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Your Daily Tolkien Ping!

Coming from many sources, these articles will cover many aspects of Tolkien and his literary works. If anyone would like for me to ping them directly when I post articles such as this let me know. Enjoy!

An excellent article. Thank you for the post and the ping! Bit of Earth seems to be a really cool website. I especially liked the section with the Samwise quotes.

I still have to read an analyze this, so if I get a detail wrong, I'm sorry.

What Tolkein is pointing out is that humans are here. Elves live "in both realms" (i.e. as men not fallen, untainted by Adam's fall, original sin and death). They see on the other side. As unfallen men, this is licit.

But we live in a tainted world. The "other side" means we can see both angels and devils. Humans are forbidden to seek such gifts, or to use such gifts if they have been given them. That is why we are forbidden in the bible to use occultic practices and to seek the future. In the USA, we often assume those who do miracles or see the future or are psychic are "good". This is not true.

People given such gifts can be corrupted to evil, especially if they seek their own will.

Frodo is "touched" by the other side, but is humble: Which is why he is chosen to carry the ring. Because he carries the ring, he sees the elves (ex Arwen) and the Ringwraiths as they look "on the other side"-- the movie shows this quite well. However, since he is good, the evil will attack him both physically and psychically, trying to tempt him to evil. He resists, but is harmed physically, psychically, and spiritually from the quest. Frodo's inner light is because he touches the other side. But similarly, because he is "on the other side", it allows evil to attack him more intimately than if he did not have this power. At the end of the book, he is "wounded and will never heal".

Tolkein, who fought in WWI, saw such harm in his fellow WWI veterans, who fought for others to be safe but spent the rest of their lives suffering from wounds and what we now call "Post traumatic stress syndrome".

Frodo needs healing, like these soldiers, that will not be given in this world but in the next.