmen of old lived so fully in the

experienceofthewordthatthey“savouredwordslikemeatandwineandhoneyintheir

98Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,134.99Flieger,SplinteredLight,9.

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tongues.Especiallywhendeclaiming.Theymadeascrapofversemajesticallysonorous:like

thundermovingonaslowwind,orthetrampofmournersatthefuneralofaking.”They

wereabletopronouncethemeachinsuchawayastoevokeanexperiencefromnatureor

fromlife.Tolkienwastryingtocomplementmodernscientificconsciousnesswiththeartistic

perspective.Thiswasnotareturntothepast,butanevolutionthatmirroredatanewlevel

what was true in much earlier times. When he referred to the ancient times of his

legendarium,Tolkiensays,“ThelightofValinor(derivedfromlightbeforeanyfall) isthe

lightofartundivorcedfromreason,thatseesthingsbothscientifically(orphilosophically)

andimaginatively(orsub-creatively)and‘saysthattheyaregood’—asbeautiful”100Itisthis

determinationtonewlyunitescienceandartthatformsaconstantthreadinTolkien’swork.

AttheendofhislifeTolkien’sscholarlyworkwasrewardedwitha1972honorary

Doctorate of Letters from Oxford University. It was specifically for his contribution to

philology,notforTheLordoftheRingsorotherwritings.AndCarpentergoesasfarastosay

thathealmostfoundedanewschoolofphilology.Howisthisclaimjustified?InOnFairy

Stories Tolkien argues against the positions of philologists like Max Müller and George

Dasent and from evolutionary anthropology against the positions of Andrew Lang. He

countersMüller’sassertionthatmythologywasadiseaseoflanguagethus:“Mythologyisnot

adiseaseatall....Itwouldbemorenearthetruthtosaythatlanguages,especiallymodern

Europeanlanguages,areadiseaseofmythology.”101Whathesaidinjesthethenmoderated

bysayingthatlanguage,myth,andthecorrespondentculturearosetogetherandformedan

indivisiblewhole.Dasenthadfocusedonrace.Tolkiencounteredbyfocusingonthestory

itself, rather than its cultural background. To Lang who argued that fairy tales in their

savagenessbelongedtosomethinglikeaninfancyofhumandevelopment,Tolkienreplied

thatfairystorieswerenotforchildrenalone,thoughnotalladultsmayappreciatethem.This

issomethingheknewfirst-hand,sincehehadsuchadeepappreciationforthem.Inthesame

essayTolkienpredicates that the fairy tale isnotanescapebecause itdoesnotdeny the

realityofsorrowandfailure;itjustdeniesitsfinaldefeat.Tolkienwasthefirstscholarof

100Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,148.101Tolkien,“OnFairyStories,”inMonstersandtheCritics,121–22.

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stature to concern himselfwith the theme after the brothersGrimm; both sustained the

validityofthefairytalegenre.Untilthentheentiresubjecthadbeendismissedoutofhand.

PartofthisdeeppenetrationoftheWordcametoTolkienfrominnatefaculties,and

whatamountedtospiritualexperiencesthataccompaniedtheearlypartofhis life,aswe

haveseenmorecloselyfromhistwotime-travelbooks.Anotherimportantpartcametohim

throughtheworkofandacquaintancewithOwenBarfield.

Verlyn Flieger points to Tolkien sharing very close lines of thoughtwithBarfield,

anothermemberoftheInklings.Althoughhealsowrotefantasy,Barfieldshinesmostasa

creative thinker and philosopher; one of his early and persistent interests lay in the

relationshipbetweenmythandlanguage.Andhisrelatedthoughtsonthematterseemto

havehadalastinginfluenceonTolkien’soutlook.

WeknowofthedirecteffectofBarfield’stheoriesaboutlanguageonTolkienfroma

letterthatC.S.LewissenttoBarfield:

YoumightliketoknowthatwhenTolkiendinedwithmetheothernighthesaid,apropos

of something quite different, that your conception of the ancient semantic unity had

modified hiswhole outlook, and that hewas always just going to say something in a

lecturewhenyourconceptstoppedhimintime.“Itisoneofthosethings,”hesaid,“that

whenyou’veonceseenitthereareallsortsofthingsyoucanneversayagain.”102

NotethatTolkienwasnotonlytakinginBarfield’sideas,buthewasalwayscastingother

onesasideforgoodastheconsequenceofthis.Theydeepenedhisscholasticperceptions.

AlthoughTolkienandBarfieldsaweachother,theywerebothbetterfriendsofC.S.

Lewis.TolkienandBarfieldsharedacommoninterestinthehistoryoflanguageinrelation

toitsmyths.AndBarfieldfeltthatTolkien’sideaofsub-creationwasveryclosetohis“poet

asworld-maker,”closerthanLewishadbeentohim.ThereisnoevidencethatTolkienknew

oftheotherworksofBarfield.Butforthetwoofthemwordsweretheinstrumentsallowing

thesub-creatortoreunitewiththedivine.

InPoeticDictionBarfieldconsideredtheevolutionofwordsandtheevolutionoftheir

meaningintherelationsofperceptiontoword,andwordtoconcept.Heproposedthatthree

102Flieger,SplinteredLight,35–36.

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things are completely enmeshed into eachother: language,myth, and thehumanbeing’s

perceptionofhisworld.

In language’s infancy therewasno separationbetweena literal andametaphoric

meaning,betweenabstractandconcrete.Therewasinfactnosuchthingasametaphorwhen

the human being both perceived phenomena and lived in a kind ofmythic participation

withinthem.Andwordsintheearlystagesoflanguageenvelopedaworldofmeaning,many

interpenetratinglayers.Thus,forexampletheworldpneumainGreekstoodforwind,breath,

andspiritallatonce.Themodernhumanbeing,whentranslating theword,bynecessity

splintersthemeaningbyconsideringonlyoneaspectofthewhole.

Overtime,withhumanfeelingseparatingfromthephenomena,therewasagreater

differentiation of the phenomena themselves, with a consequent fragmentation of

perceptionandwordmeaning.Moreperceptsledtomorewords,andtheseledtotheability

toperceivemoredifferentiationandgeneratemorewords—aself-sustainingcycle.

TolkiencouldseewordsasfragmentsoftheLogosandpartandparcelofhowthe

humanbeingseestheworld.Tolkienwrotehisessay“SigelwaraLand”sixyearsafterreading

Barfield,andthisexplainshowhecouldnowimmersehimselfimaginativelyinthereality

that permeates and conditions the experience of theword. And Barfield could not have

affectedTolkienthescholarwithoutaffectingTolkienthesub-creator.Infactthewholeof

TheSilmarillion exemplifies theprocessof splinteringof languageandperception,which

VerlynFliegerhassoaptlybroughttolight.

Tolkien’s sub-creation takes its departure from the lived experience of language.

TolkiencharacterizesthefantasywriterasthecreatoroftheSecondaryWorld,whodoes,on

aminorscale,whatGoddoeswiththePrimaryWorld.Andwordsarethetoolsforthissub-

creation;wordswhichareanexpressionoftheLogos.Asoneofmanyexamples,inhisessay

“OnFairyStories”Tolkienmarvelsatwhatitmeantfortheevolutionoflanguagetoarriveat

theconceptofadjectivethus:

Themindthatthoughtoflight,heavy,grey,yellow,still,swift,alsoconceivedofmagicthat

wouldmakeheavythingslightandabletofly,turngreyleadintoyellowgold,andthestill

rockintoaswiftwater.Ifitcoulddotheone,itcoulddotheother;itinevitablydidboth.103

103Tolkien,“OnFairyStories,”inMonstersandtheCritics,43.

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InhisunfinishedpoemMythopoeia,Tolkienwrites:

Man,Sub-creator,therefractedlight,

throughwhomissplinteredfromasingleWhite

tomanyhues,andendlesslycombined

inlivingshapesthatmovefrommindtomind.

Thoughallthecranniesoftheworldwefilled

withElvesandGoblins,thoughwedaredtobuild

Godsandtheirhousesoutofdarkandlight,

andsowedtheseedofdragons,’twasourright

(usedormisused).Therighthasnotdecayed.

Wemakestillbythelawinwhichwe’remade.

Tolkienseesthehumanbeingcapabletocreatebythesamelaw“inwhichwe’remade.”And

thelawistheWord,theLogos,whichoncewaswhole.Thematerialthroughwhichthesub-

creatorcreatesisnowlight,asFliegerpointsout,ratherthantheword.AndTolkienseesin

thisshift fromword to light,ashift from literal tometaphoric.Thisharkens toBarfield’s

ancientsemanticunity.Itisinthenatureofthewordtotrytoreachfor“metaphorsoflight.”

Both light and word are agents of perception allowing us to see phenomena. We say

“clarifyinganargument”or“wesee”forweunderstand;achangeinwordingcan“putthings

underadifferentlight.”ForTolkienthewordislight,enlightenment,aswewillseelateron.

It is interesting to note that fantasy and phenomena come from the same root;

phenomenacomesfromphainesthai,“toappear”;fantasyfromphantazein,“tomakevisible.”

And their root is in the Greek phainein, “to show.” Here is another example of the

fragmentationofwordandlight.This indicatesthattherewasatimewhen“appearances

perceived”closelymatched“appearancesshapedbytheimagination.”Andfurtherlinguistic

researchshowsthelinkagebetween“tospeak”and“toshine,”betweenlightandword,in

theIndo-Europeanbha.Tolkienthusseestheoriginoftruth,light,andwordinGod.Andthe

sub-creatormakesmanifestfragmentsofthisoriginaltruth.

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LanguageandMythology

ItisveryindicativethatTolkienfirstdevelopedlanguagesforhisbeings(particularlyElves)

andthendevelopedamythologyforthem.It’sasifthemythologywasthejustificationand

follow-throughoftheprecedinglanguages.

Theprevailingtheoriesoflanguageofthetimederivedmythfromlanguage,notvice

versa.TheleadingGermanphilologist,MaxMüller,arguedthatmythologywasa“diseaseof

language.”Tolkienarguedforthecontrary:languageasa“diseaseofmythology.”Bydisease

hemeantdis-easeordiscomfort,onethatleadstoconsciousnessandfromthattolanguage.

InTheSilmarillionweseethefragmentationofElvishlanguagefromtheperception

ofthewholetomanyviewsreflectedinlanguages,illustratingthesplinteringprocessoflight

andword. From this splintered light arise all the colors in their beauty through greater

varietyandnarrower,morepreciseexpressions.Fromunifiedlightwemovetocolors;and

fromWord(Logos)towords.“TheLogos[Word]isultimatelyindependentoftheverbum

[word].”104

InTheSilmarillionlanguageariseswiththeawakeningoftheElvesinCuiviénen,when

theirhistorybegins.WhentheElvesawakentheybeholdthestars,saying“Ele!”whichmeans

“behold.”Eleisaprimaryperceptonthewaytobecomingmetaphor,astheElvesuseitto

shapeandcharacterizetheirculture(Eldar).Theprimaryactofspeechisaresponsetothe

perceptionofthelightofthestars,tothepercept“toshine.”Andfromquenfor“say,speak”

comestheircharacterizationofthemselves,sincetheyarethefirstonestospeak:theQuendi,

“thosethatspeakwithvoices.”Thespeechcomesinresponsetothelight[ofthestars].But

theValargodsseetheElvesasEldar,or“peopleofthestars,”anamethatoriginatesfrom

lightandspeech,fromel,relatedtoele.

Tolkien’sscholarlyworkinformedhisartisticliteraryoutputdowntotheminutest

details,asintheusesofregional,socioculturalvariationsoflanguageinhischaracters:the

morecity-mindedlanguageoftheTooksandBagginsesincontrastwiththeruraldialectof

GamgeesandCottons.OrthemusicalityofElvishlanguageincontrasttothegutturaland

104Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,269.

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harshsoundingOrcspeech.Eveninthingsassubtleasthedifferencebetweentheenamored

EowynaddressingAragornwith“thou”andthedistantAragornrespondingwith“you.”105

Tolkien illustrated all these ideas about language inboth an artistic and scientific

fashion in his literary opus. He had understood first intuitively, then more consciously,

throughBarfieldthatpoetryandsciencecanbemadetoconvergeintheartisticcreation.

VerlynFliegerofferssomeexamples,whichfollow,fromTheLordoftheRings,the

first of which concerns the understanding of the nature of Tom Bombadil. Frodo asks

Goldberry,“WhoisTomBombadil?”AndGoldberrysimplyanswers,“Heis.”Butsheisnot

answeringFrodointhesenseof“IamthatIam.”Sheismeaningthat“heisasyouhaveseen

him.”Sheadds,“HeistheMasterofwood,waterandhill.”106AndFrodomisunderstandsthat

allinTom’sdomainbelongstohim,towhichsherepliesnegatively.Thus,thetermmaster

doesnotdesireforpossession;itisintendedas“teacher”and“authority.”ThenFrodoasks

Bombadildirectly,“Whoareyou,Master?”AndTomanswers,“Don’tyouknowmynameyet?

That’stheonlyanswer.”107AttheCouncilinRivendellElrondcallsTom“IarwainBen-adar,”

oldest and fatherless. Iarwain means “old-young” in Sindarin. Ben-adar means “without

father."SinceTomhashisoriginbeforewhatisknownashistory,hecanonlybeassociated

withhimself.Heexistedbeforelanguageitself.“Tomwasherebeforetheriverandthetrees.

...HemadepathsbeforetheBigpeople,andsawthelittlepeoplearriving....Heknewthe

darkunderthestarswhenitwasfearless.”Thisexplainsthatintheendonecanonlysimply

saythatheis.108

InthebookTolkienalsoexploreshowexperienceandwordinterconnectanddevelop

eachother in the instanceofTreebeard.TheEnt lives in theconsciousness thatknowing

someone’snamemeansbeingabletodominatethem.HedoesnotwanttotelltheHobbits

hisnamebecauseitwouldtaketoolong,andhisnameisgrowingallthetimebecause“itis

likeastory.”JustastheHobbitsarehastyandsoistheirlanguage,thereverseistrueofthe

105SeeFlieger,SplinteredLight,4–8,and“TheMind,theTongue,andtheTale,”inGreenSunsandFaërie,242–49.

106Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,122.107Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,129.108Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,129and258–59.

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Ents.Thismeans that they live indifferentworldsandperceive theworld’sunfolding in

diametricallydifferentways.109

Stillwithinthecontextoffiction,Tolkienoffersusanotherinsightaboutlanguage:a

changedexperiencecanpreservethewordbutobscurethemeaning.Languagecanexpand

aswellascontract.LórienisalsocalledLothlórien,orinthelongesttermsLaurelindórenan

linderolendormalinorélionornemalin.110Thefullnamemeans“Thevalleywherethetreesin

agoldenlightsingmusically,alandofmusicanddreams;thereareyellowtreesthere,itisa

yellow-treeland.”111WhenshortenedwearriveatLaurelinórenan,“ThelandoftheValleyof

theSingingGold.”ThestillshorterLothlórienstandsfor“Dreamflower”andLóriensimply

means “Dream.” Thus Lórien stands for the opposite of what we carry in our waking

consciousness.Theshorteningofthenamereflectstheregressingrelationshipoftheplace

towardstimeandchange.Itisaremnantofanoldstateofconsciousnessandisonitsway

out; for the timebeing it isartificiallypreserved,and in its shores timeseems tobeata

standstill.TheEntshaveanothernameforLórienthatmeans“Thereisablackshadowinthe

deepdalesoftheforest.”It’sapredictivenameforwhatLórienisonthewaytobecoming.

ThisrelatestothefactthattheElvestrytoembalmtimeandthereforestopchange.

Time,andwith itculturalchange,canalsochangeshapeandsoundanderodethe

meaningofaword.GandalfcannotproperlyreadwhatappearsontheDoorsofMoria:pedo

mellonaminno.Hefirstinterpretsitas“Speak,friend,andenter.”112Butthemeaningisonly

revealedbythepossiblevariationsofthewordspeakandhowthepunctuationisused.If

insteadofspeakweusethewordsaythewholebecomes“Sayfriend,andenter.”Whichisto

saythatlanguagedependsoncontextformeaning.Atatimeofgreatculturaldistress“friend”

hasacquiredalessperceptibleandimmediatemeaning.

ThelastexampleofhowTolkienmixesscienceandartinhisTheLordoftheRings

showsthatthedisappearanceoftheobjectcandeprive languageoftheword.Lossofthe

thingleadstolossoftheexperienceofthething,andthereforeofthewordthatexpressedit.

109Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,247.110Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,456.111Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,308.112Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,300.

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InreferringtothisexampleTolkienexpresslyturnstoBarfield’sideas.Inchapter12ofThe

Hobbit Tolkien refers to Bilbo’s encompassing reaction to the sight of the dragon, an

experiencenolongertobehadbythosewhocannotexperiencedragons:“TosaythatBilbo’s

breath was taken away is no description at all. There are no words left to express his

staggerment,sinceMenchangedthelanguagethattheylearnedoftheElvesinthedayswhen

theworldwaswonderful.”113 In being faithful to Barfield’s ideas that hemade his own,

Tolkiencomesupwiththefictionallyoldword“staggerment”toexpressthatforwhichthere

arenomorewordstoexpress.

InalltheaboveexamplesTolkienhasshownratherthanexplainedtoreadersallthe

anomalies towhich language is exposedwhen conveying consciousness that is different,

belongingtothepast,extinct,orotherwisemodified.

LivingintheWord

Tolkien’s research into the evolutionofwordsblended science and art to a highdegree.

ScienceandartultimatelyledhimtotherealmoftheWord/Logos,whichconveysultimate

truths. This researchbecame forTolkien the avenue for an almost spiritual communion.

Throughwords Tolkien returned to theWord, to the primeval relationship between the

humanbeingandGod.

ListentoTolkiencomparingthesynonymssilverandargent,takenasanexampleof

howwords couldbe taught inearlyeducation.Heargues that themeaningof thewords

cannotbemadeobvious.Andherecommendsthatpeoplefirstlearntolistentothesound

andrealizethattheydon’thavethesamemeaning,notonlybecausetheysounddifferent.If

oneweretohearargentinapoeticcontextfirst,then“thereisachancethenthatyoumay

likeitforitself,andlaterlearntoappreciatetheheraldicovertonesithas,inadditiontoits

ownpeculiarsound,which‘silver’hasnot.”Andhisconclusionisquiteremarkable:

Ithinkthatthiswritingdown,flattening,Bible-in-basic-Englishattitudeisresponsiblefor

thefactthatsomanyolderchildrenandyoungerpeoplehavelittlerespectandnolove

113Tolkien,TheHobbit,198.

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forwords,andverylimitedvocabularies—andalas!littledesireleft(evenwhentheyhad

thegiftwhichhasbeenstultified)torefineorenlargethem.114

Theaboveisaconcreteillustrationoftheloveforthemusicalityofthewordthatwasinborn

inTolkien.

C.S.LewisrecognizedTolkien’s“uniqueinsightatonceintothelanguageofpoetry

andintothepoetryoflanguage.”Thisledhimtolookatearlytextsbothfromtheperspective

of study of language and literatureworthy of appreciation. Seeing thismastery over all

aspectsoflanguage,LewissawwhatdistinguishedTolkienfromotherphilologistsinthefact

that“Hehadbeeninsideoflanguage.”115

ThisinsightisconfirmedandexpandeduponbyacertainSimonned’Ardenne,oneof

Tolkien’sOxfordstudents,wholaterbecameaphilologist.AtonetimesheaskedTolkien,

“Youbroketheveil,didn’tyou,andpassedthrough?”Andshewrotethatherecognizedthis

assertionastrue.Thiswasmeantinrelationtolanguage.ThisdenotesthatforTolkienthe

wordwas the avenue to theperceptionof supersensible reality. In a sense, according to

Flieger,the“wordwasthelightthroughwhichhesaw.”116

LIVINGINTHEDREAM

Aswaspointedoutearlieron,Tolkienlivedinfullimaginationsthatcametohimindreams

or visions. Some of those were so vivid that the young Tolkien could capture them in

paintingswithaccompanyingpoems.Ofgreatinterestanduniquenesstohimwashis“Great

Wave”dream,towhichwewillturnnow.

TolkienandtheIdeaofReincarnation

WhenwelookatTolkien’slifeexperiences,orthewaysinwhichhischaractersundergopast

lifememories (or “serial longevity”),aconsistentpatternemerges thatmatchesevidence

thathassurfacedintheliteratureofthelasttwentytothirtyyears.Nosuchliteratureabout

114Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,311.115Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,133–34.116QuotedinFlieger,SplinteredLight,9.

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spontaneous previous life recollections existed in Tolkien’s lifetime. This makes the

correspondencebetweenTolkien’snarrativesandpresentreportsallthemoreremarkable.

InalettertoW.H.Audeninwhichhetalksabouthis“sensibilitytolinguisticpattern

whichaffects[him]emotionallylikecolourormusic. . .thedeepresponsetolegends(for

lackofbetterword)thathavewhatIwouldcalltheNorth-westerntemperandtemperature,”

Tolkienalsomentionshis“Atlantiscomplex”thus:

I mean the terrible recurrent dream (beginning with memory) of the Great Wave,

toweringup,andcominginineluctablyoverthetreesandgreenfields....Idon’tthinkI

havehaditsinceIwrote“DownfallofNúmenor”asthelastofthelegendsoftheFirstand

SecondAge.

In another letter he called it the “Atlantis haunting,”which took the formof a recurrent

dreamofagreatwavethatthreatenedtoengulfhim,andfromwhichheawakened“gasping

out of deep water.”117 Note that his use of the term complex is meant to taunt the

psychologistsofhistime,withgoodreason.Veryfewinhistimecouldhaveseenanything

elsethanaprojectionorcomplexinsucharecurrentdream.LastlyTolkienmentionsthat

hissonMichaelalsosharedasimilardream.NúmenorwasthenamethatTolkienmostoften

usedinrelationtothelostcontinent.

ThatTolkienhadmemoriesofwhatcouldonlyhavebeenthemomentofdeath,orfelt

likedeath, inAtlantis isnotexceptional; it’s ratherclose to thenorm.Manyspontaneous

recollectionsareassociatedwiththefinalyears,months,ordaysbeforedeath.Deathitselfis

oftenveryclearlyremembered.IanStevenson,whohasconductedextensivestudiesoncases

ofreincarnationsoccurringshortlyafterthepreviousdeath,concludesthatmemoriesare

themost precise in relation to theproximity to themoment of death than in relation to

possiblelengthofassociationwithparticularindividuals,andevencloserelatives.118

ItisimportanttounderlinethatTolkiencomestotheAtlantistraditionfrominner

experience:

[ThelegendsofNúmenorë]aremyownuseformypurposesoftheAtlantislegend,but

notbasedonspecialknowledge,butinaspecialpersonalconcernwiththistraditionof

117Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,213,347.118Stevenson,ChildrenWhoRememberPreviousLives,172–73.

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the culture-bearingmen of the Sea, which so profoundly affected the imagination of

peoplesofEuropewithwestward–shores.119

Christopher Tolkien has a telling comment about the “Great Wave” dream. “By

‘beginningwithmemory’Ibelievethatmyfathermeantthattherecurrenceofthedream

wentasfarbackinhislifeashismemoryreached.”120InTolkien’spersonallettersthedream

is amplifiedwith historical elements belonging toNúmenor as these are experienced by

Tolkien: “They built a great temple . . . on the high hill . . . and they there sacrificed

unspeakableofferingsonanunholyaltar. . . .Thuscamedeath-shade intothe landof the

WestfarersandGod’schildrenfellundertheshadow.”121Tolkiengoesthusfromknowledge

of the Flood to at least some of the underlying causes. Tolkien called this part of his

mythologyAkallabêthorAtalantie,indicatingthatbothwordsmean“thedownfallen”—the

firstinNúmenorean,thesecondinAdûnaic.

InTheLostRoad,TolkienhypothesizestheAtlantisdreamasaracememoryanda

familyinheritancethatismaintainedthroughgenerations.Theideaofreincarnationposed

morethanonemoraldilemmatotheCatholicTolkien.Still,itwasnotsomethingthathewas

willingtoletgoallthateasily.Andinhiswritingsitpokesitsheadupshylyorcoylymore

thanonce.Letusturntothese.

Whenreincarnationappears,itseemsTolkieniscognizantofhowitpiercesthrough

theveilofconsciousness,nowthatwecancomparehisexperiencewithmanyofthosethat

havebecomepopularized in the literature.Atother times this reference to reincarnation

takes even what looks like a purely gratuitous form, one that seemingly does not add

anythingtotheplot,as isthecaseintheepisodeoftheBarrow-downsinTheLordofthe

Rings.

ThefirstdraftoftheeventofextrapersonalmemorynarratedintheBarrow-downs

episodedatesfromneartheendof1938,twoyearsaftertheuncompletedLostRoadand

beforetheunfinishedTheNotionClubPapers.AfterbeingmadecaptiveintheBarrow-down

anduponrecoveringhissenses,Merryexclaims:“OfcourseIremember....ThemenofCarn

119Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,303.120Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,217.121Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,258.

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Dûm came upon us at night, and we were worsted. Ah! The spear in my heart!”122

Immediately after he clutches at his breast, then chases off thememory as nonsense or

dream.Inthepublishedversiondetailsareofferedaboutthebattle,thedeath,theexperience

ofpain.

TheexperienceinthebarrowisprecededbyMerry’stactileexperienceofthe“golden

circlet”onhishead.Thephrase“wewereworsted”underlineshisjourneythroughtimesince

itisarchaicandformalEnglish,whichindicatesachangeofidentityinMerry.Memoriesof

the moment of death have been illustrated in the literature pertaining to spontaneous

recollection,withoutanyneedtorefertothedubiousremembrancesinducedthroughpast-

liferegressions.Oncemore,aswasmentionedearlieron,memoriesofthemomentofdeath

aresomeofthemostcommonspontaneouslyinducedmemoriesofpreviouslives.Theso-

called phenomenon of xenoglossy—speaking in other languages than the ones known in

everyday consciousness—has been observed in cases of children who are recalling a

previouslife.Xenoglossycanrefertoadifferentlanguage,orthelanguageordialectspoken

inaneighboringregiontothechild’soriginalone.123

FliegerrightlyinvokesthatwhatTolkiensoinnocentlydropsinthenarrativecanbe

explainedbyneither“seriallongevity”nor“hoardingmemory,”towhichherefersinhisThe

LostRoadorTheNotionClubPapers.InAppendixAofTheLordoftheRingswearetoldthat

CarnDûmwasthemaincityofAngmar,akingdomruledbyawitch-king—thelaterLordof

the Nazgûl—who had been defeated by Cirdan and Glorfindel at the battle of Fornost.

Furthermore,thebarrowswerebuiltduringtheFirstAgeasgravemoundsoftheDúnedain;

successivelytheywerehauntedbythe“evilspiritsoutofAngmar.”124AndtheAppendixadds

thatHobbitswerepresentatthebattle—however,notatthepresentbarrowbutrathersome

hundredmilesfurthernorth(atFornost).

TheparticularmoundofthestorywastheburialgroundofthelastprinceofCardolan

(aDúnadan,ordescendantofAtlantissurvivors)whoalsofellinthewaragainstAngmar.

ThusMerryisrelivingthepainfulmemoryofsomeonewhocouldnothavebeenhisancestor

122Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,140.123Hardo,ChildrenWhoLivedBefore,chapter5.124Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,AppendixA.

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(no ancestral memory or serial longevity is possible). Interestingly the episode is quite

disconnected from theplot and seems to addnothingof significance to it other than the

chanceofintroducinganewphenomenon.Itbelongs,however,quitelawfullytotheepisode

oftheBarrow-downs,aswewillseelater.

SomeelementofexplanationisofferedbyTomBombadil,whotellstheHobbitsthat

thebladesinthebarrow’streasurewereforgedbyMenofWesternessewhohadbeenslain

by the evil king of Carn Dûm in Angmar. Tolkien’s linchpin toMerry and to the story’s

credibilityisthegoldencircletonMerry’shead.Onthisbasisitcanonlyleadtothepossibility

of memories of previous lives, indicating that Tolkien continued to struggle with the

possibility, that“Tolkiendidat leastnotdisbelieveinreincarnation.”125Wewillreturnto

thisepisodeandseehowitactuallycorrespondstodeeperspiritualinsightinChapter6.

AswesawearlierTolkientriedhishandat twotime-travelscience fictionstories:

bothofthemaborted;bothculminatinginepisodesinwhichthecharactersbasicallyrelive

Tolkien’s own Great Wave dream and report of their experiences in Númenor/Atlantis,

addingsomedepthtoitbybringingforthsomedetailsaboutAtlanteanhistory.

TheLostRoadfollowsafatherandsonwhodreamthemselvesbackintimeandcarry

thethreadoftheirfolkmemory.Acollectivememoryispasseddownthebloodlines.Quite

indicativelythetwomaincharactersarenamedOswin,Anglo-Saxonfor“God-friend,”and

Alboin, the Lombardic and modern form of Anglo-Saxon Ælfwine, meaning “Elf-friend.”

Alboin’sfullnameisAlboinErrol,Errol(Eriol)meaning“Onewhodreamsalone.”

Thetitle,TheLostRoad,pointstowhatisreferredtointhebookandinotherplaces

asthe“StraightRoadtotheAncientWest,”which isno longerpossibleafter theFloodof

Atlantis,whentheworldisbent.BythisTolkienmeansthathumanconsciousnessisradically

changedaftertheendofAtlantisandthatitisnolongerpossibletosailwesttoAtlantisor

furtherwesttotheprimevalparadisiacallandsofErisseaandValinor.

InNúmenorwefindanotherfather-sonpair,thistimeElendilandHerendil.Through

thecontrastofElvenandhumantime,timeistreatedlikespace,likearoadbackintime.But

itisclearTolkienhadatleastconsideredothertimetravelpossibilities.IndraftstoTheLost

Road,thesymptomaticcharacterDolbearcommentsattheearlystagesaboutawaytotravel

125Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,100–101

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backintime:“Thentryreincarnation,orperhapstranscarnationwithoutlossofmemory.”126

AndbecauseTolkienwasoftwomindsandwastreadingtreacherousgroundsintermsof

Catholicdoctrinehefoundawayoutin“hereditarymemory.”

ArrivingtothepivotaltimeoftheGreatWavedreaminTheLostRoad,Tolkienwrites:

And there is that ominous picture: the great temple on themountain, smoking like a

volcano.Andthatawfulvisionofthechasmintheseas,awholelandslippingsideways,

mountainsrollingover;darkshipsfleeingintothedark.Iwanttotellsomeoneaboutit,

andgetsomekindofsenseintoit.127

Notethatthisreactionistypicalofpeoplehavingspiritualexperiences:theyareconfused

andwanttomakesenseofit.Thatwearehavingtodowithspiritualexperiences,andthat

Tolkienhad first-handexperienceof them, transpires from the fact that in thenarrative,

whentheNúmenoradventureisover,AudoinisshuttingthedoorwhileAlboinstillsitsin

hischair.

InTheNotionClubPaperstheindividualsexperiencingapreviouslifearetransported

into the full sensoryperceptionof the times; they recall oldnamesandare immersed in

anotherlifeexperience.LowdhamandJeremyrelivetheiremotionsfully,rememberfacts

alien to their present culture, mention words in an unknown language. Apart from the

alreadymentionedphenomenonofxenoglossy,recentfindingsofspontaneousprevious-life

memories corroborate the identifications of the person with emotions of another time,

anotherplace.Achildwhowillrememberaneventfromapreviouslifewillsoundolderthan

hisageandrefertoconceptsbeyondthegraspofhisage.Theattentionofthechildistotally

turned inward, and he or she may say things that have little relationship with present

conditions,suchas“Ihaveawifeandtwosons”or“Myhouseismuchbiggerthanthisone.”

Thechildiscompletelyimmersedintherealityofwhatherecounts.Suchisthecaseofa

child who had memories of drowning in a swimming pool. Asked about what she was

wearing, while immersed in the recall, she simply looked at her body and indicated a

swimmingsuit.128

126Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,213.127Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,52.128Bowman,Children’sPastLives,213.

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From the many confirmations about the nature of spontaneous previous-life

memorieswecansurmisethatTolkienobservedandrelatedveryaccuratelywhatwashis

ownexperience.Onemaywonderwhethertherewasmorethanonesuchexperiencebeyond

hisGreatWavedream.Anotherobservationcouldsupportthishypothesis.Variouspersonal

experiences that have been extensively covered in modern literature emphasize how

spontaneous previous-life recollections tend to occur in a moment of loosening of

consciousness, such as the onset of a serious illness. Tolkien had one such protracted

instancethroughtrenchfeverintherecoveryfromhiswarexperience.

Anexperienceofprevious-liferecollectionsthroughillnesshasbeennarratedfirst-

handbyBettyRiley,inabookcalledAVeilTooThin:ReincarnationOutofControl.Thechief

interestinBettyRiley’saccountliesinthemodalityofawakeningofthesememories.The

first time they occurred, Betty was forty and recovering from illness. Although the

antecedentsarenotstatedinanunequivocalfashion,mentionofafluappearsbeforethe

firstrecallepisodes,andmentionofbeing“veryill”beforeanotherseriesofdreamsclosein

timetothefirstones.129

Itwas theencounterwithanunusualpatient thatpropelleddoctor-turned-author

Arthur Guirdham toward the adventure through space, time, and consciousness that he

portrays in three successive books.130 The story began in 1944,with the first encounter

betweenapatient,Ms.Smith,andDr.Guirdham.AtageelevenMs.Smithhadbeensaved

fromanattackofperitonitis.Duringherillnessshehaddreamsinwhichshewouldcallout

loudlytosomeonenamedRoger.Inadeliriousstateshetalkedabouthavinganotherbaby,

andwhen the Catholic priest approached herwith the Last Sacrament, she screamed in

terror.Duringherillnessshekeptnotebooksinwhichsherecordedexperiencesonewould

surmisethatsheotherwisewouldhaveatleastpartlyforgotten.Fromallofthesescrapsof

informationthedoctorwasabletoconnecthermemorieswiththerecordsofindividualsand

eventsthathadbeenkeptbytheCatholicInquisition.WeknowthatmanyofTolkien’svisions

oftheepisodesthatprovidedtheinspirationsforTheSilmarillionoccurredduringhislong

129Riley,AVeilTooThin,81–82and86.130Guirdham,TheCatharsandReincarnation,WeAreOneAnother,andTheLakeandtheCastle.

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bouts of trench fever. Could these be recollections, not of previous lives, but of legends

knowninpreviouslives?

IntheprojectedTheNotionClubPapers,whenRamerasksLowdhamwherethename

Númenorcomesfrom,hereplies,“‘Oh,Idon’tknow’,openinghiseyesandlookingroundwith

aratherdazedexpression.”131Lateronhesays:“Itcomestome,nowandagain.Justonthe

edgeofthings,youknow.Eludesthegrasp.”132Thistoocouldalludetobiographicalelements

inTolkien’slife.

Toconclude,thethreadswehavefollowedpertainingtowhatresemblesmemories

ofpreviouslivesarehighlyconsistentwithwhatwenowknowfromspontaneousrecorded

experiences.ItseemsTolkienhadathoroughinsider’sviewaboutthephenomena.However,

experienceanddoctrinestoodatoddsinTolkien’sbreast.Alastwitnessofitisanunsent

lettertoafellowCatholic, inwhichTolkiensayshewantstoat leasthavethefreedomto

explorereincarnation[inrelationtoElves]inthecreativeprocess:

Reincarnationmaybebadtheology...asappliedtoHumanity....ButIdonotseehow

even in the Primary World any theologian or philosopher, unless very much better

informedabouttherelationofspiritandbodythanIbelieveanyonetobe,coulddenythe

possibilityofreincarnationasamodeofexistenceprescribedforcertainkindsofrational

incarnatecreatures.133

Significantly,thedraftwasnotsent.AndtheparadoxremainedunsolvedinTolkien’slife.

SomeOtherSpiritualExperiences

Tolkien’s spiritual experiences were not confined to the receiving of fragments of old

languages,fragmentsofonepreviouslife,orvisions.Weknowofatleasttwoexperiencesof

whichhewrote,bothrelatedtohismostpressingspiritualquestions.Thefirsthappened,

notsurprisingly,whilepreparingtoreceiveCommunion:

[Yourreferencetothecareofyourguardianangel]alsoremindedmeofasuddenvision

...IperceivednotlongagowhenspendinghalfanhourinStGregory’sbeforetheBlessed

131Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,194.132Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,232.133Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,95–96.

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Sacrament....IperceivedorthoughtoftheLightofGodandinitsuspendedonesmall

mote(ormillionsofmotestoonlyoneofwhichwasmysmallminddirected)glittering

whitebecauseoftheindividualrayfromtheLightwhichbothheldandlitit....Andthe

raywas theGuardianangelof themote:nota thing interposedbetweenGodand the

creature,butGod’sattentionitself,personalized.AndIdonotmean“personified,”bya

mere figure of speech according to tendencies of human language, but a real (finite)

person....Ithasoccurredtomethat...thisisafiniteparalleltotheInfinite.Asthelove

oftheFatherandSon(whoareinfiniteandequal)isaPerson,sotheloveandattention

oftheLighttotheMoteisaperson(thatisbothwithusandinHeaven):finitebutdivine.

ImmediatelyafterhewrotetoChristopherTolkien,“Ihavewithmenowadefiniteawareness

ofyoupoisedandshiningintheLight—thoughyourface(asallourfaces)isturnedfrom

it.”134AtthetimeoftheexperienceTolkienwaswritinghisessay“OnFairyStories,”which

includesanimportantsectionabouttheResurrectionofChristas“eucatastrophe.”

Reflectingonthisverysametopic,Tolkienwritesinaletteraboutanotherexperience

hehadwhileridingabicycle.Hesaysthatthisappearedtohimasoneofthe“suddenclarities

which sometimes come in dreams (even anaesthetic-produced ones).” He finds the

revelationstobetrueasamatteroffact,withoutremembering

anyargument thathad led to this, though thesensationwas thesameashavingbeen

convinced by reason (ifwithout reasoning). And I have since thought that one of the

reasonswhyonecan’trecapturethewonderfulargumentorsecretwhenonewakesup

issimplybecausetherewasnotone:buttherewas(oftenmaybe)adirectappreciation

bythemind(sc.reason)butwithoutthechainofargumentweknowinourtime-serial

life.135

WehavecometoknowthedeeperTolkien,theoneofwhichTolkienhimselfwould

only speak in veiled terms, or only to hismost trusted friends.Wewill look now at the

TolkienwholivedinsomedimensionoftheworldofFaeryitself.Fantasyortheepicromance

wasforTolkienanescapetohigherdimensionsofreality,escapinginordertoreturnmore

fully to the reality of the senses. And inmanyways he has given us traces of what his


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experiencesinFaerylookedlike.ThisfoundaculminationinhisSmithofWoottonMajor,

whichpointsinparttothelaterTolkienreflectingoverhislife.

LIVINGINFAERY

Tolkien was at times deeply skeptical about the psychology of his times, and for good

reasons.Manyofhisexperiencesfeltcompletelyrealandcouldnotbeexplainedassome

undigestedpsychicremnantoflifeexperience.Fliegerconcludesthatinrelatingtodreams

Tolkienwas “morepsychic thanpsychological, andmoremedieval thaneither [Jung and

Freud].”136Andthathesawforcesatplaywhich,atleastinmanyinstances,arestrongerthan

thedreamer’sunconscious.

ExploringFaery

LetusreturntothedraftsTheNotionClubPapers,fromwhichwewilldrawextensively.The

firstchaptersbuilduptowardsadopting“dream”asthetoolfortimetravel.Dreamcanoccur

bothin“OtherTime”and“OtherSpace.”Andby“dream”Tolkienisreallyreferringtothe

mostvividdreams,andmostlytovisionsthatoccurindayconsciousness.Hecomparesthose

dreamexperiencestothoseofthewriterwhoisagoodvisualizer,abletosimultaneouslysee

hisimmediatesurroundingsandthestorythatentershisfieldofconsciousness.Aboutthese

thecharacterRamercomments:

Youarereallyseeingbothscenes,becauseyoucanrecollectdetailslater.Detailsofthe

wakingscenenotattendedto,becauseyouwereabstracted, there’snodoubtofthat. I

shouldascertainlyadd:detailsof the innerscene,blurredbecauseyouwere tosome

extentdistracted.137

By“abstracted”Tolkienmeansthatwearetakenawayfromthepressingworldrealityand

immerseddeeplyintoanotherone.Andasforvisualizing,Rameralsoaddssomethingthat

couldapplytoTolkien: thatwhathevisualizes is independentof thewillor theplanning

mind.Thescene“comesbeforethemind’seye,aswesay, inawaythat isverysimilarto

136Flieger,InterruptedMusic,176.137Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,176.

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openingclosedeyes—onacompletewakingview.”138Onsuchoccasionsthemindissplit

betweentwoplacesofattention.Asforthecontentoftheimages,itisalmostimpossibleto

alterthem.

