Divine Mercy in the Lord of the Rings (article by Joseph Pearce)

Friends of Mercy Newsletter - Vol. 15, No. 7 | November/December 2003 | Joseph Perace

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Bing!

Great summary, Rosie.

While I see many Christian parallels in his writings, I consider them more Mythology than Religion.

[Maximilian]

a letter Tolkien wrote to the American evangelical Clive Kilby... a quote from a letter Tolkien wrote to a Jesuit friend... close friend of Tolkien, George Sayer, stated...

I am modern (but not post-modern) when interpreting literature to the extent that I want to read the text. I distrust all statements made outside the text. Often they are self-serving, deliberately mis-leading, or just wrong. This includes statements by the authors themselves. "No man is a good judge in his own case."

My approach is, "What does a careful examination of the actual words really say?" Many times one is astounded by the discrepancy between the generally-accepted meaning and the message of the actual text. I believe this is necessary in order to show respect to the reality of the existing work, rather than an collection of beliefs which has gathered around it.

[Pahuanui]

Still, nothing explains the presence of Tom Bombadil in LOR, and I find no way to reconcile his nature or presence with anything particularly Catholic.

[RosieCotton]

There are a couple of ambiguous characters, but for the most part the "good" characters do not show any signs of original sin. This is most clear with the elves, of course, but also prevalent with the other characters.

I disagree here. Perhaps the elves are an exception, but for the most part ALL the mortal characters struggle within themselves to choose good over evil. Even Sam, who is perhaps the purest of the mortal characters, has his faults - his treatment of Smeagol, for example.

[Maximilian]

I didn't know that this article would generate this much discussion, but I'm very happy it has. Thank you Maximilian! ;-)

You're welcome. Inviting me to a party is a sure way of getting a good donnybrook going. It helps to break up the monotony (or to break up the monogamy as Archie Bunker would say).

[Corin Stormhands]

That quote, which is, "I am a Christian and of course what I write will be from that essential viewpoint," is from a letter Tolkien wrote to the American evangelical Clive Kilby...

Thanks. I wrote that research paper in 1977...;-)

[Corin Stormhands]

I see it as an intrinsically gnostic work. The duality and the struggle between good and evil is more symptomatic of gnostic thinking than Christian thinking.

But, as a Christian, I believe the struggle between good and evil is the Christian Gospel. And gnosticism, Hinduism, etc. etc. is merely a poor reflection of that same struggle of good and evil.

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life." Any other retelling of the struggle between good and evil, even LOTR, is a mere shadow of the Gospel story.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Actually, if you read the Silmarillion, the metaphysics, the nature of the creatures of Middle Earth is explained. There is a single creator, who creates Angels of Light to create the world. One of the Angels decides he should take over, and rebels. The Result is a war for creation that only fully ends in Return of the King. Tolkein hated allegory, so it wouldn't make sense for him to do the same thing C.S. Lewis did in that series, so rather than creating an overt Christian story, he merely created a myth with Christian undertones and values and lessons. (Just revealed myself as a complete geek). If I am not mistaken (another geek will correct me), the Humans have souls, it was the nature of their choice and a gift that was given them, the Gift of Men, mortality, with the knowledge that their souls live on, the Elves don't have that, they are immortal, are bound to Middle Earth and when they die, they are gone. Again, have to read some of his "earlier" chronological works to find that stuff.

[Maximilian]

Actually, if you read the Silmarillion...

As was discussed in a couple of other posts, I'm considering the Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion was neither completed by Tolkien nor published during his lifetime. Much of the "metaphysics" in The Silmarillion never occurs anywhere in the Lord of the Rings. When they make a movie of the Silmarillion, we can discuss that work.

If I am not mistaken (another geek will correct me), the Humans have souls, it was the nature of their choice and a gift that was given them, the Gift of Men, mortality, with the knowledge that their souls live on, the Elves don't have that, they are immortal, are bound to Middle Earth and when they die, they are gone.

I'm pretty certain that even in the Silmarillion your discussion of the souls of men and elves never occurs. And what sort of strange beings would elves be if they had no souls? Immortal but without souls -- sounds more like vampires. What about the hobbits, the dwarves, the ents, and even the orcs -- do they have souls? With such a simple yet fundamental element missing from the story, one cannot really consider it "Christian" in any way.

