CHRISTIAN HEROISM IN J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S THE LORD OF THE RINGS --------------------- by Cynthia Dudley Department of Engllsh McGi Il Uni versi ty, Montreal August, 1988 A Thesi S submi tted to the Facul ty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters ln English. @ Cynthia R. Dudley. \"Se,
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CHRISTIAN HEROISM IN J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S
THE LORD OF THE RINGS ---------------------
by
Cynthia Dudley
Department of Engllsh
McGi Il Uni versi ty, Montreal August, 1988
A Thesi S submi tted to the Facul ty of Graduate
Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Masters ln English.
@ Cynthia R. Dudley. \"Se,
Table of Contents •.••.••••••••••••••••.••..••••••••••• l
Abstr-act •
,Resume •••
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... " ....... . i i
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Introduction •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1
Evil ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• lCi'
Gandalf ............................................... 43
Aragorn ..•..... .; •...•••..•••.....•.....••...••.....•. 65
Fredo ..•••••..•••..•••••.••••••••••..•••••••••••••••• a8
Con cl us i on ••..•••..•••••.•••••.•••••••••••••••••.••• 121
Endnotes Introduction ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 129
Endnotes Ev 1 l •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • 133
Endnotes Gandal f .•••••.•••••••••.••.•••.•••••.•••• 140
Endnotes Aragorn .•••••.••••••••••.•••••••••••••••• 143
Endnotes Frodo ••.••••••.•••• , ••••••••••••••••••••• 148
Endnotes ConclUSlon ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 153
B 1 b 1 l og ra ph y. • • • • • . • • • • . . • • • • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • 155
i
Christian Heroism in J.R.R. Tolkien's I!!! 1::9':9. ~f. !tJ! ~!'Qg~
Dudley, Cynthia R. t McGill UniversIty, Montreal. 1988. DOS. 15C..
ThiS thesis explores the underlYlng Chrlstian elements ln
When we look fol"" a ChI"" 15-
ti an 1 nfrastructure 1 n the tex t. we fi nd a secondary Quest
within the pr 1 mary Ri ng quest undert aken by Frodo Bagg 1 ns.
This secondary quest Involves Gandalf, Aragorn and Frado ln
an attempt to develop the theol cgl cal vi rtues of F ai th, Hope
and Chari ty and to create a potent! al for the Chn st 1 anlZa-
ticn of the hero in Mlddle-earth. Where the prlmary Ring
C1uest involves the destruction of the Ring and, ln conse-
Quence, Sauron, 1 ts Master. the secandary Quest is a sean:h
for th~ vlrtues needed to recreate a balance after the Rlng' s
destruct 1 on. The thesl s exami nes haIN eVl! works 1 n The Lord --- ----di sc:usses the l ndl Vl dual Quests of the three
heroes and shows how the pattern fi ts together. The abject
i s to show the nature of the secondary Quest and how 1 t
creates a baslS for Christian heroism in Tolkien's pre-
Christian world.
The destruc:tion of the One Ring results in the los5 of not
only Sauron but the Elves. ToI kl en • s 1 mmortal el ves have
served as the foundation for falth ln the society of Mlddle-
earth. With their 10S5, a new basls must be found If mortal
Man lS to succ:eed Elves in the control of Middle-earth. The
- battlefield of the secondary quest is spIritual
i i
(.
rather than physlc:al. and the quest for t.he theologlc:al
vlrtues serves to balanc.:.e the effec:ts of tr,e prlmary quest
wlth the needs of the emerging society of Man.
i i i
L' héro'i sme chr ~t I en
ToI k i en.