Althoughthemindcanbeinmorethanoneplaceatonetime,itchieflygoeswhereit

directsitsattentionmorekeenly.Nevertheless,Ramergoesontosaythatwhenhelooksat

somethingspecificthathewrote,hecanbringbacktomemorytheenvironmentinwhichit

appearedtohismind’seye,suchasthedeskwiththepapersthatwereonit,eventhough

thisaspectofrealitywassecondarytothemind’sfocusatthemomentofvisualinspiration.

Inwaysthatarerelevanttohisdifferenceswithpsychoanalysis,theliteraryTolkien

differentiatesthedegreesofdepthofdreams:“Insomedreamsthere’snodistractionatall,

someareconfusedbydistractions,someare justdistractions.”139Thentothequestionof

whetheronecould revisithisdreams,TolkienhasRamerexplaining that themindcould

hardlygobackatwill to thesameplacesor timesasaspectator;whenthathappens the

differenceliesinthespectatorbeingalaterformoftheindividual,whoisnowanchoredina

differenttimereality.

WhereTolkiengetssupremelyfascinatingisinhiswholeunderstandingofmindand

itsspiritualactivity.“Mindscanbelazyontheirownaccount.Evenfortheenergeticones

sleepislargelyarest.Butofcourse,foramindrestisnotoblivion,whichisimpossiblefor

it.” And then he characterizes what a mind that has acquired great focus on particular

interestscanachieve.

Ifithasbynature,orhasacquired,somedominantinterest—likehistory,orlanguages,

or mathematics—it may at times work away at such things, while the old body is

recuperating....Ifancythatallwakingartdrawsagooddealonthissortofactivity.Those

scenesthatcomeupcompleteandfixedthatIspokeofbefore,forinstance;thoughsome

ofthem,Ibelieve,arevisionsofrealplaces.140

OnecouldsurmisehereisTolkienreflectingonTolkien:“wakingart...scenesthatcomeup

complete...visionsofrealplaces.”

138Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,177.139Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,186.140Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,189.

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AndRamerpointsfurtherthanthedreamstoatruespiritualrealm:“Butoutofsome

placebeyondtheregionofdreams,nowandagaintherecomesablessedness,anditsoaks

throughallthelevels,andilluminesallthescenesthroughwhichthemindpassesoutback

intowaking,andsoitflowsoutintothislife.”141It’sveryinterestingtohearaboutthenature

ofcommunicationinsuchvisions:“Youdon’ttalk,ordon’tneedto:yougetthemeaningof

minds(ifyoumeetany)moredirectly.”142Tolkienshowsusthatheunderstandthenature

oftherealmofImagination—towhichwewillreturninChapter6—thatbeingsmakeushear

andseethem

insomeappropriateform,byproducingadirectimpressiononthemind.Theclothingof

thisnakedimpressionintermsintelligibletoyourincarnatemindis,Iimagine,oftenleft

toyou,thereceiver.Thoughnodoubttheycancauseyoutohearwordsandtoseeshapes

oftheirownchoosing,iftheywill.143

Ramerexplainshowhetrainedhimselftoacquireamorevividrecollection,referring

toexamplesofvisualandnonvisualimpressionsbystrengtheningthe“willtoremember”

andwideningthefieldofremembrance.WhatthefictionalRameroffersusinthepagesofa

bookcanbecompletedbyChristopherTolkien’srecollectionsabouthisfather:“Myfather

oncedescribedtomehisdreamof ‘pureWeight,’but Idonotrememberwhenthatwas;

probablybeforethistime.”144AsimilarexperienceisconveyedbyRamer,togetherwiththe

examplesofdreamsaboutSpeedorFire(ElementalFire,“amodeorconditionofphysical

being”) andEndlessness (or Length, applied toTime).The latter is expandedupon thus:

“Time;unendurablelengthtomortalflesh.Inthatkindofdreamyoucanknowaboutthe

feelingofaeonsofconstrictedwaiting.”145AndinthatrealmRamerexpressesexperiencing

whatitisnottohavefreewill.AllofthisservesRamertoconclude,“Thewakingmindisnot

confined to the memories of the body; it can use that as a platform to survey the

surroundingsfrom.”AlloftheaboveseemstobeconnectedwithTolkien’slifeexperience.

141Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,195.142Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,200.143Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,202.144Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,215.145Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,182.

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Thereadermayrememberthat inhisearlydrawingsTolkienworkedonsimilarabstract

themes, witness hisBefore and Afterwards,Wickedness or Thought,Undertenishness and

Grownupishnesspaintings.

FromtheaboveexperiencesRamersaysheturnedto“dream-inspection,”turningto

bigdreamslikeserialorrepeatingdreams,suchdreamsthattranscendthewakingmind,to

the point of looking like pages taken out of a book. This is repeated differently: “My

significant fragmentswereactuallyoftenpagesoutofstories,madeup inquieterdream-

levels,andbysomechanceremembered.Occasionallytheywerebitsoflongvisionsofthings

notinvented.”146

IfTolkiendrawstheabovefrompersonalexperience,muchbecomesunderstandable

aboutthewritingofTheSilmarillion,inwhichTolkienfirstreceivedsomeimaginations,then

othersthatconnectedwiththepreviousones;butthewritingproceededinrandomorder,

andmuchofitinreverseorder.Hisfirstworktooktheformofthe“LayofEarendel.”(Chapter

XXIVofTheSilmarillion)Thiswasfollowedby“TheFallofGondolin”(chapterXXIII).147The

story linkswith thatofEarendelbecauseEarendel (laterEärendil) is themainherowho

escapesfromGondolin.In1917,lyinginahospitalinHull,Tolkienwrotethetalethatgrew

into “The Children of Hurin” (Chapter XXI).148 Later in time he started composing what

eventuallybecamethestoryofBerenandLúthien/Tinúviel.(ChapterXIX).149Aswecansee

thewritingofTheSilmarillion’searlychapterswentinreverseorder,simplybecausethis

wastheorderofTolkien’sinnerexperiences.Andmanyofthevisionswerevividlycaptured

inTolkien’spaintings.

Ramer talks about the experience of “falling wide asleep” (awake in the dream

experience),whichreferstowhattodaycouldbecalledluciddreams.Heassertsthathecan

rememberallthedreamsthatwerepartofcertainsequences.“Atleast,IrememberthatI

could remember themwhile Iwas still ‘there,’ better than I can ‘here’ remember a long

sequence of events in waking life.” Thememory remained after waking up and did not

146Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,189.147Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,92.148Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,96.149Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,97.

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disappearsubsequently,thoughitwassubduedovertime.OvertimeRameracquiresalong

seriesofveryvividdreamsthathecanremember,dreamsthatare“wideandlonganddeep.”

TolkienmustbespeakingcandidlythroughRamerofhismindandpersonalexperiencein

thesafeplaceofabookthatheisnotunderpressuretopublish.150

In his further explorations Ramer talks about “minds” visiting us in dreams, and

warnsthatsomeofthemcouldbemalicious,andlikewisethatsomedreamsawakenafear

thatgoeswellbeyondthedreamsituation.InthefootnotesTolkiendistinguishesbetween

perceivingasvisitingrealscenesandapparitionsinwhichoneisvisitedby“anothermind.”

Thenhe further distinguishes reading,which is like the activity of going over records of

someoneelse’sexperiences,orperceivingsecondhand.Andfinallyheaddslying:“There’s

lying in theuniverse,someveryclever lying. Imeansomeverypotent fiction isspecially

composedtobeinspectedbyothersandtodeceive,topassasrecord;butitismadetothe

malefit[awordinventedbyTolkienfortheoppositeofbenefit]ofMen.”151Thisindicates

that Tolkien not only dug deeply into the content of his dreams; he also carefully sifted

throughthem.OnecannothelpbutbeawestruckbythedepthofTolkien’sintentinstudying

themindthatcanapprehendthespirit,andthedepthofhispersonalexperiences.

AboutEntryintotheRealmofFaery

SmithofWoottonMajorisoneofTolkien’slastworks.Inthestorywecansensethegriefat

thelossofaccesstotheenchantedrealm,butit’sagriefcoloredwithacceptance.Smithis

likeFrodo:theonewhovisitsFaeryandthenreturnstonormaldailyoccupationsandpasses

onthestafftothenewgeneration.Hecanreturntohislifeinspiredbywhathehasknown

andwitnessedandbestowblessingsuponhisfellowhumanbeing.

FliegerseesinSmithofWoottonMajorthewritingthroughwhichTolkienreflectson

hisownadventuresinFaeryaswellashislaterexilefromit.152Tolkienwroteanunpublished

150Tolkien,SauronDefeated,184.151Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,196.152Tolkienwroteineffect,“atimecomesforwritersandartists,wheninventionandvisionceaseandtheycanonlyreflectinwhattheyhaveseenandlearned,”(addingfurtherthat“thatisnotthewholepointofthetale.Whichincludessacrifice,andthehandingon,withtrustandwithout

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commentary on the story inwhich he said “A time comes forwriters and artists, when

inventionandvisionceaseandtheycanonlyreflectonwhattheyhaveseenandlearned,”

addingfurtherthat“thatisnotthewholepointofthetale.Whichincludessacrifice,andthe

handingon,withtrustandwithoutkeepingahandonthings,ofpowerandvisiontothenext

generation.”153Whatisofaddedinterestisthattheauthor(inthestory,Smith)isledinto

theotherworldofFaerybyonewhoknowsitsways:Prentice,whoisalsoAlfandtheking

ofFaery.Heistheonewhocanenteratwillandknowsitswaysinandout.Alfwasbrought

inby“firstCook,”ofwhommentionisgivenonlyatthebeginningofthestory.Attheendof

the storyAlf tells Smith that the first Cook is his own grandfather, and a great “traveler

betweenworlds.”

InSmithofWoottonMajor,morethaneverywhereelse,Tolkienhadcometoanew

viewofFaeryasatwo-way-street,atleasttosomeextent;arealitythatinfluencesoursense

world,asmuchasaplacetowardswhichwecantravel.IntheunpublishedessayTolkien

asserts that the story illustrates Faery’s relationship toWootton as much asWootton’s

relationshiptoFaery.

Faery is seenas aworld that is essential to thehealth andwell-beingof ourown

world.However, it is also perilous.154 In the unpublished essay, Tolkiendistils his views

aboutFaerythus:

Faeryrepresentsatitsweakestabreakingout(atleastinmind)fromtheironringofthe

familiar, still more from the adamantine ring of belief that is known, possessed,

controlled,andso(ultimately)allthatisworthbeingconsidered—aconstantawareness

of theworldbeyondtheserings.Morestrongly itrepresents love. . . .ThisFaery isas

necessaryforthehealthandcompletefunctioningoftheHumanassunlightforphysical

life.155

keepingahandonthings,ofpowerandvisiontothenextgeneration”).FromanunpublishedessayquotedinFlieger,InterruptedMusic,236.

153Unpublishedfol.36r.inFlieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,236.154InTheLostRoadAlboinisgiventhepossibilitytogobacktohisdreamexperiences.Hehearsabouttheconditionsforgoingbackthus:“Theroadsandthehaltsareprescribed.Thatyoucannotreturnatyourwish,butonly(ifatall)asitmaybeordained.Foryoushallnotbeasonereadingabookoflookinginamirror,butasonewalkinginlivingperil”(48–49).

155Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,247.

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OnecansurmisethathefeltthiswasalsothecaseforTolkien’shealthand“functioning.”

In his unpublished essay Tolkien wanted to present “the spatial and temporal

relationshipofWoottonandFaery.”156HehypothesizedthatFaeryandourworldoccupy

time and space differently or are present in them in different ways; that Smith’s short

eveningabsencefromourworldaccountsformuchmoretimespentinFaery,andaweek

awayfromhomewouldaccountfortheequivalentofmonthsandyearsinFaery.157

Finally,inrelationtothecommunicationbetweenthetwoworlds,TolkienoffersthattheElvenFolk,thechiefandrulinginhabitantsofFaery,haveanultimatekinshipwith

Menandhavepermanentloveforthemingeneral. . .Theydofromtimetotimeassist

them,avertevilfromthemandhaverelationshipswiththem,especiallythroughcertain

menandwomenwhomtheyfindsuitable.158

Let’sreviewwhathasbeenbroughtforwardsofar.WehavelookedatTolkien’sinner

experiences,especially fromhis lettersandtwoofhisunfinishedandunpublishedbooks.

Tolkien had such a thorough relationship with language that it blossomed in many

directions.Itledhimtothecreationoffictitiouslanguagesofliteraryandartisticvalue,as

wellastowardsthestudyofancientNorthernEuropeanlanguages.Thisledtoacomplete

immersion in the reality of language and theword itself, which led Simonne d’Ardenne

askinghim,“Youbroketheveil,didn’tyou,andpassedthrough?”Ihavecalledthisfacultyof

Tolkien“livingintheword.”

Tolkien had some spiritual experiences, chief among which was his memory of

Atlantis,whichhasallthehallmarksofaprevious-lifeexperience,astheyhavebecomemore

commonlyknowninrecentdecades.Andotherexperiencesledhimtoplacevalueonwhat

emergedfromvisionsanddreams,thoughonlythosedreamsthatcouldbecalledbigdreams

orvisions,whichmostofuscouldsimplyyearnfororcountonlessthanthefingersofone

handinalifetime.Ihavecalledthisexperience“livinginthedream.”

Differentfromtheabove,thoughrelatedtothem,isthesourceofmuchofTolkien’s

writings,ofhisartisticinspiration.Imagesfloodedhisinnervision,andhestrovetobring

156Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,248.157Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,249.158Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,252.

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claritytowhatseemedtocomefromothertimesandplaces.HisunfinishedTheSilmarillion

is an example of the power of these images, and his never-ending effort to imbuewith

meaning and claritywhat first often came as a given. I have called this faculty “living in

Faery.”

Tolkienwashimselfan“Elf-friend,”oneoftheagentswhomFaeryfoundsuitable—

muchtohisownsurpriseandinspiteofthelimitationshewouldhavebeenthefirstoneto

acknowledge.InTheLordoftheRingssuchagentsarecharacterslikeGandalfandAragorn,

butalsothemuchmorehumble,Tolkien-likeFrodo.ItseemsTolkienhadmuchfirst-hand

knowledgeofwhathewastalkingabout.

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PART II: The Lord of the Rings

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CHAPTER4

IntroductiontoTheLordoftheRings

Ihavedrainedtherichcupandsatisfiedalongthirst.Onceitreallygetsunderweighthe

steadyupwardslopeofgrandeurandterror(notunrelievedbygreendells,withoutwhichit

wouldindeedbeintolerable)isalmostunequalledinthewholerangeofnarrativeartknown

tome.

—C.S.Lewis

Because the success of Tolkien’s work lies in the very many “clever” layers in the plot

interweavingamultitudeofthemes,hisworkcanbeseenfrommanydifferentangles,and

thisrequiresapproachinginsteps.Thefirststepwillconsistinlookingathowtheworkcame

about,thevariousstagesofitsdevelopment;thenweshouldlookatthefirstmostgeneral

connectionbetween theparts of the book.Many gemsof the books lie embedded in the

interlacemotifwehavetouchedoninChapter1.Pointingtosomeoftheinterconnections

between thevariouspartsof the trilogy in this introductionwill allowus tomoreeasily

acquireaneagle-eye’sviewofthewholebeforeapproachingthedetailsinthenextchapters.

WewillalsoexplorewhatTolkienhimselfsaidaboutTheLordoftheRingsinrelationtothe

restofhiswork.Inthenextchapterswewillentermoredeeplyintothesubstanceofthe

bookandthedepthoftheimagesitbuilds.

When we look at Tolkien’s themes we can see some objective/archetypal truths

knowninspiritualtraditionstheworldover,whichexplainsthebook’sholdoverthemodern

mind.Tolkienapproachedthesetruthssimplywithaninner,deeplyartisticknowing,not

from any esoteric insight. In fact his Catholicism was a safeguard against any of these

interests—witness his hesitation in admitting the possibility of reincarnation, even to

himself.Hisisneverthelessahigherunderstandingofmythologyandoftheforcesatwork

inprehistoryandhistoryrisingfromwithinhissoul,aswewillseeinthenextchapters.

- THEWRITINGOFTHELORDOFTHERINGS

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IttooktwelveyearstowriteTheLordoftheRings,1937to1949.Andthebookwasonly

publishedfiveyearsafteritscompletionduetomanyrevisionsandtheneedforappendices

thatexplainedwhatwascontainedinembryoinTheSilmarillion,whichwasonlypublished

posthumously.

The book itself began as a request from the publisher for a sequel toTheHobbit.

TolkienatfirstfoundithardtogiveBilbofurtheradventuresafterhehadretiredforahappy

lifeinTheHobbit.Andhestruggledtofindawaytoconnecttosomeofthethemesofthe

book.Finally,heoptedfortheRingasthelink.Inhisnotesappeartheselines:“TheRing:

whenceitsorigin?Necromancer?Notverydangerous,whenusedforgoodpurpose.Butit

exactsitspenalty.Youmusteitherloseitoryourself.”159

An important connection between the two works is found in the figure of the

Necromancer,ofwhichTolkiencomments:

IhadnoconsciousnotionofwhattheNecromancerstoodfor(exceptever-recurrentevil)

inTheHobbit,norofhisconnectionwiththeRing.Butifyouwantedtogofromtheend

ofTheHobbit I think the ringwouldbeyour inevitable choiceas the link. If thenyou

wantedalargetale,theRingwouldatonceacquireacapital letter;andtheDarkLord

wouldimmediatelyappear.Ashedidunasked,onthehearthatBagEndassoonasIcame

tothatpoint.SotheessentialQueststartedatonce.160

Thiswasthebeginningofthetwelve-yearjourneyofanepicbookwrittenbyabusy

Oxforddonandfatheroffour.IttookthatlongpartlybecauseTolkiencouldnotgettothe

bookasmuchashewanted.Butitalsotooktwelveyearsfortheinnermaturationneededto

overcome what proved to be important blockages in artistic inspiration. Tolkien’s

understandingof the subjectmatter itself needed to grow, as is revealedbymanyofhis

letters.HumphreyCarpenterhimself,havingsiftedallofTolkien’slettersanddocumentsand

interviewedtheman,doesn’tseeanyoftheblockagesas“ascribabletoanyspecificexternal

cause.”161

159Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,187.160Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,216.161Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,194.

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Wewill review now the genesis of the book, with an eye to the artistic process,

particularly the flashes of inspiration and thephases of blockage.Most of the comments

comefromTolkien’sletters;afewexceptionsareCarpenter’snotesfromthebiography.

Tolkienannouncedthecompletionofchapter1,“ALongExpectedParty,”toFurth,

Allen,andUnwinonDecember19,1937.InFebruary1938hecommentedtoStanleyUnwin,

“I find it too easy to write opening chapters—and for the moment the story is not

unfolding.”162

OnlyamonthlaterTolkienhadwrittenthreechapters,andalreadyheexperienceda

surprisealongthecreativepath:thearrivalofthesinisterBlackRiders.Carpentercallsthis

“thefirstofseveralunpremeditatedturnsthatthestorywastotake.”163ThefutureTheLord

oftheRingswasintendedasasequeltoTheHobbit.ButTolkienwasmuchkeeneronlinking

ittoTheSilmarillionandthereforeonpublishingthetwobookstogether.HefeltthatBilbo

hadbeendraggedintothemythologyofTheSilmarillionmuchagainstTolkien’swill.

ByAugust1938heannouncedthathehadresumedworkingonthe“sequel”andhad

nowreachedchapter8andthatthebook“progressestowardsquiteunforeseengoals.Imust

sayIthinkitisagooddealbetterinplacesandsomewaysthanthepredecessor.”164Thenext

surpriseinthenarrativewastheappearanceofStriderintheinnatBree.165Inrelationto

thesameeventTolkienalsowroteverysignificantly:“Mostdisquietingofall,Sarumanhad

neverbeenrevealedtome,andIwasasmystifiedasFrodoatGandalf’sfailuretoappearon

September22.”166Atthetimehestilldidn’tknowwhytheRingwouldbesocentraltothe

story.Thenhehitupontheideasofthe“RulingRing”anditsdisappearance.167Althoughthe

general ideaof thebookwaspresent inTolkien’smindsoonafterwriting chapter2, the

variousdraftshewrote“wereseldomofmuchuse:thestoryunfoldeditselfasitwere.”168

162Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,29.163Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,187.164Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,40.165Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,188.166Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,217.167Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,188.168Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,258.

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ByAugust1938Tolkienhadrealizedthatthestorywouldnotaddresstheoriginally

targetedaudience,thatitwouldnotbeatypicalchildren’sstory.Twomonthslaterhetook

advantageofadoctor-recommendedbreaktoreachchapter11,andhefeltnewlyinspired.

Herepeatedthatthestorywasseeminglyunrollingoutofitself,butbecomingevenmore

terrifying thanTheHobbit, therefore not really a children’s theme. And very tellingly he

added,“Thedarknessofthepresentdays[signsleadingtoWorldWarII]hashadsomeeffect

onit.Thoughitisnotan‘allegory.’”169

ByFebruary1939,heessentiallyrestatedtheaboveandplayfullyblamedtheturnthe

storywastakingonthereaderswhowantedtoknowmoreabouttheNecromancer.Healso

realizedthatthewritingwouldbemorelaboriousthanTheHobbit,andthatthestorywould

acquiregreaterdepthandmeaning.Atthetimeheoptimisticallybelievedhecouldfinishit

byJune1939.170However,bylate1940Tolkienexperiencedalmostayearblockageatthe

timewhenthefellowshipdiscoveredBalin’stombinMoria.171

ByDecember1942Tolkienannouncedagainthatthesequelwasnearingcompletion,

and hewas hoping to finish it by early 1943. He had reached chapter 31, “Flotsam and

Jetsam,”andhadanothersixchapterssketchedout.Tolkienexplainedhewas“longestheld

up—byexteriorcircumstancesaswellasinteriorones—atthepointnowrepresentedbythe

lastwordsofBookIII,”whichreferstothechapter“ThePalantír.”Interestinglyheadded,“I

knew nothing of thePalantiri, though themoment the Orthanc-stonewas cast from the

window,Irecognizeditandknewthemeaningofthe‘rhymeoflore’thathadbeenrunning

inmymind:sevenstarsandsevenstonesandonewhitetree.Theserhymesandnameswill

cropup;buttheynotalwaysexplainthemselves.”172Thisisanotherinstance,asinthetwo

169Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,40–41.HowpresentrealityandtalemixupisindicatedinthiscommentintheforewordofTheLordoftheRings:“Thecrucialchapter,‘TheShadowofthePast,’isoneoftheoldestpartsofthetale.Itwaswrittenlongbeforetheforeshadowof1939hadyetbecomeathreatofinevitabledisaster,andfromthatpointthestorywouldhavedevelopedalongessentiallythesamelines,ifthatdisasterhadbeenaverted.”(Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,xiv).

170Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,42.171Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,194.172Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,217.

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linesaboutEarendelintheCrist,inwhichTolkienisfirstinspiredbysomesentenceandthen

findsmeaninginit,andisabletowriteastoryaboutit.

InanotherletterTolkienreturnedtothesameplace,explainingthat“[TheVoiceof

Saruman]wasgrowingoutofhand,andrevealingendlessnewvistas—andIwantedtofinish

it,buttheworldwasthreatening.AndIwasdeadstuck,somewhereaboutCh.10[TheVoice

ofSaruman] inBookIII.”Headdedthatmostof the fragmentsaheadof itprovedwrong,

especiallythoseinrelationtoMordor.173

By early 1944 Carpenter points out that the book had lain untouched for many

months.Tolkienprobablyresumed it inApril.174 Interestingly,hewrote thedraftsofThe

NotionClubPapersbetweenOctober1944andthesummerof1946,afterhehadfinished

Book IV (see the Book Overview section below for more on the book numbering). He

presentedittohispublisherasanimprovementofhisTheLostRoad.175Hehadinterrupted

hisworkbecauseofneedingtocorrectthechronologyofFrodo’sandSam’stravelsonone

hand,andoftheothertwoHobbitsontheother,respectivelyeastandwestofthegreatriver

Anduin.

Itiscurioustonotehow,soonafterTolkiengaveitup,animportantelementofhis

Númenor/Atlantis attempt of The Notion Club Papers entered The Lord of the Rings via

literaryinspiration.Wehearineffectthat

anewcharacterhascomeonthescene(IamsureIdidnotinventhim,Ididnotevenwant

him,thoughIlikehim,buttherehecamewalkingintothewoodsofIthilien):Faramir,the

brotherofBoromir—andhe isholdingupthe“catastrophe”bya lotofstuffaboutthe

historyofGondorandRohan...butifhegoesonmuchmorealotofhimwillhavetobe

removedtotheappendices.176

ItisthroughFaramirthatechoesoftheNúmenoreanhistoryandFloodareintroducedinthe

narrativeofTheLordoftheRings.ElsewhereTolkienpointsoutthatofallhischaractershe

felt the greatest kinship to Faramir. Thus, Tolkien managed to include his Great Wave

173Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,321.174Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,196,199.175Flieger,AQuestionofTime,119.176Flieger,AQuestionofTime,79.

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dream—andtheAtlanteanhistoryassociatedwithit—aspartandparcelofTheLordofthe

RingsandthushadlessofaneedforTheNotionClubPapersasaseparateproject.InTheLord

of the Rings different characters make reference here and there to the history of

Númenor/Atlantis,includingthegreatcatastropheofitsdemise.AttheendoftheThirdAge,

SamconnectsthepresenteventswiththememoriesofthedestructionofNúmenor.

InthesameveinastheFaramirsurprise,concerningthedevelopmentofthebookin

May1944itisfascinatingtonoteTolkien’ssurprisethat“Gollumcontinuestodevelopinto

amostintriguingcharacter.”177Thisisanexampleofanotherartisticinspirationthatgrew

andgrew.Soonafterhowever,themuseceasedtoinspire.Tolkienwrote,“Iamabsolutely

dryofanyinspirationfortheRingandambackwhereIwasintheSpring,withalltheinertia

toovercomeagain.”178

InaletterofNovember29,1944,Tolkienannouncedhehadsentthelasttwochapters

andgottentotheendofBookIVandpuzzled,“Ihavegottheherointosuchafixthatnot

even an author will be able to extricate him without labour or difficulty.”179 Always in

connectionto“TheHobbitsequel,”TolkienadmitstoStanleyUnwininanotherletterthathis

efforttobringthebooktoaclosefailed.180Evenbysummerof1946Carpenterassessesthat

“hehadscarcelytoucheditsincethelatespringof1944.”181AndinJuly1946Tolkienstated

tothepublisherthathehadmadeagreatefforttofinishthe“Hobbitsequel”butfailed,and

ironicallyadded“Ishallnowhavetostudymyownworkinordertogetbacktoit.”182

InApril1948Tolkienmentionedthathewasexperiencingthe“difficultyofwriting

thelastchapters.”183ItwasonlybyOctoberofthatyearthatinalettertoHughBroganhe

177Flieger,AQuestionofTime,81.178Flieger,AQuestionofTime,91.179Flieger,AQuestionofTime,103.180Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,114.181Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,201.182Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,118.183Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,129.

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announcedthenarrativehadreacheditsending.184Allthingstold,revisions,appendices,and

commentarieswouldstillkeepTolkienandthepublisheroccupieduntil1954.

BOOKOVERVIEWANDPOINTERS

Inthefollowingsummaryofthebooks,wewillpointhereandtheretotheinterlacemotifs

ofparallelsandrepetitions,orechoesandanticipationsthatappearwithinoneof thesix

original books andbetweenbooks. For thiswewill partly refer to the excellentwork of

RichardC.WestandRandelHelmsconcerningthestructureofTheLordoftheRings.185In

addition—basedonRandelHelms’work—wewillpointtotheproverbsthroughwhichoften

inthebooksoneortheotherofTolkien’scharactersepitomizesthelessonslearned.

Tolkienwould have liked to publish the whole of his work in one single volume

because he perceived it as an indissoluble unity, though this was clearly impossible in

modernpublishingpractice.Itisnotthemoderndivisioninthreebooksthatisimportantin

TheLordoftheRings,butTolkien’soriginaldivisioninsixbooks,theequivalentofparts.The

original book titles were: Book I: The First Journey; Book II: The Journey of the Nine

Companions;BookIII:TheTreasonofIsengard;BookIV:TheJourneyoftheRing-Bearers;

BookV:TheWaroftheRing;BookVI:TheEndoftheThirdAge.BooksIandIIwerepublished

asTheFellowshipoftheRing;BooksIIIandIVformTheTwoTowers,andVandVIareThe

ReturnoftheKing.

BookI:TheFirstJourney

TounderstandthetrilogyweneedtorefertothebeingcalledSauronwhowastheoriginal

owneroftheRing,whichthroughmagicpowersbindsthethreeringsoftheElves,ninerings

ofMen,andsevenringsoftheDwarves.Saurondesirestorepossessitinordertoenslaveto

hiswillalllivingbeingsinMiddle-earth.

InTheHobbitBilboBaggins,aHobbit,accidentallyfindsthecovetedRinginadark

cave.WhileheistryingtoescapefromtheonecalledGollum,whoinitiallyownedtheRing

and then lost it, Bilbodiscovers that theRinghas thepower to renderhim invisible.He

184Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,131.185SeeWest,“TheInterlaceStructureofTheLordoftheRings”andHelms,Tolkien’sWorld,chapter5:“Tolkien’sWorld:TheStructureandAestheticsofTheLordoftheRings.”

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retainstheRingaftertheendofhisadventuresinTheHobbit,butdoesnotbecomeawareof

theoriginoftheRingnorofitsgreaterpowers.

AtthebeginningofBookIofTheFellowshipoftheRingBilboisholdingaverylarge

party for his 111th birthday at his home in the Shire. Thewizard Gandalf the Grey has

becomeawareofthepowersoftheRingandwantsBilbotopassitontoFrodo,knowingthat

theinfamousRingcancausemuchhavoc.HemanagestoovercomeBilbo’sresistance,and

indicatestoFrodothattheRingmustberemovedfromtheShire,whereitwillattractthe

attentionofSauronandhisnineRingwraithswhohavetakentheformoffearfulBlackRiders.

FrodoleavestheShireafterbeingjoinedinhisquestbythreeHobbitfriends—Sam,

Merry,andPippin.TheysoonfindthemselvespursuedbytheRingwraiths.Theyareatfirst

providentiallyrescuedbyapartyofElves, ledbyGildor,whohavewanderedfarofftheir

beatentracksandwhopromisetoinvitefurtherhelpastheHobbitsmovealong.Onceoutof

theShiretheHobbitshavetofacethedangersoftheOldForestandareensnaredbyOldMan

WillowwhoswallowsupMerryandPippin,whileFrodoandSamcanonlywithstandhis

powerforlittlelonger.TheyarerescuedbytheenigmaticTomBombadil,theoldestbeingof

Middle-earth,whohaspoweroverthisstrangeland.Outoftheforestthecompanionsspend

sometimeinthehouseofTomBombadilandhiscompanion,Goldberry.Heretheyreceivea

firstlevelofinstructionandaresentontheirwaytotheBarrow-downs.Inthissecondrealm

ofTomBombadiltheyaremadecaptiveinabarrowbyaWight,asortofevilghost.Once

againitisBombadilwhorescuesthem.

TheHobbitsarriveatthefirsttownoutoftheShire,Bree,whereMenminglewith

Hobbits.Thefourarestillquitenaïveandunawareofthedangersthatlurkoverthem.First

Pippin,tellingstoriesofBilbo,andthenFrodo,unabletoresistthepulltoweartheRing,call

attentiontothemselves.TheywouldbeeasypreyfortheBlackRiderswereitnotforthe

providentialpresenceandhelpoftheonecalledStrider,aRanger.Strider,laterknownas

Aragorn,isaheirtothekingsofWesternesse(Númenor),whohaveruledoverthekingdoms

ofArnortothenorthandGondortothesouth.AsaRanger,AragornroamsMiddle-earthto

protectitsinhabitantsfromtheemissariesofSauronandSaruman.

Aragorn,whohaswitnessedtheRingaccident,advisestheHobbitstochangerooms

attheinninBree,andinsodoingsavestheirlivesfromtheRingwraiths.Providentiallythe

innkeeperentersintheirtrustanddeliversthemaletterfromGandalfadvisingthemtotake

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refugeinRivendell,anElfenclave.Thecompanysetsoffearlythenextdayinthedirection

ofWeathertophill.FiveoftheRingwraithshavefoundtheirtracksandattacktheminthe

night.TheotherfourhavebeendistractedinthepursuitofGandalf,whowasdelayedinhis

arrivalafterhavingbeenmadecaptivebySaruman.ThepartoftheeventsrelatingtoGandalf,

however,will onlybe revealed later. Frodo,whohasworn theRingduring the attack, is

woundedbyamagicweaponcraftedbyaservantofSauron,andisnowincriticalcondition.

HeneedsStrider’shealingskillsandtheaidofhiscompanionstocarryhimalongthewayto

Rivendell.

NeartheirdestinationtheHobbitsaremetbytheElf-lordGlorfindel,whohasbeen

seekingthem.Atthecriticalmomentofenteringthesafehaven,Frodo,ridingGlorfindel’s

horse,ispursuedbythenowfullcompanyofthenineRingwraiths.HecrossestheFordof

BruinenpursuedbytheBlackRiders.HeretheElf-magicofElrond,LordofRivendell,comes

totherescueofthecompanybycausingtheswellingwatersoftherivertoengulftheriders.

By the end of Book I Frodo and his friends have been saved many times by

providentialhelpers.ButFrodohasbeensteeledandhasdevelopedthecourageneededofa

quest-bearer,fulfillingGildor’spropheticwordstohim,“Courageisfoundinunlikelyplaces.”

Gandalf reinstates this idea later: “Fortune or fate have helped you, . . . not tomention

courage.”AndElrondwilltellhim,“Thereisnothingthatyoucando,otherthantoresist,

withhopeorwithoutit,”announcingthetrialsofBookII.

BookII:TheJourneyoftheNineCompanions

LikeBookI,BookIIbeginswithfestivities,thistimeinRivendellinhonorofthearrivalof

theHobbitsandtheotherswhowanttojointhequest.Frodohastimetorecover,andhis

healingisfurtheredbyElrond’sskills.Acouncilisheldinwhichmoreinformationcomesto

light about the Ring and decisions are taken about how to ridMiddle-earth of it. Frodo

accepts the responsibilityof taking theRing to theCracksofDoom,partof theOrodruin

mountain,deepintoSauron’sstrongholdofMordor,andthrowtheRingintothemeltinglava

ofthevolcano.TheRingwouldthusreturnwhenceitwasfirstforged.Thediscussionsatthe

council formaparalleltochapter2ofBookI:TheShadowofthePast.Theycontinuethe

instructionsabouttheloreoftheRing.

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FrodoheardfromGandalfinBookIthathewasmeantforthetaskoftheRing.Now

Elrondannouncesthat“thistaskisappointedforFrodo.”Inchapter3ofBookIthethree

Hobbits are chosen. Now in Book II, chapter 3, the other companions are added to the

Hobbits:Gandalfthewizard,AragorntheNúmenorean(Westernesse)heir,LegolastheElf,

Gimli the Dwarf, and the human Boromir. All the people of Middle-earth are thus

represented.

The company travels southwith the aim of crossing theMistyMountains. It first

attemptstodosothroughthepassofCaradhras,wheretheyarerepelledbyanunseasonal

snowblizzard.TheonlywayleftisthroughthemuchmoredangerousoldDwarfMinesof

Moria.ThecompanyisattackedandsavedbyGandalf’sconfrontationwiththeBalrogdemon.

AtthelastmomentthebeastdragsthewizarddownintothechasmofKhazad-dûm.Inthe

eventsofMoria,FrodoisattackedbyanOrcchieftain,receivesablowontherightside,and

issavedbythemithril(analloybothharderandlighterthantemperedsteel)mailshirtthat

Bilbo giftedhim.A little later an arrowhits Frodo and springs back on themithril shirt.

Aragornhelpshishealingthroughhisknowledgeofherbs.ThesurvivorsholdGandalffor

dead.ButthisisonlytheendofGandalftheGrey.NoteinpassingthatCaradhrasechoesthe

ordealoftheOldManWillow;theordealsofMoriathoseoftheBarrowWightinBookI.

Thecompanynowfindsitswayintoanother,evenmorepowerfulElvenstronghold

ofLórien,theforestoftheGaladhrimElves.TheninearereceivedbyLadyGaladriel,who

willplayagreatroleintherestofthequest.ShesubmitsFrodoandSamtothetestofher

mirror,whichwillgivethemimagesofpastandfuturethattheywillonlybeabletointegrate

whenthetimeoftheirneedcomes.Shealsoofferspresentstoeach,everyoneofwhichwill

playanimportantroleinthequest:chiefamongthesethephialwiththelightthathadbeen

originallypartoftheSilmarils;lembas,thewaybreadoftheElves;andfinelywovencloaks

thatwill disguise and conceal themembers of the fellowship.Galadriel knows about the

poweroftheRing,andhastoovercomethetemptationtowielditforherownbenefitinthe

meetingwithFrodo,whowouldwillinglygiveittoher.

GaladrieloffersthecompanyspecialElvenboatstotakethemdowntheGreatRiver,

Anduin,deepintoenemyterritory.Atthispointsomeofthecompanybecomeawareofbeing

followedbyGollum,determinedtorepossesstheRingheonceowned.ArrivingattheFalls

ofRaurosthecompanyispartlysplitonwhethertoproceedeasttowardsMordor,orhead

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west toGondor to lendhelp to thebesiegedcityofMinasTirith.Frodo, ingreatdistress,

makeshiswaytothetopofthemountaintotheseatofAmonHenfromwherehecansurvey

thelandsallaround.HeonceagainslipsontheRingandmanagestosavehimselfatthelast

moment from the roamingEyeof Sauronwho senses thepresenceof theRing.This is a

parallelepisodetothewearingoftheRingatWeathertop.

BoromirofGondorhassuccumbedtothepulloftheRing,naivelybelievinghecanuse

itforthegoodofhisowncity,MinasTirith,anditsrealmofGondor.HeconfrontsFrodowho

hasjustbecomeawareofthestrengthoftheRing,andwhonowknowsthathealonecan

carryittoMordor.FrodoavertsthethreatofBoromiranddeterminestosetoutalonefor

Mordorwithoutputtinganybodyelseinperil.HeusestheRingoncemoretoleavethescene

unseen.Fortunatelyforhimandforthequest,thedevotedSammanagestocatchupwith

himbeforeheembarksdowntheriver.ThetwosearchforawaytoreachMordor.

Frodohasbeen strippedofhis fears and complacencies inBook I.He isnowalso

strippedofallexternalhelpinBookII,especiallyconsideringthathebelievesGandalfdead.

HeisnowassumingthefinalresponsibilityforthefateoftheRinginaccordancetoElrond’s

edictatthecouncil.

BookIII:TheTreasonofIsengard

The book chronicles the adventures of the Hobbits’ minor pair. Frodo and Sam left the

fellowshipjustbeforepartofitisoverrunbyalargepartyofOrcs.MerryandPippinatfirst

resisttheonslaughtoftheOrcs,thanksingreatparttoBoromir’svaliantdefense,whodies

in the attempt. They are then captured by a party of Orcs, entrusted with the order of

bringingthembackalivetoSaruman,whoknowsabouttheRingandcovetsit.TheOrcsare

proceeding at great speed, pursued by the rest of the fellowship—Aragorn, Legolas, and

Gimli—throughtheplainsofRohan.AstheyaregettingclosertotheOrcparty, thethree

meetwiththeRohirrimofRohan,ledbyÉomer.

MerryandPippinaretheobjectofconflictinginterestsonthepartoftheOrcs.Aband

of them—the Uruk-hai, subject to Saruman—attempt to kidnap them.Merry and Pippin

managetoescapebeforetheRohirrimencircleanddestroytheOrcs.Theyfindrefugeinthe

forestofFangornandaftersomewanderingmeetwithitsguardianspirit,theEntTreebeard,

(alsoknownasFangorn)whotakesthemunderhiswingandintroducesthemtoanEntmoot

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(Ent assembly).Having listened to theHobbits, theangerofTreebeard is rousedagainst

Saruman,whohasbeencrueltothebeingsoftheforest.HemanagestostirthefellowEnts

andconvincethemtoengageinwaragainstthewizard.

Aragorn,Legolas,andGimliattempttofindtheHobbitsbutarefirstwaylaidbythe

disguisedSaruman,wholetstheirhorsesloose.Soonafterthepursuersmeetwithafigure

ofgreatpower,alldressedinwhite.TheydonotimmediatelyrecognizeGandalf,rebornas

GandalftheWhiteafterhisordealswiththeBalrog,whichhaveledhimthroughdeathitself.

