J.R.R. Tolkien’s desire to create a mythology for Middle Earth led him to draw inspiration from the mythologies of the world he was raised in. This assembly of various parts from earlier myths and works formed the basis of what is known as The Silmarillion. The creation story as outlined by the story of Ilúvatar draws its origins from the creation story of both Catholic and Pagan lore. Here, Tolkien’s own personal beliefs draw him to lead the fate of Eä down a path reminiscent of the biblical lore. Also, the narrative structure of The Silmarillion hearkens back to the old myths and tales of Gilgamesh and Beowulf. Tolkien’s desire to build a realistic mythology drew him towards analyzing and understanding what made those tales endure and be accepted as a part of the mythology of Britain. A close analysis of The Silmarillion will help illuminate these ideas.
J.R.R. Tolkien has made no mystery of his religious upbringing. As a child, his mother converted him to Roman Catholicism, and shortly died thereafter. His understanding of her death through a Catholic scope influenced him greatly throughout his life. The Catholic ideology runs deep in the minds of those that believe in it, and influences their behavior later in life, and this effect occurred in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. Ainulindalë, The Silmarillion’s creation story, is his unconscious repetition of his beliefs.
The opening paragraph of Ainulindalë recites the very early moments:
“There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar ; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding them to themes of music; and they sang before him and he was glad.” (...
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...ect our perception of it.
Tolkien’s impressive understanding of the many factors that lend themselves to a rich mythology and folklore led The Silmarillion to be arguably his most creative and impressive work. He labored over it until his death, wanting to get the stories just right in the way that truly represented the Middle Earth that existed inside Tolkien’s mind. He died before he had a chance to complete it, but thankfully his son Christopher, carried his father’s legacy and picked up right where John Ronald Reuel left off, as if he was still the master of his craft in his afterlife.
Works Cited
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.
Fisher, Jason. “From Mythopoeia to Mythography: Tolkien, Lönnrot, and Jerome.” In Allan
Turner, ed., The Silmarillion: Thirty Years On. Zürich: Walking Tree Publishers,
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It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
Learning Module Seven - “Human Action” Myth in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.
This story begins with a small fellow by the name of Bilbo Baggins. This fantasy story was written in 1956 by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is about a hero’s journey through the dangers and wonders of Middle Earth. Although it was not meant to become such a well-known book, it is filled with much literature. Throughout the book, Tolkien uses literary devices such as repetition, similes, and metaphors to develop the theme of cunning and cleverness.
· Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Religion and Fantasy in the Writing of C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and J. R. R. Tolkien. United Church Press, 1971
The paper will begin with a look at the life of Tolkien. This will serve the purpose of providing some context for the novel. Looking into the life of Tolkien will also serve to give the reader some insight into the mind that gave birth to such a rich land and why the novel may have some importance for sufferers of mental illness. Next will likely be a short summation of the
Essay Assignment 1 The movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, was a powerful period piece that will continue to stick out among adventure/war movies because of the well-crafted storyline and a strong theme of hope in the face of impossible odds. The sequel to the first movie in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, the movie picks up following two young hobbits, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, on a quest to destroy the Dark Lord Sauron's’ one true ring of power. When the first movie ends, “The Fellowship”, is broken because Gandalf the Grey is presumed dead and the group splinters. This movie furthers the quest of “Fellowship” to destroy the ring and each “splinter” has their own objective to help defeat Sauron.
Tolkien's love of language persisted throughout his life from childhood years till adulthood. When he was a boy he would study Welsh names that would rush by on railway coal cars, and as an older academic scholar he took to discovering the mystery of language in its northern embodiments. Tolkien tells us as a boy that he loved to rewrite and rethink Norse and Greek mythology in his own manifestations.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
The Hobbit shows J.R.R. Tolkien’s belief in the ancient heroic tales of the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian epics. He asserts that a being goes through many adventures with the help of friends who believe that anything can happen. Tolkien reveals how bravery and courage make ordinary individuals succeed at ordinary tasks.
In the novel, The Hobbit, we find many themes and underlying messages from which useful knowledge and principles can be acquired. As the modern canadian fantasy writer once said, “Fantasy has the capacity to be as important and as thought-provoking as any other form of literature we have.” Tolkien’s work provides readers with challenging and time honoured themes such as: use your unique positive traits for the greater good of the group, power should never be abused and it is important to find your true self in life.
I read a book the other day. It was a wonderful book called The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I really enjoyed it; it gives the background information on the creation of Middle Earth. In it, Tolkien tells us of Illúvatar, Eä, the Valar and the birth of Elves, Dwarves and Men. But, you know, I don’t think it has anything at all to do with Elves, Dwarves, Men and some god named Illúvatar. I think Tolkien really wanted to write a Biblical allegory and a critique on ridiculous human nature really is. Illúvatar is a substitution for God, the Valar substitute the Angels and the three god made races are representative of human races. I think he didn’t use more races because that would be too obvious and he wanted to be more subtle.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Christopher Tolkien. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print.
he Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring is a fantasy novel set in an entirely different time period and in an extraordinarily different world. This story is part of a trilogy that transitions seamlessly into the ending of the prequel book, “The Hobbit.” At the end of “The Hobbit,” Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, a hobbit is a half-sized human, comes home from an adventure and during his journey, he manages to obtain a magical ring. This ring is magical because when you happen to wear it, you turn invisible. It also had the power to prolong the life of the wearer. The start of the Fellowship begins with Bilbo's 111th birthday and Bilbo is getting ready to leave the Shire. The Shire is the region of Middle-Earth where the hobbits reside. Middle-Earth is the continent in which this story takes place. So Bilbo is looking to leave the Shire and wants to leave his possessions with his cousin, Frodo Baggins, who is much younger then he is. Amongst these possessions is the magical ring. Bilbo has second thoughts about giving Frodo the ring but is talked into doing so by his good friend Gandalf the Grey. Gandalf the Grey is one of a few powerful wizards that inhabit Middle-Earth.
Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Fantasy in the Writing of J. R. R. Tolkien. United Press, 1971