Dudley, Cynthia R., Université 1'1CGlll. l''lontréal. 1988. 155 p,
Dans cette thèse, " " nous anal ysons 1 es el ements chr-étlen
lorsguE'
nous cherch~ns une in~rastructure chrétienne dans le te~te.
nous trouvons une Quête secondaire au seIn de la Qu~te du
premIer anneau entreprise par Frodo Bagglns. Cette '" Quete
secondaI re engage Gandal f, AraQorn et Frodo dans un essaI de
developpement des vertus théologales: 1 a fOl, l'espérance et
la charité et de création d'un potentIel pour la chrlstlanl-
sation du héros de les Terres du Milleu. Alors que la Quête
du premi er anneau entraI ne la destr-uct 1 on de cet anneau et
par consequen t cell e de son mai tre Sauron, la quete secon-
datre est une recherche des vertus n'cesslt~es pour '" r-ecreer-
un éqUilibre apr~s la destructlon de l'anneau. Dans cette
th~se. nous e><amlnons comment fonctlonne le mal dans le
ê!!9D!~!: Q!§ ~DD!~~~, nous analysons les quetes lndIvlduelles
des trois héros et nous montrons comment ces éléments com-
posent un tous. Le eut est de demontrer 1 a nature de la
Quate secondai re et 1 a f a,on dont ell e crée une base pour
l'h~roïsme chrétlen dans le monde préchretlen de TolYlen.
La destruction du premIer anneau resulte en la perte non
iv
( seulement de Sauron mais des elfes. Les immortelles elfes de
Toll-'len ont servir de modele pour la fOl dans la soci~té de
les ferres du Milleu.
un nouveau fondement
Avec leur disparition, 11 faut trouver
Sl l' homme mortel dOl t ",
succeder aux
el fes dans 1 a gouvernement de 1 es Terres du Mill eu. Le champ
de bataille de la Quête seconda1re est Sp1rltuel plutôt Que
phySique et la QuÉ!te des vertus theologales sert ~ 'Qu1lbrer
les effets de ,..
la Quete prIncipale avec les beSOins de la
socl~ti ~mergente de l'homme.
v
ln Ib~ ti~!:Q iD !b~ gil!:!b!~ ,Çl~~, Bernard Huppé mal<es the
statement that "even if a pagan hero were bl essed Wl th Pl et y
and the cardinal vlrtues. he could not thereby attdln the
status of Chrlst1an hero. which involves the possession ot
the three theologlcal virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity."
Whi 1 e the absence of these vi 1"" tues makes 8eowul f a pagan dnd
unredeemed hero. Tollden ~ s heroes
are involved in a quest designed to develop the theologlcal
virtues and create a potential for the Chrlstiamzatlon of
the hero in Mlddle-earth. The quest attempts to create Tol-
kien' s concept of "joy", where
such joy has the very taste of prl mary truth •• It looks forward (or backward: the direction ln this regard i s unimportant> to the Great Eucatastrophe. The Chrl. stian JOY, the §lQ!:l~.
this story lS supreme; and lt 15 true. Art has been verlfled. God is the Lord, of angels, and of menand of elves. Legend and H15tory have met and fused.
2
In It!~ I:Q!:Q Qf. ~!J.~ B!.Q.s§, we fi nd Man on t he verge of a new
belief founded on the redemptlon of Man's mortal soul as
opposed to Elven 1mmortallty. With this dlscovery, The Lord
Qi ~b~ B
( When we look at the trllogy, we can see emerglng an
ent 1 ty more 'Il tal than a S1 mple Quest romance. The inter lace 5
st ructure seen by Ri chard West carries wlth It the socletal 6
The loss of the "One Rlng" edqe of the secondary quest.
represents more than the end of one partlcular e~:llsode of
eVll lntent, i t ellmlnates the Elves who have served as Man's
connect 1 on wi th hl s gods. As Man's link with Gcd~ the Elves
represent the moral sphere that Man has struggled Wl 'th in
Mi ddle-earth. The El ves have been Man 7 s Il nk "Il th the numi-
nous and mythol ogi cal, and W1 th thel r departure. Man must
dl scover hlS own connections te God. F all en Man must direct
hlS own world and refamilianze hlmself with nature and the
werld that God made for h!m. What l call the secondary Quest
Man prepares himself for hl.s ag~ of domlnêlnce.