Helped by the Ents Merry and Pippin rejoin Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf. The

fellowshipwiththeRohirrimofÉomergotoEdoras,thegoldenhallofkingThéoden.Ina

dramatic confrontation with the wicked counselor Gríma, called Wormtongue, Gandalf

showshisnewpowersandunmasksthecounselorasaspyofSaruman.Thishelpsbring

healingtotheking,whohadlostallwillunderthespellofSaruman.Itbringshimcloseagain

toÉomer,whomWormtonguehadestrangedfromtheking.InEdorasMerryfeelsimpelled

todeclarefealtytokingThéoden.

Théodenhasbeenrousedjustintimetorallyhisforcestostandagainsttheonslaught

oftheOrcsandalliesofSarumanatthefortressofHelm’sDeep.TheRohirrimmanageto

standagainsttheformidableforcesofSarumanthanksingreatparttoThéodenandAragorn,

to the return of Gandalf bringing fresh new forces, and to the unexpected help of the

Huorns—beingssimilartotheEnts—whodestroyalltheOrcsthattrytoescape.

Gandalf now leads the fellowship and the Rohirrim in pursuit of Saruman’s

strongholdofIsengard.Theyaresurprisedtofindthefortressalreadylaidwastebythefury

oftherousedEnts.Saruman,nowjoinedbyWormtongue,isentrenchedintheimpregnable

tower of Orthanc. Gandalf feels impelled, though with little hope, to reach the best in

Saruman’ssoulandremindhimthattheyoncewereallies.Hefailsintheattemptbutgains

apreciousobject,thepalantír,whichWormtonguehurlsdownfromthetowerinhopeof

killingGandalf.Thepalantír isoneofsevenseeing-stonesthatthekingsandrulersofold

usedtoseeatadistanceandconnectwitheachother.

ThecuriousPippincannotrefrainhimself fromlooking into thepalantírwhenthe

othersaresleeping.Henarrowlyescapes the influenceofSauron,but in theactprevents

Gandalf from unmasking himself and allows the wizard insight into how Sauron and

Sarumanoperatedandcommunicated.

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BookIIIchroniclestwovictories:thefirstatHelm’sDeep,thesecondatIsengard.Both

ofthesefollowupon,andareaidedby,Saruman’sattemptedcaptureoftheHobbits.Two

proverbsseemtosumuptheadventuresofthetwoHobbits:Gandalf’s“Oftendoeshatred

hurtitself”andThéoden’s“Oftevilwillshallevilmar.”Gandalfofferstheexampleofhowthe

HobbitscouldnothavereachedFangornandrousedtheEnts,wereitnotfortheplansof

SarumanandtheunwittinghelpoftheOrcs.Inadditiontothetwovictories,therearetwo

awakenings: Merry and Pippin help to awaken Treebeard; Gandalf awakens Théoden.

FurtherwisdomissharedbyÉomerwho,savedbyGimliwhomhefirstopposed,utters“Oft

theunbiddenguestprovesthebestcompany.”Gimli,theunbiddenDwarf,savesÉomer;the

unexpectedHuornsarecriticalinthevictoryatHelm’sDeep;Wormtonguewantingtokill

Gandalfdeliversthepalantírtohim.BookIV:TheJourneyoftheRing-Bearers

BookIVisconcernedwiththeHobbitmajorpair.FrodoandSam,separatedfromtherestof

thefellowship,nowneedtodotheimpossible:findtheirwayintotheenemy’sstrongholdin

Mordor.Forawhiletheyare lost inthemountainsofEmynMuil.Frodoreasons,“It’smy

doomtogotothatShadowyonder,[marshes]sothatawaywillbefound.Butwillgoodor

evilshowittome?’”186

FrodoandSamareawareofbeingfollowedbyGollum.Theymanagetocapturehim

andFrodorealizesthatheistheironlysalvation.Thetwoformaprecariousalliancewith

Gollum,whoknowshiswaythroughthemarshesandintoMordor,thoughitisclearthatit

is lustfortheRingthatguideshim.ThroughhiskeensightGollumcanhelpthecompany

travelunderthecoverofnight,andhelpFrodoovercomethespelloftheghostsoftheslain

warriorshauntingthewatersoftheDeadMarshes.

The group reaches the Black Gate that bar entrance to Mordor, and realize that

massiveforceswillpreventtheirentranceintoSauron’srealm.Onthewaytothegatethe

threehaveseenaNazgûl,oneoftherebornRingwraithsnowcarriedonlarge,wingedFell

Beaststhatspreadterrorunderthem.ThetwoHobbitsdecidetotrustoncemoreGollum,

whoisawareofalittle-knownandlittle-guardedaccesstoMordorfromthesouth.

186TheTwoTowers,590.

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OnthewaytothesecretpathtoMordorthepartyisinterceptedinIthilienbythemen

ofGondorundertheleadershipofFaramir,Boromir’sbrother.Thisisaprovidentialmove,

saving theparty fromarmiescoming fromthesouth.Faramir isat first suspiciousof the

Hobbits,wonderingwhatparttheyplayedinhisbrother’sdeath.Hefinallyunderstandsthat

BoromirwasunabletoresistthespelloftheRingthatbroughthimtohisdeath.Hedecides

to support the Hobbits. As for Gollum, whom the men discover only later, he narrowly

escapesdeaththroughFaramir’smen,andisrescuedbythepleadingFrodowhoknowshe

stillneedsGollum’shelp.

TheapparentdetouroftheGondoriancaptivityplaysakeyroleininformingGandalf,

throughFaramir,thatFrodoandSamarealiveandmarchingtotheirgoal.Gollumtakesthe

HobbitsupthemountainpaththatleadstothefortressofCirithUngol.Hesecretlyintends

tohaveFrodokilledbythegiantevilspiderShelob,whoguardsaccesstothepassandthe

fortress.SamandFrodoresistthespiderpartlythroughthehelpofGaladriel’sphial.Sam

causesthespidergreatharm,butFrodoisparalyzedbythespider’ssting.Sammistakenly

believeshimdead,whilehe’sonlyasleepundertheeffectofthespider’spoison.WhileSam,

debatingonwhattodo,escapesfromtheonrushingOrcs,Frodoiscapturedandbroughtto

thetowerofCirithUngol.SamhasretainedtheRingandnowusesitspowertofollowthe

Orcs,realizingthroughthemthatFrodoisalive.Frodoisnowmorealonethanever.

InBookIIIMerryandPippinmanagetotravelthroughRohanattopspeedthanksto

theOrcs.InBookIVFrodoandSamarriveclosetoMordorthankstoGollum’shelp.Asthe

twolosttheirwayintheOldForestsonowtheyarelostintheEmynMuil.Andastheywere

hauntedintheBarrow-downs,nowtheyarehauntedintheDeadMarshes.ThefourHobbits

managewhatseemsimpossiblethankstothehelpofenemyforces.InBooksIIIandIVboth

pairsofHobbitsencounterenemiesin“forbiddenterritories”:MerryandPippininFangorn;

SamandFrodo in Ithilien.Theymeet twokey figures:Treebeard inFangorn;Faramir in

Ithilien.EachpairofHobbitsworksatthedestructionofonetower;MerryandPippinthe

towerofOrthanc,SamandFrodothatofBarad-dûr,thefortressofSauron.Akeyproverbis

utteredbyFrodotoGollum:“Youmusthelpus,ifyoucan.Onegoodturndeservesanother.”

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BookV:TheWaroftheRing

JustlikeBookIII,thisbookisconcernedoncemorewiththeHobbitminorpair.InEdoras

Merrydeclares fealty toThéoden.PippinandGandalf ride towardsMinasTirith.Gandalf

hopestobeabletoarouseGondor’sstewardDenethor,butheisclearlyunsuccessful,partly

becauseDenethorhasbecomedelusional.Pippin,inagestureparalleltoMerry,offershis

servicestoDenethoringreatpartasasignofgratitudeforhissonBoromir,whosavedhis

life.

Sauron is launchinghis attackandpreceding itwith the coverofhisowncreated

darknessthatplungesthelandanditspeopleintodiscouragementanddespair.Meanwhile

Aragorn,pressedtocometothehelpofMinasTirith,realizeshehasonlyonewaytoget

thereintime—throughthedreadedundergroundPathsoftheDeadthatnonehavetaken

beforehim.WithhimgoLegolasandGimli.Thecompanyfollowinghimistestedbythedead,

butAragornshowstrue leadershipandenlists themtohisownhelp, fulfillinganage-old

prophecy.AccompaniedbythedeadheemergessouthofMinasTirithbecauseheknowshe

hastoaddressanotherpressingsituationfirst.

InthebesiegedcitytheproudDenethorsendshissonFaramirtoholdanimpossible

positioninthenearbycityofOsgiliath.FaramircompliesbutsoonhastoretreattoMinas

Tirith,andtheretakerefugebadlywoundedbyapoisonedarrowofaNazgûl.

JustwhenMinasTirith is about to be overwhelmedby the armies ofMordor, the

RidersofRohancometothecity’srescue.ThéodenischallengedbytheLordoftheNazgûl,

theWitch-King of Angmar also called the Black Captain, and is wounded to death. The

disguisedÉowyn,whohasbeenridingdisguisedasaman,challengestheBlackCaptainand

iswoundedbyhim.SoisMerry,whosummonsallhiscouragetocometoherdefense;inso

doingtheymanagetodefeattheNazgûl.MeanwhileAragorn,withhisarmyofthedead,has

defeatedtheCorsairsofUmbar,whothreatenedthecityfromthesouth.Hearrivesjustin

timetooffercriticalhelptoMinasTirithbeforetheenemyforcescanregroup.

Denethor in his delusion decides to seek death for himself and his son by laying

Faramironapyre.He isprevented fromdoingsobyPippin,whocallsonGandalf’shelp.

Denethorgoestohisdeath,butFaramirisrescued.Aragorncomesundercoverinthetown

andoffershisskillsinhealingforthegoodofÉowyn,Faramir,andMerry.Peoplerecognize

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inhimtheonethat theprophecy foretoldasbothakingandahealer,and futurekingof

Gondor.

Gandalfknowsthatnovictory,howeversignificant,willstopSauronuntiltheRingis

destroyed. He plans a great wager. To distract Sauron from what Frodo and Sam are

attempting, he leads a force of six thousand to take by storm the Black Gate, something

clearly impossible. In sodoinghewantsSauron tobelieve thatoneof the company is in

possessionoftheRingandisblindedbyitspower.AtthegateSauron’slieutenantwantsto

destroyGandalf’shopeandunderminethewholeeffortbyshowingthemSam’ssword,agrey

cloak,anElvenbrooch,andthemithrilmailshirtwornbyFrodo,leadinghimtobelievethat

thetwohavedied.Thoughstricken,GandalfstandshisgroundandchallengesSauron’sgreat

armies.

ItisinterestingtonotethatinBookVMerrybecomesThéoden’sknight,andPippin

theknightofDenethor.Theyeachfindanaffinitywiththerulertheywanttoserve.Merry

savesThéoden’sdaughter;PippinsavesDenethor’ssonfromhisfather.Éowynwillendup

marryingFaramirandstrengtheningthebondsbetweenGondorandRohan.Gandalfsums

thelessonswithafittingexpression“Generousdeedshouldnotbecheckedbycoldcounsel.”

Merrywasnotevensupposedtotakepartinthebattle.Pippinfollowedhisbestinstinctsin

savingFaramir,foregoinghispledgeofallegiancetoDenethor.

BookVI:TheEndoftheThirdAge

ThelastbookisconcernedwiththeHobbitmajorpair,justlikeBookIV,thoughthetwopairs

ofHobbitswillconvergeattheend.InMordorSamsetsouttofreeFrodofromtheCirith

Ungolfortress.HeisaidedinthisbydissensionsamongtworanksofcompetingOrcs,who

havefoughtanddecimatedeachother.SamrescuesawearyFrodo,andtogethertheyset

intotheheartofMordor,underthedisguiseofOrcvestments.Theyhavelittlewaterandthe

lastprovisionsofElvenwaybread,buthardlyenoughforthejourneyahead.Andtheyhave

togofirstnorth,theneast,andfinallysouthbecausetheplainbelowthemisfilledwithOrc

armies.TheRingonFrodo’sneckisaburdenthatgrowsheavierbythehour.

ThetwoHobbitsstruggletoreachMountOrodruinbecausetheyhavetotakedetours.

TheyarecapturedbyOrcs,whobelievethemtobedeserters,anddriveninaforcedmarch.

Aftertheymanagetoescape, theystart themostgruelingpartof theordeal, inscorching

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heat,withouttheshelterofshade,andwithlittlewater.Frodogrowsweakerandweaker

underthespelloftheRing,andSamresortstocarryinghim.WhenatlasttheHobbitsreach

MountDoom,FrodocannotovercomethepulloftheRingandbringhimselftothrowingit

intothemoltenlavaoftheCracksofDoom.AtthispointGollumreappearsandfightsFrodo

forpossessionoftheRing.HemanagestowrestitfromFrodobybitingoffhisfingerwithit,

butintheexultationthatfollows,GollumfallsbackintothelavapittakingtheRingtoits

undoing.

AttheBlackGatethefateofthebattleistiltedagainsttheCaptainsoftheWestuntil

the Ring falls at the Cracks of Doom. At the precise moment of the Ring’s undoing, the

panickedforcesofMordorareovertaken.Gandalf,losingnotime,callsonthehelpofGwaihir,

LordofEagles,torescueFrodoandSamfromtheeruptingvolcanothatthreatenstoengulf

them.

FinallySauron’sdarknessisdispelledandtheCaptainsoftheWestreturntoMinas

Tirith.Aragorn isnowmadekingofGondorandmarries theElfArwen.Faramirmarries

Éowyn.TheHobbitsreturntotheShire,wheretheyfindtheirhomesravagedbyintruders

whohavetakenpowerovertheHobbits.JustasSamandFrodoplayedakeyroleinMordor’s

realm,sonowMerryandPippinplaytheleadingroleinthe“scouringoftheShire.”Saruman,

whohadtakentheleadoftheoccupationoftheShire,issparedbyFrodo,butWormtongue,

unabletocontainSaruman’sdailyhumiliations,stabsandkillshim.

TheHobbitsreturnhomeasheroesandstartrebuildingtheShire.Frodooccasionally

suffersfromhiswounds,andnolongerfeelsathomeintheShire.Hehasbeenofferedby

ArwenthepossibilitytosailfromtheGreyHavens,andhedoessointhecompanyofBilbo,

Gandalf,andtheElvenRing-bearers,ElrondandGaladriel.Theymaketheirwaytogether

towardstheUndyingLands.Ifaproverbwouldsumuptheexperience,itisthesameasin

BookV:“Wherewillwantsnot,awayopens.”

GENERALTHEMES

SimilarlytothegreatepicsoftheMiddleAges,TheLordoftheRingsadoptedtheinterlace

structureofnarration.Similarlytothese,aslongasitis,theepicisneverthelessonlyone

fragmentthatisbetterunderstoodinrelationtosomethinglarger.TolkienindicatedthatThe

LordoftheRingsandTheSilmarillionwereintimatelyinterconnected,andhewantedusto

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understandthesecondintimeinrelationtothefirstone.187Thisiswhyhenaivelywould

havelovedtopublishthembothatonce.AndthisiswhyinTheLordoftheRingsTolkien

addedtheappendicesthatrefertowhatiselaboratedinTheSilmarillion.

Christopher Tolkien indicates that The Silmarillion had become “the vehicle and

depositoryof [Tolkien’s]profoundestreflections.”188And forcause:Tolkienworkedon it

fromabout1916to1973,theyearofhisdeath.TheSilmarillionisabookwritteninmany

voicesandaddressingdifferentstagesofconsciousness.VerlynFliegerseesTheSilmarillion

as“somethingwhichbeginsas‘adefinitespiritualreality,’becomesdividedinto‘purehuman

thinking’ and ‘physical light,’ and ultimately splinters, both as percept and asword, into

myriadfragments.”189TheSilmarillionisthestoryoftheFallthroughthefragmentationof

light,language,andpeople.TheLordoftheRingswillannouncetheredemptionthroughthe

smallestofMiddle-earth’speople,theHobbits.

ThereisamajordifferencebetweenwhatlivesinTheSilmarillionandwhatcomesto

lifeinTheLordoftheRings.Muchtimehaselapsedbetweenoneandtheother.TheLordof

the Rings follows in time after what Tolkien describes in the closing chapters of The

SilmarillionwiththechronicleofAkallabêth,relatingtothedownfallofNúmenor/Atlantis.

InhisabortedTheNotionClubPapersTolkien,speakingthroughhischaracters, indicates

Númenor/Atlantisasthedividinglinebetweenmythandhistory.Thischangeisindicatedin

theconceptofatransitionfromaflattoaroundworld.TheLostRoaditselfisthe“Straight

RoadWest”thatitisnolongerpossibletotreadaftertheendofNúmenor/Atlantis.

WithTheLordoftheRingsweareenteringintohistoricalconsciousness.Intalking

aboutTheLordoftheRingsTolkien’sbiographerHumphreyCarpentersays:

Heexplainsitallingreatdetail,talkingabouthisbooknotasaworkoffictionbutasa

chronicleofactualevents;heseemstoseehimselfnotasanauthorwhohasmadeaslight

errorthatmustnowbecorrectedorexplainedaway,butasahistorianwhomustcast

lightonanobscurityinahistoricaldocument.190

187Tolkien,TheSilmarillion,xii.188Tolkien,TheSilmarillion,viii.189Flieger,SplinteredLight,67.190Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,4.

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TheaboveisexpressedbyTolkienhimselfthus:

[The Lord of the Rings]waswritten slowly andwith great care for detail, and finally

emergedasaFramelessPicture:asearchlight,asitwere,onabriefperiodinHistory,and

onasmallpartofourMiddle-Earth,surroundedbytheglimmeroflimitlessextensionsin

timeandspace.Verywell:thatmayexplaintosomeextentwhyit“feels”likehistory;why

itwasacceptedforpublication;andwhyithasprovedreadableforalargenumberofvery

differentkindsofpeople.191

There ismorethat isof interest toourstudy inthisquoteandwhat follows,andwewill

returntoitinourconclusions.

InalongletterthatTolkienwrotetoWaldmanheexpresses,“AsthehighLegendsof

thebeginningaresupposedtolookatthingsthroughElvishminds,sothemiddletaleofthe

Hobbittakesavirtuallyhumanpointofview—andthelasttale[TheLordoftheRings]blends

them.TheLordoftheRingsblendsthushumanandelvishperspectives.”192Letusthenlook

atthesetwoperspectives.

Elves andmen present two different aspects of the human race; they allowus to

exploretheproblemofdeathfromtwodifferentperspectives.Humanbeingsaredoomedto

leavetheworld;Elvesnottoleaveit. InElveswehavemoreproperlydeathlessnessthan

immortality.MenintroduceinMiddle-earththepolarityoffreewill/fatebecauseMenalone

can act beyond the creational design of the music of Ilúvatar, the creator God, as it is

portrayedinTheSilmarillion.Mencanalterexternalevents,whereasElvesseematmostable

toaltersomeattitudestowardsthemselves,otherbeings,orGod,butnotouterevents.

AndHobbits?Theyareasplinterpeopleofthehumanbeings.“Thehobbitsare,of

course,reallymeanttobeabranchofthespecificallyhumanrace(notElvesorDwarves).”193

Theyliveclosertoearth;theyaremoreimmersedandmoreintouchwithit.IntheHobbit

Frodo,Tolkien exemplifies thehighest degreeof fragmentation and splinteringof all the

racesdevisedbyhismythology.Andthe inventionof theHobbitcharactercarrieswith it

muchoftheWestMidlandandofTolkien’ssoul:theylikegardensandtrees;theyarefondof

191Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,413.192J.R.R.Tolkien,undatedletteroflate1951toMiltonWaldmaninTheSilmarillion,xv.193Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,158.

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mushroomsandgoodplainfood(notFrenchstyle,whichTolkienabhorred).Theyhavea

verysimplesenseofhumor;theylikegoingtobedlateandwakinguplate,andsmokinga

pipe.UnlikeTolkien,however,Hobbitshavelittleimaginationandgreatcourageundertrial.

The Lord of the Ringswaswritten as awork of art but also as a scientific report,

bringingtogetherthetwoaspectsoftheWordthatTolkiencherished,andthetwoaspects

ofhispersonality,thewriterandtheresearcher.Intheexplanationsappearinginthebook

Tolkienmovesfromthestoryitselftoitsvariousallegedversions;tothehistoricalartifactof

theRedBook;tothebookitselfwitheditorialprologueandappendices.Tolkiendevisedand

mentionedinthebookanoraltraditionthatgavewaytoancientmanuscripts,andfinally

found its way into a modern book. To the form of the tradition Tolkien had to add a

mechanismofcommunication:alineofhistoricalbards,minstrels,storytellers,scribes,and

redactors in order to finally reach print. All of this had to start from a believable oral

tradition.194

FliegersummarizesthelevelsfromwhichTolkienwouldlikeustolookatTheLordof

theRingsthus:asthestoryitself;asoneversionofthatstoryembodyingreferencestoother

versions;asahistoricalartifact—theRedBook;andasmoderneditionofthatbookcomplete

withscholarlycommentariesoftheprologueandtheappendices.195

ThescholarisnevertoofarfromtheartistwhenwelookatTolkien,theTolkienthat

dealtwith“Lit”andtheTolkienthatdealtwith“Lang,”intheOxfordslang.Thusitmayseem

puzzling to hear the following statements from Tolkien, though they are completely in

keepingwiththeindividualitywehavetriedtouncover.Explainingwhatthebookwasto

him,Tolkiensays“It[TheLordoftheRings]istome,anyway,largelyanessayin‘linguistic-

asthetic,’ as I sometimes say to peoplewho askme ‘what is it all about?’”196 To another

194InTheLordoftheRingsTolkienreferstotheRedBookofWestmarch.In“NoteontheShireRecords”wearetoldthat“ThisaccountoftheThirdAgeisdrawnmainlyfromtheRedBookofWestmarch”andfurtherthatthiswasinorigin“Bilbo’sprivatediary,whichhetookwithhimtoRivendell.”Andhisworkisdescribedas“workofgreatskillandlearninginwhich,between1403and1418hehadusedallthesourcesavailabletohiminRivendell,bothlivingandwritten.”OftheRedBookofWestmarchwearetoldthatonlyvariouscopiesoftheoriginalhavesurvived.(FromTheFellowshipoftheRing,14)

195Flieger,InterruptedMusic,80.196Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,220.

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enquireraskingthesamequestionTolkienwentfurther:“AndIsaiditwasanefforttocreate

asituationinwhichacommongreetingwouldbeelensílalúmenomentielmo[Astarshines

onthehourofourmeeting],andthatthephraselongantedatedthebook.”197

Beforewe turn to the themes of the book, let us have a general idea of Tolkien’s

intentioninhisownwords.WhenpressedhardaboutthewholebookTolkiensaid:

IdonotthinkthatevenPowerorDominationistherealcentreofmystory....Thereal

themeformeisaboutsomethingmorepermanentanddifficult:DeathandImmortality:

the mystery of the love of the world in the hearts of a race “doomed” to leave and

seeminglyloseit;theanguishintheheartsofarace“doomed”tonotleaveit,untilitsevil-

arousedstoryiscomplete.198

Addingspecifics,TolkienemphasizesthatDeathisnottheenemy,thatitistheworkofthe

Enemytomakeitappearso,andthatimmortalityshouldnotbeconfusedwiththelimitless,

seriallongevitysoughtbytheNúmenoreans.199“Longevityorcounterfeit‘immortality’(true

immortalityisbeyondEä)isthechiefbaitofSauron—itleadsthesmalltoaGollum,andthe

greattoaRingwraith.”200

We have thus far looked at the genesis of The Lord of the Rings. It was one that

requiredaprocessofopennessanddiscoveryon thepartof its author. It also restedon

Tolkien’sabilitytogrowintothearchetypalqualityofmythanditscorrelation inhuman

biography.Thiswaspartlyagrowththathadbeen“given”tohimthroughlife’strialsleading

tohisexperiencesduringWorldWar I, comprisingboth theabyssof trenchwarand the

heightsofthefirstartistic inspirationsthat formedthegermsofTheSilmarillion. It ismy

impressionthat it furthergrewthroughhumanity’s trialsofWorldWar II,whichTolkien

followedwithkeeninterest.Heinwardlybattledwithaninnatepessimism,thatartliftedup

andtransformedintoascatologicalvisionofthefuture.

Assomeauthorshavepointedout—especiallyRichardC.West—TheLordoftheRings

presents ingeniously interrelated themes, parallels and contrastswithin some of the six

197Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,264–65.198Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,246.199Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,267.200Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,286.

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originalbooks,orbetweentwogivenbooks.Anotherconstantisthecontrastbetweenthe

Hobbitmajorpair,FrodoandSam,andtheminorpair,MerryandPippin.

InlinewithTolkien’suseoftheinterlacestructureofthestoryisaworldviewthat

echoes the traditional view of the ages of humankind that is known throughmyths and

legends,anoutlookthatsurvivedinWesternconsciousnessuntiltheMiddleAges.Tolkien

renewsandrefreshesthiscyclicaloutlookconcerningtheworkingsofhistory.

Finally, as we know from some of Tolkien’s letters, the various characters of his

trilogy—e.g.ElvesandMen—allowthenarrativetoexploreinimaginationthemessuchas

mortality,deathlessness,andimmortality.Thethemeoftheeternalconfrontationofgood

and evil, seen through the lens of ages of humankind, acquires a higher significance. It

emerges through the ebbs and flowsof each cycle, through themovements of evolution,

stagnation,decline,anddecadence,leadingtopivotalturningpointsofprehistoryorhistory.

Aturningpointinonecyclemirrorsandechoesaturningpointinanother.

The above are only very general guidelines and themes. The charm of Tolkien’s

narrativeisbuiltontherichnessofcountlessliteraryimaginations.Wewillnowturnour

gazetotheseandtrytouncoverpatterns,andlargerarchetypes.

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CHAPTER5

TheArchetypalHumanBeing

But of course,The Lord of the Rings is a deeply spiritual book. Everything has a deeper

meaning, a mysterious denseness of significance that often has its background in

mythologicaleventsoutsidethestoryitself;thesearehintedatbutfrequentlynotexplained,

evenoverthecourseofthestory.

—PiaSkogemann

Myths,legends,fairytales,Homer’sOdyssey,Shakespeare’splays—allspeaktothehuman

mindandheartacrosscontinentsandcenturiesbecausetheytapintosomethingdeeperthan

the intellect. They convey in artistic fashion universal truths that cannot be conveyed

throughtheintellectalone,oratleastnotthroughtheordinaryintellect.InJungianterms

theyspeakofuniversalarchetypesthatliveinoursouls,regardlessofourcultureoforigin,

lifestyle,orpoliticalorreligiouschoices.TheLordoftheRingsneednotinvokeGod,Christ,

spirit, or religion, thoughmanyhaveperceptively realized that all of theseare somehow

tangiblypresent.Tolkien’srichpersonalitywasinspiredfromtheselivingarchetypesand

succeededinaremarkabledegreetoconveythemaslivingimaginations.

ThischapterwillexplorebasicpremisesofthearchetypalworldtowhichTolkien’s

imaginationspoint.All theelementsof the trilogy’snarrativeare tightly interrelatedand

interwoven.Allthecharactershavedepthandstatureand,atfirstsight,seemtoactfullyon

theirown.Onsecondlook,hereasinthestructureofthebookitself,alltheelementsofthe

narrativesupporteachother,andsodothevariousindividuals,theircharacter,andtheir

deeds.Togethertheyofferusapictureofwhatitmeanstobefullyhuman.

ARCHETYPESINTHELORDOFTHERINGS

HowfardidTolkiensucceedinbringingarchetypestolife?Howaccuratewashe?Arethese

questionsthatnoonecouldanswerotherthanhewhocanseethesearchetypesdirectly?We

canatleastcomeclosetoit.Ourapproachwillbetolookatthebookascloselyaspossible

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throughthephenomena—Tolkien’simaginationsdowntotheirminutestdetails—todetect

whattheyconveyofalargerrealitythroughthelensesofJungianpsychologyandthrough

thelivingconceptsofRudolfSteiner’sspiritualscience.Thiswillbesuccessfulifitdoesnot

dissectanddiminishthepowerofTolkien’simaginations,butratherpointstosomethingstill

largerthathasthepowertofurtherinspireus.Itisinfactacommonperceptionthatthereis

noway to exhaust the power of an artistic imagination, be it amyth or Tolkien’swork,

becauseitcanstillbeviewedunderfurtherlenses.Thus,thisisstillonlyabeginning.Toall

ofyou,Tolkienreadersandfans,IhopethiswillgiveanincentivetoreadTheLordofthe

Ringsagain,andencourageyoutolivewithnewquestions,andeventuallygiverisetonew

answers.

Theparallels betweenCarl Jung andTolkien arequite striking, asPia Skogemann

pointsout.Bothofthemwereathomeintheworldofthearchetypes.Inasensetheyhelda

kindofconsciousnessthatismostlyabsentinmodernhumanity.Theylookedbacktothe

past towarn us about dangers lying ahead formodern human beings. This is how Jung

expressedit:“Does[man]knowthatheisonthepointoflosingthelife-preservingmythof

theinnermanwhichChristianityhastreasuredforhim?Doesherealizewhatliesinstoreif

thiscatastropheeverbefallhim?”201Tolkiensaidaboutmythsthatthey“willalsoreflecta

splinteredfragmentofthetruelight,theeternaltruththatiswithGod.Indeedonlybymyth-

making,onlybybecominga‘sub-creator’andinventingstories,canManascribetothestate

ofperfectionthatheknewbeforetheFall.”202AndhelamentedtohissonChristopherthat

“evenifpeoplehaveeverheardthelegends(whichisgettingrarer)theyhavenoinklingof

theirportent.”203

ThereisalawfulnessinlookingatTolkienthroughJung’seyesbecausethereismore

thanonedirectparallelinthewaythetwoofthemworked.Describingescapismtohisson

Christopher, Tolkienwrites: “I took to ‘Escapism; or really transforming experience into

anotherformandsymbolwithMorgothandOrcsandtheEldar(representingbeautyand

201Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,4.202Carpenter,Tolkien:ABiography,147.203Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,88.

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graceandartefact)andsoon . . . I stilldrawon theconceptions thenhammeredout.”204

Through this Tolkien wanted to express that much of his work lay in returning to

imaginationsthatemergedinhispsycheintheyearsofhisyouth—particularlywhattook

the shape ofThe Silmarillion—and penetrate themwith ever-deeper awareness and the

wisdom of old age. No wonder that he endlessly chiseled and remolded versions upon

versionsofhisearlyimaginations,andthatbeingaperfectionistatheart,hecouldneverrest

contentatwhatfelt,nomattertheeffort involved,asgoodasanapproximation. Jungtoo

drewfromtheinspirationhereceivedearlyinlifefortherestofhislife’swork.Inhisown

words:

TheyearswhenIwaspursuingmyinnerimageswerethemostimportantinmylife—in

them everything essential was decided. It all began then; the later details are only

supplementsandclarificationsofthematerialthatburstforthfromtheunconscious,and

atfirstswampedme.Itwastheprimamateriaforalifetime’swork.205

AnditisabouttherealmofthearchetypesthatTolkiencansay:

In that realm [of fairy-story] a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have

wandered,butitsveryrichnessandstrangenesstiethetongueofthetravelerwhowould

reportthem.Andwhileheisthereitisdangerousforhimtoasktoomanyquestions,lest

thegatesshouldbeshutandthekeysbelost.206

Tolkienwaskeenlyawareofcommunicatingthroughartsomethingthatwentbeyond

hispersonalityandthatbiographersandpsychologistscouldnotdigoutofhisunconscious

ortheexternalthreadsofhislife.IagreewithPiaSkogemannthatTolkienpenetratedthe

horrorsofwartothearchetypallevel.Whattodayiscalled“post-traumaticstressdisorder”

iselevatedinFrodo’sexperiencetothearchetypalleveloftheintrusionofevilinalllayers

oftheconsciousness.

AndwhatdoesRudolfSteiner’sspiritualscienceaddtothis?ThestepfromJungian

interpretation to spiritual scientific enquiry lies in seeing that archetypes aremore than

fields of soul and spiritual activity that break out of the collective unconscious and are

204Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,85.205C.G.Jung,Memories,Dreams,Reflections,quotedinSkogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,3.206Tolkien,“OnFairy-Stories,”inMonstersandtheCritics,109.

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embodied in symbols. They are realities of a higher order, and all reality indicates

“beingness,”i.e.,thepresenceofbeingsofahigherorderofreality:spiritualbeingsatwork

intheuniverseandinthehumansoulandspirit.

THETHREEANDTHEONE:THEPATHSOFGANDALF,ARAGORN,ANDFRODO

ThecharmofTheLordoftheRingsliesinbringingtogethervariousordersofreality:from

thelegendary,moredivinethanhumanAragorn,wholivesinthedimensionofmyth;tothe

ordinaryhumanbeinglikeFrodowhoaccomplishesextraordinaryfeats.Fromthequestof

restoringakingdomofoldinanewformtotheanti-questofaHobbitwhosegoalistoget

ridofadangerousweaponofpowerwhiletryingtoremainalive.Andinbetweenthesetwo

figures,orbeyondthem,liesthedimensionofmagicdeartosciencefictionandfantasyfans

thatnobodyembodiesbetterthanGandalf.

Gandalf,Aragorn,andFrodoexpressthegreatestdifferencespossibleandyetwork

asonetowardsthesamegoal.Letuslookattheeachoneofthem,andthenathowtheywork

together.

ThePathofGandalf

GandalfhasalreadybeenaliveforsometwothousandyearsatthetimeofBilbo’sbirthday

party.Thewizards(Istari),accordingtoTolkien,cameoutofValinor.TheyareMaiarbeings,

orlesserValarbeings.Althoughwearetoldtherewerefiveofthem,weonlyknowthename

of three: Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, and Radagast the Brown. “They came

thereforeintheshapeofMen,thoughtheywereneveryoungandagedonlyslowly,andthey

hadmanypowersofmindandhand.Theyrevealedtheirtruenametofew.”207

Gandalf’snamecarriestheAlfofElves.Gandisassociatedwithwizardryorsorcery.

Sothewholewouldmakehimwizardelf.TolkienalsotellsusthathistruenameisOlorin,

thoughhedoesnotofferusaprecisemeaning.AmongMen,Olorinisknownas“theelfofthe

wand.”208Inshort,GandalfisinthismiddlespherebetweenIlúvatar,thesupremedeity,and

hisemissariestheValarsabovehim;ElvesandMenbelowhim.

207Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,AppendixB,1059.208Flieger,“MissingPerson,”inGreenSunsandFaërie,226–27.

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One of the first tests that will meet Gandalf is announced by his long-ranging

awareness.Asinmanyotherplaces,heisabletosensethefuture:“Therearemanypowers

intheworld,forgoodorforevil.SomearegreaterthanIam.AgainstsomeIhavenotyet

beenmeasured.Butmytime iscoming.TheMorgul-lordandhisBlackRidershavecome

forth.”209Andarealtestisindeednotfarfromcoming.

AttheCouncilofRivendell,justbeforethefellowshipforms,ElrondcallsGandalfto

speak,“foritistheplaceofhonour,andinallthismatterhehasbeenthechief.”210Thegreat

ElrondsubordinateshimselftoGandalf,andsodoesAragornlater.AttheCouncilGandalf

pointsoutthatwhenSauronwassentoutofDolGuldur,thetimecoincidedwiththefinding

oftheRing.AndGandalfcommentsthatthiscouldhardlybeacoincidence.However,Gandalf

falls inwithSaruman’s reassurance that theRingwouldneverbe found inMiddleEarth.

Nevertheless,forsafemeasurehedecidestoinquiremoredeeplyintothehistoryoftheRing

andfindsdocumentsinGondor.Inoneofthesehefindsmentionoftheinscriptionitcarries.

Soonafter,throughthedetourofameetingwithfellowwizardRadagasttheBrown,

GandalflearnsthatthenineRingwraithsaremovingwestwardtowardstheShire,andhave

takentheformofblackriders.RadagastdirectsGandalftoSaruman,butnotbeforeGandalf

askshimtoalerttheanimalsandbirdsthatarealliedtohim.ThismeansinformingGwaihir

theWindlordaswell.UponcomingtoIsengard,Gandalfrealizesheisafraid.Sarumanseems

not torespondto the title “White,”butprefers“SarumantheWise,SarumanRing-Maker,

SarumanofManyColours.”Hisrobes,whichhadseemedwhite,wereinrealitywovenofall

colors.Gandalfchallengeshimbysayingthathepreferredthemwhite,andwhatfollowsisa

dialoguecentraltothebook:

“White!”hesneered.“Itservesasabeginning.Whiteclothmaybedyed.Thewhitepage

canbeoverwritten;andthewhitelightcanbebroken.”

“Inwhichcaseitisnolongerwhite,”saidI[Gandalf].“Andhethatbreaksathingtofind

outwhatitishasleftthepathofwisdom.”211

209Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,214.210Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,243.211Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,252.

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Saruman turnsdownGandalf’s adviceandannounces thatanewage is coming in

whichpeoplelikehimmusthavedominionovertheworldofMen.Heexplainsthatanew

powerisrisingthatMenandElveswillnotbeabletooppose.ShowingscornforMen,whom

heseesashinderingtheworkofwisdom,hepressuresGandalftoyieldtothecomingpower

ofSauronintheillusionthatitcanbecontrolledforthehigherpurposeof“Knowledge,Rule,

Order.”SarumanfurtherpressesGandalftorevealwheretheRinglies,togetholdofit.When

Sarumantellinglyreferstoitas“thepreciousthing,”Gandalfhasnochoicebuttoopposethe

fellowwizard,thusbecominghisprisoner.GandalfisconfinedtothepinnacleoftheOrthanc

tower,with littlehopeof escape, therepassingbitterdays.He is rescuedaftera timeby

Gwaihir, lord of theEagles. This test is the prelude to a stronger ordeal against an even

strongeropponentwhostandsinthewayofthefellowship.

Gandalfplaysaroleevenwithoutmeetingthefellowship.Soonafterhisreleasefrom

OrthanchegoestotheShire,thentoBree,wheretheBlackRidersweredirected.Whenhe

knows that Frodo has leftwith Strider, towhomhe is relieved to relinquish leadership,

GandalfgallopstoWeathertop,reachingittwodaysafterleavingBree.TheBlackRiderstry

toattackhim,butheprotectshimselfwithfire.Insodoinghehasdrawnbehindhimfour

BlackRiders,anddivertsthemfromattackingFrodoandAragorn.

InRivendellElrondannouncestheformingofthefellowship,anddeclares:“Withyou

andyourfaithfulservant,Gandalfwillgo;forthisshallbehisgreattask,andmaybetheend

ofhislabours.”212Gandalfistrulytheheadoftheparty,Aragornaclosesecond;buttoFrodo

fallsthecentraltaskofthequest.Interestingly,andinanuncharacteristicallyboastfulway,

Gandalfsays,“Someonesaidthatintelligenceshallbeneededintheparty.Hewasright.I

thinkIshallcomewithyou.”213ButheleavesthissuggestionopentoElrond’sadvice.

IntheminesofMoria,Gandalfwalksinfrontofthegroup,and,silentanddetermined,

Aragorn intherear. It isalwaysGandalfwhohasthe lastword,whileAragornshowshis

completetrustinhim,eveninthemosttryingmoments:

212Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,268.213Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,266.

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“Donotbeafraid!”saidAragorn....“Ihavebeenwithhimonmanyajourney,ifneveron

onesodark. . . .Hewillnotgoastray—if there isanypathto find.Hehas ledushere

againstourfears,buthewillleadusoutagain,atwhatevercosttohimself.”214

BeforeleavingtheminesofMoria,Gandalfindicatestheyhavetogoacrossabridge.

Whentheygettothebridgetheyseethatitisnarrowanddangerous,withoutcurborrail.

Belowisawidechasm.Pursuedbyafrightfulcreature,aBalrog,thecompanycanonlycross

insinglefile.Toprotectthefellowship,GandalftakesastandagainsttheBalrog.Gandalfand

theBalrogarebothMaiarspirits; theyareequal,but theBalrogserved thedefiant spirit

Melkoralreadyinoldentimes.IndefianceoftheBalrogGandalfproclaimshisallegianceto

anotherpower:“IamaservantoftheSacredFire,wielderoftheflameofAnor.”215Anorisa

namefortheSundeity.TheBalrogneverthelessleapsuntothebridge.Gandalf’sstaffistorn

fromhim.Thebridgebreaksand theBalrog fallsdownwards,dragging thewizardalong.

Aragorntakescommandofthefleeingfellowship.