[Chewbacca]

If I remember right, when elves die they are sent to the Halls of Mandos.
I think the Dwarves may go their also, or somewhere similiar.

Men on the other hand where give the gift of death. In death the souls of men would then leave Middle Earth to dwell with Eru outside of Varda and the Halls of Mandos.

The elves considered the gift of man to be a curse because they were immortals. The elves were able to leave Middle Earth to go to the Undying Lands of the Varda and be with the Valar. What they didn't understand was that men were given a blessing as they would dwell and be with Eru the Creator, rather than with the Valar who were his creation.

[jboot]

If I am not mistaken (another geek will correct me), the Humans have souls...the Elves don't have that, they are immortal, are bound to Middle Earth and when they die, they are gone.

Geek here.
The Elves have spirits (although perhaps not souls as we would define them) that proceed to the Halls Of Mandos upon death. The Halls are within the circle of Ea (Earth) and therefore are not precisely analogous to heaven. Elvish spirits may be rebodied by the will of the Valar, but with one exception (Luthien) may not return to Middle Earth. Elves are bound to Ea, and likely even thier spirits will perish with it were it to perish, although this is not explictly stated in the texts. Based on the statements of Galadriel, the Ents may share a common fate with the Elves.

Human souls proceed through the Halls Of Mandos upon death, not stopping until they have breached the Door of Night and attained the void where Eru dwells outside the circles of the world. From thence, no one knows what becomes of them, and none have yet returned who passed the Door.

It is not written that Dwarves or Orcs have any immortal parts. The fact that they are lesser orders of creation, having been created by the works of the Valar rather than Eru, seems to reinforce this notion.

Geek out.

[franky]

But will every knee in heaven and on earth bend before Iluvatar or Eru? I doubt it.

Jesus is the Way and the Life and every young reader/viewer should not be confused by the symbolism. There is enough confusion in the world today.

[The Grammarian]

What, no ping for me? ;P

[The Grammarian]

Elvish spirits may be rebodied by the will of the Valar, but with one exception (Luthien) may not return to Middle Earth.

Glorfindel was an exception as well. Tolkien wrote that the Glorfindel who died killing a balrog in the fall of the elves' hidden city (the name of which escapes me at the moment) was the same Glorfindel as met Aragorn and the hobbits at the Ford of Rivendell.

[Corin Stormhands]

Glorfindel was an exception as well. Tolkien wrote that the Glorfindel who died killing a balrog in the fall of the elves' hidden city (the name of which escapes me at the moment) was the same Glorfindel as met Aragorn and the hobbits at the Ford of Rivendell.

Hmmmm....would be an interesting "twist" if Haldir would show up at the end of the ROTK to escort the party to the Grey Havens.

[jboot]

Glorfindel was an exception as well.

I forgot about him...maybe because he wasn't in the movie. ;-)

I recall reading somewhere that Tolkien produced this resurrection inadvertantly by using the same character in different roles, apparently without forethought. He then invoked the Valar to explain the contradiction. After all, Glorfindel was certainly a special guy. Now why he got a better deal than Luthien (who had to die a second time) I can't say. Luthien should try to get her money back.

The city was Gondolin. It gets a quick mention in the Hobbit.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

I understand your reasoning, wanting to focus exclusively on LOTRs and not wanting to bring in Silmarillion, etc. While, I think it is important to bring in the whole universe he created, I understand the desire and the need to also look at each work in its own right. I will agree, that in LOTR there is no "God" to whom they pray, it is much more fate and predestintion even. That being said, there are undoubtedly Christian themes that are at play (Good and Evil, Weakness (sin) of Man (Boromir, Isildur, Denethor), and Gandalf really represents a number of those themes with his statements on mercy and his own physical and spiritual resurrection to complete the task at hand), but yes, no overt references to God.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Who was the leader of the Elves during the Last Alliance. He fell at the great battle where Sauron was defeated, but his name eludes me.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Who was the leader of the Elves during the Last Alliance? He fell at the great battle where Sauron was defeated, but his name eludes me.

[The Grammarian]

Who was the leader of the Elves during the Last Alliance? He fell at the great battle where Sauron was defeated, but his name eludes me.

Ereinion Gil-galad was the last High Elven King's name. He was Turgon's son, if I remember correctly. Turgon being the king of Gondolin.