The secondary Quest i s t.he main focus of thi s thesis,
ln that l percelve lt as underscor-lng the text and acting as
the rat10nale behlnd the Ring quest. The sec:ondar-y Quest
creates a serl es of myths that spr-ing up fram the gr-ound as
Ar aqorn and hi s c:ompamons sprl ng up in front of the Ri ders
of Rohan. Out of nature. the new heroes wal k cl ad 1 n the
lmages of the old bellefs and r-einst11l these heliefs with
new life. Tolk1en's "Feurth Age", the age of Man,
lS Ilnked by the secondary quest with the bellefs that are
chall enged by Sauron. Sar-uman and Denethor. Thel r threat to
the 1 deol ogy that Man has served w11l not fade away when Man
2
.,-..
has taken hi s pl ace in the rul lnQ arder Df Mi ddle-eArth. The
changEs created by their evil must be recoÇ)nized and dealt
wi th so that they cannot threaten the bal ance as they have
done in the pasto They must be absorbed so thIAt "not on1 y
day shall be bel oved, but ni ght too shall be beaut i fuI and 7
blessed and all i ts fear pass away ~ Il
The secontJary Quest represents Ural"'Q- 5 Il 'resoundinq
disaster- which overtakes Saur on • the sort of a kind cf B
composi te hero: Gandal f, Ar"agorn and Frodo. Il To1kien's
vir"tuous paqans have their heroes, c:ounterparts to the forc:es
that trv to subdue them and the development of the the010çli-
cal virtues is divided between these herDes and their compa-
nions. For -
the presenc:e of the neo-primi ti ve at the threshold cf modern historv might seem an eauivalent mystery, but it came - and it came particularly in three ~aces: the magus, the witch and the demoniac. The -first was - learned tradition" rather philosophieal and el i tist. The second was inclined ta be fool ish and rustic in complexion. And the third ~as the unmitigated irrational, apt to be the contagion of the towns.
9
50 we see our three heroes: Gandalf. Faith, mage and teacher;
Aragorn~ Hope, rational heir of Gondor; and Frodo. Chari ty,
5Qui re of the 5h i rI! and rust i e seeker af te:"' t.r uth. Each hero
ls responsible for one virtuel the e,pposite of one of the
thres facets of neo-primitive. As eac:h "Quest" i5 eompleted,
the next comes into final conflict w:Lth its daemon- the true
magus. the real wi tch and the deme ni ac • ln e.ch case the
Quest redesigns each virtue and its hero into the context of
Man and his new place ln Middle-ea,..th.
"There is no major ep1C in which the hero is not in sorne 10
sense an e>< lIe. " As w1th other epics, as weil as t~e
falry-tale traditIon, the heroes ln I!J~ !:9!:f! 9! ~!J~ 8i!Jg~ are
exiles from thelr own lands, responsible for an enemy that
on 1 Y he can grow to understand. The evi1 that each hero must
overcome is ln direct conflict with the virtue that he uncon-
sc i ous1 y seeks. Gandalf must overcome the apostasy of Saru-
man, AraCiJorn must defeat the despai r of Denethor and Frodo
must combat the temptation of Sauront as presented through
the Ring. While the combatants may never face each other over
a field of battle, the victorles that are achieved result
from a conflict of wills and asp1rations between the oppo-
51 tes. PhYSl cal bat t 1 e ac ts as the catal yst of chanQe rather
than the manl fe5tati on of change.
The true battlefield in Tolkien·s world is spiritual
rather than physical. Gandai f' s "cri se de foi" comes before
he meets Saruman in hlS tower as Aragorn's moment of despair
lS unrelated te hlS battle before Gondor. Frodo cannot stand
at the 11P of the Cracks of Doom and attain self-realization
untl1 he has faced aIl the temptation that the Ring has to
of fer. The 5econdary quest neceS51 tates an i nner transforma-
ticn before the external results of the new virtues can be
made man1 fest.