OnlymuchlatercanGandalfexplaininpartwhatwasthenatureofhisinitiation.After

beingdraggeddownbytheBalrog,Gandalffellforalongtime.Firsthewaswrappedinfire,

thentheybothfellinthedeepanddarkwater.“LongIfell,andhefellwithme.Hisfirewas

aboutme.Iwasburned.Thenweplungedintothedeepwaterandallwasdark.Colditwas

asthetideofdeath:almostitfrozemyheart.”216

Themagiciancametothebottom,“beyondlightandknowledge,”stillwiththeBalrog

athisheels.Thetwofoughtintheentrailsoftheearth,“wheretimeisnotcounted.”Atlast

theBalrog fled intodark tunnels,and inutterdespairGandalf realized that followinghis

enemywashisonlyhope.TheBalrogcarriedhimbacktotheheartofKhazad-dûmtothe

“Endless Stair.” After ascending the seemingly endless spiral he found himself at last in

Durin’sTower,inahigh,narrow,andinaccessibleplace,farfromtheworld.

TheBalrogburst into flameagain.Themountain looked crownedwith stormand

thunderroared,lightningflared.Gandalfmanagedtohurlhisenemyagainstthemountain,

214Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,303.215Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,344.216Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,490.

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whereherantohisruin.Heconcludes,“Thedarknesstookme,andIstrayedoutofthought

andtime,andIwanderedfaronroadsthatIwillnottell.”Therestisbetterretoldverbatim:

NakedIwassentback—forabrieftime,untilmytaskisdone.AndnakedIlayuponthe

mountain-top....Iwasalone,forgotten,withoutescapeuponthehardhornoftheworld.

ThereIlaystaringupward,whilethestarswheeledover,andeachdaywasaslongasa

life-age of the earth. Faint to my ears came the gathered rumours of all lands: the

springingand thedying, the songand theweeping, and the sloweverlastinggroanof

overburdenedstone.217

ItisoncemoreGwaihir,LordofEagles,whobearshimtoLórieninthepresenceofGaladriel

forhealing.

Pia Skogemann indicates that Gandalf is initiated first through the sphere of the

elementsintheentrailsoftheearth:fireandheat,waterandcold,earth,stone;andfinally

throughanascentintotheairthatinvolvesthesameelementsanew:fireinthelightning,

water in the ice and rain, earth in the rock.Hemeets this initiation through the Balrog,

anotherMayabeing,likehimself.

AsSkogemannindicates,thatGandalfissentbackintotheworldnakedmeansthat

hehasbeenabletogreatlytransformhisphysicalbody.ThisiswhyGwaihircallshim“light

asaswan’sfeather.”Buthestillneedshealing,andthatiswhyGaladrielcallshimtoLórien.

LaterGandalfcansaythatnoweaponcanhurthimbecausehisphysicalbodyislikenone

other.Inbattleheneedsnohelmnormailtoprotecthimself,andhiswhiterobesandsnowy

longhairmakehimlookasradiantasthesun.

WhenthepartywitheveryoneexceptFrodoandSammeetwithGandalfagain,the

wizardissotransformedthatevenhiscompanionsfailtorecognizehimatfirst,andhereacts

withsomesurprisetohisownname.At first thecompanionsconfusehimwithSaruman,

thenLegolasisthefirsttoshoutMithrandir,Gandalf’sElvenname.Theynoticethat“hishair

waswhiteassnowinthesunshine;andgleamingwhitewashisrobe;theeyesunderhisdeep

browswerebright,piercingas theraysof thesun;powerwas inhishand.”218 (emphasis

added)IndeedGandalfprovesinhisappearancethatheistheservantofthesacredflameof

217Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,491.218Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,484.

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Anor,theflameoftheSun.Heindicatestothecompanionsthatnoneoftheirweaponscan

hurt him at present. This is because he has gone through some degree of death and

resurrection.

TothepartyGandalfnowannouncesthecomingofthegreatstorm.Inwhatbecomes

athemethroughthebook,heproclaims:

“Yes, I am white now,” said Gandalf. “Indeed I am Saruman, one might almost say,

Sarumanasheshouldhavebeen....Ihavepassedthroughfireanddeepwater,sincewe

parted.IhaveforgottenmuchthatIthoughtIknew,andlearnedagainmuchthatIhad

forgotten.Icanseemanythingsfaroff,butmanythingsthatarecloseIcannotsee.”219

ThenheoffersanunderstandingoftheEnemyandhowhecanbedefeated.Sauron

livesinangstthatsomeoneelsewouldbeavailinghimselfoftheRinginhisstead,seekingto

overthrowhim.Whathecouldnotpossiblyfathomisthatsomeonewouldsimplywantto

destroytheRing.Andthefellowshiphasthisadvantageoverhim—thattheirplansdefyhis

understanding.

Now armed with new power, Gandalf enters the Hall of Edoras as if by storm,

defeatingGrima/WormtonguewhohassubjectedThéoden’smindtoSaruman’sinfluence.

AfteropenlydefyingGrima,Gandalfraiseshisstaff,andthunderrollsandthehallturnsdark.

Théodenisreawakenedafteralongspellunderthesubjugationofhiscounselor,andisready

toleadhisarmyinbattle.

InMinasTirithGandalfassumesleadershipofthecityafterDenethorrelinquishesit,

preytohisgrowingmadness.InGandalf’spresenceMenrecovercourage.Butassoonashe

passes,theyloseit.Nowtheattackerscomewithrenewedstrength,andspurredbytheBlack

Captain,thegateattheentranceofGondorbreaks.BehindthegatestandsGandalf,readyto

challengehim.TheCaptainsays,“Oldfool! . . .Oldfool!Thisismyhour.Doyounotknow

Deathwhenyouseeit?Dienowandcurseinvain!”220Gandalfdoesnotmove.Atthatmoment

acockcrows,welcomingthedawnthatbreaksthroughSauron’sdarkness.Andinanswer

comethesoundsofthehornsoftheridersofRohan.

219Ibid220Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,811.

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AftervictoryisachievedinGondor,becauseSauron’sattentioniscompletelydrawn

towardstheassembledcompany,Gandalfwantshimtokeepdoingso.Allofhisenergyis

devoted to the service of the seemingly humble Hobbit Frodo. Gandalf wants to induce

SaurontoemptyMordorofhisforces,andoffershisforcesasabait,goadinghimtobelieve

hecancapturetheRinghiddenamongthem.ThusGandalfaskshisalliestowalkintoatrap

with little other than hope, knowing that they could perish. Gandalf’s stance could

summarizethenatureofthetransitiontothenewage.Inhisownwords,itis“better[torisk

deathwithoutwarranties]thanperishnonetheless—aswesurelyshall,ifwesithere—and

knowaswediethatnonewagewillcome.”Andhesumsup:“Wecomenowtotheverybrink,

where hope and despair are akin. To waver is to fall.”221 Once this mad wager is over,

Gandalf’staskfortheaeoniscompleted.

InordertoensureFrodo’smission,Gandalfsacrificeshimselfintheordealagainstthe

Balrog,whichleadshimtoanunderworldjourney,adeathandresurrection.Heknowsat

thatmomentwhatcouldbeinstoreforhim,andhedoesnotshrinkfromit.Thisiswhatleads

himtothetransformationfromGandalftheGreytoGandalftheWhite.Amongthethreemain

charactersofthetrilogy,heistheonlyoneabletooverseeallthethreadsoftheodyssey.In

a Jungian sense Gandalf represents the positive archetypal spirit that shows that “living

nature,ofcourse,isnotopposedtothespiritbutisapartofit.”222

ToDenethorGandalfsays,“Butallworthythingsarenowinperilastheworldnow

stands,thosearemycare.Andformypart,Ishallnotwhollyfailofmytask,thoughGondor

shouldperish,ifanythingpassesthroughthisnightthatcanstillgrowfairandfloweragain

indaystocome.”223Gandalfwrestlestorescuewhatcanbecarriedintothefuture.Heworks

outofanintuitionofthefuture,asismadeclearinhisapproachtoSaruman;evenablack

magiciancanhearthewordsofthespirit,andthesecanmatureatsomelaterpointinhis

soul.

AsexaltedasGandalfcanbe,heisstillsubjectedtothelawsofMiddle-earth.Heis

already afraiduponmeeting Saruman inOrthanc, andonly themore sowith theBalrog.

221Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,862.222Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,129.223Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,741–42.

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Likewise,whenFaramirremembershisfirstencounterwithFrodoandSamandrecountsit

toGandalf,PippinnoticesthatGandalf’shandstrembleandrealizesthatthewizardhimself

isshakenandafraid.ThesamehappensattheBlackGate,whenGandalfparleyswiththe

MouthofSauron,whobringshimabundlecontainingSam’ssword,agreycloak,anElven

brooch,andthemithril-mailcoatwornbyFrodo.ThosenearGandalfseetheanguishinhis

facebut,evenwhenallseemslost,Gandalfcansummonsomehiddenreserveoftruespiritual

strength.

Gandalf is the image of the self in the realm of the spirit. He is the one whose

consciousness spans all realms of earth, the one who can speak to everyone their own

language.Heistheonewhocallstohigherawarenessandthereforeisseenasabringerof

doombythosewhoareunpreparedtotakethenextevolutionarystep.Whenpeoplemeet

higheraspectsofthespirit,theyreactinthemeasureoftheirdevelopment,asinthecaseof

SarumanorDenethor.Iftheyaretorninthemselves,theyfeelshame,andthisturnstoanger

oraversion.Théodenisreadyforchange,andhishealingisalmostimmediate;Denethorhas

onlyloathingtowardsGandalfandsinksdeeperintohismadness.

InGandalfthedivineaspectstandsintheforeground;heisfirstandforemostaMaia.

His body is secondary; after his initiation, for all intended purposes, he has known and

overcomedeathandcannotbedefeatedinthebody.

ThePathofAragorn

Aragornhastheovertonesofthechosenone,thelarger-than-lifehero.Hisisapathofthose

destinedforgreatness,apathcarvedbycontinuousadversity,somethingofacharacterof

legend.Thisbeginsathisverybirth.

Aragorn’sfather,ArathornsonofArador,wantstomarryGilraentheFair.Herfather,

Dírhael,isopposedtoit,partlyduetoagreatagedifference,butalsobecauseheintuitsthe

tragicfateofArathorn.Thisinfactcomestopassafterthetwomarry,whenArathorniskilled

byOrcsonly twoyears after thebirthofAragorn.Thenewborn is taken to livewithhis

motherinRivendell.HeisfirstcalledEstel(Hope),andhistruenameandlineagearekept

hiddenatthewishofElrond,whodoesn’twantSaurontodiscoverthewhereaboutsofthe

heirofIsildur,theonewhohadwrestedtheRingfromSauron’sfinger.Atagetwenty-five

Estel accomplished great, unspecified deeds in the company of Elrond’s sons. Elrond,

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recognizinghisnobilityandstature,decidestorevealtohimhistrueorigin,andtogivehim

the family heirlooms, among which is Narsil, the broken sword of Elendil and his son,

Isildur.224

Aragorn first seesArwen,grand-daughterofGaladriel,while she iswalking in the

woods in Rivendell. In memory of the legends of his forebears, he calls her “Tinúviel.”

AragornrealizessheisthedaughterofElrondwhohasjustreturnedfromLórien,andhas

notbeeninRivendellforalongtime.Arwen,anElf,hasmuchlongerearthexperiencethan

hedoes.Elrond,illdisposedtowardstheirmarriage,foretellsAragornthedifficultpaththat

awaitsthemboth.HewarnsAragornthatsheistoofarabovehim.ElrondfeelsthatAragorn

isaskingtoomuchinseparatingArwenfromhimandfromall theotherElves. InLórien,

however,AragornhasthefavorofGaladriel.ItisshewhoallowedhimtofirstmeetArwen.

At age forty-nineAragorn, returning fromhismissions andwanderings, comes to

Lórienandspends“aseason”withArwenand,onaMidsummereve,theydedicatetheirlives

to each other. Elrond, informed of their choice, places as a condition for his assent that

Aragorn regain his crown before being united to Arwen. Thus Aragorn sets out from

Rivendell, while Arwen remains. Because of her choice, Arwen relinquishes Elven

deathlessnessandbecomesamortalwoman.

In the following years Aragorn is taken under Gandalf’s wing to serve a kind of

apprenticeship.Theseare longyearsofwanderingsasaRanger,protectingMiddle-earth

fromSauron’semissaries.UptothispointAragornhasbeenraisedbyElrond;Gandalfhas

actedashisspiritualfatherandGaladrielashisspiritualmother.Thefateofthethreeholders

oftheElvenringsisboundtohis.Firstofall,Aragorn’sformativeyearsareshapedbythe

encounterswiththesethreehighElves;second,thesuccessofAragorn’smissionspellsthe

endoftheirpresenceinMiddle-earth.

InTheFellowshipof theRingwe firstmeetAragornat the innofBree.Frodo first

notices what he calls “a strange-looking weather-beaten man.” The stranger introduces

himself to Frodo as Strider. In fact both future members of the fellowship meet under

disguisenames:Mr.UnderhillandStrider.FromthebeginningweseethatStriderknows

224Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,1032–33.

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abouttheRingandhasthepowertosubmittheHobbitstohiswillifhesowishes,buthecan

resistthetemptationoftheRing.AndtwoparadoxicalpartsofStridercometotheforefrom

thebeginning.Thefirstishisgrim,worn-outexternalappearanceduetoyearsandyearsof

wandering. On the other hand Aragorn/Strider periodically alters his appearance; his

nobilityshinesthroughhim.AndthishappensforthefirsttimeinfrontoftheHobbitsatthe

innatBree.“Hestoodup,andseemedsuddenlytogrowtaller.Inhiseyesgleamedalight,

keenandcommanding.”225TheHobbitswitnessingthescenedonotdaremove.

IntheabsenceofGandalfatBree,AragornleadsFrodoonthenextstagesofhisquest.

Gandalf,informedofthefactlateron,feelsAragornisthebestsuitedtofilltherolethathe

was unable to play due to his delay under Saruman’s captivity. The fellowship without

GandalfarrivesatRivendell.AttheCouncil,ElrondproducestheswordofAragorn’sforbear

Isildur,whichwas long broken and has now been reforged. And he introduces officially

AragornassonofArathornanddescendentofIsildur,andchiefoftheDúnedain[Rangers]

oftheNorth.AragornexplainsthattheRangershaveprotectedtheNorthbyhuntingdown

adversaries and preserving the peace. However, they are looked upon and treatedwith

contempt frommostofMiddle-earth’s inhabitants, and theyhave toaccept it inorder to

protect Middle-earth from dangers they cannot yet reveal. Aragorn now receives the

reforgedNarsil, towhich he gives the name of Anduril, or “Flame of theWest.” Leaving

Rivendell,GandalfleadstheninemembersofthefellowshipwithAragornasclosesecond.

AndAragorntakestheleadattheapparentdeathofGandalfintheminesofMoria,bringing

themtotherefugeofLórien.

BeforeleavingLórien,GaladrielasksAragornwhetherhewantsagift.Heanswers:

“only through darkness shall I come to it [Arwen].”226 Through this answer he seems to

foreseethekindoftestthatawaitshim.Galadrielgiveshimasheathforhissword,anda

silverbroochinthelikenessofaneaglewithoutspreadwings,withagreenstonesetonit,

andremindshimofhiskinglynames:Elessar,theElfstoneofthehouseofElendil.Whenhe

takesthestone,Aragornstandsoncemoreasiftransfigured.

225Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,168.226Ibid,391.

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ThegroupdescendstheAnduinRiverwhileAragornstillmullsaboutthebestcourse

to take.When fate intervenes and forces his hand, the fellowship is disbanded. Aragorn,

heavilyaffected,reflects“Alas...NowtheCompanyisallinruin.ItisIthathavefailed.Vain

wasGandalf’strust inme.”227Herethefutureking,as inmanyotherplaces,subordinates

himselftothewisewizard.Hefeelsthathisowntaskisbestfurtheredbysubmittinghimself

toGandalf.

AtthefootofTolBrandirthefellowshipisbroken.TheHobbitstakedifferentpaths.

Themajorpair—FrodoandSam—ridedowntheriversearchingforawaytoenterMordor’s

realm.MerryandPippin—theminorpair—areabductedbyapartyofOrcswhointendto

bring them to Saruman’s stronghold in Isengard. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are in hot

pursuitoftheOrcsthathavekidnappedtheyoungerHobbits.Whenwonderingaboutwhat

coursetotake,Aragorncanputhiseartothegroundandfeeltheearth’svibrations.Hecan

detectthattheenemieslieafar,butthatRohan’shorsesaregettingclosertohisparty.He

canalsosensefinerinfluencesatworkinRohan—ashedidbeforearrivinginMoria:“There

issomethingstrangeatworkinthisland.Idistrustthesilence.IdistrusteventhepaleMoon.

...Thereissomewillthatlendsspeedtoourfoesandsetsanunseenbarrierbeforeus:a

wearinessthatisintheheartmorethaninthelimb.”228

WhenÉomer and the riders ofRohanmeet the three friends,Aragorn reveals his

deeper being to Éomer and displays Anduril. Oncemore the companions are amazed at

Aragorn’schangeinstature.LaterAragornshinesatthebattleofHelm’sDeep.Heinfuseshis

troopswithgreatcourageinaseeminglydesperateresistance.

AfterthebattleatHelm’sDeepandthedestructionofIsengard,Gandalfentruststhe

Orthancseeingstone(palantír)toAragorn,foritcomesfromthetreasureofElendilandit

hadbeensetinOrthancbythekingsofGondor;thereforeitbelongstoAragornbyright.And

hecounselsAragornnottouseityet.

Aragorn,however,makesuseoftheseeingstoneandrevealshisordealsinlooking

intothepalantírtoLegolas,addingthatittookmorestrengthtodothisthantostandatthe

battleofHelm’sDeep.InsodoingSauronwasabletobeholdAragorn,hisarch-enemy,and


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Aragorn indefiancehas shownhim the reforgedbladeofAnduril. Thisnodoubtpushes

Saurontomajorhaste,whichwillplayagainsthim.InlookingintothepalantírAragornalso

detectstheperilthat iscomingfromthesouth—theCorsairsofUmbar,whothreatenthe

ruinofMinasTirith.ItisthisinformationthatspeedshimontotakethePathsoftheDead

thatwillallowhimtoovercometheCorsairs.

Aragornintuitsmoreandmorethekindoftrialthatiscoming:“Itisdarkbeforeme.

ImustgodownalsotoMinasTirith,butIdonotyetseetheroad.Anhour,longprepared,

approaches.”229MuchlaterAragornistoldaboutthePathsoftheDeadbytheRangerElrohir,

whospeaks forhis fatherElrond:“Thedaysareshort. If thouart inhaste,rememberthe

Pathsof theDead.”And immediately after anotherRanger,Halbarad, conveys amessage

fromArwen:“Thedaysnowareshort.Eitherourhopecometh,orallhopesend.”230

ThetaskthatAragornhastofaceisholdingthedeadtotheirancientpromise.The

oaththeybrokewasto fightagainstSauron;andatErechstandstheStonebrought from

NúmenorbyElendil.TheKingsof theMountain (now thedead)had swornallegiance to

IsildurupontheStone,buthadrecantedandworshippedtheDarkLord.Isildurhadlaida

curse upon themnever to find rest until theywould fulfill their oath. The people of the

mountainshid themselves andhadnodealingswithotherpeople, and then fadedoutof

existence.

AragornshowsgreatstrengthofsoulinenteringtheDarkDoor,andtheRangersand

the others follow him even though in great fear into the entrails of themountain. Upon

enteringthedarknessAragornsummonstheDeadtotheStoneofErech.Heismetwithutter

silence,andadarknessandcoldinwhichthetorchesgooutandcannotberekindled.Inthe

darknessthecompanyofthedeadgrowsmoreandmoreterribletoendureduringfourdays

oftravel.ItfallsuponAragorntocontaintheirimpetus,andtosubduethemtohiswill.

Shortly after emerging from the caves, the company reaches the Stone of Erech.

AragorntellsthedeadthattheywillbegoingtoPelargiruponAnduinandpromisesthem

thataftertheyhelphimagainsttheCorsairs,hewillfulfillhispromiseandsetthemfree.The

nextdaythedarknessdoesnotliftduetoSauron’sdoings,and,providentiallyprotectedby

229Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,756.230Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,758.

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theenemy’sdarkness, the companymarches south followedby thedead.AtPelargir the

companyconfrontsthefifty-shipfleetoftheHaradrimofUmbar.Thoughtheyareasmall

forceagainsttheCorsairs,theyhavethedeadontheirside,andtheseinstillgreatfearon

theirfoes,whoarethusvanquished.Truetohisword,Aragornreleasesthedeadfromtheir

oath.

Aragorn’slastimportantdeedisoncemoreoneofhealing.Rememberthatearlieron

hesavedFrodoatleastforthetimethatittooktoreachRivendell.InMinasTirith,afterthe

enemyforceshavebeenprovisionallyrepelled,Gandalfcomestotherescueofthewounded

Faramir,Eowyn,andMerry,butfeelshecannotcurethisnewillnesscausedbytheBlack

ShadowthathasbeeninflictedbytheNazgûl.Thoseafflictedfall intoadeepeningdream

stateandthenprogressivelyloseconsciousness,turncold,anddie.

GandalfhearstheprovidentialwordsoftheoldnurseIoreth,“Thehandsoftheking

arethehandsofahealer,”andrealizesthatsuchakinghasreturned.Aragorndoesnotwant

to claim his kingship yet, so he comes to the city in disguise. He willingly relinquishes

commandforthetimebeingtoGandalf.

Aragornaskshisassistants in thehousesofhealing to fetchaspecialplantandto

prepare it in an infusion. Faramir suffers fromweariness, from grief imparted from his

father’sbehavior,thewounditself,andtheBlackBreathoftheNazgûl.Aragornisincontact

with the soul of the youngman; he is calling himback from remote regions. Thosewho

witnesshearhimevermorefaintly,asifheweretravelingfartherandfartherawayfrom

earthinsearchofonewhoislost.TotheawakeningFaramir,whorecognizeswithlovethe

futureking,Aragornsays,“Walknomoreintheshadows,butawake!”

ThenAragorntendstoÉowyn.Aragornhasperceivedupontheir firstmeetingher

unhappiness, likethatof“awhiteflower. . .shapelyasalily,andyetasifwroughtbyelf-

wrightsoutofsteel.Orwasit,maybeafrosthadturneditssaptoice....Hermaladybegins

farbackbeforethisday.”231AndGandalfcompletesthepictureofhertrial,ofbeingtiedto

herfatherinspiteofhervalor,andseeinghimdecaywhilebeingunabletoaffectchange.

AragornrecognizesthepainoftheloveÉowynhasforhim,whichcannotbereturned.When

heinitiallyperceivedthis,hewasafraidforherfate.NowAragornrealizesthathecanheal

231Tolkien,ReturnoftheKing,848.

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herbodybutcannotpredict inwhatstateofmindshewillawake,and if sheawakens to

despair,morehealingwillbeneeded.Aragorncallsherback from the shadows: “Awake,

Éowyn,LadyofRohan!...TheShadowisgoneandalldarknessiswashedawayclean!”And

Éowynreplies“Tohealth?...Itmaybeso....Buttohope?Idonotknow.”232

Soonafter,Aragorn turns toMerry.The futureking ismoreoptimisticabouthim,

realizingthestrongspiritthatlivesintheHobbit.Hepredictsthatalthoughhewillnotforget

hisgrief, thiswillstrengthenhimandgeneratenewwisdom. In factMerryawakenswith

desire for ameal and a pipe. In the three examples justmentioned,we see how keenly

Aragornfollowsthepathsofthesoul,andhowclearlyherecognizesthenatureofeachone’s

trials.

AsasovereignAragorncomestoestablishaneweraofpeace.VerlynFliegerseesin

Aragorn an image of the sacred king of old. This kind of king is known in Greek,

Germanic/Norse, and Celtic mythology.233 Among other things, the sacred king is the

warrantoftheland’sfertility,whichdependsonhismanlinessandvitality.Skogemanncalls

Aragorn a “cultural hero.” She contrasts Gandalf’s vertical path to what is essentially a

horizontalpathinAragorn.GandalfiscaughtinSaruman’sOrthanctowerandrescuedby

Gwaihir,LordoftheEagles.LateronhedescendstothedepthswiththeBalrogandascends

Durin’sTower.Gandalf’spathisthatoftheheightsanddepthsofthespirit.Aragornknows

thepathofthehumansoul.Hecanfathomandunderstandeachindividual’spathofsoul,and

helphealphysical andpsychologicalwounds.Hewrests the soulsof thedead from their

submissiontoSauron,whohasboundthemthroughtheyearsinwhichtheyservedhimin

Middle-earth.Theyrecognizeinhimtheonewhohaspoweroverdeathofthesoul.Andthis

isthesameinthecaseofFaramir,Éowyn,andMerry.Thetextofthestoryemphasizesquite

clearlythatAragorncanfollowthemintotheotherworld—orunderworld—andcallupon

theirsoulstofindtheirwaybacktoearth,awayfromthepulloftheBlackShadow.Heworks

withhumanbeingsfromonesidetotheotherofexistence.

232Tolkien,ReturnoftheKing,850.233Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,149.

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Gandalf meets with a being who is his peer, the Balrog, a spiritual being. And

ultimatelyhefightsSauron,anotherpeer, ineverypossibleway.Aragornisaknightwho

protectshisfellowMiddle-earthinhabitantsthroughhissword,hisawarenessandalertness.

Heisdeeplyrelatedtotheneedsofhispeople,butalsototheearthitselfwithwhomheis

intimatelyconnected,andheplaceshimselfcompletelyattheserviceofGandalf.

AragorntakescommandwhenthelatterismadecaptivebySarumanorbytheBalrog.

ButheisevermindfuloffollowingGandalf’sinspiration.Thisishisbeaconandhiscompass.

IntheminesofMoria,Aragornremindsthecompanyofhowmuchtrusthehasinthewizard.

Heexhortsthemtofollowhimwithconfidence.

Aragorn, like Gandalf, naturally resists the temptation of the Ring, which he first

demonstratestoFrodoatBree.Hecanresistitbecauseheismotivatedbylove.Healsowins

overhispeoplethroughtheloveheputsintheirhealing,andtheyreciprocatewithanatural

gestureoflove.

Aragorndoubts that he canbe the rightful leader for thebeginningof a newage.

Gandalfhelpshimdissipatethosedoubts.Athiscrowningthenewkingacquiresamythical

stature:“Wisdomsatuponhisbrow,andstrengthandhealingwereinhishands,andalight

wasabouthim.”234

If Gandalf represents the spirit and the self, then Aragorn is quintessentially the

representativeofthehumansoul.GandalfisaMaiar,essentiallyadivinebeinginahuman

body. Aragorn is Half-Elven (a Man with some Elf in his genealogy), and a heir of

Númenoreandescent,adescendantofthosepeoplewhohadaccesstotherealmofValinor

throughtheElves.Heismostfittoplaytheroleofmessengerbetweentheworldofspirit

andthephysicalworld.Wewillturnnowtotheonewhoismosthumanofall,ormostHobbit:

Frodo.

ThePathofFrodo

NameswereveryimportanttoTolkien,andthisiswhy,afterplayingunsatisfyinglywiththe

choiceofBingo,heoptedforFrodo.ThenameFrodo isfoundinGermanicmythology,for

exampleintheversionFrodiintheProseEdda,whichwasveryfamiliartoTolkien.Flieger

234Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,947.

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seesinhimthecounterpartoftheNorsefertilitygodFreyr.Thewordfroor,fromwhichitis

derived,standsfor“fruitful:or“wise.”235

Tolkien says little about Frodo’s childhood except that his father,Drogo Baggins,

married Primula Brandybuck, Bilbo’s first cousin on the mother’s side. The couple was

drownedwhileboatingontheBrandywine.FrodoisapureHobbit;butthroughhisTook

strainhecarriesaninclinationtowardsadventure.AtthetimeofthestoryBilbois111and

Frodo33,whichinHobbittermscorrespondstothecomingofage.FrodoBagginswasBilbo’s

favoritenephew,andtheyhadthesamebirthday,September22.

WhenfirstpresentingFrodowiththeRingGandalfleavesthedecisionoftakingitup

withhimandoutoftheShiretoFrodo,andheadds“ButIwillalwayshelpyou....Iwillhelp

youbearthisburden,aslongasitisyourstobear”(emphasisadded),236AndGandalfremains

truetohiswordtotheendoftheodyssey.ItisalsoGandalfthattellsFrodo:“Bilbowasmeant

tofindtheRing,andnotbyitsmaker.Inwhichcaseyouwerealsomeanttohaveit.Andthat

maybeanencouragingthought.”237Inhislargerviewofthings,Gandalfknowsthathehas

toencourageFrodototakeuphistaskbutthatFrodowillonlybeabletodoit ifGandalf

lendshimhiscontinuedhelp.

Frodofeelsverysmallandinadequateforthetask,buthehasgreatloveforBilboand

longstomeethimagain.Thisiswhatfirstgiveshimcourage.Interestingly,beforeheleaves

theShire,hehasadreamthatannounces the themeof thesea—not justanyseabut the

WesternSea:“soundoftheSeafar-off...strangesaltsmellintheair...atallwhitetower.”238

Hewantstogoclimbthetowerbutispreventedfromdoingso.

AsRandelHelmspointsout,BookIofthesixoriginalbooks(parts)presentsuswith

Frodo’spreliminary,onecouldsaypreparatory,experiences.Ineachoftheseheseemstofall

short,buthealsoreceivesprecioushelpandtempershisspirit.Eachofthesebringsabouta

dangerfortheRing-bearer.AndineachoneoftheseFrodoissavedbyanexternalagent—a

forceorindividual.Inthefirsttwohemusterscourageandpresenceofmind,sothatinthe

235Flieger,GreenSunsandFaërie,230.236Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,60.237Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,54–55.238Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,106.

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lateronesheactsoutofhisstrengthofheartandwill.BytheendofthesetrialsFrodogathers

thecouragetoacceptthetaskofbearingtheRing.239

BeforeleavingtheShireaRingwraithsmellsthepresenceofFrodo,whoisaboutto

succumbtothetemptationofwearingtheRing.Frodoissavedbytheunlikelypresenceof

Elves,whichcausetheRingwraithtoflee.

IntraversingtheOldForest,Merry inviteshis friendstotakeanap.Frodotriesto

resist andurges the others to do so.As the two youngerHobbits,Merry andPippin, fall

asleep,Frodohimselffinallycannotresisttheurge.Samremainsawakebecausehedoesnot

trust the tree. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin are saved partly by Sam, but mostly by Tom

Bombadil.

TomBombadilhasnotheardFrodo’scryforhelp;hisarrivalispurelyprovidential.

IntheadventureFrododiscoverstheelementalmaliceofnaturethatexistsindependently

of Sauron, that there are both good and evil things in nature.He also sees that theRing

doesn’t make Tom invisible—and that Tom has no interest in the Ring, nor can he

understanditspower.

The test that follows is the encounter with the Barrow-wight. Here too the

companionsinvoluntarilyfallasleepandlosesightofeachother.Frodo’sconsciousnessis

challenged by a song, a “cold murmur,” “far away and immeasurably dreary.” He hears

stringsofwords,“grim,hard,coldwords,heartlessandmiserable.”Heresiststheurgeof

puttingontheRingandremembersthat“thereisaseedofcouragehidden(oftendeeply,it

istrue)intheheartofthefattestandmosttimidhobbit,waitingforsomedesperatedanger

tomakeitgrow.”240ThewordsofGildorseemtoechoinhissoul.AndFrododiscoversthat

hecanbebothangryandafraid.Heawakenscourageuponseeinghiscompanionsmade

captive.HestrikesatthespectralhandoftheWightandsummonsthepresenceofBombadil,

whohaspreviouslypromisedhishelp.

FromthedomainofTomBombadilonwardwefaceanescalationandalternationof

highs and lows. After Bree, the challenge at Weathertop; after the oasis of Rivendell,

CaradhrasmountainandtheevenmoreformidableminesofMoria,withtheaccompanying

239Helms,“Tolkien’sWorld,”chapter5.240Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,137.

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lossofGandalf’sguidance.AftertheotherworldlyhavenofLórienandtheencounterwith

GaladrielcomefirstthelabyrinthofEmynMuil,thentheDeadMarshes,leadingtotheno-

man’s-landaheadoftheBlackGateandMordoritself,withthepauseoftheforbiddenpool

of Ithilienprovidentially inserted in between. To everynewheaven-sent shelterwith its

regenerativepowerfollowsthechallenge/opportunitytoworkandmeetthepowerofthe

enemywithsomenewlyacquiredstrength.

ItisinterestingtofollowFrodo’strialsatthehandoftheRing.AtthePrancingPony,

followingPippin’sdangerousdisclosures,Frododecidestostepinandrescuetheday,buthe

hasbeenserveddrinksandforgetshimself.Atapointinthesongheleapsintheair,andto

hissurpriseunconsciouslyslipstheRingonanddisappears,immediatelycrawlingtoward

thecorneroftheroomwhereStrideris.ItseemsthattheRinghasapowerstrongerthan

Frodoat thispoint,andthat itsimplywants toreveal itself. It isStriderwhorescues the

beleagueredcompanyofHobbits.

AtWeathertopFrodorealizesfullyhishomelessnessandtheperilsofthequest.He

nowregretshavinglefttheShire.AtnighttheBlackRidersattackthecompany,andFrodois

engulfedinterror.UnderthespelloftheRinghelongstosurrender,knowingfullwellthatit

willofferhimneithersolacenorrelief.AfterheputsontheRinghisvisionisaltered,andhe

canseeunderthefigures’mantlesintotheircoldandhatefuleyes.Frodorespondstothe

attackshouting,“OElbereth!Gilthoniel!”andisimpactedbyapoisonedstingofaswordin

hisleftshoulder.Fortunately,thewraithrecoilsuponhearingthenameElberethandupon

seeingAragornrescuingFrodobyholdingflamingwoodbrands.Frodohasmadethemistake

ofwearingtheRing,butheisrescuedbynewcourageandbyAragorn.

AttheFordofBruinenFrodocanresisttheurgeofslippingontheRinganddefiesthe

wraiths.ButitismostlythroughGandalfandGlorfindel’shelpthathecanfindrescue.When

GlorfindelenjoinsFrodotorideforward,Frodoisheldbya“strangereluctance,”thepower

thatthewraithsholdoverhim.FrodoishelpedbythespeedofGlorfindel’shorse.However,

thenineRidersarebehindhim.Andnowtheyrenewtheircommandstotakeholdofhiswill.

Oncemore Frodo invokes Elbereth and Lúthien the Fair. Nevertheless, as he sees them

approaching,Frodo’swillisasifparalyzed.TheRidersareledintothewaterbya“shining

figureofwhite light”(Glorfindel)andbypeopleholdingflames.ThroughElvenmagicthe

swellingwatersoftheriverengulfthem.

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BytheendofBookIFrodohasputontheRingtwice,andhasbeenseriouslywounded.

Hehasbeenoverpoweredand fallenunconsciousor asleepwhilemeetingwithOldMan

Willow,theBarrow-wight,andtheRing-wraiths,andsoonaftercrossingtheFordofBruinen.

BookIendswithFrodobecomingunconscious,andBookIIstartswithhisawakeninginthe

HouseofElrond.

InRivendellFrodoiscuredbyanimportantElffigure,Elrond,theonewhowearsthe

Ring ofAir, Vilya, andwhopreserves great knowledge about the affairs ofMiddle-earth.

ElrondtendsFrodoforfourdaysandremovesthesplinterofthebladethatwouldotherwise

havefounditswayintoFrodo’sbodyandplacedhimunderthespellofSauron,whocould

thus inflictpainonhimuntilhewouldreleasetheRingtohispower.Gandalfnoticesthe

changesafterFrodo’shealing:“Therewasafaintchange,justahintoftransparencyabout

him,andespeciallyaboutthelefthandthatlayoutsideuponthecoverlet.”Andhepredicts,

“Hemaybecomelikeaglassfilledwithclearlightforeyestoseethatcan.”241

InRivendell’sFireHallFrodolistenstothemusicandpoems,andheisheldinaspell

even though he does not fully understand. He feels transported beyond himself; the

environmenttransformsitselfinfrontofhiseyes,andhebeholdsvisionsofdistantplaces.

He feels likehe is living inadream.Hereveals theabovetoBilbo,whorecognizes it isa

challengetostayawakeinRivendelluntilonegetsusedtoit.

AtthecouncilGandalfdeclaresthe“folly”ofthrowingtheRingintothefire.Whileall

eyesareturnedonhimandallvoicessilent,Frodoacceptsthechallenge,thoughfeelinga

pulltostayinRivendellwithBilbo.“Atlastwithanefforthespoke,andwonderedtohear

hisownwords,asifsomeotherwillwasusinghissmallvoice.‘IwilltaketheRing,’hesaid,

‘thoughIdonotknowtheway.’”242

InthecavesofMoriaFrodoexperiencesuneasyfeelings,leadingtodread.Thoughhe

has been healed in Rivendell, he carries as a result of wearing the Ring a keener sense

awarenessandability to senseandsee in thedark,and forebodingsofevil events.Thus,

togetherwithAragorn,hecansensethepresenceofGollumfollowingthem.InMoriaFrodo

isattackedbyahugeOrcchieftain,andreceivesablowontherightside.Heissavedbythe


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mithril shirt mail that Bilbo gifted him in Rivendell. Frodo, bruised and in pain, finds

breathingpainful.Onlyalittlelater,outsideofthemines,anarrowhitsFrodoandoncemore

springs back on themithril coat. Aragorn’s healing skills help Frodo recover. Notice in

passingthatphysicalwoundsthatbefallFrodoareapatternthatisunknowntoGandalfand

Aragorn.

InLórienGaladrielbeckonstoFrodoandSamtolookintohermirror.Amongother

thingsFrodoseesafigureclothedlikeGandalfbutinwhite,holdingawhitestaff;however,

hecannotseehisface,andhehasdoubtsofwhetheritisGandalforSaruman,athemethat

appearsanumberoftimeslaterinthenarrative.FrodoonceagainhasavisionoftheSea;

thistimeheseesagreatstormandashipridingoutoftheWest.

Suddenlythemirrorgoesdark.FromthedarknessarisesSauron’sEye,rimmedwith

fire,growingandfillingnearlyallMordor.Theeyerovesaroundandseeks,andFrodofeels

theRingonhisneckgrowingheavier.Thenthevisionfades,leavingFrodoshakingallover.

Galadrielindicatesthatsheknowswhathesawlast,becausethatisalsoverypresentinher

mind.IntheactofperceivingthestrengthofSauron,FrodohasalsoperceivedthatGaladriel

wearstheRingofWater,Nenya,whileSamisunabletoseeit.

Galadrieloffersgiftstoallthemembersofthefellowship.ToFrodoshegivesthesmall

phialinwhich“iscaughtthelightofEärendil’sstar....Itwillshinebrighterwhennightis

aboutyou.Mayitbealighttoyouindarkplaces,whenallotherlightsgoout.”243Butthisis

nottheonlygift.Uponleaving,FrodohearsGaladrielsinginanElvishtongue.Thoughhe

cannot understand it, hewill carry thememory ofwhat he heard and interpret it later.

Amongotherthingsissaid,“MaybeyoushallfindValimar[thecityatthecenterofValinor,

landoftheValar]....VardaisthenameoftheLadywhomtheElvesintheselandsofexile

nameElbereth.”244ElberethistheonewhomFrodohasalreadyinvokedatWeathertop,and

whomhewillinvokelater.

Beforethefellowshipdisbands,FrodofightsagainstBoromir,whotriestoinducehim

togivehimtheRing.Tryingtodeterminehiscourseofaction,Frodofleesandarrivesatthe

topofTolBrandir.HesitsonthehighseatofAmonHen.Hehearsnosounds,butisoffereda


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vastvisualpanoramaineverydirectionaroundhim.Heapprehendsthemagnitudeofthe

powerSauronhasput inmotion. In looking towardsMountDoom,he feelshopelessand

senses thepresenceof theEyecoming fromtheDarkTower,as if searching forhimand

gettingevercloser.Frodothrowshimselfoff theseatandcovershisheadwith theElven

hood.

Heheardhimselfcryingout:Never,never!Orwasit:VerilyIcome,Icometoyou?Hecould

nottell.Thenasaflashfromsomeotherpointofpowertherecametohismindanother

thought:Takeitoff!Takeitoff!Fool,takeitoff!TakeofftheRing!245

Frodoexperiencesthetwopowersbattlinginhimself,untilhecanreturntohimself,

andtakesofftheRingjustintime.OnecouldsensethattheredeemingpowerinFrodoisthe

onethatresonateswithGandalf,theonlycharactertousetheexpression“Youfool”inThe

LordoftheRings.Frodo,greatlyweary,feelshisheartlighterandhiswillstronger.Heaffirms

hisresolvetoleavealone,whichwouldhappenexceptforSam’sdetermination.

