The three offices of Christ are represented.
Yes, destroying the evil ring on March 25 was such a coincidence!
Truth be told, I didnât see the rich Christian imagery in LoTR the first time I read the books (in high school).
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Plenty of that, I just donât think that is the most unifying way to examine the work as a whole. It leaves out too many other componants.
We need a unifying way?
I agree. I have it on good authority that Jesus ainât in LOTR, ⌠books nor movies. Although maybe, just maybe, someone can squeak Him in as Galadrielâs brother, Finrod, in the first episode of The Rings of Power.
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Of course they are if one wants them to be. I see Jesus in Harryâs self sacrifice at the end of the Deathly Hallows, that doesnât mean Jesus is in the book. Irregardless of Rowlingâs use of Christian themes and imagery elsewhere.
Why the hostility, beaglelady?
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Good Lord! That brings me to my knees.
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Iâm somewhat more reserved in my response, but this seems a bit more tied to the text than, say Aretha Franklinâs (God rest the Queen of Soul) birthday.
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Donât need anything really. One brings what one has to and takes what one will from the text. I am also in support of a many-layered approach that adds richness and depth to a work. There are as many ways to approach a text.as.there are people. However, I do think some approaches are more fruitful than others. Most/many are NOT mutually exclusive.
I beg to differ. Most of the characters are religious cynics who donât take religion seriously at all. And this tells me that Martin canât imagine characters who have a completely different worldview to themselves.
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Actually no, I recommend Bret Devereauxâs work on this subject, the real medieval era was nowhere near as nihilistic as Martin imagines.
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I canât help but think of George Lucas and the original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas wanted to create a by-the-book (literally, in the case of Campbellâs âThe Heroâs Journeyâ) good vs. bad, feel good adventure. I get the feeling that this is what Tolkien was going after as well. GoT and shows like Battlestar Galactica like to dig deeper into human flaws, which has its place as well. Even in the Western genre you have the Black hat vs. White hat as well as the Gray hat westerns.
I havenât read the GoT novels and its been decades since I read Tolkein, so I am only going off of the movies/tv shows. One interesting comparison is the fate of characters played by Sean Bean in each story. Boromir became corrupted by the ring and sought to steal it from Frodo, only to die in the end and realize the mistake he had made. Lord Eddard Stark refused to be corrupted by the court he served and ended up paying with his life. An interesting contrast.
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Somebody tell me, if you can: Isnât the one line that sums up Game of Thrones: :Lifeâs a bitch, and then we die."?
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What hostility?
The Wight Walkers were zombies risen from the dead, so donât know if that one works. You may have to add " . . . and then itâs a bitch again."
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Does Tolkien get to vote? He said, " The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision."
if someone is unfamiliar with Catholicism he will probably miss the Marian figure in LOTR.
btw, My atheist friend was a big fan of the Narnian books as a child and loved the films. She was really surprised when I told her about its religious roots.
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Some were believers and some were not. But most took religion seriously because it affected their lives and often threatened them. Just like today. Some believe and some do not, but religious conservatives have a big and sometimes toxic effect on all our lives. Christian Nationalism is an example.
This depends ENTIRELY on the critical theory one employs in the analysis of literature.
Once a work is published, the horse is out of the barn, so to speak. And while this metaphor is usually used to say, the thing is loose and uncontrolable, the horse is also now subject to whatever and whomever it may encounter out of the barn. It is no longer under the protection of the farmer, and any miscreant may ride or attempt to ride as has the nerve to try.
So, it depends entirely on the reader, really, and what the reader intends.
I donât always find this the most useful view for reading. I usually attempt to read âcloselyâ, if I know something about the background of a book, but thatâs not always possible. Ever read Louise Erdrichâs Tracks? she showed me that there are readers who so lack perspective and cultural background that a book can be inpenetrable.
I agree with you that there are Christian references in characters and actions all over the LOTR novels. I missed the specifically Marian ones; thanks for pointing them out. And those beautiful references help link me to the story.
THere are also interesting pagan reference to Norse (or the Norse-type of Tolkienâs invention) mythology and the ancient types of kings of northern European legends.
And there seems to be no actual god or God as Christians would understand God in the novels. So, itâs neither fish ner foul. Tolkienâs world-building is magnificent and richly layered. Sumptuous. Lavish. Exquisite in detail.
I just donât think it is, as Tolkien said, an allegorical Christian story.
You are more than welcome to disagree. But I believe Iâve made my case. If you would like to highlight some of the Christian references you find noteworthy, I would be glad to hear about them.
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