8e+cre we look at the dual structure of the quest in !~!
4
r-, ' r t
b2~g 21 ~~! ~~Qg!, we must understand the world that Tolkien
built to heuse his great quest. Tolkien's world i5 not sorne
fantasti c: over-realm. nor is it a dreamlike under-realm that
we -fall into uncontrol1ably. We can see Tolkien's world as a
mlddle-ground between the two extremes. Mlddle-earth 15 a
world with its own history, where the c:reatures of fantasy
still reside to dlsrupt our unconSC:lOUS mlnds and disturb our
sense of real i ty. We c:an see ChArles Moorman's "stark, 11
basically pessimistic world of the sagas,H or Gunnar
Urang's "new world, its geography and history, its inhabi-12
tants, i ts mysteries. Il With either account, a ticklish
feeling persists in the back of our mlnds as we read of the
strange things that reside in Middle-Earth that they may also
reside in some far-off corner of our world as welle It i s
our unconscious association wlth Middle-Earth that results in
our feel i ngs concerni ng i t. The uncertaintles. and ln many
cases the hatred for the text, exist because nothing is more
frightening than confirmation that the creature under the bed
may be raal.
When we look at Tolkien's works, we are faced with
comparisons between Ib! ~g~~i~ and lb! ~Q~g Qi ~b! B1Q9? and
yet they are as unalike as Chlldhood and adulthood. When
Mlddle-earth appeared in Tolkien's novel, IQ~ ~g~Qt~. the
plot was less elaborate than that of Ib! bQ~~ Qi ~b! B!D9!
and the reader was not brought of ace to face Wl th the full and
very intricate style that Tolkien developed as both he and
5
1 ] ,
(~
(~
hi. children arew aider. In lb. H2~~1~, the haro is a small
man; in Ibc Lg~q gi tbc BloRW, th. characterization of th.
hobbit is deeDer and the communal intere.t. of the habbit.
are more substantial. A .ense of cammunlty exista in lb! bg~~
gi tb~ B!Dg~, and the text offer. us a greater dlehotomy
between the actions of the hero and the attitude. of hi.
home. The depth af the hero-. 10 •• is more apparent when he
1. exiled from hi. home by the po ••••• ion of the Ring bee.u ••
of the pawerful back~round with whieh Tolkien wa. abl. to
imbue his warld. Sv the time he wrote Ib~ bg~d gi tb~ Bina_,
Tolkien had outgrown Ib~ Hg~g!~ and bV th. time we finish
While bath Bilbo and Frodc leav. home to take part in a
Quest, Fradc·s is the more somber adventure. Frodo·. quest i.
oriented communally, and involves a gr •• ter dependenee an th.
aid of athers than doe. Bilbo-s. A. Frodo states, "This is
na treasure-hunt, no there-and-back journey. I am flving from 13
deadlv peril into deadly Deril." While he is net vet
officiallv an the Quest, hi. task ha. been already defined a.
mare perilaus then the "trea.ure-hunt" that wa. Bilbo-s ad-
venture. Due to the communal nature of the RinQ Que.t, it he.
mare of a patential ta herm, and more importantly. it i. more 14
likely ta destroy the .ociety of the haro. In the yaars
between Ibc Heèèit and Ibc bg~~ Qi the BinQ! even evil ha.
grawn up.
Despite it. eomplex natur., we ean .e. how Talkien wauld
-if 1 ....
•
If wa
believ. Tolkien. and thara i. no Qood re.son not ta, than the
haunting images of the t.xt must belanQ ta a dlfferent cat.-
gory of symbalic intent and the text ta an amalQ_matian of
literary type.. This amalQamation, ragardl ••• of d.tractor ••
is what make. the trilagy .0 modern. W. can harp on the
th.m.. taken out of aneient Northern mythe or •• arch for
clue. in Breek and Christian cosmoloQY, but ft is within
Tolkien's unique im.oery that the text's power lie.. From
within we see the trenches of World War One. the blitzkrelQ
of World War Twa, the lass of nature ta industrializatian and
the other painful realitie. of modern Man, inter.per.ed with
the harns of Rohan and the mournful song of FanQorn. Only
history can sa brutally betray Man'. fe.r. and failure.,
allegory can anly reveal them • It i5 the hi.tory of Middle-
• arth that drawB us into it. spell, not tha individual
images. no matter how evocative many of them may be.