WhilestillintheEmynMuilthetwoexperienceawildwindroaring,andwithitahigh,

shrill cry similar towhat theyhadheardwhile fleeingHobbiton. It provokeshorror and

despair.Itcomesfromthenew,nowwingedversionsoftheBlackRiders—theNazgûl.Frodo

slipsandfallsforward,losingsightofwhat’saheadofhim:allseemsblackaroundhim.When

SamsendshimdowntheElvenrope,giftfromLórien,Frodocanseeagainallaroundhim:

“Thedarknessseemed to lift fromFrodo’seyes,orelsehis sightwasreturning.”246Later

Frodo,reviewing theepisode, realizes thathe losthissightbecauseof lightningor,more

likely,somethingmuchworse.

Whilelookingforawayoutofthemountains,SamandFrodocaptureGollum,and

Frodo is now in the same position Bilbowas inTheHobbit. He could kill the repugnant

creature,buthaspityonhiminstead.HerealizesthatinGollumliestheirwaytoMordor.So

he wants to commit Gollum to them with a binding promise. Gollum swears over the

“Precious[Ring]tobeverygood.”Beforeacceptingthepromise,Frodomakeshimnotice

thatthisisadangerouspledgebecausetheRingwillexactitsduefromhimnomatterwhat.

ButGollumiscommittednottohaveSaurongetholdoftheRing.

245Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,392.246Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,594.

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Samnoticestheeffectofsuchapromise.Gollumisaffectedfromthismomentfora

while, both speaking directly to the Hobbits rather than to his precious, and seeming

overeagertoplease.Herebeginsacentralmotiffortherestofthestory.Therelationship

betweenFrodoandGollumdeterminesthegrowthofFrodoandtheoutcomeofthequest.

IntheDeadMarshesGollumplaysacriticalroleinofferingcovertoSamandFrodo

byhidingtheminthedayandguidingthematnight.Frodostartslaggingbehindunderthe

burdenoftheRing.Astheytravelon,thedarknessthickens,theairgrowsmoreoppressive.

They start to see dimly shining smoke and flames flickering. These are the light forms

emanatingfromcorpses.Gollum,whohaspreviouslyexperiencedthem,asksthemnotto

lookatthem.Frodocannotresisttheircallandisasifonereturningfromadream,whenSam

pullshimback.Frododescribeswhathesaw:“grimfacesandevil,andnoblefacesandsad.

Manyfacesproudandfair...Iknownotwhotheyare;butIthoughtIsawthereMenand

Elves,andOrcsbeside them.”247Gollumspeaksofagreatbattleofages longgone,about

whichhehadheardbeforeacquiringtheRing.

TheRinggrowsmoreandmoreburdensomeforFrodo.Itdragshimdowntowards

theearth.ButheisevenmoretroubledbySauron’sEye,bywhichhefeelsscrutinizedand

pursued.Itissucharealexperiencethathecantellwithcertaintyfromwhichdirectionit

comes.

ComingoutoftheDeadMarshes,FrodoandSamareprogressingtowardstheheart

of the Black Shadow. The landscape turns bleaker and bleaker. Frodo’s consciousness is

deeplyaltered.He“sawstrangephantoms,darkridingshapes,andfacesoutofthepast.He

lostcountoftime,hoveringbetweensleepandwaking,untilforgetfulnesscameoverhim.”248

Gollumkeepsfollowingthemandisevenmoreafraidthaneitherofthehobbits.Onlythe

compulsionoftheRingmoveshimforward.WhenGollumfoolishlyreclaimstheRing,Frodo

warnshimofthedangerthatawaitshiminawaythatpredictsGollum’send,andisworth

quotingatlength:

YousworeapromisebywhatyoucallthePrecious.Rememberthat!Itwillholdyoutoit;

but it will seek away to twist it to your undoing. Already you are being twisted. You


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revealedyourselftomejustnow,foolishly.Give[theRing]backtoSméagolyousaid.Do

notsaythatagain!Donotletthatthoughtgrowinyou!Youwillnevergetitback.Butthe

desireofitmaybetrayyoutoabitterend....Inthelastneed,Sméagol,Ishouldputon

thePrecious;andthePreciousmasteredyoulongago.IfI,wearingit,weretocommand

you,youwouldobey,evenifitweretoleapfromaprecipiceortocastyourselfintothefire.

Andsuchwouldbemycommand.249(emphasisadded)

Gollumisterrifiedbythisspeech.TheendofthestorywillbearoutFrodo’sforeboding.

HereTolkienindicatesinaveiledmannerthatFrodoisnotasaloneashefeels;while

this is goingonGandalf isdealingwith Saruman.When thepalantír is throwndown the

OrthanctowerinanattemptatGandalf’slife,TolkienindicatesthatGandalf’sthoughtturned

toFrodo

inhopeandpity.MaybeFrodofeltit,...eventhoughhebelievedthatGandalfwasgone,

goneforeverintotheshadowinMoriafaraway.Hesatuponthegroundforalongwhile,

silent,hisheadbowed,strivingtorecallallthatGandalfhadsaidtohim.Butforthischoice

hecouldrecallnocounsel....Perhaps[Gandalf]couldnotsay.250

ItseemsthatGandalfispresentspiritually;healwaysaccompaniesFrodoandAragorn.He

comesintoFrodo’smindasifitwereoutofthelatter’sowninitiative,butcoulditbethatit

isGandalfwhoistryingtomakecontact?Tolkienleadsustobelieveit.LikeAragorn,Frodo

tooseemstooftenaskhimself,“WhatwouldGandalfdo?”

MakinghiswayintothedarknessoftheEast,Frodo’ssensesandmindareclouded.

This iswhatpullsFrodo,as ifunderahypnoticpull towardsthebridgeofMinasMorgul.

Calledby the forceof theRing,heventures towards thebridgeand feels impelled torun

towardthegateofthecityanditstower.WhenSampullshimback,hefeelsthattheRingis

resistinghisinitiative.AsFrodolooksawayfromthecity,heisasifblinded.Simultaneously

acompanyofhorseriderswithaBlackRiderconvergeonthebridgethatthethreejustleft

behind.TheleaderisthesamethatwoundedFrodoatWeathertop.AndFrodofeelstheold

woundthrobbingwithpainandachillcoldseizinghisheart.Hefeelscalledtosliponthe

Ring; insteadhehas thestrength toreach forGaladriel’sphial.At thatmoment theRing-

wraithlosesthementalconnectionwithFrodoandstopssearchingaround.


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The respite of Ithilien with Faramir’s men of arms seems a necessary step in

regeneratingtheailingHobbits.Theyconnecttoonewhowillbeanimportantfigureinthe

events to come—Faramir—and through the latter, news will reach Gandalf of the two

Hobbitsandtheirprogresstowardstheheartofdarkness.

What follows in theantechambersofGondor isan intensificationof theno-man’s-

land.OutofShelob’sLair“cameastench...asiffilthunnameablewerepiledandhoardedin

thedarkwithin.”ItwasevendarkerthanwhattheyhadexperiencedinMoria,andheretheairwasstill,stagnant,heavy,andsoundfelldead.Theywalkedinablackvapour

ofveritabledarknessitselfthat,asitwasbreathed,broughtblindnessnotonlytotheeyes

buttothemind,sothateventhememoryofcoloursandofformsandoflightfadedoutof

thought.Nightalwayshadbeen,andalwayswouldbe,andnightwasall.

ForFrodo,“timeanddistancesoonpassedoutofhisreckoning.”251Smellseemstobethe

onlyandpervadingsensethattormentsthem.Anditpervertsallperceptionoftimesothat

thetwoareunabletotellhoursfromweeks.Theblottingoutofmemorygoesastepfurther

thanbefore.Itisnowalmosttotal.

FrodousesGaladriel’sphialattheinspirationofSam,andhopereturnstohim,asif

Eärendilwerebringing the light of the Silmaril from theheavens.But soon after, Shelob

overpowersFrodo,andSamseesthathehasbeenstungintheneckandthathishandsand

feetarecold.Thusarrivesanotherwound.Andthisislikeatrueinitiationdeath,inmany

waysparalleltoGandalf’sinitiationinMoria,especiallyconsideringthatthestingisfollowed

by captivity under theOrcs. In his LettersTolkien indicates, “Frodo’s face goes livid and

convincesSamthathe’sdead,justwhenSamgivesuphope.”252

WhenSamcomestofreehimintheOrcs’tower,Frododoesn’tknowifheisstillina

dream. And what was barely more than a day feels to him like weeks. Frodo has been

questionedandthreatenedbytheOrcsandhaspainonthebackofhisneck,abovetheleft

shoulder.DuringthetimebeforeSam’sarrival,hestrivestorememberthesceneryofthe

Shire but can no longer do so; another step in the loss ofmemory that continueswhat

happenedinShelob’sLair.Inadditionheisdevastatedattheideaofhavinglosteverything

251Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,701.252Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,101.

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thathecarried,believingthequesthas failed.Hedoesn’tknowthatSamhasrescuedthe

Ring,theswordSting,andthePhial.

NowFrodoasksfortheRingtobereturnedtohim,andSamfindshimselfreluctant.

ThetwoactundertheinfluenceoftheRing’spower.FrodoseesSamundertheguiseofan

Orcthreateninghim.Finally,herealizesthedeceitandthepoweroftheRing,andapologizes.

He restates to Sam that theRing is his “doom,” andhis alone. This is a repetition of the

experience in which Bilbo requests to see the Ring from Frodo, but this time Frodo

recognizeshisownshadowandthepoweroftheRingmoreobjectively.

Inflightfromthetower,FrodofeelsthepresenceofaNazgûloverhead,butthistime

hedoesnotexperiencetheusualdreadandterror.AndSamnoticesthatsomethingnewis

emerging,thatthewindhaschanged,andintuitsSauronisnothavingthingsaccordingtohis

plans.Thenarratoradds:“ItwasthemorningofthefifteenthofMarch,andovertheValeof

AnduintheSunwasrisingabovetheeasternshadow,andthesouth-westwindwasblowing.

Théoden lay dying on the Pelennor Fields.”253 This is the time inwhich the Lord of the

Ringwraithshasbeendefeated.

SamisheartenedbytheturnofeventsandwantstogivehopetoFrodo,thoughFrodo

doesnotrespondasSamexpects.TheRingisbecomingmoreandmoreburdensomeand

Frodobeginstoseeitinhismind“allthetime,likeagreatwheeloffire.”Frodo’snextsleep

isheavywithdreamsaboutfire,butdoesneverthelessrestorehisstrength.Atthistimethe

wholeattentionoftheEyeisturnedtowardswhatitperceivesasthethreatoftheCaptains

oftheWest,ledbythe“usurperking”withtheterriblesword.Gandalfiscarryingonhisplan

ofdistractingSauronfromtherealthreattohispower.

SamandFrodorealizethattheynowmustmaketheirwayintotheopen,andthat

onlyluckcansavethemfrombeingdiscovered.Fourdayshavepassedsincetheirflightfrom

the tower, and the weight of the Ring becomes hardly bearable for Frodo. Sam keenly

observesthatFrodo’slefthandcomesupasifhewereprotectinghimselffromablow,or

protectinghissightfromanintrudingEye.Hisrighthandgropestowardshisbreastasitto

reach for theRing and then retreats.What sustains the two is theElvenwaybread—the

lembas—which,astheirsolesustenance,seemstoacquirestrongerpower,feedingtheirwill


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beyondthemeasureoftheirpersonalmeans.SamofferstocarrytheRingtorelieveFrodo,

butheanswers:“Youcan’thelpmeinthatwayagain.I’malmostinitspowernow.Icould

notgiveitup,andifyoutriedtotakeitIshouldgomad.”254

FrodohasnowlostallmemoryofhislifeonMiddle-earth.Hestillknowswhathas

happened,butcannotcalltomindanysenseimpression.ToSamhesays,“Iamnakedinthe

dark,Sam,andthereisnoveilbetweenmeandthewheeloffire.Ibegintoseeiteveninmy

wakingeyes,andallelsefades”(emphasisadded).255Anewnightpasses;Frodo’sphysical

strengthebbs,andhestartstostaggerandfalluponhisknees.Samresolvestocarryhim,

findingtohissurprisethathe isnotdauntedbytheaddedburden.SamalsohelpsFrodo

resisttheirresistibleurgetoweartheRing.

WhileSamisdefendinghimselffromGollum,Frodoarrivesatthebrinkofthechasm,

clutchingattheRing.Samnowseesthefollowingsceneasiffromaheightenedperception.

FirsthepiercesthroughtoGollum’struebeing:apoordefeatedHobbitdevastatedbythe

alienpoweroftheRing,nolongeramatchforFrodo.FrodocastsasideGollumanddeclares

thatGollum’stimeiscomingtoanend,andthathewillnolongerbeabletobetrayorslay

him.OncemoreFrodoispredictingGollum’send,ashehaddonewhenGollumhadpromised

toguidethemoutofEmynMuiloverthe“Precious.”

WhatcomesnextisseenbySaminavision.Gollumappearsasacompletelyruined

being,yetpossessedofinsatiablerageandlust,and

beforeitstoodstern,untouchablenowbypity,afigurerobedinwhite,butatitsbreastit

heldawheeloffire.Outofthefiretherespokeacommandingvoice.‘Begoneandtrouble

me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast into the Fire of Doom.256

(emphasisadded)

This is the third time that FrodopredictsGollum’s ending.Note that the figure inwhite,

reminiscent of Gandalf, indicates that Frodo is undergoing an initiation to some degree

paralleltothatofthewizardinthecavesofMoria.

254Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,916.255Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,916.256Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,922.

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AfterawhileSamseesFrodoapproachingthefieryabyss.HetriestouseGaladriel’s

phial,butitthrowsnolightintothisdarkness.IntheheartofdarknessnotevenGaladriel

canoffertheHobbitssolace.HereonlySauron’spowercanbefelt.Allspiritualpowershave

towithdrawifFrodoistoaccomplishhismostchallengingdeed.Frodocannotdoitoutof

himself,buthehasnowcompletedominionoverGollum,ashehasforetoldvarioustimes

before.

Frodoisstandingnexttothebrinkofthechasm,hiswillasifparalyzed,unabletolet

gooftheRing,whichhedecidestowear.GollumisnowfightingwiththeinvisibleFrodoon

thebrinkofthechasm.InamadfrenzyhebitesoffFrodo’sfingertogetherwiththeRing.

GollumholdstheRinglikeatrophy,which“shonenowasifverilyitwaswroughtofliving

fire”(emphasisadded).257GolluminhisunconsciousnessfallsovertheabysswiththeRing,

wailing“Precious”forthelasttime.

FrodoandSamcometotheirsensesandseethesurroundingdevastationcausedby

the lossoftheRingtothefire.FrodorememberswithgratitudeGandalf’spredictionthat

evenGollummayplayanimportantroleinthedestructionoftheRing,makingiteasierto

forgivehim.AsGandalfhasbeenpresentattheverybeginningofFrodo’squest,sonowhe

appearstorescuehimfromdeath’sclutchesthankstothehelpofGwaihir,LordofEagles.

AfterherweddingtoAragorn,QueenArwenofferstwopresentstoFrodo.Thefirstis

thepossibilityforFrodotogototheGreyHavenstoseekhealingandregeneration,sinceshe

herselfhasforfeitedthisprivilege.Moreover,sheoffershima“whitegemlikeastarhanging

onasilverchain,”adding,“Whenthememoryofthefearandthedarknesstroublesyou,this

will bring you aid.”258 Passing through Rivendell on the way back from Gondor, Sam

expressesthathereisfoundsomethingofeverything:oftheShire,ofLórien,andGondor.

Frodocomments“excepttheSea,”andhelaterrepeatsthistohimself.Frodo’slongingfor

theSeaandthetrueWestofValinor,whichguidedhimfromtheearlydaysofhisquest,is

nowbecomingall-absorbing.

When passing the Fords of Bruinen Frodo seems loath towade the stream; he is

unabletoseeinfrontofhimandissilentthroughouttheday.ItisOctober6,theanniversary

257Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,925.258Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,952–53.

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ofhiswoundatWeathertop.Gandalftellshimthatsomewoundscannotbefullycured,and

FrodopredictsthathewillnotfindcompletesolaceintheShire:“Thereisnorealgoingback.

ThoughImaycometotheShire,itwillnotseemthesame;forIshallnotbethesame.Iam

wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?”259

However,thankstoArwen’sgift,thepainisnolongerpresentthenextday.

BackintheShireFrodoistheoneofthefourwhohasthegreatestunderstandingof

human nature; he knows how individuals like the Hobbit Lotho think they can take

advantageofasituationbybecomingtheoppressorsoftheirpeople,andinrealitybecome

prisoners of other powers themselves. And to Pippin, who talks about fighting, Frodo

recommendsmoderationandaskstoavoidHobbitbloodshed,andtospareHobbittraitors.

BehindthefaçadeoftheruffianswhotyrannizetheShire,theHobbitsfindSarumanatwork.

SarumanisintentoncausingchagrintothefourHobbitsinvengeanceforhishumiliationat

Isengard.TheyoungerHobbitswantjusticemetedouttoSarumanonthespot.Frodoorders

otherwise;heletshimgofreely,andtellsthemthathehaslostallpowerssavehisvoice.

Saruman tries to kill Frodo,who isprotectedoncemoreby themithril-coat andescapes

harm. Frodo orders Sam not to kill him even so. Saruman looks at Frodowithwonder,

respect,andhatred.“Youarewiseandcruel.Youhaverobbedmyrevengeofsweetness,and

nowImustgohenceinbitterness,indebttoyourmercy.”260FrodohasbecomelikeGandalf

inhisunderstandingofhumannature;Sarumanhasnotchangedandcannottoleratehaving

feelingsofgratitudetowardsanotherhumanbeing.

Onmorethanoneoccasion,onanniversarydatesoffatefulevents,Frodoseemspale,

faraway,andinpain.HeclutchesatArwen’swhitegem,whichbringshimsolace,andhe

knowsthathiswoundswillneverfullyheal,thoughthegemallowshimtorecoverpromptly.

FrodonolongerfeelsathomeintheShire;andveryfewhaverecognitionforwhathehas

done.

FrodofinallygoestotheGreyHavenswithBilbo,Gandalf,Galadriel,andElrond.Allof

themhavebeenring-bearers,andthisisnowtheendoftheThirdAgeandoftheringsof

power.Frodo’slongingfortheWesternSeaisatlastfulfilled.Frodonowlivesasarealityhis


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passageintotheWestthathadappearedasavisioninthehouseofTomBombadil.“Andthen

itseemedtohimthatasinhisdreaminthehouseofBombadil,thegreyrain-curtainturned

alltosilverglassandwasrolledback,andhebeheldwhiteshoresandbeyondthemafar

greencountryunderaswiftsunrise.”261

Gandalf,Aragorn,andFrodo

ThequestisnotprimarilytheaffairofFrodo,norofGandalf,norofAragorn.Itisthejoint

deed of the three. Gandalf, Aragorn, and Frodo act as a higher unity. Let us look first at

GandalfandFrodo,thenatthethree.WhenFrodosetsoutforthequest,heisaccomplishing

somethingthatGandalfhimselfknowstobebeyondhismeans.TheRingistooformidablea

temptationevenforhim.Infact,weknowwhatitdoestoSaruman,hisequal.ButGandalf

offerstoberesponsibleforthewholemissionatFrodo’sside.AndTolkienshowsitinsubtle

ways.WhenGandalfisdelayedbythecaptivityinOrthanc,thisiscommunicatedtoFrodo

viaasignificantdreaminthehouseofTomBombadil.Heseesthefigureofamanwithwhite

hairatopatalltower,thentheeaglethatbearshimaway.Thatdreamwasimportant,aswe

findoutlateroninRivendell.

InamoreconsciouswaytheroleofGandalfisalsoannouncedinFrodo’sfuturewithin

themirrorofGaladriel.ThereheseesafigureclothedlikeGandalfbutinwhiteandholding

awhitestaff, thoughhecannotseehis faceandhehasdoubtsofwhetherit isGandalfor

Saruman.

Aragorn and Frodo subordinate themselves to Gandalf’s guidance willingly and

withouthesitations.WhenFrodoandStridermeetattheinnatBree,BarleymanButterbur

deliverstoFrodoGandalf’sletterinwhichherecommendstoacceptthehelpof“aMan,lean,

dark,tall,bysomecalledStrider.”AndthenheaddsthathistruenameisAragorn.When

Gandalf vanishes at the chasm of Khazad Dûm, Aragorn reluctantly assumes leadership.

LateronAragornandFrodoassumetheirownresponsibilities,butinsomepartoftheirmind

theyarealwaysconsultingwithGandalf,wantingtoknowwhatthewizardwoulddointheir

shoes.AndGandalfseemstobepresentspiritually.


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WhenFrodoisleftalonewithSaminthemostimportantpartofthetask,Gandalfis

stillpresentthroughthejudgmentshehasofferedFrodo,andinthelifeofhisdreamsand

subconscious.GandalfontheotherhandmaintainsawarenessofFrodoandSamandmakes

ithistasktoaccompanythemspirituallyandstrategically.

The interconnectedness and complementary roles of the three are recognized by

Aragornintheceremonyofhiscrowning.HefirstrecognizestheleadingroleofGandalfonce

more,andhonorFrodo’sfeat.“IwouldhavetheRing-bearerbringthecrowntome,andlet

Mithrandir[Gandalf]setituponmyhead,ifhewill;forhehasbeenthemoverofallthathas

beenaccomplishedandthisishisvictory.”262

Frodoisthehumblestofthethreeheroes.Heisalsothelowliestinlineofdescent;

thepureHobbit.Heseemstohavebeencastintoadventureinspiteofhimself.Theonlyother

onetovolunteerhasbeenBilbo,buthehasbeenturneddown.

FrodoisinitiatedbyOldManWillow,bytheBarrow-wight,thenbytheRingwraith

andbyShelob,whobringshimclosetodeath;andfinallyatthechasminMountOrodruin;in

shortheisinitiatedbyalltherepresentativesandshadesofevilpresentintheworld.And

hefacesconstantlyanewkindofmonsterathisside,somethingunlikethedragonsofthe

Middle Ages: Gollum, himself a fallen Hobbit, an outcast among his race. His greed and

selfishnessareportrayedinhisbehaviorandinhisouterappearance.

Frodoistestedinthebody.Healoneofthethreeheroesiswoundedrepeatedly.He

hastotreadtheharshestofphysicalconditions, thescorchedearthofMordor.Gandalf is

tested, buthisphysical body is transformedandactuallyplacedbeyondhurt.Aragorn is

alwayspresentinbattle;indeedhehasfoughtallhislife.Yetheseemsimmunetohurt;heis

worn and beaten but never wounded. Frodo has to face the harrowing trials of heat,

darkness,stench,hunger,thirst,andfire.Heisthefurthestremovedfromtheperfectionof

an Aragorn or a Gandalf and actually closest to the aspect of the physical body and the

psyche’sdoubleorshadow,embodiedinGollum/Sméagol.

WhenwelookatthethreemaincharactersofTheLordoftheRingswefindawhole

representationofthehumanbeingasweknowitfromspiritualscience.Gandalfismorethan

human.He is in factadivinebeingtakingonhumansemblance;he isaMaiar,oneof the


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minordeitieswho serve theValar, emissaries of the oneGod, Ilúvatar.Gandalf is an apt

representativeofthatwhichisthehumanspiritinthehumanbeing:theindividuality,orego,

whosefullnessliesbeyondtheconfinesofthebodyandtheconfinesoflifeonearth.Gandalf

showsthisinhisabilitytoencompassinknowledgealloftherelevantfactorsinthelifeof

Middle-earthandintheconfrontationwithSauron.WithShadowfax—anotherimageofthe

spirit—heistheoneabletopracticallyflyfromoneplacetotheother.

Aragorn brings in his inheritance both themortal, human element, and the Elven

deathlessness that conveys him a long life. He also carries the wisdom of the lords of

Númenor,theinheritanceoftimespast,andtherighttorule.Heisaking,almostaconduit

betweenthehigherwisdomofthespiritandtheaffairsofearth.Heistheonewhoknows

intimatelyboththethingsofthespiritandthethingsofearth.Hedisplaysafar-from-usual

connectionwith andunderstandingof the earth as a livingorganism.He alsoknows the

humansoul,evenmorethanGandalf;heshowsitinhisabilitytohealandtofollowthesoul

betweenthisworldandthenextone.InthisrealmGandalfrecognizeshehastodelegateto

thefutureking.InAragornwefindarepresentativeofthehumansoul:thatwhichlinksthe

humanspirit,theego,withthebody,thedivinewiththeearthly.

AndfinallyitisinFrodothatwefindtherepresentativeofthelastcomponentofthe

humanbeing:thephysicalbodyendowedwith life.Frodoisthehumblestof thethreeby

birth.OnlyastrainofTookbringsthetasteforadventuretotheHobbit.Frodoistheclosest

tothelimitationsofthebodyinasmuchasinacertainmeasurehefailstoaccomplishhis

task.Heistheonewhoiswoundedoverandoveragain,theonewhoismostoftenreminded

ofthephysicallimitations.

OfSpirit,Soul,andBody

Let us look now atwhat can be understood from the perspective of spiritual science in

relation to body, soul, and spirit. This will build some foundation for exploring other

archetypaldimensionsofTolkien’smasterwork.

The physical structure of the body is what human beings have in common with

minerals.But,whereastheforcesthatallowthemineraltocomeintobeingareinherently

presentinthesubstancesthatformit—e.g.,siliconandoxygeninthecaseofquartz—the

forcesofalllivingbeingsareatworkinthereproductivecellsoftheparentform,whether

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wehavetodowithplants,animals,orhumanbeings.Steiner introduceshere thecentral

notionof “formative life forces” thus: “Thespecies is thereforewhatdetermineshowthe

substances are put together. Just as mineral forces express themselves in crystals, the

formativelifeforceexpressesitselfinthespecies,orforms,ofplantandanimallife.”263

Wecanperceive themineral forces throughour senses;not so the life forces.We

wouldneedtodevelopneworgansofperceptionstobeholdthespiritualformtakenbythe

lifeforces.Tothecarrieroftheformativeforcesineachlivingorganism,andinthehuman

being,Steinergivesthenameof“etherbody”or“lifebody.”Itisimportanttounderlinethat

“theetherbodyisnotmerelyaresultofthephysicalbody’ssubstancesandforces,butareal,

independententitythatcallsthesesamesubstancesandforcestolife.”264Thelifebodyis

what preserves the form and animates the physical body through life. Although the

substancesthatfillthephysicalbodyareconstantlyrenewed,itsformispreserved.Itisthe

etherbodythatholdstheformconstantregardlessoftheflowofsubstances.Atdeath,when

theetherbodywithdraws,thephysicalbodyisfinallysubjectedtopurelyphysicalforces.

Theformofthebodyisheldandpreservedbythelifebody.Intherealmofthebody

reignthelawsofinheritance:“Everylifebodyisarepetitionofitsimmediateancestor,and

becausethisisso,theformthelifebodyassumesisneverarbitrary,butistheonethatithas

inherited.Theforcesthathavemademyhumanformpossiblecamefrommyancestors.”265

Thehumanbodilyformcanonlybeinheritedthroughsexualreproduction.Itispasseddown

thegenerationsthroughthelawsofheredity.

Physical bodies vary only slightly, and ether bodies still show great similarities;

greaterdifferencesarepresentatthelevelofsoulandspirit.Thesoulisonlypresentinthe

lifebetweenbirthanddeath.Ononehandthephysicalbodyconfinesthesoultophysical

existence;ontheotherthespiritallowsthesoultofinditselfathomeingrowingdimensions

ofthespiritualworld.Thebodilynaturesetslimitsonthesoul;thespiritreleasesit.Inlife

onearththedegreeofthesoul’sdevelopmentwilldeterminetowhatextentitcanreceive

263Steiner,Theosophy,33.264Steiner,Theosophy,35.265Steiner,Theosophy,70.

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theimpressionsofthephysicalworldandtowhatextentitcandevelopanindividualized

expressionofthespirit.Summarizingtheaboveandexpandingonit,Steinerconcludes:

Thesoulplaysamediator’srole,inasense,anditstaskisaccomplishedinplayingthis

rolesatisfactorily.Thebodyformsimpressionsforthesoul,whichreshapestheminto

sensations,storestheminthememoryasmentalimages,andpassesthemontothespirit

tobemadelasting.Thesouliswhatactuallymakesusbelongtothisearthlylife.Through

thebody,webelongtothephysicalhumangenus;wearemembersofthegenus.Withour

spirit,weliveinahigherworld.Thesoulbindsthetwoworldstogetherforawhile.266

Byspiritletusdesignatewhatlivesbeyondthelawsofthephysical,thatwhichlies

beyondgrowthanddecay.Thespiritofthehumanbeinghasitsseatintheselfor“I.”Through

theIapersonexpressesthewholeexperienceofbeinginbodyandsoul.Bodyandsoulare

thevehiclesthroughwhichtheIfindsitsexpressionintheworld.Thismeansthatwehave

ourtruebeingintheIandthatthesoulandphysicalbodyserveasitsvehicles,whichwe

learntodevoteovertimetotheI.Itisremarkablethat“I”isthenamethatonecanonlyapply

tooneself:“Thesoulcanonlydesignateitselfas ‘I’ fromwithinthroughitself.”267AstheI

livesinthebodyandthesoul,sothespirit,whoselawsliebeyondthephysical,livesintheI.

TheIreceivesononehandwhatcomestoitthroughthesensesandontheotherhand

whatcomestoitthroughthespirit.ThespiritisaliveandactivethroughtheI;itusestheI

asitsvehicle.Byaspiringtothetruthandunitingourpersonalimpulseswithit,theIachieves

immortality.BythisSteinermeansthat“thespiritualworld,withitsspiritsubstancesand

spiritforces,buildsupaspiritualbodyinwhichthe‘I’isabletoliveandperceivespiritual

realities by means of intuitions.”268 Intuitions in the spirit stand as a counterpart to

perceptionsinthephysicalworld.

Thehumanspiritalsoassumesaform,orgestalt,thoughthismustbethoughtofin

spiritualterms.Contrarytothehumanbodilyformthatispasseddownthegenerations,the

humanspiritualformsarestrictlyindividual,completelyuniqueforeachindividual.Human

beingshavebiographies,and these, contrary toanimals,haveabeginningwhenwestart

266Steiner,Theosophy,83.267Steiner,Theosophy,49.268Steiner,Theosophy,53.

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seeingsomethingbeyondgenusorspecies.Infacteveryhumanbeingissodifferentfrom

anotherinwhatconstituteshisorherbiographyandindividuality,thateachpersoncanbe

considered its own species: “The point is that a human biography corresponds to the

descriptionofananimalspeciesratherthantothebiographyofanindividualanimal.”269In

otherwords,thereisasmuchdifferencebetweentwohumanbeingsasthereisbetweentwo

animal species. This indicates that the spiritual form cannot have descended through

inheritance. Every individual can only have acquired this form through itself. Since my

ancestors’ biographies cannot explain mine, and since I have unique capacities and

challenges,Imusthaveworkedattheseandacquiredthembeforemybirth.Expandingupon

theserealizations,wearrivethroughthinkingalonetotheideaofrepeatedearthlylives.

Thehumanphysicalformisarepetitionorre-embodiment,overandoveragain,ofwhat

isinherentinthehumangenusandspecies.Similarly,aspiritualindividualmustbeare-

embodimentorreincarnationofoneandthesamespiritualbeing,forasaspiritualbeing,

eachpersonishisorherownspecies.270

Thehumanspiritcarriesthefruits—abilitiesandconsequencesofactions—ofonelifeinto

anotherlife.

Steinerconcludes:Thebodyissubjecttothelawsofheredity;thesoulissubjecttoself-createddestinyor,

touseanancientterm,tokarma;andthespiritissubjecttothelawsofreincarnationor

repeatedearthlylives.Theinterrelationshipofbody,soulandspiritcanalsobeexpressed

as follows: The spirit is immortal; birth and death govern our bodily existence in

accordancewiththelawsofthephysicalworld;andthelifeofthesoul,whichissubject

todestiny,mediatesbetweenbodyandspiritduringthecourseofanearthlylife.271

Returningtoourthreecharacters,wecanthusseehowthesearchetypes,ortruthsof

a higher order, are encapsulated in Gandalf, Aragorn, and Frodo. Aragorn and Frodo

subordinatethemselvestoGandalf,whoseemstohoverovermuchofthestory,evenwhen

heisnotphysicallypresent.AragornandFrodoaskthemselveswhatGandalfwoulddoina

givensituation,orrememberhiswordsinordertoaddressgivensituations.WhenGandalf

269Steiner,Theosophy,73.270Steiner,Theosophy,75–76.271Steiner,Theosophy,89.

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is engulfedby theminesofMoria, it isAragornwho takes the lead.AtBree the letterof

Gandalfhadalreadylegitimizedhisauthority.

OfthethreecharactersGandalfisthemostexalted:AragornandFrodohavebeenhis

pupils, Aragorn already for many years and Frodo much more recently. Through his

initiationsatthehandsoftheBalrog,Gandalfhasattainedastateofbeinginwhichhisbody

hasbeenspiritualizedtotheextentthathecanwalkthroughbattleasifoblivioustophysical

danger.ItisGandalfalonewhocangatherinhisthinkingallthecomplexthreadsthrough

whichthefateofMiddle-earthstandsinbalance.

Aragorn,asasoulfigure,istheonewhomediatesbetweenthelivingandthedead,

andbetweenGandalfandFrodo.He isofmixedhumanandElvendescent.Hecarriesthe

memoryofNúmenor,whenrulershadconversewithElves,whotransmittedtheknowledge

oftheValar.Heisplacedinbetweenthetwoworlds.Andthisiscontinuedlateronthrough

hismarriagetoArwen,whohasrelinquishedherElvenheritage.

Frodostandsassstarkcontrasttothetwo.Heisbatteredandwounded,besiegedby

his shadow Gollum. He ploughs his way through the harshest, deadest of all physical

surroundings.HeconfrontstheEnemyinthestarkestofmineralenvironments,inwhichlife

hasnolongeraplace.Hehasbarelythestrengthtoaccomplishhistask,andhecannotthrow

theRinginthefireoutofhisownwill.Hestandsbereftofenergyandwillattheendofhis

trialstothepointofneedingregenerationthroughhisdeparturefromtheGreyHavens.Of

all the Hobbits he is the onewho exemplifiesmost the strengths and limitations of the

physicalbody.

TheLordoftheRingsbringstolifearchetypalrealityinvividimagesinthefiguresof

Gandalf,Aragorn, andFrodo.Gandalf.Aswewill see later,Gandalf,Aragorn, andFrodo’s

trials represent different aspect of initiations, even different kinds of initiations into the

spirit:Gandalfinthewidespiritualworld,Aragornintheelementalworldofthesoul,Frodo

intheextrememineralworldofthebody.Tothiswewillreturninthenextchapter.Butfirst

wewilllookmorecloselyatwhatcanbemetclosertoearth,inthecharactersoftheHobbits.

Here too Tolkien brings to life another important archetype, one that is related to the

traditionalfourelementsofearth,water,air,andfireandthatwasknowninantiquity.

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THEFOURANDTHEONE:THEPATHSOFTHEFOURHOBBITS

The fourHobbits have been divided by some into amajor pair—Samand Frodo—and a

minorpair—MerryandPippin.Wewilllookattheminthatorder.Althoughtheyarefour

Hobbits,inahighersensetheytooformaunity,muchasGandalf,Aragorn,andFrododo.We

couldsaythatwehaveathreefoldunityatahigherlevel,rangingfromthedivine(Gandalf)

tothehuman(Hobbit)andapurelyhumanunitywiththefourHobbits.Thisfourfoldness

illustratesanotherimportantspiritualdimensionofthehumancondition.

ConcerningtheHobbits,Tolkienstates that theyareveryancientpeople,closerto

MenthanElvesandDwarvesare.NotunlikeMenandElves,wefindanaturalthreefoldingof

Hobbitraces:

- Harfoots:smallerandshorter;theypreferhighlandsandhillsides.Theyhavemuch

interchange with Dwarves, and are the most representative type and the most

numerousofHobbits.Theypreservedthehabitoflivingintunnelsandholes.

- Stoors:broaderandheavierinbuildwithlargerfeetandhands,wholiketheflatlands

andriversides,andarelessshyofMen.AmongthemisSméagol/Gollum.

- The Fallohides, fairer of skin and hair, taller and slimmer, who love trees and

woodlands.TheyaretheleastnumerousandcultivaterelationshipswiththeElves,

hencetheirgreaterskill inlanguage,song,andhandicrafts.Theytendtobebolder

andmore adventurous than the others, and tend to become leaders or chieftains;

amongthemaretheTooksandtheMastersofBuckland.272

At thebeginning of the story Frodo is fifty, Sam thirty-five,Merry thirty-two, and

Pippin twenty-eight. Since Tolkien places the hobbits’ coming of age at thirty-three, the

majorpair is, at least nominally,moremature than the other. FrodohasTook/Fallohide

ancestry on the mother side, hence a closer connection to the Elves and a more

adventuresomemakeup.MerryisaBrandybuck,oneofthosewhoareusedtosailtherivers,

presumably a Stoor. But he also has Tookishblood through his mother and his father’s

grandmother,MirabellaTook.HeisfirstcousinswithPippin(Peregrin),himselfaTook,in

272Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,2–3.

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factagreat-great-grandsonofthefamedOldTook.ThroughhisfatherPippinisasecond-

cousin,once-removed,ofFrodo.SamisthemostquintessentiallypureHobbit.

ItisinterestingtonotethatthemajorpairmovesinthedirectionofMordorandwill

faceaparched landscapeofscorchedearthand fire;MerryandPippinwillpractically fly

through the plains of Rohan before finding themselves in the soothing, humid forest

landscapeofFangornandbacktoRohanandGondor.Wewilllookfirstatthemajorpair,and

firstofalltotheseeminglysimplestofthemall,Sam.

TheMajorPair

We have already looked at length at Frodo, so we will only return to him briefly after

considering Sam. In the appendices ofThe Lord of the Rings, Tolkien says the “true” or

Westron form of Sam’s name isBanazîr Galbasi. As with “Samwise,”Banazîrindicates

“halfwise”or“simple.”AndatfirstthisiswhatSamappearstobe:theverynaivesonofa

gardener.ButSamteacheshimselftoreadandwrite,learnsfromBilbo,andeavesdropson

Frodo.Alreadyearlyonheshowsagreatthirst forknowledge.Healsocarriesaconstant

childlikeenthusiasmandnaivete,asurprisingoptimism,andarock-solidcommonsense.

Sambearsinhimselftheparadoxicalcontrastofonewithatruethirstforknowledgebut

also the desire to hold on to the familiar. It is only over time that he can overcome this

reticenceand love for comfort.Butmostof all hebears inhimself a fierceand complete

devotiontoFrodo,anuncannycapacitytowalkinhisshoes,tounderstandandanticipate

hiswayofthinkingandhisneeds.

The first signsof Sam’smaturationappear inhis encounterswith theElves,most

particularlyattheverybeginningwithGildorandlaterwithGaladriel.AfterseeingtheElves’

partyofGildor,heunderstandsthatheislookingatanotherparadigm,forwhichhisusual

frameofreferencedoesnotapply.“Theyseemabitabovemylikesanddislikes...sooldand

young,andsogayandsad,asitwere.”273Herehefirstintuitstheneedtotackleparadoxand

encompasspolarities.Hecompletestheabovebysayingthathehimselffeelsdifferent.And

thiscomeswiththeresolve:“Ihavesomethingtodobeforetheend,anditliesahead,notin

theShire.Imustseeitthrough.”

273Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,96.

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SpeakingofLórienafterthefact,Samsays,“IfeelasifIwereinsideasong,”274orthat

beingthereis“likebeingathomeandonholidayatthesametime.”275InLórienitselfSam

showshisambivalenceaboutits“magic.”Onthesurfaceheseesnothingofwhathewould

liketorecognizeasmagic,butratherwhatseemstooffertheappearanceofstagnation.But

part of him also intuits that Lórien’s magic may be of a different nature from what he

surmises. When he expresses to Frodo his wish to see Galadriel one last time, she

immediatelyappearstohim,indicatingthatshecouldshowSamsomeElvenmagic.Looking

inGaladriel’smirror, Samseeshimself in the future: fastasleepunderagreat,darkcliff;

climbing an endless winding stair, looking urgently for something he doesn’t know.

Remembering,shortlyafter,hisexperiencewithGaladriel,Samsays:“IfeltasifIhadn’tgot

nothingon,andIdidn’t likeit.SheseemedtobelookinginsidemeandaskingmewhatI

woulddoifshegavemethechanceofflyingbackhometotheShire.”276Sam’scommonsense

andgrounding in theeverydaymatter-of-fact stillpartlyholdshimback,buthis love for

Frodowillmovehimfurther. Isn’t itappropriate in thisregard forGaladriel toofferSam

somethingasearthyasaboxcontainingsoil fromLórien,whichwillact likemagicwhen

placedinSam’sgarden?ThisisanotherdemonstrationofthatordinarymagicthatSamdoes

notfullyapprehendyet.

As the fellowship progresses in enemy territory, Samknows that Frodo is simply

terrified,thoughheknowswhathehastodo.AsFrodocomestooneofhismajorturning

pointsaftertheexperienceoftheseatofAmonHen,itisSamoncemorewhocanbestfathom

themindoftheonehecallshismaster.HefirstreadscorrectlythatFrodohasdecidedto

proceed tohis “doom”alone; thenvaliantlyovercomeshisdreadofwater tocometohis

rescue.FrodocanintuithowgooditwillbetohaveSamathisside.

As Sam steels himself to his task andmoves closer toMordor, his understanding

grows,particularlyinrelationtoGaladriel.Henowcommentsabouther:“Butperhapsyou

couldcallherperilous,becauseshe’ssostronginherself.Youcoulddashyourselftopieces


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onher,likeashiponarock;ordrownd[sic]yourself,likeahobbitinariver.Butneitherrock

norriverwouldbetoblame.”277

WhenShelobstartsmakingherpresence felt, thememoryofLórienandGaladriel

returnstoSam,andwithitthememoryofherphial,andheasksFrodototakeitoutsinceit

is“alightwhenallotherlightsgoout.”LaterSamseesthatFrodohasbeenstungintheneck,

andhishandsandfeetarecold.ButShelob,woundedinthebellybySam’sdagger,retreats

toherlair.Samreturnstohismaster,butdoesn’tknowwhatdowithhimandthinksheis

beyondhope.Samthenrealizesthathehasjustgonethroughwhatwasannouncedtohimin

Galadriel’smirror. Significantly, Sam repeats something that he has said before: “I have

somethingtodobeforetheend. Imustsee it through,sir, ifyouunderstand.”278Withhis

newly acquired maturity, Galadriel will ever be present in Sam’s footsteps, and thus at

Frodo’ssideaswell.

SamevencontemplatesgoingalonetotheCracksofDoom,takingstrengthfromthe

factthatneitherBilbonorFrodoeverseemedtobetheonesmeanttotacklesuchadaunting

task.Samisnowhavinga“miniFrodoexperience.”HeslipsontheRingforthefirsttimein

ordertofollowtheOrcs.Hisinnerworldchanges.

Allthingsabouthimnowweredarkbutvague;whilehehimselfwasthereinagreyhazy

world,alone,likeasmallblacksolidrock,andtheRing,weighingdownhislefthand,was

likeanorbofhotgold.Hedidnotfeelinvisibleatall,buthorriblyanduniquelyvisible;

andheknewthatsomewhereanEyewassearchingforhim.279

TheRinggiveshimafortunateunderstandingofthelanguageoftheOrcs,butnotcourage.

Sam,whonow carries the sword Sting and the Phial of Galadriel, is truly passing

throughhisdarknight of the soul: “Hewas in a landof darknesswhereall days seemed

forgotten,andwhereallwhoenteredwereforgottentoo”(emphasisadded).280Andhefeels

utterlyalone.Inthemidstofthesetrials,SamfeelsrousedtocometotherescueofFrodo

becauseofthepowerthatloveforFrodohasinhissoul.Andhefullyperceivesforthefirst

277Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,665.278Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,714.279Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,717.280Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,877.

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timewhat itmeans to have crossed intoMordor. Removing the Ring, he sees the harsh

landscapeinfrontofhim,andforthefirsttimeheperceivesOrodruin,theMountainofFire.

SamisnowresoluteinenteringthroughthegateofthetowerofCirithUngol.While

aware of the growing power of the Ring, even though he has already removed it, he is

temptedbyit.HeseesthathecanonlyabandontheRingorclaimitandchallengeSauron.

Wildfantasiesassailhim;heseeshimselfasSamwisetheStrong,HerooftheAge,ortheone

whobringsMordorbacktolife,transformingitintoagardenfullofflowersandtrees.What

preserveshissanityishisloveforhismasterandhisearthycommonsense.Andherealizes

thathecannotusetheRing,eventhoughitseemstobethethingthatgiveshimthemost

power. He comes now under the walls of the tower. Sam is accompanied by the silent

presenceofGaladrielthroughherphialashepassesthegatetothetower,overcomingthe

poweroftheSilentWatchers.

At this hour it is Samwho renders hope to Frodowho, devastated at having lost

everything that he carried, believes the quest has ended.He doesn’t know that Samhas

rescued the Ring, Sting, and the phial. From thismoment on it is Samwho can sustain,

nurture,andimbuewithhopeFrodo,whohasenteredanotherstageofinnerdarkness.Sam,

whoseinnerstrengthisgrowing,nowcallstoGaladriel:“IfonlytheLadycouldseeorhear

us,I’dsaytoher:‘YourLadyship,allwewantislightandwater:justcleanwaterandplain

daylight.’”281 And in quick succession he realizes that somehow the wind is turning on

Sauron.Thenherejoicestoseethelightofastar.Shortlyafterhealsofindswater,exclaiming

“IfIeverseetheLadyagain,Iwilltellher!Lightandnowwater!”282Andallofthisheoffers

toFrodotorevivehisdwindlinghope.

HavingtodescendintotheplainsofGorgoroth,FrodoexpressesopenlythatSamis

theonlyhopehehasleftandaskshimtoleadhim.ItisnowclearthatFrodocouldnothave

carriedtheRingalonetoMountDoomandheldanyhopealongtheway.HeneededSamall

along.WithMountDoominsightSamrealizes that theywillhavenowaytoreturn from

MountDoomalive.Withirondeterminationheresolves:“SothatwasthejobIfeltIhadto

dowhenIstarted...tohelpMr.Frodotothelaststepandthendiewithhim?Well,ifthatis


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thejobthenImustdoit.”283Evenwhatamountstolosingthelasthopeofstayingalivebrings

inSamnewresolve.Hiswillhardensinresolve,andhefindsnewhopeandenergieshenever

surmisedpossible.

Theweightof theRingbecomeshardlybearable forFrodo. Samnotices the inner

battlethatragesinFrodo’ssoulandishissolesupportinhelpinghimresistthepullofthe

Ring.AfterescapingtheOrccompany.theconsciousnessofthetwoisaltered.Samcannot

tellifheisawakeordreaming:“[Sam]sawlightslikegloatingeyes,anddarkcreepingshapes,

andheheardnoisesasofwildbeastsorthedreadfulcriesoftorturedthings;andhewould

startuptofindtheworldalldarkandonlyemptyblacknessallabouthim.”284Sam,whohas

beenaRing-bearer,continuesineffecttoexperiencesomeofFrodo’sinnerworld.

WhentheworstpartofthechallengearrivesontheslopesofMountDoom,Samisin

completepainandsoparchedthathecannotswallowfood.Hisinnerstruggleintensifies.

And it is difficult to breathe in the air full of fumes.He only knows vaguelywhat Frodo

intendstodowiththeRing,butknowstheyneedtofindtheCracksofDoom.HereSamis

havinganinnerdialogue,recognizinghisownshadow,andkeepingatbayhisdisbeliefand

senseofhopelessness.Thebestofhimfinallytakestheupperhand:“I’llgetthere,ifIhave

toleaveeverythingbutmybonesbehind....AndI’llcarryMr.Frodoupmyself,ifitbreaks

my back and heart. So stop arguing.”285 Resolve and strength are the qualities that Sam

displaysandintensifiesateveryturnofthequest.

SteeledtoanironwillSamnowhastoaccompanyFrodothroughthegreatestpartof

thetest.AndhereitisinterestingtonotethatthenarrativefocusescompletelyonSam.Time

forhimacquiresanotherdimension:“Thenightseemedendlessandtimeless,minuteafter

minutefallingdeadandaddinguptopassinghour,bringingnochange.Sambegantowonder

ifaseconddarknesshadbegunandnodaywouldeverappear.”286ThenSamnoticesthat

Frodo’s physical strength is ebbing, and he resolves to carry him, finding that he is not

dauntedbytheweightortheaddedburdenoftheRing.

283Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,913.284Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,915.285Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,918.286Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,919.

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ThetransformedSamnowseesthereappearingGollumunderanewlight.Having

worntheRinghecandetecttheeffectithashadonGollumandbemovedtocompassion.

AndthisiswheninvisionSamisabletoseethefiguresofFrodoandSamundertheirtrue

light.AndagaininvisionhebeholdsthecataclysmiceffectoftheRingbeingthrownintothe

fireandrealizesthisisthebeginningofanewaeon.ItisSamoncemorewhotakescareof

Frodo’searthlyneeds,whocarrieshimtosafetybeforetheeaglesarrive.Inthemiddleof

desolationanddestruction,heisabletoexperiencecompletepeace.

ComingbackhometotheShire,itisSamwhocanrestorenaturethankstotheearth

ofLórien,Galadriel’sgift.Andheplantstheseedofthemallorn, toreplacethetreeunder

whichBilbohadcelebratedhislastbirthdayintheShirebeforethebeginningofthequest.

SamthegardeneristheonewhoknowshowtotendtoallofFrodo’sprimaryneeds,

downtofeedinghimandcarryinghim.Hisistheconsummateexampleofselflessearthly

love.Hiscommonsensehasallthetrademarksofonewithhisfeetfirmlyontheground.Itis

nowonderthathecanseethedangerthatGollumposestoFrodoandwitnessthedialogue

inwhichGollumindicatesheisgoingtobetrayFrodo.AnditisSamwhorenewstheShire’s

nature from its devastation, thanks to his deep concern for the earth that Galadriel

recognizesinhimwhensheoffershimthegiftofLórien’searth.

FrodoistoSamlikefireistoearth.ItisFrodowhosetsthesparkandinitiates,and

Samwhosupportsandsustains;Frodowhocanseethelargerpictureinthecarryingofthe

Ring,andSamwhocanhelpcarryittofruition.Frodoissodeterminedthatheiswillingto

gothewayaloneattheveryearlystagesofthequest.Hehearsthecallofthehigherselfand

carriesthetaskthatrequiresthehighestdegreeofdetermination,courage,andtrustinthe

helpofthespirit.

AnotheraspectofFrodoisrevealedmostofallatMountDoom,thoughitisannounced

before.WhenFrodolooksintothemirrorofGaladriel,heseesthat“theEyewasrimmedwith

fire,butwasitselfglazed,yellowasacat’s,watchfulandintent,andtheblackslitofitspupil

openedonapit,awindowintonothing.”AtthispointtheRingandtheEyebecomeasonein

thevision,asPiaSkogemann intuits.Onthe flanksofMountOrodruinFrodoexperiences

themasone:“Iamnakedinthedark,Sam,andthereisnoveilbetweenmeandthewheelof

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fire.”287WhenSamseesinvisionFrodofightingagainstGollum,hediscernsFrodoasafigure

robedinwhitewithawheeloffireathisbreast.Frodo,thecarrierofinnerfire,recognizes

thecounterfire—thefireofdevastationandruinthatemanatesfromSauron,andthatisat

itsstrongestonMountOrodruin.

AtMountDoomfirefightsagainstfire.ThefirethatFrodocarriesistheoneofsacrifice

andofanindividualitybecomingmoreandmoreselfless—allthecontraryofwhatSauron

embodies.Frodo’sfireshedslightinthedarkness.Sauronembodiesthefirethatwantsto

dominate,enslave,andultimatelydestroy.

OfalltheHobbitsFrodoisthemostindividuated,themostabletostandonhisown.

SamwalksthepathofcompleteserviceanddedicationtoFrodo,whomhecallsmaster.He

becomeslikethegroundunderFrodo’sfeet.Asturdygroundandafireofsacrificemeetthe

landscapeofscorched,hardearthandbelchingfireofMountDoom.Itisnowonderthatall

of this is reflected in thegiftsofGaladriel to the two: thephial toFrodoasa light in the

darknessandtheearthtoSam.ForthepictureoftheHobbitstobecomplete,wewillturn

nexttotheminorpair.TogetherwithPippinandMerry,FrodoandSamconstituteahigher

unity.

TheMinorPair

WhatPippinandMerrysaytowardstheendoftheodysseyseemsanaptcharacterizationof

the contrast of this pair with the major pair. Pippin says to Merry, “We Tooks and

Brandybucks,wecan’tlivelongintheheights.”AndMerryreplies:“Notyetatanyrate.But

atleast,Pippin,wecannowseethem,andhonourthem.Itisbesttolovefirstwhatyouare

fittedtolove,Isuppose....IamgladthatIknowaboutthem[thingsdeeperandhigher]a

little.”288

ThefirsttrialofsizeforthetwoHobbitscomesthroughtheOrcabductionthrough

thelandsofRohan.TolkientellsusthatforPippinandMerry,“Evildreamsandevilwaking

wereblendedintoalongtunnelofmisery,withhopegrowingeverfainterbehind.”289

287Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,916.288Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,852.289Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,440.

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Thesecondapparentsignofthegrowthofthetwoismadeevenoutwardlyapparent

intheFangornadventure.TreebeardgivestheHobbitaspecialwater.Gimliislatersurprised

becausehebelievesthatPippinandMerryhavegrown.AndLegolasknowsthattheymust

havedrunktheEntdraughts.MerryandPippinlaterreturntothedevastatedShire,where

they will act with great boldness and scare the other Hobbits sent to stop them. Their

apprenticeshipisfinished;theyarenowabletoinitiateandleadothers.Letuslookfirstat

Pippin,thenatMerry.

Pippin’s Took ancestors tended to be bolder and more adventurous than other

Hobbits,andtendedtobecome leadersorchieftains.Pippin’scuriosityand impulsivity is

revealedforthefirsttimewhenhecreepstotheedgeofthewellinMoriaanddropsaloose

stone to thebottomof it,witha resulting sound that is amplified through the spaceand

angersGandalf,sinceitwillalerttheOrcsoftheirpresence.Pippin’sisaparticularkindof

curiosity;wewillseeitsomehowenhancedoncemore.

Pippin’sconsciousnessfirstawakensintheordealoftheOrcabduction.Heisthen

abletoactoutoftheintuitionofthemoment,andoftakingcalculatedrisks,asintheepisode

inwhichhepurposefullydropshisElvenbroochtoofferacluetohispursuingcompanions;

orintheeventthatleadstothetwoHobbits’releasefromtheOrcs.Itisduringthisadventure

thatPippinexpressesregretsathavingcomealongfortheadventure.

Afterrejoiningtheothermembersofthefellowship,Pippinseemsutterlyunableto

restrainhiscuriosityandresistthetemptationoflookingintothepalantír.Gandalfknows

thatPippinhashadanarrowescape,thoughPippinalsosavedhimfromlookingintothe

Stonehimself.PippindisingenuouslytellsGandalfthathehadnoideaofwhathewasdoing,

but Gandalf rebukes him that hewas perfectly aware of his choice, and even so did not

refrain.WiththetestofthepalantírPippinhasalittleparallelexperiencetothatofFrodoat

theseatofAmonHen.

LaterGandalfintroducesPippintoDenethoringlowingterms.IndebttoBoromir’s

valiance in his defense, Pippin offers his services to Denethor and is knighted. When

DenethorturnstoGandalf,Pippinseesasimilaritybetweenthetwo.“Yetbyasenseother

thansightPippinperceivedthatGandalfhadthegreaterpowerandthedeeperwisdom,and

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amajestythatwasveiled.Andhewasolder,farolder”(emphasisadded).290Andwhatthis

“senseotherthansight”couldbeemergessoonafter.WhenDenethorreferstothepowerof

the palantír, Pippin intuits what Denethor has left unsaid. Pippin notices a peculiar

expressioninDenethorwhenhementionstheStone;hecanvaguely intuit thatDenethor

knows more about the Stone than he is letting on. Pippin knows through intuition the

curiosityofsomeonewhohasafterallactedsimilarlytohim.Itseemstoresonateinwardly.

AtthesiegeofGondor,Pippinhasrenewedregretsofhavingcome.Heexpressesthis

toGandalf,whosternlyremindshimthathehasbroughtthisuponhimself.When,soonafter,

PippinisintroducedtoFaramir,heismovedbyanewfeeling.Hecanintuitthegrandeurof

theman,whomheseesinmanywayssimilarto,thoughlessremotethan,Aragorn.Andin

bothofthemherecognizes“thewisdomandsadnessoftheElderRace.”291

WhendreadanddespairspreadthroughMinasTirith,PippinseesFaramirwandering

inafeverishstate.ThisisoneofthedarkesttrialsofsoulfortheHobbit,obligedtowitness

Denethor’sgrowinginsanity.AndinasensethedangerthatcouldthreatenPippin’ssoulis

heremademanifesttohiseyes.ThisisthetrialofsoulofPippin,havingtoplacedutyabove

thecomfortofobedience.WhenDenethor,assailedbygriefandregret,startspreparingthe

pyreforFaramirandhimself,PippinwantstoseeGandalfandcountersDenethor’swishes,

having to break his vows of fealty. Pippin communicates to Gandalf that something

frighteningishappeningwithDenethorandFaramir,motivatingthewizardtoabandonhis

prioritiestoattendtotheurgentneed.

ThefinaltesttoPippin’smettlecomeswhentheBlackGateswingsopenandoutpour

myriadsofOrcsandMen,leavingtheGondorarmytrapped.AtthatmomentPippincanonly

think of his coming death. But it is also at thismoment that he gains understanding for

Denethor,andhenceforhimself.PippiniscrushedbyaTroll,experiencingoverwhelming

painandfallingintoinnerdarkness.

Merry’sfirsttrialtakesplaceinBree,whenhecomesclosetotheBlackRiders,though

hecanonlyhearthemindistinctlyandisnotrecognizedbythem.Soonafterhehasafrightful


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dream, ofwhichhe says: “Iwent topieces. I don’t knowwhat cameoverme.”292 Strider

recognizesthatitisthepoweroftheBlackBreaththatterrifiedandoverpoweredMerry.A

nextstepoccursforMerryasforPippinintheOrcabductionthroughRohan,thoughinthis

oneitisPippinwhotakesmostoftheinitiative.

MerryhasspentsomeofhistimeinRivendellstudying,amongotherthings,themaps

ofMiddle-earth.WhereasPippinawakensduringtheOrcabduction,Merrytrulyawakensin

theFangornforest.Hecanmakehiswayforwardbecauseheremembersthemapshestudied

inRivendell,andheisnotafraid.

In Isengard, after Saruman’s demise,we can recognize another significant trait of

Merry.HeistheoneabletorecognizethatamongthepeopleofSarumanthereare“some

othersthatwerehorrible:man-high,butwithgoblinfaces,sallow,leering,squint-eyed.”293

And these remind him of a “Southerner at Bree.” Aragorn is in agreementwith Pippin’s

insight.HereweseeinMerrytheelementofcuriosity,butacuriositydifferentfromthatof

Pippin.Infact,soonafterPippinexpressesamorbidinterestinthepalantír,itisMerrywho

warnshimtostayoutoftheaffairsofwizards.Hepointsoutthathe,aBrandybuck,isno

matchforinquisitiveness,butthatthisdoesn’tapplyinrelationtothepalantír,becauseof

itsnature.

AragornintuitsthatMerry’spathlaywithThéoden.AndsoonthekingwantsMerry

ashisesquire.Merrykneels infrontofhim,puttinghimselfathisservice,suddenlyfilled

with love towards the king.WhenMerry first hears Éowyn saying she is doingwell, he

believesshehasbeencrying.AnditturnsoutthatherdistresscomesfromAragornchoosing

togothePathsoftheDead.

Merry fights the ideaofbeing leftbehind inRohan.And it isÉowynwho letshim

foreseethattheremaybeawayforbothofthemtoreachGondor.Whenalltheridersare

assembled,Merry’sgazefallsona“youngman”andherecognizesthefaceofonewithout

hope, going to his death. Merry resists again the orders to stay behind, but the king is

resolute.Éowyn,disguisedasman,takeshimonherhorseandhideshimunderhercloak.

292Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,170.293Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,552.

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LikePippin,nowMerrywonderswhyhehasbeensoeagertocome,whenhehad

beengiveneveryopportunitytoremainbehind.ThecitydrawsnearandtheRohirrimare

stillunchallenged.Merrystrugglesinhissoulbetweenhorrorandinnerdoubt,andwiththe

fearthatitistoolateandalltheireffortsareinvain.Thenhefeelsachangeinthewindand

inthelight.AfterThéoden’sdeathDernhelm/ÉowynchallengestheNazgûl,andunveilsthat

she isawoman.Merryremembersthefaceofthesadyouthwithouthopethathesawin

Dunharrow. Pity, awakening in him,moves him to courage. He cannot resist the idea of

Éowyndyingintheflowerofheryouthandinsuchadesperatemoodofsoul.ThentheBlack

Captain fallsuponÉowyn,whocleaveshisFellBeast’sneckwithaskilledstroke,but the

BlackRidershattershershieldandbreaksherarm.Merry,unseenbytheNazgûl,hasstabbed

himfrombehind,hisswordhittingbetweenheadandmantle;hiscrownrollstotheground.

Thosepresenthearacrygoingupintotheairandfading,thecryofoneutterlydefeated.

MerrystandsclosetothekingandtoÉowyn,whomhebelievesdead.ItseemsitisMerry’s

fatetofurtherknowtheBlackBreaththathewasthefirstoftheHobbitstoexperiencein

Bree.

AftertheflightoftheNazgûlMerryrealizesthathisarmhasbeennumbedandhehas

lostuseofthelefthand.Andheseesthathissword’sbladeisfadingandwitheringaway,

completelyconsumedbythestrengthoftheopponent.Itwasthesamesword,takenfrom

theBarrow-downs, thathadfoughtonthesideof theDúnedain inthebattlesagainst the

forcesofAngmaranditssorcererking.Thedeathlesssorcererkinghasnowcomebackasa

Nazgûl; in between times he had been a Black Rider. It seems the Black Breath follows

Merry’sbeingwithpersistence.

IntheHousesofHealingMerry’smindisgoingdarkandhisarmisbeingdrainedof

itslife,alittlelikeFrodoatWeathertop.WhenAragornturnstoMerry,heisoptimisticand

says:“Theseevilscanbeamended,sostrongandgayaspiritisinhim.Hisgriefhewillnot

forget;butitwillnotdarkenhisheart,itwillteachhimwisdom”(emphasisadded).294And

infactMerryawakeswithdesireforamealandapipe.

Wheneverythingissettled,ÉowyngivesMerrythegiftofanancienthornsetwith

“runesofgreatvirtue.”Andshetellshim,“Hethatblowsitatneedshallsetfearinthehearts


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of his enemies and joy in thehearts of his friends, and they shall hearhimand come to

him.”295Infact,backintothedevastatedShire,MerrycannowblowthehornofRohanand

peoplecometohishelp,almostcompelledtodoso.

InMerryandPippinwefindtwocomplementarykindsofknowledge;inMerrythe

consciousknowledgeofdayconsciousness,theonethatcomesfromtheairofday;inPippin

theintuitiveknowledgecomingfromthewatersofsleep.Andthewaythetwolookatthe

worldcomplementseachother.Merrywantstofacetheouterdangers.Hemeetswiththe

BlackBreathatBreeandagaininMinasTirith.Hewantstobeinthethickofaction.Heisa

championofinquisitiveness,andthatiswhathesaysabouthimself;andaboveallheisagay

spirit.Pippinholdsmuchclosertohisinnerworld.Hefacesthedangerofthepalantírthat

threatenshispeaceofmind.HefacesthesamedangerinDenethor,andheisthrustintothe

thickofactionwhenheisforcedtoleavethecomfortofthesidelinesandcallonGandalf’s

help.WeseethatMerryandPippinfacethesamedangerbutincomplementaryways:Merry

theexternal threatof theBlackBreathandtheconfrontationwiththeNazgûl;Pippinthe

compulsionof thehiddenpowersof thepalantír,whichbringshimdangerously close to

Sauron.

It is emblematic of these differences how the two perceive the change between

GandalftheGreyandthenewGandalftheWhite.Merrysays:“Hehasgrown,orsomething.

He can be both kinder andmore alarming,merrier andmore solemn than before.”296 In

contrastPippinexpresses:

Thesoundof[his]laughterhadbeengayandmerry.Yetinthewizard’sfacehesawat

firstonlylinesofcareandsorrow;thoughashelookedmorecloselyheperceivedthat

underall therewasagreat joy:a fountainofmirthenoughtosetakingdomlaughing,

wereittogushforth.297

WhereasMerrynoticeswithcaretheexternalbehavior,Pippinpenetratesintheinnerlifeof

thewizard, his life of feelings.Merry has studied thewizard through an analysis of the

295Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,956.296Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,576.297Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,742.

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externalimpressionshehasreceived.Pippinhaslethisinnerresponsesguidehim;hesenses

whatresonatesinhisinnerbeing,causingcomfortordiscomfort.

Merry lets surface what outer impressions bring to light through ideas he can

formulatefromthem;Pippinworksthroughthemoreenigmaticwatersofintuition.Thetwo

Hobbitsaretoeachotherlikeairistowater.Pippinismoreintimateandreserved.Merryis

agayspirit;thehornÉowynoffershimmatcheshisjoyousnaturebycallingonthejoyof

others.

FourHobbitsandFourTemperaments

ThefourHobbitsillustratewhatinmanyspiritualtraditionsoftheworldhavebeencalled

thefourtemperaments.Itisbecausetheyencompassallaspectsofthetemperamentsthat

thefourHobbitscancomplementeachothersofully.

Thetemperament is foundat the intersectionof the lineofheredity(physicaland

etheric bodies) and what has developed in the individual’s karmic trajectory of

reincarnations(soulandego);thatwhichismostgeneralbelongingtothehumanspecies,

andthatwhichismostindividualanduniquethatwillneverappearagaininthesameform.

Thetemperamentinfactstandsrightinthemiddle:“Thetemperamentbalancestheeternal

with the transitory.”298And it relates to the four bodies already described earlier in the

chapter:thephysicalbody,theetherbodythatsustainslife,thesoulelementthatanimates

it,andtheego.299

Thefourconstitutingbodiesofthehumanbeingfindtheirphysiologicalexpression

indifferentpartsofthehumanorganism:theexpressionoftheegoisinthebloodandits

circulation;thesoulelementinthenervoussystem;theetherbodyintheglandularsystem

(pineal,pituitary,thyroid,parathyroid,thymus,pancreas,adrenals,ovariesandtestes);the

298Steiner,MysteryoftheHumanTemperaments.299TheexacttermthatRudolfSteinerusesforwhatIcall“soulelement”is“astralbody,”which

designates“theunionofthesoulbodyandthesentientsoul”orthelowerelementsofthesoul,

closestintheirexpressiontothephysicalbody(Theosophy,59).Thisisamatterthatoccupies

muchofchapter1ofTheosophyandwouldtakeustoofarafieldintospiritualsciencewithinthe

limitedconfinesofthiswork.

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physicalbodyinthesenseorgans.Thetemperamentfindsitsexpressionaccordingtowhich

physiologicalfunctionpredominatesandimpressesitselfuponthewhole;itarisesfromthe

waythefourbodiesinteract.

Whentheegodominatestheotherbodiesthroughthecirculationoftheblood,the

choleric temperament shines forth; when the soul element dominates the other bodies

through the nervous system, the sanguine temperament arises; when the etheric body

dominatestheotherbodiesthroughtheglandularsystem,thephlegmatictemperamentis

expressed;whenthephysicalbodydominatestheotherbodiesthroughthesenseorgans,we

seethemelancholictemperament.WecannowreturntothemajorandminorHobbitpairs

inrelationtotheseconcepts.

In Sam we see the temperament of earth, the melancholic. Like many of his

temperamentheknowsdeeplyinsidewhatitmeanstosuffer,andhasanaturalcapacityfor

offeringsupportandempathy.Heisabletoholdhimselftoveryhighstandardsandisdeeply

loyaltohisfriend,whomhecallsmaster.Itisthankstohisthoroughandmethodicaloutlook

thatFrodocanstandonsolidground;anditisthankstohishumorandsenseofperspective

thatFrodocanrelease the tensionofhisdeterminedandsingle-mindedpursuit.Without

Sam,Frodowouldbeconsumed.

Frododisplayswhatcanbecalledthefierycholerictemperament.Heissuitedtofight

against all odds;oncehe takeson the challenge,hedoesnot let go;newchallengesonly

confirmthecalltogetthejobdone.Heisnaturallyfittedforleadership,andtheothershave

recognizeditlongbeforethequeststarted.Hevaluescourageandtrust,andhecallsthese

forthinothers.Heactswithenthusiasmandhasstaminainthemosttryingofconditions.

ButitisSamwhohastoremindhimofhishumanityandhislimits;hewouldnotseethem

whenlefttohimself.

Merryhasthetraitsofasanguine,thetemperamentofair.Hesaysheisnomatchfor

inquisitiveness,andheshowshisinterestinmanynewthings.Heisawakenedbythenew

experiencesofFangornandRohan.Heseemstodelightineverythingnewthatmeetshim.

His is a gay naturewith a natural optimism, showing itself in amarvelouswaywith his

promptrecoveryandgoodspiritsoonafterhistryingillnessintheHouseofHealing,when

hesimplyasksforamealandapipe.ItisquitetellingthattoMerryÉowynoffersthehornof

Rohan,throughwhichpeopleoftheShirewillcometohishelpwithjoy.

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Pippin is facing the innerworld of the introvert and of the phlegmatic, related to

water.Hehasdeepknowledgeandunderstandingoftheinnerworld.Thisleadshimtothe

fascinationof thepalantír ononehandandclose to theworldofmadnesspersonified in

Denethor. With the palantír he narrowly escapes tremendous inner temptations. In

Denethorheseestheeffectthepalantír’susecanhaveevenupononeofthestrongestminds

of Middle-earth. Pippin understands the world of others, but tends to shy away from

leadership;infactheremainsonthesidelinesalmostuntiltheend,thoughheshowsheisa

goodobserverandisapersonofpatienceandtolerance.Hewhomostlystandsbehindthe

curtainsofeventsfacesaninnertestthrougharolethatisthrustuponhimbycircumstances.

HehastoreluctantlybreakhisoathtowardsDenethorandtakeaninitiativethathehasnot

sought,bycallinguponGandalf.

Wehaveseenthattheadventuresofaseriesofcharactersaredenselyinterwovenin

orderto formhigherunities.Wehaveononehandthree,andontheother four.Gandalf,

Aragorn,andFrodomaybethemainheroes,themoresuperhumanofthewholetrilogy.Still,

theircollaborationwouldcometonaughtwereitnotforthepresenceoftheall-too-earthly

Hobbits,Frodo’sfriends.

On one handGandalf, Aragorn, and Frodowork collaboratively in awakening and

uniting the inhabitants of Middle-earth against the dangers of Sauron’s ultimate hidden

plans.Andon theotherhand thesame is trueabout theconcrete taskofeliminating the

threat of the Ring by bringing it back to the fire that created it. Aragorn and Frodo are

completely devoted in their task to the vision of Gandalf. Frodo accepts the authority of

Aragorn,whenGandalfseemstobe lost intheminesofMoria.ThenFrodobecomesfully

independentinaccomplishingthecentraltaskofthefellowship.

Gandalf, Aragorn, and Frodo form a higher unity. They act in concert, and their

collaboration is essential because it addresses what it means to be fully human. They

represent the full dimension of the human being—a being that is known in spiritual

traditionsasconsistingofspirit,soul,andbody.

WefindtheworkingsofthefourHobbitstointerveneatanotherdimensionofwhat

it means to be human. Their collaboration is found at a level closer to earth, at the

intersection of terrestrial and divine, in the expression of what was known from Greek

cultureuptotheMiddleAgesasthetemperaments.It isunderthisarchetypaldimension

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thattheyformoncemoreahigherunity.Thedivisionofthetasksbetweenthemajorand

minorpairsreflectsoftheneedofcollaborationbetweenthetemperamentsthatweallcarry

within,thoughtheyalwayscometoexpressionunilaterally.Theseeminglystrongerofthe

four,Frodo,isstillonlyone-sided,andneedsthefullnessofthefourinordertocarryoutthe

centralmissionofthequest.Morecouldbesaidifweturnourgazetothewholefellowship.

It is not the intent of this book to look atwhat theElven element in Legolas, theDwarf

elementinGimli,orthepurelyManinBoromir,addtothewhole.

Wehave completed this lookat the constitutionof the spiritualhumanbeingand

outlinedhowdeeplythearchetypalrealmhasinspiredallofTolkien’screativeeffortinThe

LordoftheRings.Wewilllooknowatotheraspectsofthehumanconditionthatrenderhis

book such a compelling story for our times. This time we will turn to the objective

correspondenceofwhatisknownasthemicrocosmofman;wewilllookatthemacrocosm

ofthespiritualworldthatsurroundshim,eventhoughitisveiledbythesenseperceptions.

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CHAPTER6

TheWorldoftheSpirit

TheOtherPowerthentookover:theWriteroftheStory[TheLordoftheRings](bywhichI

donotmeanmyself),thatoneever-presentPersonwhoisneverabsentandnevernamed.

—J.R.R.Tolkien

Wewill continuenow the explorationof theworldof archetypes throughwhichTolkien

moveswithseemingeaseinthetrilogy.InTheSilmarillionandTheLordoftheRings,Tolkien

leadstowhatisknowninesoterictraditionasthetimesofAtlantisandwhatfollowsafter

theminWesternEurope.Heconfirmsmanythingsthathisconsciousminddidnotpursue;

eventhingsthathisCatholicismwouldhaveabjured.Wewillfirstturntohisportrayalofthe

spiritualascentthattheHobbitsexperiencefromtheShiretoTomBombadil’sdomainand

intotheElvendomainsofMiddle-earth.RivendellandLórienarelikeenclavesofthespiritual

worldonearth.

This will form the counterpart to what was presented in the previous chapter.

Whereastherewe lookedatwhat lies in the innerhumanbeing,wewillnowturntothe

archetypesoftheworldoutside,atthedimensionsofthelargerworldinwhichthehuman

beinglives—aworldknowntospiritualtraditions.

Theworldofthespiritisnotonesingle,homogeneousplace.Itisaworldinwhichthe

humansoulascendsbydegrees.Thishasbeenknowninallspiritualtraditions,asfarback

intimeastheoldwisdomofIndia.Tolkienmaynothaveknownthesetraditions.Itisallthe

moreremarkablethathereflectedthemquitefaithfullyandexactly.

SOULWORLDANDSPIRITWORLDS

The Fellowship of the Ring outlines a remarkable process of ascent into spiritual

understanding, or penetration of spiritual reality, on the part of the members of the

fellowship.ItsmajorstepsaretheOldForestandtheBarrow-downsseenasaunity—Tom

Bombadil’sdomain—thenRivendellandLórien.

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TomBombadil’sDomain

TomBombadil’sdomainencompassestheOldForesttothenorthandtheBarrow-downsto

thesouth.FromthebeginningwearetoldthattheOldForesthasahigherqualityofaliveness

thanotherforests:“Everythinginitisverymuchmorealive,moreawareofwhatisgoingon,

sotospeak,thanthingsareintheShire.”300

As theygetdeeper into the forest theHobbits feel theyarewatchedcloselybyan

ambivalencegrowingtoenmity.Theairbecomeshotterandstuffier;theheavinessismore

thanjustanexternalcondition.WhenFrodotriestosing,hecannotfindhisvoice;evensuch

a simple thing exacts an energy that he cannot produce out of himself. As they proceed

further intotheforest,visibility isreduced;andtheyaredrawninexorablytowardswhat

theywanttoavoid,thecenteroftheforestandtheWithywindleRiver,“thequeerestpartof

thewholewood.”Itisariverofdarkwaterslinedwithancientwillows.Theheatincreases,

andtothisareaddedarmiesofflies.Sleepinessseemstobetheverybasicconditionofthe

place,andthestateofconsciousnessitinduces.

IntheOldForestFrodouttersthewordfail.Hissongendswiththewords“Foreast

orwestallwoodsmustfail.”Andthenarrativeimmediatelycomments“Fail—evenashesaid

theword his voice faded into silence. AndMerry comments, “They do not like all about

endingandfailing.”301

ItisTomBombadil,themasterofthisplace,whorescuesthecompanions.Hissongs

areonesofseemingmerrynonsense.OnthewaytoTom’shousemoreisrevealedaboutthis

unusual country that is so familiar to Bombadil: “Strange furtive noises ran among the

bushes....Theycaughtsightofqueergnarledandknobblyfaces....Theybegantofeelthat

allthiscountrywasunreal,andthattheywerestumblingthroughanominousdreamthatled

tonoawakening”(emphasisadded).302

Before presenting Tom, we will go into the other half of the experience,

complementarytothefirstandkeytoanunderstandingofthisenigmaticland.Interestingly


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theBarrow-downsbeginimmediatelybeyondTom’shouseitself.Thehouseinfactseparates

thetwodomains.

In the Barrow-downs there are no trees, nor visible water. The fog distorts the

perceptionofspace.Hereinsteadoftheheatwehaveacoolnessthatthesundoesnotseem

abletowarmup.Theairisheavybut,unlikeintheforest,itischilly.JustasintheOldForest

heretootheHobbitscannotresistanirrepressibledesiretosleep.Buthereitisnotnature

thatisoppressive;it’sthepresenceofotherhumansoulsfromthedepthsoftime.

As the companions progress in the new landscape, the mist becomes colder and

wetter,thewindevermorechilly.Andthenasuddendarknessfalls.Frodoisovertakenby

fearandstartspanickingandcallingouttohiscompanions.Thenheismetbythetalland

ominous figure of a Wight, who starts conversing with him. And the theme of cold is

reemphasized:“Hethoughtthereweretwoeyes,verycoldthoughlitwithapalelightthat

seemedtocomefromsomeremotedistance.Thenagripstrongerandcolderthanironseized

him.Theicytouchfrozehisbonesandherememberednomore”(emphasisadded).303And

nowFrodoseeshisthreecompanionsdressedinthegarbofmenofarmsofothertimes.

Then his consciousness is challenged by a song, a “cold murmur . . . far away and

immeasurablydreary.”Hehearsstringsof“grim,hard,coldwords,heartlessandmiserable”

(emphasisadded).304Inthisinstance,asinthewholeepisodeoftheBarrow-downs,Tolkien

isemphasizingsoulcoldness.

Frodohearsachillingsong fromaremotevoice,whichbecomesan incantation. It

keepsemphasizingcold:“Coldbehandandheartandbone,andcoldbesleepunderstone:

nevermoretowakeonstonybed,nevertilltheSunfailsandtheMoonisdead,.. .tillthe

darklordliftshishandoverdeadseaandwitheredland.”305Asitisanaturebeingwhotraps

theHobbitsintheOldForest,sonowitisahumanformthatattacksthem(acrawlingarm)

andahumanartifactthatbindsthem(thesword).ItisatthismomentthatFrodoremembers

Tom’spromiseandwords,andcallsonhim.Afterfreeingthecompanions,Tomproceedsto

breakthespellofthemoundtopreventthereturnofotherWights.Tomqualifiestheghosts


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as “sons of forgotten kingswalking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are

heedless.”306TheHobbitsdonotfullyunderstand;theyareinadreamstateinwhich“they

hadavisionasitwereofagreatexpanseofyearsbehindthem,likeavastshadowyplain

overwhichtherestrodeshapesofMen,tallandgrimwithbrightswords,andlastcameone

withastaronhisbrow.”307Wesawearlieronthattheseinnerexperiencescorrespondtoa

dreamyrelivingofpreviouslives.

Tom Bombadil is one of the most enigmatic figures in The Lord of the Rings. To

GoldberryFrodoasks,“WhoisTomBombadil?”AndGoldberrysimplyanswers,“Heis.”But

sheisnotansweringFrodointhesenseofthe“Iam”ofselfhood.Sheadds:“HeistheMaster

ofwood,water andhill.”308AndFrodomisunderstands that everything inTom’sdomain

belongstohim,towhichsherepliesnegatively,andcomments:“Thetreesandthegrasses

andallthingsgrowingorlivinginthelandbelongeachtothemselves.TomBombadilisthe

Master. No one has ever caught old Tomwalking in the forest. . . . He has no fear. Tom

Bombadilismaster.”

Master, as Verlyn Flieger points out, does not denote desire for possession; it is

intendedas“teacher”and“authority.”ThenFrodoasksdirectlytoBombadil,“Whoareyou

Master?”AndTomanswers,speakinginthethirdperson:

Eldest,that’swhatIam....Tomwasherebeforetheriverandthetrees....Hemadepaths

beforetheBigPeople....HewasherebeforethekingsandthegravesandtheBarrow-

wights....Heknewthedarkunderthestarswhenitwasfearless[thetimeofthesongof

creation]—beforetheDarkLordcamefromoutside.309

TalkingaboutBombadil,GandalfsaysthathisoriginalnamewasIarwainBen-adar,“oldest

andfatherless.”AndGandalfaddsthatTomcouldnothavebeensummonedtotheCouncil

becausehewouldnothavebeeninterested;norwouldhebeabletograspthepowerofthe

Ringandthestakesatplay.

306Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,142.307Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,143.308Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,122.309Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,129.

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TomisusheringtheHobbitsintoanotherlevelofconsciousness;heisleadingthem

beyondthethresholdofthesenses.AthistableHobbitsdrinkplainwater,“yetitwentto

theirheartslikewineandsetfreetheirvoices.Theguestsbecamesuddenlyawarethatthey

weresingingmerrily,asifitwaseasierandmorenaturalthantalking.”310

WhenFrodoasksTomifherescuedthemafterhearingtheircalling,Tomindicatesit

wasnotthecase,thathewassimplybusysinging,butthenheadds:

Justchancebroughtmethen,ifchanceyoucallit.ItwasnoplanofminethoughIwas

waitingforyou.Weheardnewsofyou,andlearnedthatyouwerewandering.Weguessed

you’dcomehereerelongdowntothewater:allpathsleadtoWithywindle....ButTom

hadanerrandthere,thathedarednothinder.311

AndTomconcludeshisspeechasifhejustwereabouttofallasleep,thencontinuestospeak

inasingingvoice.

ThenextdayTomtells themstories.Hespeaks to themas ifhewerespeaking to

himself,oftenmixingspeechwithsong,orinterruptinghimselftostandupanddance.Tom

leadstheHobbitsintoaworldinwhichhe“laidbaretheheartsoftreesandtheirthoughts,

whichwereoftendarkandstrange,andfilledwithahatredofthingsthatgofreeuponthe

earth,gnawing,biting,breaking,hacking,burning:destroyersandusurpers.”312Heindicates

tothefriendsthatwithinhisdomaintheGreatWillowisthemostdangerouscreature,to

whomallothertreessubmit.Quitetellingly,attheendofhistales,Tomoncemorenodsasif

hewerefallingasleep.

Tom’sdomainisoneofsinging,sleeping,anddreaming;wearerightintoaworldof

dreams,inwhichtheimageshavequalitiesofadream.Thetwodomains—OldForestand

Barrow-downs—awakenaconsciousnesssimilartodream,adeeperworldthanthatofthe

senses.Oneisintherealmofwarmthandgrowthandrelatedtonaturalprocesses;theother,

equallydreamy,takesusintocoldnessanddecayandisrelatedtodeceasedhumanbeings

andeventsofthepast.


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TherelationshiptotimeisalsodifferentinTom’shousethanintherestofMiddle-

earth,asitwilllaterbeinRivendellandLórien:“Whetherthemorningandeveningofone

dayormanydayshadpassedFrodocouldnottell.Hedidnotfeeleitherhungryortired,only

filledwithwonder.”313Andtheweatherinthisorderofrealitychangesconstantly.

ThefourHobbitsawakendifferentlytotheneworderofrealitythatisTom’sdomain.

WhereasMerryandPippinhavewhatarebasicallynightmares,inhisdreamsFrodoisnota

participantbutawitness.HisdreamoftheOrthanctowerandthecaptiveGandalfleadshim

beyondpastexperiencetosomethingobjective,thoughnotimmediatelyunderstandable.He

isobjectivelyseeingGandalfinanotherplace.OnlylaterdoesGandalfconfirmtohimthathis

dreamwastrue.Fliegercallsthisa“dream-vision”andan“out-of-bodyexperience,”which

allowsthedreamer toexperienceobjectivelyanother timeandanotherplace.314Frodo is

waking todeeper aspects of reality than anything experiencedbefore.After dreamingof

GandalfatOrthanc,hethenhasavisionoftheendingofhisjourney,thesailingofffromthe

GreyHavens.Of this last dreamwe are told that itwas a vision and that it “melted into

waking.”Inaddition,inTomBombadil’sdomaintheHobbitshaveaccesstothewholefield

oftime,aswehaveseenintheexperiencethattouchesmostsignificantlyMerry,withahint

ofapreviousliferecollection.

InTomBombadil’sdomainwefindourselvesinwhatisknowninspiritualtradition

as the astral or elemental world, the first stage of the spiritual world; and in terms of

consciousnessweenterwhatSteinercallsthe“imaginativeconsciousness,”orImagination.

Imaginationcomesintoreplacethesensationsfromthephysicalworld.Imagesare

produced in the sameway as an outer object would produce a sensation, but this time

completelyinwardly—theydonotdependonanexternalobject.Imaginationsareasrealas

thoseproducedbyphysicalsenses,buttheyhaveasoul-spiritualorigin.Theworldinwhich

weenterthroughImaginationisinfactmorerealthanwhatcomestousthroughoursenses,

asTolkienpointsout.InImaginationweareapproachedbycertaintrialsanddangers.Ina

certainsensethepupillosesthegroundunderhisfeet.WhenonestartshavingImaginations,

they look like perceptionswithout causes; froman external perspective, the imaginative

313Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,129.314Flieger,AQuestionofTime,189.

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worldwouldbeoneofhallucinationsandillusions.Themixofearthlyandsoul-spiritualis

visibleinthewayFrodorelatestoGoldberry.Itisverydifferentfromwhathewillexperience

laterinrelationtoGaladriel:“Thespellthatwasnowlaiduponhimwasdifferent:lesskeen

andlofty[thantheoneoftheElves]wasthedelight,butdeeperandnearertomortalheart;

marvelous and yet not strange.”315 Goldberry represents for Frodo a mix of

sensual/instinctualandotherworldly.

Thesourceofconfusionanddangeratthisstageisthatthehumanbeingperceives

only themanifestations of spiritual beings, not the beings themselves. The imaginations

expressqualitiesofthebeings,notthebeingsthemselves.Thereforethepupildoesn’tknow

themeaningoftheimages.Thisiswhyitisimportanttodevelopastrongsenseofself.In

effect, in the elementalworld,whatwe have as feelings, desires, yearnings, wishes, and

passionspresentthemselvestous fromtheoutside,comingtowardsus.Westandbefore

themaswedo in front of physical objects andbeings inourworld, but in amuchmore

puzzlingway.Oursenseofselfallowsustowithstandtheonslaught.

Inthesoulworldthereisaninversionofwhatcomestousinphysicalperception.

Firstofallwhatcomesfromusseemstomovetowardsus.Inadditionaninnerexperience

wecherish(afeeling,desire)appearstousassomethingthatisattackingus.Ourthoughts,

wishes,anddesiresaretransformedintoimages,andtheneophytecannotdistinguishthese

from objective spiritual happenings. Images disguise their true reality; they deceive. A

debasing feeling like vanity or lust can appear not only charming but completely

trustworthy,somethingthatcallsustogreatheightsandoffersusgreatrewards.Andthe

reversecanbetrueofpositivesoulqualities.316Thereisapossibledangertoremaininthis

stateofconfusionforalongtime.Tolkienseemedtoknowthedangerspresentatthisstage.

WitnesswhatRamersaysofhisexperiencesintheworldofdreaminTheNotionClubPapers:

“There’s lying in theuniverse, someveryclever lying. Imeansomeverypotent fiction is

speciallycomposedtobeinspectedbyothersandtodeceive,topassasrecord;butitismade

tothemalefitofMen.”317

315Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,121.316Steiner,TheStagesofHigherKnowledge,26–27.317Tolkien,TheLostRoadandOtherWritings,196.

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Thesoulhasbasicallytwopolarattitudestowardeverythingitmeetsinlifethatare

greatlyprominentintheastralworld:sympathyandantipathy.Theseconceptsarelarger

thantheusualmeaningofthesewords.Sympathysignifiesacceptanceofwhatcomestoward

thesoul.Itiswhatallowsustolivewithintheotherbeing,orobject.Antipathyisnecessary

inordertoexperienceoneselfinseparationfromtheworld.Itisthemotionofthependulum

that awakens self-consciousness.We need antipathy, no less than sympathy, in order to

develop faculties of understanding and acceptance. In the Old Forest we find excessive

sympathyandendlessgrowth; in theBarrow-downsexcessiveantipathy, coldanddying.

Oneistheexperienceoftheelementalworldinnature,theothertheelementalworldofthe

soul. In both realms we find forces that can be both benevolent or malevolent, with a

predominanceofthelatter.

AtthecenteroftheexperienceofTolkien’selementalworldwefindtheencounter

withTomBombadilhimself.HeiscalledthetricksterinJungianinterpretation;theLesser

GuardianoftheThresholdinspiritualscience.Letuslookatwhatwecanlearnfromoneand

theother.

In her Jungian analysis Pia Skogemann sees the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil’s

kingdomas“thefrontierbetweenconsciousnessandtheunconscious.”318ForherBombadil

represents“thoseforcesintheunconsciousthatsupportthegrowthofconsciousness.”319

AndTomistheonethroughwhomthefourHobbitsreceiveweaponsandbecome“knights”

onaquest.Beforethatthefourhadnaivelyneglectedtoconsiderthatfightingcouldhave

beentheirlot.Thus,throughTomBombadilthefourbecometheequivalentofknightsona

spiritualquest.

TheOldForestrepresentsboththepositiveandnegativeaspectsoftheunconscious.

It’sonlyinTomBombadil’shouseproperthatnoevilenters.AndSkogemannalsocallsTom

atricksterfigure:The“tricksterturnstheworldupsidedownbypullingthingsintothelight

thatarehidden in thedark.”320Hewants tobring light tohumankind. It seemsthatTom

doesn’t have the malicious aspects that are usually associated with a trickster in many

318Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,xiii.319Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,20.320Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,82.

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cultures.However,theseaspectssurroundthehouseonbothsides—towardsawarmanda

coldpole.

Jungcallsthetrickster“theproductofanaggregateofindividuals. . .welcomedby

eachindividualassomethingknowntohim,whichwouldnotbethecaseifitwerejustan

individual outgrowth.”321 In this sense Bombadil has much of a Hobbit character—or

appears to theHobbits thus—andhas thosevery samequalities that render theHobbits

somehowmoreimmunetothelureoftheRing.TomlooksattheRingandpeepsthroughit

asiftomockSauron’seye.HeisnotmadeinvisiblebytheRingbutcanmakeitdisappear.

FrodoputsontheRinginTom’shouseandbecomesinvisibletohisfriendsbutnottoTom,

whojokinglycautionshimagainstusingit.

Thetrickster,thisguardianbetweentwoworlds,thathastraitsoftheindividual,is

whatisknowntospiritualscienceastheLesserGuardianoftheThreshold.Heguardsthe

entrancetothespiritualworldfromthosewhoarenotpreparedtoforegothehabitsoflife

onthematerialplane.Heisthefirstfigurethatwemustmeetwhenweenterthespiritual

worldinearnestandinalawfulmanner.Heshowsustherealityofwhowetrulyare,which

ishidden fromus forourowngooduntilweare ready tostepacross the threshold.The

Guardianistheonesafeguideintotheworldofthespirit,allowingustofirstenteritwithout

aninflatedappraisalofourselves.Innerstrengthandgenuinehumilityareessentialinorder

tocrossthethresholdconsciously.WemayrememberthatFrodohasbeenmuchhumbled

beforearrivinginTom’sdomain,andcontinuestobesoonafter.

TheGuardianisabeingthattheindividualhascollaboratedatfashioning.Whenwe

meettheGuardian,herevealsthatthepowersthatpresidedoverourselves,uptothattime,

determinedtheindividual’shappinessandunhappinessinlife,basedonthetenorofhisor

herlifeinpreviousincarnations.322Nowtheindividualhastotakeupapartoftheworkthat

theydidonhisbehalf.

TheGuardian reveals that theblowsof fatewerebroughtupon thepersonas the

consequenceofharmfuldeedsinearlierincarnations.InafullencounterwiththeGuardian,

allaspectsofpreviouslives—goodorbad—arevisibletotheindividual:“Yourpastactions

321C.G.Jung,CollectedWorks,Vol9i,inSkogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,84.322Steiner,HowtoKnowHigherWorlds,195.

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areseparatingthemselvesfromyou,steppingoutofyourpersonality.Theyareassumingan

independentform,onethatyoucansee....Iamthatself-samebeing,whomadeabodyfor

itselfoutofyourgoodandwickeddeeds.”323IntheBarrow-downsthecompanionsmeetthis

levelof experience in theawakeningofprevious lifememories,hintedat inahalf-veiled

fashion.WecannowseethatTolkien’sinsertionofpreviouslifememoriesinthispartofthe

narrativecorrespondstodeeperarchetypalreality.

The threshold stands in place thanks to all our fears and our recoiling back from

takingresponsibilityforthoughts,feelings,andactions.TheGuardianwarnsusnottocross

the threshold until we have conquered our fears and feel ready to take on new

responsibilitiesforthespirit.FrodomastersfullyhiscourageinthepresenceoftheWight;

hefindsadeterminationhedidnotknowhepossessed.Heisnowinvestedofanewtaskfor

thespirit.

TheGuardianshowsusthesafestentrancetothespiritualworld.Beforemeetingthe

Guardianweare,sotospeak,theinstrumentsoffamily,nations,andraces.Aftermeetingthe

Guardianwestarttounderstandourowntasksandalsoknowhowwecanhelpaccomplish

thetasksofthegroupsaroundus,ourpeopleandourrace.Thisisbecauseaftermeetingthe

Guardianwe are left alone by the spirits of nation, tribe, and race. TheGuardian in fact

revealsthesespiritstous.Wereceiveasenseofanewlyacquiredfreedomandwetakeon

newresponsibilities in anatural fashion.This is thebaptismof the spirit thatFrodohas

received throughTomBombadil;hehassteeledhis resolve foraspiritualquest thatwill

serveallHobbitsandallinhabitantsofMiddle-earth.Hecarriesthroughtheordealtheother

Hobbits,thoughtheythemselveshavenotlivedtheexperienceasfully.

Aftertheelementalworldthesoulentersintothespiritualworldproper;theseare

the stages portrayed as Rivendell and Lórien. Each of the Hobbits undergoes these

experienceswithvaryingdegreesofawareness,Frodomostconsciouslyofall.Rivendelland

LóriengivetheHobbitstheinnerstrengthfordelvingintodeeperanddeeperlevelsoftrials

ofthesoul.InfactwewillhearofGaladriel,queenofLórien,accompanyingFrodoandSam

almosttotheverylaststagesoftheMordorexperience.

323Steiner,HowtoKnowHigherWorlds,186.

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Rivendell,theHouseofElrond

In Rivendell live some of the Eldar “from beyond the furthest seas.” Having lived in the

blessedrealmtheyhavenofearoftheRingwraiths,becausetheyliveatonceinbothworlds

andcanexertpowerabovetheordinary.AndGandalfrevealsthatthepowerthatispresent

inRivendellcanallowittoresistSauron’sconstantencroaching,butonlyforawhile.

Elrond,themasterofRivendellandaring-bearerhimself,haswitnessedallthethree

Ages.Elrond’sparentswereEärendilandElwing.EärendilwasthechildofthemortalTuor

andtheElfIdril;Elwing,thegrandchildofBeren,ahuman,andLúthien,(daughteroftheElf-

kingThingolandtheMaiaMelian).ElronddescendsfromallthreelinesoftheElves(Vanyar,

Noldor,andSindar).

BecauseofhisHalf-ElvenheritagetheValargiveElrondthechoiceofwhethertobe

counted among the kindred of Elves or ofMen. Elrond chooses to belong to the former.

DuringhisstayinMiddle-earthhedevelopstoahighdegreetheartofhealingandknowledge

ofMiddle-earth’s past. Skogemann qualifies Elrond as a sort of guardian of all things of

beautyofthelastthreethousandyears.AndshejudgesthatRivendellislikearelicofthe

past,equivalenttoalibrary,albeitaspirituallibrary.324

Thetextletsusknowthat“merelytobe[inRivendell]wasacureforweariness,fear

andsadness.”325Thefuturemembersofthefellowshiprecognizethatthereissuchapower

inthelandofRivendellthatalltheircaresandanxietiesseemtovanish.Thisdoesnotmean

thatthetrialsthatlayaheadarenowforgotten;forthemomenttheysimplyhavenopower

toweighontheirminds.Thecompanionsfindthemselvesinspiredandhopeful,livingfully

andenjoyingeverymoment,infactbuildingthestrengthfordarkerdaystocome.

WearenottoldofanyordinarydreamsinRivendell.Rather,somethingelsetakesthe

placeofthedream,atleastforFrodo.WhenFrodolistenstothemusicandpoemsintheHall

ofFire,heisheldinaspell,eventhoughhedoesnotunderstandmuch.Itseemsthatwords

havethemagicpowertoevokevisionsofdistantlandsandbygonetimes.Andthephysical

surroundingslookasiftransfigured“likeagoldenmistaboveseasoffoamthatsighedupon

324Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,124.325Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,219.

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themarginsoftheworld.”326MoreandmoreFrodofeelstransplantedintoalivingdream

that engulfs and overwhelms his consciousness. Frodo reveals to Bilbo, who had been

recitinghispoem,thathiswordsseemedtoconnecttosomethingaboutwhichhehimself

wasdreaming.Inthelisteninghehadlostawarenessthat itwasBilbowhowasspeaking

untilalmosttheend.BilborecognizesthatitisdifficulttoremainawakeinRivendelluntil

onebuildsstrengthandhabit.Itseemswearemovingintoarealmbeyondthethreshold,a

realmthatisotherwisechallengingtoordinaryconsciousness.

WearetoldthattheHobbitsspentalmosttwomonthsintheHouseofElrond.But

timeinRivendell—asinBombadil’sdomain,eventhoughdifferentlyfromit—doesnotflow

as in theordinaryworld.WhenFrodoaskshowlonghe issupposedtostay inRivendell,

Bilbo, who has long dwelled there, replies: “Oh, I don’t know. I can’t count days in

Rivendell.”327

InRivendellthemeaningofpropheciesanddreamsisrevealed.Boromirtalksabout

thedreamthatcametohisbrother(Faramir)andhimself. In thedream“theeasternsky

grewdarkandtherewasagrowingthunder,butintheWestapalelightlingered,andoutof

itIheardavoice,remotebutclear,crying:

SeekfortheSwordthatwasbroken:

InImladrisitdwells;

Thereshallbecounselstaken

StrongerthanMorgul-spells.

Thereshallbeshownatoken

ThatDoomisnearathand,

ForIsildur’sBane[theRing]shallwaken,

AndtheHalflingforthshallstand.”328

AfterhearingthisprophecyElrondproducesIsildur’ssword,Narsil,thatwasbroken

andhasbeenreforged.AndheintroducesAragorn,sonofArathorn,descendentofIsildur,


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chief of the Dúnedain (Rangers) of the North to whom the sword belongs by right.

Immediatelyafter,ElrondcallsuntoFrodotoshoweveryonetheRing.

InRivendellFrodoremembershisdreamfromTomBombadil’shouse,inwhichhe

sawGandalfcaptiveatopthetowerofOrthanc.“‘Isawyou!’criedFrodo.‘Youwerewalking

backwardsandforwards.Themoonshoneinyourhair.’”329AtthatmomentFrodocanrealize

thatwhatfelt“wasonlyadream”hadagroundofreality,becausethisisnowpossiblein

Rivendell.

InRivendellElrondandGandalfprimarily,butothersalso,offerwhatwecouldcall

occultteachings:mattersofgoodandeviluponwhichdependsthefutureofMiddle-earth

becomeclear;aveilof illusion is torn fromconsciousness.ThehistoryofMiddle-earth is

perceivedfromitsdeeperfoundations,beyondthesmoke-screensofeverydaylife.Anew

threatisperceivedcomingfromtheEast.Boromirdescribesit“likeagreathorseman,adark

shadowunderthemoon.Whereverhecameamadnessfilledourfoes,butfearfellonour

boldest, so that horse andman gave way and fled.”330 Aragorn talks about the role the

Rangershaveplayed.Theyaretheoneswhorelentlesslypursueandhuntdowntheservants

oftheEnemy.TheyhaveprotectedtheNorthbecauseevilcreaturesfledfromtheRangers,

andpeacewaspreserved.OutwardlytheRangersperformanungratefultask.They livea

hidden life,andwithstandtheelementsboundtothedutytheyhaveembraced.Theyare

protectingtheinhabitantsofMiddle-earthfromdangersaboutwhichtheycannotspeak,and

theyareexposingthemselvestosuspicionandingratitudefromtheverysamepeoplethey

protect.

TherevelationsgrowundertheleadofGandalf,whoexplainshowhewentintothe

Necromancer’srealminDolGuldur,wherehediscoveredthattheoldEnemy,Sauronhimself,

wasgainingnewstrengthandpower.HegoesontosaythatatthetimeinwhichSaruman

consented to take action against Sauron, the Council drove the Necromancer out of

Mirkwoodand theRing found itsway into theopenagain.Gandalf concludes, “a strange

chance,ifchanceitwas.”GandalfrecountshisencounterwithSarumanandthetreasonof


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thelatter.DrawinglessonsfromthebetrayalofSaruman,Gandalfconcludes,“Itisperilous

tostudytoodeeplytheartsoftheEnemy,forgoodorforill.”331

InRivendellplansaremadeforthefutureofMiddle-earth.Thewaysofthespiritthat

takeshapeinRivendellcouldnotbefurtherawayfromordinarycommonsense.Throwing

theRingintotheFireofMordorrespondstoahigherorderofnecessitythatonlyGandalf

andElrondcanapprehend.AboutthechoiceofthrowingtheRingintothefire,whichtheElf

Erestorcalls“folly,”Gandalfreplies:Itiswisdomtorecognizenecessity,whenallothercourseshavebeenweighed,thoughas

follyitmayappeartoallthosewhoclingtofalsehope.Well,letfollybeourcloak,aveil

beforetheeyesoftheEnemy!Forheisverywiseandweighsallthingsinthescalesofhis

malice.Buttheonlymeasurethatheknowsisdesire,desireforpower;andsohejudges

allhearts.Intohisheartthethoughtwillnotenterthatanywillrefuseit,thathavingthe

Ringwemayseektodestroyit.Ifweseekthisweshallputhimoutofreckoning.332

Andfurther,“Yetsuchisoftthecourseofdeedsthatmovethewheelsoftheworld;small

handsdothembecausetheymust,whiletheeyesofthegreatareelsewhere.”

InRivendellpersonaldestinybecomesaclearandconsciouschoice for thosewho

havearoleinthefutureofMiddle-earth.ThenineRingwraithsofSauronareopposedbythe

nineinthefellowshipoftheRing,whohaveallfoundtheirwaytoRivendell,respondingtoa

callofdestiny.Elrondrecognizesitthus:“Youhavecomeandareheremet,inthisverynick

oftime,bychanceasitmayseem.Yetitisnotso.Believeratherthatitissoorderedthatwe,

whosithere,andnoneothers,mustnowfindcounselfortheperiloftheworld.”333Frodo

acceptsthechallengefromaplaceinhimselfthathestilldoesnotfullyknow.Thoughfeeling

acalltostayinRivendellwithBilbo,hehearshimselfsay:“IwilltaketheRing...thoughIdo

notknowtheway.”Elrond,whohasbeenhopingforFrodototakeupthistaskincomplete

innerfreedom,responds:“Ithinkthistaskisappointedforyou,Frodo;andthatifyoudonot


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findaway,noonewill.ThisisthehouroftheShire-folk....WhoofalltheWisecouldhave

foreseenit?”334

InRivendellwefindanoasisinMiddle-earthinwhichthespiritualworldisstillactive.

The samewillbeonlymore so inLórien.Wehavemoved from theastralworldand the

imaginativeconsciousnesstothespiritualworld—orlowerDevachanofspiritualtradition—

and the stage of inspirational consciousness, or Inspiration. Here evil has no access;

Rivendell, like Lórien, is protected from it. Interestingly, only afterRivendell does Frodo

meethisdouble—Gollum—andisabletoclaimhimashisown.

AftertheworldofcolorsoftheastralworldcomesDevachan,whichisinacertain

sense a “world of sounds.” The archetypes,which are the reality of thisworld, resound:

everythinglivesinwhatcouldbecalledaspiritualmusic.

Toanobserver,itislikebeinginanoceanofsoundsandtonesinwhichthebeingsofthe

spiritualworldareexpressing themselves.Their interrelationshipsandthearchetypal

lawsoftheirexistencerevealthemselvesinthechords,harmonies,rhythmsandmelodies

of this spiritual “music,” which reveals to our spiritual “ear” what reasoning in the

physicalworldperceivesasanideaornaturallaw.335

ThisisreminiscentofwhatFrodoexperiencesintheHallofFire.

Inthespiritualworldweperceivethearchetypes,theideaofabeingonearth,the

“livingthoughts”andspiritbeings.Inthespiritworldtheideaofanyanimalonearth—cat,

dog, cow, sheep, or other—acquires as full a concrete and visible order of reality, as its

physicalcounterpartdoesonearth.Andthislevelofrealityrepresentsagreatenhancement

inrelationtophysicalperception.Everythingappearsallthemorereal,butdifferentfrom

whatweexperiencethroughphysicalsenses,becausethearchetypesareinconstantmotion;

theycantakecountlessforms.336

In Lower Devachan we move from Imagination to Inspiration. Steiner tells us of

Inspiration in relation to Imagination: “The world of Inspiration is placed within the

Imaginativeworld.WhentheImaginationsbegintounveiltheirmeaningsin‘silentspeech’

334Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,264.335Steiner,Theosophy,125–26.336Steiner,Theosophy,123–24.

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to the observer, the world of Inspiration arises within the Imaginative world.”337 With

inspiration the experiences of the higher worlds that first unfolded themselves in

Imaginationreveal theirmeaning.Andthis isexactlywhathappensduringtheCouncilof

ElrondinRivendell.EverythingthatlieshiddeninthebackgroundofMiddle-earth’scosmic

fateisunveiled.Thedeepercausesofthesurfaceeventslieintheconfrontationofspiritual

powers;ElrondandGandalfknowit.OnceweknowofthedeedsofSauron,Saruman,and

Gollumand the fateof theRing itself,weknowmostofwhat isessential to the futureof

Middle-earth.Wearelookingbehindthecurtainsoftheworldstage,andwecanintervene

ontheaffairsofMiddle-earthwithgreaterinsightandmorepreciseimpact.

TolkienshowsusthatheunderstoodthenatureoftherealmofImaginationandits

limitationsbeforewereachthestageofInspiration.Imaginationisnotyettheplaceforafull

understandingoftherevelationsofthespirit.Tolkienrealizedthatbeingsmakeushearand

seethem

insomeappropriateform,byproducingadirectimpressiononthemind.Theclothingof

thisnakedimpressionintermsintelligibletoyourincarnatemindis,Iimagine,oftenleft

toyou,thereceiver.Thoughnodoubttheycancauseyoutohearwordsandtoseeshapes

oftheirownchoosing,iftheywill.338

Andthenarrativeofthetrilogyfollowssuit.Anexample:Frodohasadreamofotherplace,

othertime,inrelationtoGandalfatoptheOrthanctower;onlyinRivendellisthemeaningof

thedreamfullyrevealed.Furthermore,Frodostepsintoanewstageofconsciousnessinthe

HallofFire,thoughhealsoacknowledgesthatitisdifficultforhimtomaintainawareness.

Throughinspirationwearefurtherseparatedfromtheinstrumentofthesenses,and

norepresentation,suchasthe image inthestageof Imagination,arises.Sincethere isno

influenceuponthewillfromthisside,itisallthemoreimportanttodevelopahigherfeeling

fortruthandfalsehood,forrightandwrong.Theremustbethecapacitytodevelopstrong

feelingsofpleasure in theattainmentof truthandgoodness;displeasureandpain in the

presenceoflogicalerror.

337Steiner,TheStagesofHigherKnowledge,47.338Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,202.

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Esotericstudentsmustlearntolivethroughthewholegamutofemotions,fromgriefto

enthusiasm,fromafflictivetensiontotransportsofdelightinthepossessionoftruth.In

fact they must learn to feel something like hatred against what a “normal” person

experiencesonlyinacoldandsoberwayas“incorrect”;theymustenkindlewithinalove

oftruththathasapersonalcharacter—aspersonalandaswarmasaloverfeelstoward

thebeloved.339

Steinerindicatesthathearingtherevelationsofwhattheseershaveinitiallyreceived

throughInspirationservesasanawakenerofinspirationintherecipientifthisisdonein

great earnestness: “One’s own Inspiration is stimulated by hearing an account of the

Inspirations of others.”340 It is thus that we can strengthen our capacity of intellectual

discrimination—whichallowsustoseehiddenrelationsconcealedinthefacts—anddeepen

ourdetermination for action.This iswhathappensmostly throughElrondandGandalf’s

intercessionat theCouncil ofElrond.The future fellowship is fired for its future taskby

hearing the tales of Elrond and Gandalf, two of the ring-bearers. The next ring-bearer,

Galadriel,willappearinLórien.

ItisnowonderthatinRivendellthefellowshipisformed;thecallofdestinyfindsits

confirmation.Nineindividuals,eachfromtheirownside,havebeeninspiredtoconverge.

Frodohearsthevoiceofhishigherselfasasurprise,callinghimtorisebeyondhimself,even

ifhislowerselfsaysthathedoesn’tknowhow.Afurtherstephasbeenachievedinrising

beyondthebondsofraceandblood.Nowallof therepresentativesofMiddle-earthhave

foundtheiruniversaltask:Elves,Dwarves,Hobbits,andMen.

LórienandGaladriel

Lóthlorien,orLórien,theGoldenWood,isplacedattheheartofMiddle-earthandtheheart

ofElvenkingdomsonMiddle-earth.Itishiddenfromordinarysight,defendedthroughmagic

andElfwarriors.AtthecenteroftheGoldenWoodliesthecircularcityofCalasGaladon.A

fountain isplaced in frontof the largest treeat thecenter.Fromthecenterourattention

movesupwardstothetopofthehighestmallorntree.

UponcomingtoLórien,itseemedtoFrodo


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that he had stepped over a bridge of time into a corner of ElderDays, andwas now

walkinginaworldthatwasnomore.InRivendelltherewasmemoryofancientthings;in

Lórientheancientthingsstilllivedoninthewakingworld.Evilhadbeenseenandheard

there,sorrowhadbeenknown...butonthelandofLóriennoshadowlay.341

EnteringintothehillofCerinAmroth,atthecenterofLórien,Frodoexperiencesthat

allhiseyeapprehendsisvibrant,withshapesthatseemasfreshassomethingjustformed

forthefirsttime,butalsoseemingtohaveenduredforever.Thecolorsarethesameoneshe

alwaysknew,buttheyappeartotheeyeasifhewasperceivingthemforthefirsttime.There

isnowinterinLórien,nordiseaseordeformity;inshort,noneofthesufferinganddeathof

theexternalworldreachesLorien.

Recallingtheexperience,Samsays,“IfeelasifIwereinsideasong.”342Frodorealizes

thatheisinatimelesslandthatdoesnotalter,fade,orfadefrommemory.Heknowsthat

after leavinghe can still recall theexperienceofLórienandholdhimself in itspresence.

Layinghishanduponatree,Frodo’ssenseimpressionsofitstextureareheightened,andhe

canalsofeelunitedwiththelifewithinit.Theintensedelightheexperiencesisnothisown;

it’sthedelightcommunicatedtohimbythetree.Andinthemiddleofthetreeshecanhear

thecalloftheseaanditsbirds,forwhichhehasbeenlonging.

After leaving the enchanted land the Hobbits realize that in Lórien time flows

differentlythanintherestofMiddle-earth,andFrodosurmisesthatthisisanexperience

thatmusthavebeencommoninthepastandthatnowonlysurvivesinLórien.Goingdown

theGreatRiverAnduin,Sam,judgingfromthecycleofthemoon,isledtobelievethatthe

companybarelyspentanytimeintheGoldenWood.Hecarriesthememoryofthreenights

withcertainty,butalsothefeelingofhavingspentthereafullmonth.AndFrodoaddsthat

he has nomemory of anymoon in Lórien, only sun alternating with stars. For his part

AragornconfirmsthattheywereinLórienlongerthantheythought,becausenowwinteris

upon them. Frodo realizes that part of Lórien‘smagic has to dowith the power of Lady

Galadriel, and of the ring she wears. Galadriel is associated with the element of water,


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whereasElrondiswithair.Theyhavetherespectivering:NenyaforElrondandVilyafor

Galadriel.

VerlynFliegerpointsoutthatbesidestakingplaceoutsideordinarytime,Lórienis

experiencedbythepartybeyondordinaryconsciousness.Nordoesthenarrativeconveyany

dream from the Hobbits, or any of the other fellowship members. In fact the narrative

specifically states that “no sound or dream disturbed their slumber.”343 This is why

Treebeard translates Lothlórien as “Dreamflower,” or a state of elevated dream. Flieger

furtherindicatesthatOlofantur,theearliertruenameofLórien,isthenameoftheValawho

was“masterofvisionsanddreams.”344ThismakesLórienalandofdream,andthefellowship

isthusinsideadream,confirmingSam’sfeelingofbeing“insideasong.”Lórienrepresents

more than a dream, an expansion of consciousness beyond the confines of time. It is no

coincidencethatinGaladriel’smirrorFrodoandSamtravelbackwardandforwardintime.

FrodoseesBilboinRivendell,andtravelsfarintothepastofNúmenoranditsdestructionby

theGreatWave,andintothefuture,witnessingthesiegeofGondor.

WhentheexperienceinLórienisover,Merryaffirmsthatitwaslikeadreamfading

away;notsoFrodo.Tohimthedreamhasbeenmorerealthananythinghehasexperienced

beforeorafter,andhehastheimpressionof“fallingasleepagain.”Returningtotheoldlife

nowbecomestherealtest,becauseitinvitesadiminutionofconsciousness.

Itisnotsurprisingthenthat,likeRivendell,Lórienprovidesregenerationtoallofthe

companions,mostnoticeablyinthewearyAragorn,asFrodonotices:“Forthegrimyears

wereremovedfromthefaceofAragorn,andheseemedclothedinwhite,ayounglordtall

andfair;andhespokewordsintheElvishtonguetoone[Arwen]whomFrodocouldnotsee.

Arwenvanimelda,namarië!”345

FromLórienthefellowshipcanseeSouthernMirkwood,andinthemidstofitupona

stonyheightDolGuldur,whereSauronusedtodwell.Itisprobablyoccupiedagainbyhis

armies,sinceablackcloudcanoftenbeseenhoveringovertheplace.Haldirremarks:“In

thishighplaceyoumayseethetwopowersthatareopposedonetoanother;andeverthey

343Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,379.344Tolkien,UnfinishedTales,quotedinFlieger,AQuestionofTime,192.345Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,343.

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strivenowinthought,butwhereasthelightperceivestheveryheartofthedarkness,itsown

secrethasnotbeendiscovered.”346ItisunderstandablethatinLórienGollum,whohadbeen

followingFrodo,onceagainhasnoaccess,becausetheforestisguardedfromallevil.And

althoughFrodoseestheeyeofSauroninGaladriel’smirror,heisinnodanger.

Wemayaskthen,“WhoisGaladriel?”Skogemannseesinheran“AnimaMundi”(Soul

oftheWorld)anda“mistressofinitiation...whomediatesbetweenthearchetypeoftheSelf

andconsciousness.”347ThelightofthephialthatGaladrielgivesFrodocomesfromthelight

ofthelastSilmaril,fromwhichderivesthelightofEärendil’sstar.Galadrielisthusableto

placeFrodointouchwithMiddle-earth’sancestralsourceoflight.

GaladrielisofNoldordescent,onewhorememberstheearlydaysofValinor,landof

theVala,andshewasthelasttoreachMiddle-earth;sheisoneofthemostpowerfulofthe

ElvesthathavecometoMiddle-earth.Sheknowspast,present,andfuture;andofherand

Celeborn,herhusband,itissaid“nosignofagewasuponthem,unlessitwereinthedepths

oftheireyes.”348

ItwasGaladrielwhoconvenedtheWhiteCouncil,wishingGandalftobeitsleader.

GaladrielknowsthatGandalfisaliveevenbeforeeverybodyelse,anditisshewhoorders

GwaihirtocarryhimtoLórienforregenerationafterhistrials.However,shedoesnotreveal

thisknowledgetothefellowshipinLórien.Lateronshefollowsthefateofthefellowshipby

conveyingmessagestoAragornthroughtheDúnedainandthesonsofElrond.Aswehave

seenbefore,GaladrielwillbeespeciallypresentinFrodoandSam’strialsinMordor,directly

withthelightofherphialandindirectlythroughtheinspirationsheoffersespeciallytoSam

atcriticalpoints.

In the presence of Galadriel, Sam feels as if he were completely vulnerable and

transparenttohergaze;sheseemstotesthimforhisstrengthwhileatthesametimeoffering

himthechancetorelinquishthequest.Infacttheothermembersofthefellowshiplikewise

feelasiftheywerepresentedachoicebetweenanarduouspathaheadandsomethingelse

theydesired,achancetoleavebehindthehardshipsofthewaragainstSauron.Boromirfeels

346Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,343.347Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,xiv,23,111.348Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,345.

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asifhehadbeenofferedatemptationbyher.AndAragornoffersaforebodinganswertothe

riddleinresponsetoBoromir,whoseheartisrestless:“Thereisinherandinthislandno

evil,unlessamanbringithitherhimself.Thenlethimbeware!”349

TheOldForestisamixeddream/nightmare.InRivendellthedream/visioniscalled

forth in Frodo by the bards and singers. In Lórien Frodo lives fully in the dimension of

dream/vision.Whenwelookattheserealmswiththeinsightsofspiritualscience,wecan

recognizethestagesoftheplanetaryascentthroughthespheresoftheplanetsafterdeath,

orthestagesofacompleteinitiationwhileinthebody.

TherealmofTomBombadilistheonethatthesoulmeetsrelativelyearlyafterdeath.

ItsboundariesaremarkedbytheEarthandthespiritualMoon,andtheprocessofreviewing

earthlylifecalledkamaloka.InconsciousinitiationsonEarththiscorrespondstocrossing

theGateoftheMoonandlivingintheworldofImaginations,theawakenedthoughtsteeming

withlife.Perceivingthislevelofrealitymeansonehasenteredintothefirststagesofthe

spiritualworld,but justbecausenowone isexposedtoaworldof Imaginationsdoesnot

meanthatoneknowshowtointerpretthem.Tolkientalkspointedlyaboutthisconundrum

inhisTheNotionClubPapers.

Rivendellrepresentsthenextstage;itisguardedfromallevil,evenifprecariously

through the power of Elrond and his Ring of Air. Elrond is the one who preserves all

knowledgeofthehistoryofMiddle-earth.ItisthroughthisthatthelurkingevilofSauroncan

becountered. It isarealdeedofknowledge to formthe fellowship thatcanconfront the

powerthatwouldenslavethewholeofMiddle-earth.Rivendellislikealibraryinwhichis

preservedallknowledgeofMiddle-earth.Noevilcangetpastitsgate.Intermsofspiritual

scienceitformsthethresholdoftheGateoftheSunandtheentranceintothepurespiritual

world,thelowerDevachanofIndiantradition.

AsSkogemannpointsout,Elrond’sresidenceisahouseofstone;Elrondpreserves

cultureandalltheknowledgethatallowsMiddle-earththestrengthtowithstandSauron’s

plans.GaladriellivesatopthehighestmallorntreeofLórien,astepclosertotheSun,soto

speak.Shecanfashionnewcultureasitwere;shehasnoneedofbookssinceshecanlook

intopast,present,andfuture.ThestepfromRivendelltoLórienissignificantlyindicatedby

349Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,349.

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Tolkien:“InRivendelltherewasmemoryofancientthings;inLórientheancientthingsstill

livedoninthewakingworld.”350Weareenteringthehigherspiritualworld,pastSaturnand

thespheresoftheplanets,thehigherDevachanofIndiantradition,thoughLórienissimply

anoasisof anearlier stageofhumanconsciousness.AndGaladriel truly canbe called “a

mistressofinitiation...whomediatesbetweenthearchetypeoftheSelfandconsciousness”

asSkogemannindicates.351Inthelanguageofspiritualscience,sheistheHigherGuardianof

theThresholdwhoasksoftheonewantingtopenetratethehigherspiritualworldafurther

stepofsacrifice.

IntermsofspiritualscienceinLórienweareenteringthehigherDevachan(spiritual

world)andthe intuitivestageofknowledgeandconsciousness,or Intuition.At thisstage

alsoInspirationceases,andonehastheexperienceofnolongerbeingoutsideofthingsand

events,butwithinthem:“Whatnowlivesinthesoulisinrealitytheobjectitself.The‘I’has

flowed forth over all beings; it has merged with them.”352 This complete merging into

anotherbeingoccurswithoutlossofself-consciousness.Forthistobepossible,theIneeds

tobestrengthenedtoaveryhighdegree.Thisexperienceofcompletecommunionishinted

atinFrodo’sexperience:

Allthathesawwasshapely,buttheshapesseemedatonceclearcut,asiftheyhadbeen

first conceived and drawn at the uncovering of his eyes, and ancient as if they had

enduredforever.Hesawnocolourbutthoseheknew,goldandwhiteandblueandgreen,

buttheywerefreshandpoignant,asifhehadatthatmomentfirstperceivedthemand

madeforthemnamesnewandwonderful.353

Enteringintoacircleofwhitetrees,Frodohearsthesoundoftheseaandofseabirds.Laying

hishanduponatree,“neverbeforehadhebeensosuddenlyandsokeenlyawareofthefeel

andtextureofatree’sskinandofthelifewithinit.Hefeltadelightinwoodandthetouchof

it,neitherasforesternorascarpenter;itwasthedelightofthelivingtreeitself.”354

350Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,340.351Skogemann,WheretheShadowsLie,23,111.352Steiner,TheStagesofHigherKnowledge,7.353Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,341.354Tolkien,TheFellowshipoftheRing,342.

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InGaladrielwefindamovingportrayalof themeetingwithwhatspiritualscience

calls the Higher Guardian of the Threshold. This figure of light is the one that tells the

evolvinghumanbeingsomethinglikethefollowing:

Untilnow,youhaveworkedonlytofreeyourself,butnowyouarefreeyoucanhelpfree

allyourfellowbeingsinthesenseworld.Uptonow,youhavestrivenasanindividual.

Now you must join yourself to the whole, so that you may bring with you into the

supersensiblerealmnotonlyyourself,butalsoallelsethatexistsinthesensibleworld.355

TheLesserGuardianof theThresholdshowsushowmuchwearestill tied to the

world of the senses through our instincts, drives, desires, passions, and all forms of

selfishness. After a time the Greater Guardian accompanies the Lesser one. This Greater

Guardian isamagnificent formof light,andweonlymeethimwhenwehavecompletely

freedourselvesfromtheworldofthesenses.

Beforetheencounter,wehaveworkedatperfectingourselves;nowwerealizeour

dutiestowardsotherhumanbeings.Atthispointtheveryrealtemptationarisesofrisingto

thespiritualworldaloneandleavingbehindthosewhoarestillenslavedtothesenses,and

severingourdestinies from theirs.But thiswould condemnus to inhabit only the lower

regionsofthespiritualworld.TheHigherGuardianstandsinfactbetweenthelowerspiritual

realmsandthehigherones.

Decidingtoputournewlyacquiredpowersexclusivelyatourownpersonalservice

isthechoiceofblackmagic.Andthisisaverygreatandalluringtemptation.TheGuardian

asksustorenouncethefruitsofwhatwehaveearnedandtoplaceourselvesattheservice

of the whole of humanity. This choice seems deprived of all appeal. The companions

experienceeachintheirwaythatGaladrielgivesthemachoice;itwouldbemorecorrectto

saythatsheleavesthemfreetochoose.

Thepupilhashadtoknowhistrueselfbeforeenteringtheworldofthespiritthrough

theLesserGuardianoftheThreshold,orJung’strickster.Nowhehastoofferhislife’swork

inservicetotherestofhisfellowhumanbeings.Thisissuchatremendousstepandrequires

suchresolvethatmanywillturnbackfromit;orinafurtherstepawayfromit,willkeep

355Steiner,HowtoKnowHigherWorlds,203.

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theirknowledgefortheirownapparentbenefit,andexertitovertheirfellowhumanbeing.

This iswhatwewill seeofSaruman,whomGandalfkeepsequating tohimselfwithgood

reason.Galadriel,astheHigherGuardian,revealswithnoneedofwordsthatthechoicelay

inembarkinginanarduous,seeminglymercilesstask,orhavingthechoiceofreturningto

normal life and abandoning the quest. Those who bring evil intentions to the Guardian

project their own shadow upon her; such is the case of Boromir,who does notwant to

relinquishthepowertheRingcouldofferhisfatherorhisrealm.Thissplitofsoulultimately

leadshimtohisdeath.

ASCENTSANDDESCENTS

TomBombadil’sdomain,Rivendell,andLórienarestagesalong the journey inwhich the

forcesofthespiritarebestoweduponthecompanytostrengthentheminthetrialstocome.

TheFellowshipoftheRingsisframedaroundastructureofascentsanddescents:descents

intotheexperienceof trials,ascents intooasis inwhichthespiritualworldcangracethe

fellowshipwith new strength. The theme that has been set inmotion in the succession

betweenTomBombadil’sdomainandRivendellisrepeatedinvariousways.Letuslookat

theseinrelationtothemajorHobbitpair.

AftertheOldForestcomesthetestofthemeetingoftheRingwraiths,theenvoysof

Sauron.TheythrowtheirstrongestchallengesatWeathertopandat theFordofBruinen.

ThenthecompanyretiresforrestandregenerationatRivendell.

AfterRivendellcomesthemountainCaradhras.Thisisanevilthatisnotalliedwith

Sauron.Itwascalled“theCruel”bytheDwarves.Thesnowthatthreatensthefellowshipwas

sentbyCaradhrasbecause it fellonlyalongtheirpath,not furtheraway.Herewehavea

repetitionoftheelementaldomainoftheOldForest,butnowinthecoldofahighmountain

ratherthanthesultryheatoftheforest.AfterCaradhrasthecompanyentersintothebowels

ofMiddle-earthandfacesanotherwiseformidablefoe.HereappeartheOrcsandUruk-hai

and,mostformidableofall,theBalrog,sentdirectlybySauron.Hereoccurstheinitiationof

Gandalf,andtheseverelossofhisguidancethataffectsthecompanyverydeeply.Itisnatural

thatsuchasoberingtestbefollowedbythelightofGaladriel’srealmandGaladriel’sphial.

WhenFrodoandSamareseparatedfromtherestofthecompany,intheEmynMuil

they faceasimilarchallenge to thatof theOldForest.FrodoandSamturn incircles ina

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landscapethatseemstohavetheintentionofdisorientingthemandsuckingthemtowards

itscenter,muchliketheWithywindleRiverintheOldForest.Oncepastthemountainsthe

Hobbitsfindthemselvesintheputridmarsheswherenoanimalformstirred,onlysnakes

andwormsandotherundesirablecreatures.Heretheyalsofacethespectralghostsofdead

Elves,Men,andOrcsinwhatGollumcallsthe“DeadMarshes”;wearetoldthattheyareofa

periodevenmoreancientthantheghoststhathauntedtheBarrow-downs.

Frodo,wholookedintothespecters,says:“Isawthem:grimfacesandevil,andnoble

facesandsad.Many facesproudand fair . . . Iknownotwho theyare.”356Gollumshows

knowledgeofagreatbattleofwhichhehadheardbeforeacquiringtheRing.Thisisatrial

allinallequivalenttowhattheyhavefoundintheBarrow-downs,anotheraspectofthesoul

elementals.

Finally thetwoHobbits face in full forcetherealmofSauron intheno-man’s-land

beforetheBlackGate.Thelandscapebecomesbleaker:

EventotheMereofDeadFacessomehaggardphantomofgreenspringwouldcome;but

hereneitherspringnorsummerwouldevercomeagain.Herenothinglived,noteventhe

leprousgrowthsthatfeedonrottenness.Thegaspingpoolswerechokedwithashand

crawlingmuds,sicklywhiteandgrey,asifthemountainshadvomitedthefilthoftheir

entrailsuponthelandsabout.Highmoundsofcrushedandpowderedrock,greatcones

ofearthfire-blastedandpoison-stained,stoodlikeanobscenegraveyardinendlessrows,

slowlyrevealedinthereluctantlight.357

ThetwoHobbitshavecometothedesolationthatlaybeforeMordor,“alanddefiled,

diseased beyond all healing—unless the Great Sea should enter in and wash it with

oblivion.”358Eventhelightofthesunseemstobedeprivedofallhealingquality.Hidingina

circularpit,Frodoseesvariousspectralfigurescomingoutofthepast.Helosesknowledge

of time, and the boundaries between sleep andwaking are blurred.Here the test of the

Ringwraithsisintensifiedtoanewheight.

356Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,614.357Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,617.358Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,617.

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AftertheregenerationofIthilienthethemerepeatsitselfanewandreachesaclimax.

Shelob’srealmisevendarkerthanwhattheyhadexperiencedinMoria:

Heretheairwasstill,stagnant,heavy,andsoundfelldead.Theywalkedinablackvapour

ofveritabledarknessitselfthat,asitwasbreathed,broughtblindnessnotonlytotheeyes

buttothemind,sothateventhememoryofcoloursandofformsandoflightfadedoutof

thought.Nightalwayshadbeen,andalwayswouldbe,andnightwasall.359

The two loseallnotionof timeandperspectiveof spaceanddistances. Shelob too is the

expressionofanancientprimevalevil,onethatdoesnotsubmittothewillofSauron.She

servesnonebutherselfandwastherelongbeforeSauronstartedhiswork.Gollumisunder

herspell,obscuringhiswillfromthelightofconsciousnessandthepossibilityofregret.This

istheeffectofhispromisetoher.

FromShelob’sLairthetworeachthedesolationofMordor,wherenothingelsethan

scorchingheat,dryness,andparchedearthcansurvive.Inthelastpartofthejourneyare

addedthefumesofMountOrodruin.Thetwocouldnotsurvivewereitnotforthespiritual

presenceofGaladriel,materializedinherphial;theyarefacingthedarknightofthesoul.To

thiscanonlyfollowtheabsenceofallspiritualsuccorandsheerannihilation,oraturning

pointoftime,inauguratinganewaeon.

Thefellowshipadvancesinitsquestintwoparallelways.Ononehandithastoface

hostilepowersandovercomethem.This is theverystuffofallepicquests. It is themost

accessible dimension of adventure. The counterpart is hidden from our obvious

understanding in those interludes that we can access as welcome periods of rest and

regenerationinanotherwiserelentlessandharrowingdescentintodeeperanddeepertrials.

Thesemomentsofrestaresomethingmorethanabsenceofaction;wecouldcallthem

momentsofinnergrowth—adifferentkindofopportunitythantheoneofferedbytheheat

ofaction. It is in their receptivity,openness,and innermaturity that themembersof the

fellowshipreceiveadraughtofforgetfulnessandofhealing.

InTomBombadil’sdomain,inRivendellandLórien,thefourHobbitsareofferednew

forceswithwhichtheycanconfronttheformidableopponentswhoworkforSarumanor

Sauron. They travel first through the soul world—what most traditions knew as the

359Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,701–2.

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underworld,andChristiandoctrinestillcalledPurgatory—beforeitbecamethecaricature

that someofuswere taught incatechism.Thereare tests in theunderworld,which look

deceptivelysimilartothoseundergoneintherestofMiddle-earth.

InRivendellandLórienthedifferenceswiththerestofMiddle-earthareaccentuated.

Wearetoldthatwehavetodowithislands,asitwereoutoftimeandspace,inrelationto

Middle-earth.Herethetestsofthefellowshiparedifferent:theyaretestsofwakefulnessand

learning.Wecanperceivehowthedifferentmembersofthefellowshipfullyintegratethe

experiences—Frodo foremost in this group—or hesitate and doubt, as is the case for

Boromir.Wewitnesshowintheirretrospectivereflectionsaboutthetwospiritualoases,

somehaveunderstoodmore,someless.

ThereisnothingsimpleorsimplisticinthestructureofTheLordoftheRings.Thisis

partandparceloftheenduringpowerofthetrilogy.InitarereunitedTolkien’smedievalistic

tastesandhisdeeplymodernoutlook.TheenduringpowerofTolkien’smasterpieceliesin

positingthecorequestionslyingattheendofallthings,attheendoftimes,orturningpoints

ofhistory.Andweliveattheendoftimes,aspracticallyallspiritualtraditionsagreetowhen

referringtothepresent.WhatmoredoesTolkienofferusfromthisperspective?

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CONCLUSIONS

TheLordoftheRingsinPresentTime

In the trilogywe are not confrontedwith the troubles of a distant past;we are, indeed,

presentedwiththeissuesoftoday.

—PiaSkogemann

You canmake the Ring into an allegory of our own time, if you like: an allegory of the

inevitablefatethatwaitsforallattemptstodefeatevilpowerbypower.

—J.R.R.Tolkien(fromtheinterviewattheRotterdam“HobbitDinner”ofMarch28,1958)

WehavereviewedwhatTheLordoftheRingsoffersintermsofadeeperunderstandingof

thehumanbeingandofthespiritualdimensions,orworlds,ofwhichheispart.Indirectly

wehavealsopointedtoTolkien’sviewsabouttheagesofhumankindandhistory.Wewill

conclude,asitwere,byturningfromthepasttothefuture.HowdoesTheLordoftheRings

concernmodernhumanbeingsnow?Howdoesitinformthemaboutthenatureofpresent

challenges,andaboutthoselyinginthefuture?

LIVINGINATURNINGPOINTOFHISTORY

ThereisasurfaceparallelbetweenthesituationofMiddle-earthasdescribedinTheLordof

the Rings and our own, now that the future of our planet stands in the balance from an

ecological,economic,social,cultural,andpracticallyanyotherperspective.Beforethetime

that will mark the end of Middle-earth’s Third Age, the odds seem stacked against

civilization. Sauron’s enslavement of Middle-earth is perceived as a fait accompli. Great

individualslikeSaruman,Théoden,andDenethorhavefallendirectly,orindirectly,under

hisclutches.Frodo’sattempttogetridoftheRingseemstostandataoneinamillionchances

of success. Common sense would dictate there is nothingmore to do than wait for the

obviousdenouement.Andwhatcouldapartyofnine,withfourunexperiencedHobbits,offer

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anywaytothefutureofMiddle-earth?AtonepointinthebookTolkienoffersusapoignant

image.

From Lothlórien the fellowship beholds Southern Mirkwood and a black cloud

hoveringabovetheheightsofDolGuldur,whichseemstoindicatethatSauron’sarmieshave

occupiedoncemoretheplacewhereheusedtodwell.ThisleadstheElfHaldirtoremark,“In

thishighplaceyoumayseethetwopowersthatareopposedonetoanother;andeverthey

strivenowinthought,butwhereasthelightperceivestheveryheartofthedarkness,itsown

secrethasnotbeendiscovered.”360

What is it that theDarkLordcannotperceive?This isbest stated in thewordsof

Gandalf:

Indeed [Sauron] is ingreat fear,notknowingwhatmightyonemay suddenlyappear,

wielding theRing,andassailinghimwithwar, seeking tocasthimdownand takehis

place.Thatweshouldwishtocasthimdownandhavenooneinhisplaceisnotathought

thatoccurstohismind.ThatweshouldtrytodestroytheRingitselfhasnotyetentered

hisdarkestdream.Inwhichnodoubtyouwillseeourgoodfortuneandhope.361

Hereinartisticformispredicatedachangeofparadigm.Whatevilfightsagainstusandinus

canonlybecounteredcreatively,not foughtagainst.Wehave to findanotherplace from

wheretoleverage,anotherparadigmfromwhichtooperate.Wehavetosubvertthevalues

thatperpetuatetheRing,bothinsocietyandwithinthehumanbeing.

Inthemiddleofrisingecological,social,economic,andfinancialcatastrophes,what

aretheprospectsforplanetearth?Justlookingatclimatechange,risingseas,earthquakes,

tsunamis, and the melting of glaciers spells sobering prospects for the human race.

Extinctionofspecies,extinctionofwholefishingpopulations,lossoflandtodesertification,

lossofecosystems,risingseawaters,unbearableheat—thelistgoesonandon.Everywhere

there is hopelessness and powerlessness, as ifwe live under Sauron’s spell. Untreatable

problemsare faced ineffectivelyoracceleratedeven inspiteofdesiresandefforts to the

contrary.Nottospeakofoutrightdenialandtheattempttoreturntoahighlyidealized,and

completelyunreal,past,aswewitnesstodayinmanynations.

360Tolkien,FellowshipoftheRing,343.361Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,485.

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Toelevateourperspectivewecanturntoworldreligiousandspiritualprophecies.

Worldtraditionsspeakofagreatwatershedcomingaroundourtimes.Christianityhasits

apocalypticpredictions,uponwhichminor, fanatic sectsprey forArmageddonscenarios.

IndiantraditionannouncestheendofKaliYuga.TheMayapredictedmajorglobalchanges

aroundtheyear2012.Andweliveinthisgreatcollectiveanxietytowardsthefuture.Tolkien

feltitverytangibly,andimaginativelytoo:“Ifanguishwerevisible,almostthewholeofthis

benightedplanetwouldbeenvelopedinadensedarkvapour,shroudedfromtheamazed

vision of the heavens! And the products of it all will be mainly evil—historically

considered.”362Hetemperedhisoftenpessimisticviewsaboutthepresentbyexplainingthat

whatworksforthegoodisnotequallyvisible.InalettertohissonChristopher,wherehe

reassertshishistoricalviews,headds,“Andatthesametimeoneknowsthatthereisalways

good: much more hidden, much less clearly discerned, seldom breaking out into

recognizable,visiblebeautiesofwordanddeedorface—notevenwheninfactsanctity,far

greater than the visible advertised wickedness, is really there.”363We will look for that

hiddengoodinthepagesofTheLordoftheRings.

A lot has been already said aboutThe Lord of the Ringshere and elsewhere. But

anotherviewcouldbebrieflysketchedtoaddanotherchallenge,thoughitisaviewthatthis

researchcannotproveordisprove.InthedraftofalettertoacertainMissBatten-Phelps,

Tolkienwroteabouthisbook:

Itwaswrittenslowlyandwithgreatcarefordetail,andfinallyemergedasaFrameless

Picture:asearchlight,asitwere,onabriefperiodinHistory,andonasmallpartofour

Middle-Earth,surroundedbytheglimmeroflimitlessextensionsintimeandspace.Very

well:thatmayexplaintosomeextentwhyit“feels”likehistory;whyitwasacceptedfor

publication;andwhyithasprovedreadableforalargenumberofverydifferentkindsof

people.(emphasisadded)364

Theletterwasnotsent,andthereforethiswasnotknowninTolkien’stime.

362Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,76.363Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,80.364Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,413.

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Inthesameletterlookingback“onthewhollyunexpectedthingsthathavefollowed

[TheLordoftheRings’s]publication”Tolkiensays:

Ifeelasifaneverdarkeningskyoverourpresentworldhadbeensuddenlypierced,the

cloudsrolledback,andanalmostforgottensunlighthadpoureddownagain.Asifindeed

the horns of Hope had been heard again, as Pippin heard them suddenly at the

absolutenadirofthefortunesoftheWest.ButHow?AndWhy?365

NotehowhereTolkienlivesintwolevelsofexperienceatthesametime;atonelevelwhat

couldhavebeensomethingofhistoricalreality,andatthepresentlevelofreality.Thepast

continuestobefeltintothepresent.Itmaybesaidthatthiswasaprevalentmoodofsoulfor

theEnglishauthor.

TolkienthenrelatestheepisodeofamanvisitinghiminOxfordwhofeltthatsome

old pictures seemed to be designed to fit the narrative ofThe Lord of the Rings. Hewas

wonderingwhetherTolkienknewthemandhadusedthemforhisowninspiration.Whenhe

realizedTolkienhadnopossibleknowledgeofthepictures,hewassilentforatime,then

added,“Ofcourse,youdon’tsuppose,doyou,thatyouwroteallthatbookyourself?”Tolkien

responded:

No,Idon’tsupposesoanylonger.Ihaveneversincebeenabletosupposeso.Analarming

conclusionforanoldphilologisttodrawconcerninghisprivateamusement.Butnotone

thatshouldpuffanyoneupwhoconsidersthe imperfectionsof“choseninstruments,”

andindeedwhatsometimesseemstheirlamentableunfitnessforthepurpose.366

Pressingmoredeeplyaboutthepossiblehistoricaldimensionandthe“smallpartof

ourMiddle-Earth,”Tolkienwritesinanotherletter:

TheactiontakesplaceintheNorth-westof“Middle-earth,”equivalentinlatitudetothe

coastlandsofEuropeandthenorthshoresoftheMediterranean.Butthisisnotapurely

“Nordic” [term that Tolkien uses instead of Northern in borrowing it from his

correspondent]areainanysense.IfHobbitonandRivendellaretaken(asintended)tobe

aboutthelatitudeofOxford,thenMinasTirith,600milessouth,isataboutthelatitudeof


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Florence.ThemouthsofAnduinandtheancientcityofPelargirareataboutthelatitude

ofancientTroy.367

Afascinatingsetofperspectivesemergefromtheselinesallatonce.CouldTheLord

oftheRingsrefertoeventsthatoccurredinEuropesomemillenniabeforeourtime?Tolkien

wasopentotheidea.Onthismatterthejuryisout.WeenterhereamysterythatTolkien

certainlyhadnotdefinitelyelucidated,nordoweintendtopressfurther.Sufficetosaythat

if thebookdiscussesevents thatdidoccur, itwoulddoso in the imaginative languageof

legends,notinthehistoricalreportstowhichweareaccustomedinthepresent.Inother

words,thestorywouldbeanimaginativerenderingofhistoricaleventstowhichhumanity

wasstilluseduptothetimeoftheMiddleAges.Nobodyexpectedtheeventsofthelegendof

theHolyGrailtobeliteral;rather,itrepresentseventsthatoccurredatahistoricallevel,but

sochargedwithmeaningthattheycouldonlybeportrayedfromthehigherperspectiveof

theimagesofalegend.

THELONGVIEW

LetusreturntothequalityofTheLordoftheRingsasperceivedbyTolkien’scontemporaries.

AddressinghimselftoMs.Batten-Phelps,Tolkiencontinues:

Youspeakof“asanityandsanctity”intheL.R.“whichisapowerinitself.”Iwasdeeply

moved.Nothingofthekindhasbeensaidtomebefore.Butbyastrangechance,justasI

wasbeginningthisletter,Ihadonefromaman,whoclassifiedhimselfas“anunbeliever,

oratbestamanofbelatedlyanddimlydawningreligiousfeeling. . .butyou,”hesaid,

“createaworld inwhichsomesortof faithseems tobeeverywherewithoutavisible

source,likelightfromaninvisiblelamp.”Icanonlyanswer,Ofhisownsanitynomancan

securelyjudge.Ifsanctityinhabitshisworkorasapervadinglightilluminatesit,thenit

doesnotcomefromhimbutthroughhim.Andneitherofyouwouldperceiveitinthese

termsunlessitwaswithyoualso.Otherwiseyouwouldseeandfeelnothing,or(ifsome

otherspiritwaspresent)youwouldbefilledwithcontempt,nausea,hatred.368


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This note aptly addresses the power of The Lord of the Rings over his readers. The

imaginationmustbeawakened,oronthepointofbeingawakened,forthebooktotakehold

ofthereaderandleadhertounexpectedplaces.

WewantnowtoshedmorelightonTheLordoftheRings’s“worldwherefaithseems

tobeeverywherewithoutavisiblesource.”Ihaveattemptedtocaptureinthisbookmuch

aboutthedeedsofGandalf,Aragorn,Frodo,andhisHobbitcompanions.Butmuchelsestill

liesbeyondthescopeoftheiractions,andyet feels justasreal; it isatrue“light froman

invisiblelamp.”TheLordoftheRings ismorethantheaffairoftheinhabitantsofMiddle-

earth;itinvolvesinsubtlewaysthewholeofthecosmos,orinTolkien’stermstheinvisible

presenceoftheValarandtheMaiar.Thesearethelessonsthatpresent-daynewculturaland

spiritualwarriors,andallchangeagents,canmostbenefitfrom.

EverywhereinMiddle-earththemovingeventsunleashedbythefellowshipemanate

wonder.DuringthetragicdaysoftheThirdAge,afewindividualscalluponalltheirstrength,

andtheValarandMaiarofMiddle-earth’sfirmamentrespondasifbymagic.

Thefirststepinshakingthecomplacencyofdecadenttimesliesinevokingwonder.

Thusinseeingthemembersofthefellowship,Éomerpronounces,“Theseareindeedstrange

days....Dreamsandlegendsspringtolifeoutofthegrass.”Andariderstandingnexttohim

echoes:“Halflings!Buttheyareonlyalittlepeopleinoldsongsandchildren’stalesoutofthe

North.Dowewalkinlegendsoronthegreenearthinthedaylight?”Aragornreplies:“Aman

maydoboth....Thegreenearthsayyou?Thatisamightymatteroflegend,thoughyoutread

it under the light of day!”369Théoden expresseshiswonder at the sight of theEnts, and

evokes the sense of loss of his race that has trivialized the content of ancient songs and

legends. “Andnow the songshavecomedownamongusoutof strangeplaces, andwalk

visibleunderthesun.”AndGandalfreplies,“Youshouldbeglad,...fornotonlythelifeof

Menisnowendangered,butthelifealsoofthosethingswhichyouhavedeemedthematter

oflegend.Youarenotwithoutallies,evenifyouknowthemnot.”370

Atimewheneverythingisfacingdanger,atimeinwhichanythingworthlivingforis

mademorepresent,iswhatclearlypresentsitselftousinTheLordoftheRings.Andmany

369Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,423–24.370Tolkien,TheTwoTowers,536–37.

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couldfeelthisisastrongsimilaritywithwhatweliveinatpresent.Isnotourtimemiredin

lossofmeaningandwonder?Whatare timesofglobaldecadenceother thanacollective

descentintotheordinary?Tolkienknowshowtoawakeinustheantidote:asenseofwonder

ineverypageofhislegendarium.Thisisthepowerthatkeepsusreturningtothepagesof

TheLordoftheRings,thatfeedsourimaginationsensnaredinacollectivesenseofloss.

Butthereismore.Tolkiendoesn’ttiretoremindusthattheworldconspirestocome

toourhelp,butwefailtoseeitifwedonottaketime.Theinstancesaretoonumeroustobe

enumerated here.When Frodo is rescued from the Black Rider by the seemingly casual

arrivaloftheElves,theirleader,Gildor,dropsthisinnocentremark:“Ourpathscrosstheirs

[Hobbits]seldom,bychanceorpurpose.Inthismeetingtheremaybemorethanchance;but

thepurposeisnotcleartome,andIfeartosaytoomuch.”371ItisalsoGildorwho,inthis

casualencounter,advisesFrodotoleavetheShirethatisnolongersafeforhim,andtotake

withhimtrustedandwillingfriends.AndthesameGildoralertsTomBombadilaboutthe

arrival of the Hobbits. Thus, such a small meeting carries tremendous importance and

consequence.WhenFrodoasksTomBombadilifherescuedthemafterhearingtheircalling,

herespondsabsentmindedly:“Justchancebroughtmethen,ifchanceyoucallit.Itwasno

planofminethoughIwaswaitingforyou.Weheardnewsofyou,andlearnedthatyouwere

wandering.”372

Synchronicity iscommonplace inallof the fellowship’sadventures,smallorgreat.

GandalfindicatesthathehadvisitedDolGuldurtomeettheNecromancer,anddiscovered

thatthiswastheoldSauron,gainingnewstrengthandreadytostrikeagain.AndSaruman,

wholedtheWhiteCouncil,reluctantlyconsentedtodriveSauronoutofDolGuldurinthe

sameyear inwhich theRinghadbeen foundbyGollum.Through the lattercharacter, so

instrumental to the denouement of the story, Tolkien quietly invites us to be open to

constantlyseemorethanmeetstheeye,tobeopentoitinthebookashehimselfwasopen

toitinlifeandashewouldaskustobeinourown.Itisamarkofourtimetohavelostall

reverenceandawefortheworkingsoftheuniverse,andforitsreflectionintheapparently

mundanesynchronicitiesof theeveryday.Everythingconspirestohaveusrushfromone

371Tolkien,FellowshipoftheRing,83.372Tolkien,FellowshipoftheRing,123.

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thingtoanotherinafrenzy,maybeguidedbytheimportancethateverythingmustacquire

in timesofgreatneed,but in theprocess, robbingusof those forces throughwhich true

changecanbeachieved.Thingsthatwillneverbetootrivialtobeenumerated:commitment

generated from theheart,devotion, ability todevelop true friendship, complete focuson

whatwe are interested, attention to the small things as to the large ones—those simple

thingsthataremostcompromisedwhenourmindsareundergreatpressure.Andyetwho

hasnotbeentouchedbySam’swholehearteddevotiontoFrodo?Hisistheepitomelistof

verysmallthingsdonewithgreatlove.

Somuch for the simpleraspectsof synchronicity.Thegreaterones reachawhole

otherlevel,aswhenwearetalkingaboutthepassagefromtheThirdtotheFourthAge,what

could be called a “turning point of time.” Our attention is tested to the extreme in the

intricaciesofthesesynchronicities.NowonderthatTolkienstoppedforquitesomelengthof

timeonallmattersofsynchronicity,whichtestedhisneedforaccuracyandalmostmaniacal

precision, and yet for good reason. We will refer to the day that in the appendices

correspondstoMarch10,ormorepreciselyfromthesunsetofMarch9tosunsetonMarch

10.

OnMarch9GandalfreachesMinasTirith.AragornsetsoutfromErech(wherestands

the Stone) and comes to Calembel. At dusk Frodo reaches the Morgul-road. Sauron’s

DarknessbeginstoflowoutofMordor.March10beginsindarkness,asthe“DawnlessDay.”

FaramirisrescuedbyGandalfoutsidethegatesofthecity.Frodopassesthecrossroadsand

seestheMorgul-hostsetforthoutofMinasMorgul.373

OntheeveningofMarch9PippinandBeregondarespeakingofhopeandhowlittle

theyhaveofit,whenthesunisobscuredbyapassingNazgûl.Thetwohearafaint,cruel,and

coldcry inthedistance,andfearparalyzesthemforaspell.Thenthesunshinesagain.A

gloom descends upon Pippin, and he now very much seeks Gandalf’s presence. Gandalf

announceswhatPippinhassomehowunconsciouslysensed,thatthenextdaywillhaveno

visiblesunrisebecausetheDarknesshasbegun.AlldaylongPippinisoppressedbecauseof

373Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,AppendixB,1068.

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theDarkness, andofDenethor’s erratic behavior.Thenonly in the eveningdoes the sun

brieflyshinethroughthedarknesstosenda“brieffarewellgleam.”

SamandFrodohavebeensavedfromtheattacksofthesouthernmenbyFaramir,

whointuitsthattheimpendingstormiscomingandthatthehobbitsneedtohastenontheir

way.ThemajorpairtravelsfortwodaysinthedirectionofMordor.Duringthesecondday

everythinginnaturearoundthemseemstospelloutanever-present,oppressivefeeling.And

GollumnowremindstheHobbitsthattheymustwalkinthedark,andhideduringtheday.

IntheeveningofMarch9theDarknessstartsengulfingthestars.Nodawnappears,other

thanamurky twilight; theDarknesshasbegun. Sam isdisoriented, thinking it’s evening,

while Frodo realizes this is something very unusual. The Hobbits are travelling in open

territory but are providentially shielded from sight by Sauron’s Darkness. By evening,

however,allofasuddenthelightofthesettingsunreturnstoillumineasurrealscene.The

twoseeahuge,defacedstatueofasolemnkingofold.Theheadhasbeenreplacedinmockery

witharound,roughlyshaped,stone.Theheaditselfrolledaway,notfaroff,anditsforehead

iscrownedinsilverandgold.Thebrowsaregracedbythesmall,whitestarflowersofavine

reverentlywindingaroundit;andyellowstonecropsparkles inbetweenthenooksofthe

hair.ThelightofthesettingsunisthesamesunthatPippinsawsendouta“brieffarewell

gleam”beforethenight.

OnhissideMerryisfightingagainsttheideaofbeingleftbehind.Whenhewakesup,

itisdark.Themessengerbringshimthegloomynewsthatthesunwillnotriseonthatday,

noreveragain.Theair ismurkyandheavy.Théodentellshimthisdarknesscomes from

Mordor;itstartedduringthenightanditisgettingthicker.Thekingannounces“thegreat

battleofourtime.”TheDarknesssentbySauronisheaven-senttotheRohirrim,whoare

ridingtowardsMinasTirith.Theycantravelundercover,andthecity’souterwall,thatcould

haveheldthemback,hasprovidentiallybeendestroyedbytheOrcs.

DuringthefirstnightoftheDarkness,AragornannouncesheisgoingtoPelargirupon

Anduin,andpromisestheDeadthat,whenthelandisfreeofSauron,hewillfulfillhispromise

toreleasethem.Andthenextdaynosunlightisvisible,andthecompanyslipsawayfrom

sight,followedbytheDead.AragornandhishostcantravelundertheprotectionofSauron’s

Darkness, and pass unnoticed towards the lower course of the Anduin to prevent the

CorsairsofUmbarfromreachingMinasTirith.

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Inalltheaboveevents,whicharejustasmallexcerptfromthewholetapestryofthe

book, thingsproceed inways thatnocleverhumanmindcouldpossiblydevise,noteven

Gandalfforallhiswisdom.Tolkienwantstoshowusthatthereismuchmorethanmeetsthe

eye; thatonlyProvidence inhisChristianterms,or thehelpof thespirit inmoregeneral

terms,canaccountforwhathappensinourworld.

Another,morepointedevent,comesforthatthemostcrucialturningpointoftime.

Sam, climbingMount Orodruin, intuits the need for haste. “Suddenly a sense of urgency

whichhedidnotunderstandcametoSam.Itwasalmostasifhehadbeencalled:‘Now,now,

or itwillbetoo late!’”374AndFrodo isresolvedtocrawl ifneeded. Inamomentthe light

piercesthroughthecloudstorevealtheTowerofBarad-dûr,whichfillstheHobbitswith

dread.FortunatelySauron’sEyeislookingelsewhereandthevisionfades.TheEyeofSauron

isturnedtotheCaptainsoftheWestandtotheBlackGate,wherethearmiesareengagedin

battle.TheCaptainsoftheWestaredistractingSauronfromthemostrealdangertohisreign;

butonlySamandFrodoareinthepositiontorescuetheCaptainsoftheWest,andAragorn

thefutureking,frombeingannihilatedbythearmiesofSauron,providedSamhearsthecall

ofurgency.

Theaboveexamplesbringupnotonlythepowerofthespiritualworldtosendhelp

tothegenuinelystrivingvariousinhabitantsofMiddle-earth.Italsohighlightsacentralpoint

ofTolkien’scosmology.InEomer’swords,“Ourenemy’sdevicesoftserveusinhisdespite,”

toindicatethatitisthroughtheDarknessofSauronandthedestructionwroughtbyhisOrcs

thattheRohirrimcanbestassistMinasTirith;thesameistrueforAragorn.

EarlieronSarumanactsasadistraction,confusingSauron.Betweenthetwo,acting

atcross-purposes,theymanageunwittinglytobringPippinandMerrytoFangornfasterthan

thetwocouldeverhaddoneontheirown;theHobbitsmanagetoalerttheEnts,whowill

consequentlyattackanddestroySaruman’sIsengard.Consequently,SauronfearsIsengard

asmuchasMinasTirith.ButSarumanhascondemnedhimselfbecausehecannotfindSauron

withouttheRing.Translatedinmodernterms,noteverythingthatseemstobeoppressing

uswillworkagainstus;itmayverywelldestroymuchelseagainstwhichweareset.Wemay

behelpedinwayswecannotforeseeorfathom.


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Humanbeingsandtheearthitselfseematpresentinthepositiontohavetoknowthe

depthofpowerlessnessanddespair,succumbtoit,orbenumbedbyit.Onlyaninnate,strong

gut feeling, or a conscious understanding of the presence of the spirit, can counter this

constantsappingofenergy.Whenweencounterindividualsendowedwithsuchstrengths—

suchthatcanremaincalmandhopefulinthemidstofalladversity—weallmaywonderat

how,andfromwhere,theirenergycomes.ThisechoesTolkien’sintentwhenhesaidthathe

wrotehismostimportantbooktoillustratetheneedtoaccept“hopewithoutguarantees.”375

GandalfspeaksTolkien’smindbefore the finalconfrontationwithSauron, “Andbetterso

[walkingtowardsMordorwiththeslimhopeofFrodoaccomplishinghistask]thanperish

nonetheless—aswesurelyshall, ifwesithere—andknowaswediethatnonewagewill

come.”Andhesumsitupthus:“Wecomenowtotheverybrink,wherehopeanddespairare

akin.Towaveristofall.”376

Fromtheperspectiveoftheplot,thisinterlacingofforcesatbattlewitheachother,

andatcross-purposestheonewiththeother,iswhatrendersTheLordoftheRingssucha

rollercoasterofeventsandemotions,andmakespractically impossibleputtingdownthe

book.Thereadermayaskhimselfhowthecharactersmaypossiblyfindawayoutoftheir

desperatesituation,outofastruggleagainstallodds.Tolkienhimself,inaletterofNovember

29,1944,havingfinishedthelasttwochaptersofBook4,puzzled,“Ihavegottheherointo

suchafixthatnotevenanauthorwillbeabletoextricatehimwithoutlaborordifficulty.”377

However, none of this is artificial, or something foreign to the consciousness ofmodern

humanbeings,whoatpresentarewonderinghowourplanetwillfindawayout.Wearein

theverysamesituationofanimpossibleplotinwhichwemaynotseeawayout,butsome

inner hope may tell us that there will be one beyond what we can consciously devise,

providedwekeepstriving.

Alloftheabovecouldremindusofthispassage,inspiredbyGoethe:

Untiloneiscommitted,thereishesitancy,thechancetodrawback—concerningallacts

of initiative(andcreation), thereisoneelementarytruththat ignoranceofwhichkills

375Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,236.376Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,862.377Carpenter,LettersofJ.R.R.Tolkien,103.

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countlessideasandsplendidplans:thatthemomentonedefinitelycommitsoneself,then

Providencemovestoo.Allsortsofthingsoccurtohelponethatwouldneverotherwise

haveoccurred.Awholestreamofeventsissuesfromthedecision,raisinginone’sfavor

allmannerofunforeseenincidentsandmeetingsandmaterialassistance,whichnoman

couldhavedreamedwouldhavecomehisway....Whateveryoucando,ordreamyou

cando,beginit.Boldnesshasgenius,power,andmagicinit.Beginitnow.378

Present-dayhumanityisfullyinthepositiontotestthesewordsofwisdom.Tolkienlived

withthiscertaintyandhadthecouragetoactontheabovemaximwhenheembarkedonthe

impossibleodyssey,andgamble,ofconvincingapublishertoinvestonaone-thousand-page

book,withelaborateappendices,uponwhichhehadspentsometwelveyearsofwork.His

heroes,likewise,knowandactaccordingtoGoethe’smaxim.

AslongasTheLordoftheRingsis,forTolkienitisneverthelessjustalittlepartofa

largerstory.Tolkien’sgazeextendsmuchfurtherintime.Hisnotionoftimeisnotthelinear

oneofmodernscience;itisthecyclicaloneknowntomythologyandtotheindigenousmind.

Tolkienwantstounderlinethis,anddoessoinmorethanoneway.Hislegendariumspeaks

ofagesofMiddle-earth,andofpreviousthreatstothesurvivalofhumanity.Thesituationthe

HobbitsarefacingattheendoftheThirdAgeisnotunprecedented,thoughitdoespresent

itselfinunprecedentedfashion.AfterGollumthrowshimselfandtheRingintothefire,Sam

experiencesabriefvision

of swirling cloud . . . towers and battlements . . . upon a mountain throne above

immeasurablepits;greatcourtsanddungeons,eyelessprisonssheerascliffs....Towers

fellandmountainsslid;wallscrumbledandmelted,vastspiresofsmokeandspouting

steamswentbillowingup. . . likeanoverwhelmingwave,anditswildcrestcurledand

camefoamingdownupontheland.(emphasisadded)379

HereTolkiencarriestheGreatWave/endofAtlantisdreamfromhisunfinishedTheNotion

ClubPapersintotheheartofTheLordoftheRingstogiveusaperspectiveofthewholeof

humanevolution.AttheendoftheThirdAgeSamlivesanexperiencethatislikeanechoof

theendoftheSecondAge,whichcorrespondstothegreatfloodofAtlantis,amajesticview

378Murray,TheScottishHimalayanExpedition.379Tolkien,TheReturnoftheKing,925–26.

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indeedthatcanawakenthereader’saweandstrengthenhishope.Thisismoreoveravision

thatTolkiencarriedinhisbones,sotospeak.

To close,The Lord of the Rings tells us that even to us,modernHobbits beset by

incredible odds, it behooves to be able to see the larger picture, appreciate thingswith

detachment, and contemplate with a touch of irony how our apparent enemy is often

collaboratingwithus,unbeknownsttohimself.Notasmallrayofhopeisthis!

Largerperspectives,quietdetachment,innerstrength,vigorousimagination,tangible

hope—thesearethegiftsofTheLordoftheRings.Thus,whenwelookatthepresent,we

couldagreewithTolkieninGandalf’swords:“Yetitisnotourparttomasterallthetidesof

theworld,buttodowhatisinusforthesuccorofthoseyearswhereinweareset,uprooting

theevilinthefieldsthatweknow,sothatthosewholiveaftermayhavecleanearthtotill.

Whatweathertheyshallhaveisnotourstorule.”380


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