Tolkien did nat chase ta express hi" idea. il' a comman
mythological format ar in allegory, inst.ad we see a warld
ereated out of th. accumulated knawledQe of hi. profe.sian.
Hi. invented warld is his avocation: a world in which he
eould create an independent history, that he could populate
and organize Dut of hi. own literary experience. It i. the
vast histariea1 baCkground that was cr.ated far Middle-Earth
that gives it its power. In the history of Middle-.arth. we
see the truths of hi. world and the development of belief, a
7
t
(.
belief that is the mainstay of lb. ~g~d g{ tbe BlOQ!. It ls
th. secondarv b.lief of the int.r •• tad read.r that allo". us
to enter hi. created world and vi.w it through the eye. of
its inhabitants. but it is an Inherent belief that is deve-
loped within the teKt that holds our attention.
By statinq, "1 much prefer history, true 0... feigned,
with ita vAried epplicability to the thaught and experi.nc. 16
of readers, " Tolkien ass .... ts an independence fo ... his text
that 15 ba.ed on the way history become. legend through time.
The legendarv and mythic past influences the hero-hobbits
within the confines of the Shire, and when they pass autside
it5 barders. elven and human leg.nds influence them. From
Bilbo to Frodo, each gen ..... tion c ... eates the histary and the
Iegend. that the neKt generation aLso ... bs and campet •• against
through time. F ... om the o .... et Tooks ta Bilbo. we ar ... ive at
Frado and his friends. In leaving the Shire ta pratect it,
they open the Shire to the analysis of history.
The secondarv Quest d.pends upon Froda and his fri.nds
to validate its actions. While !b~ b9~~ Qi ~n. B!n9~ is
dependent upon many of th. traditions of quest literature,
its main thrust i5 not th. campletion of the Quest but the
complete turn-over of the saciety·. valu.s. Far ail ita grand
scape, the Ring Quest is insubstantiel wh.n studied 8lone
within the texte The very size of the text make. it diffi-
cult ta delve deeply into its form. or to presume that there
is more in the text then what is in the main plot. Vet the
8
-,
U
..-
teKt. defies the crit.ic to li mi t. the nature of th. Que.t.
When we restrict. the Quest. ta one theme .nd one hera, Wlt
remove tao much f rom t.he text and what remains becames tee
easilY Questi aned. What is left. is a need to di.caver the
hidden depths behind the facade of the Ring Quest.
lb@ be~~ et ~b~ Blug~ is dependent an t.he hobbits te
localize the nature of the twa Que.ta. The habbit. m.ke the
Quest more accessible ta the audience, far t.he Qr.at Que.t
hero i. difficult far the modern re.der ta grasp. As T.A.
Shippey st.resses- "if we were not embar,.assed by the hobbi ta. 17
in other ward., we would be by the heroes. Il The hobbit.
balance the social power of the hero, they play the fool ta
brin; about social change. The hero and the faol play the
same game in the text as they effect society by challenging
convention. What we find i5 the "inhuman, immoral QuaUty in
bath the Fool and the Hera, sa that each poses a thre.t ta 18
society • against our cherished conventions." We
accept the hobbits because we ca" laugh at them and yet they
are eQual te the heroes in their attempt ta change the under-
pinnings of society. It is only when we recoqnize that the
faols Ir. the herDes that we become uncomfDrt.able with them.
wh en we became alienat.ed from them. When we see that Elrond
is rioht, that it 15 Frodo who will be pl.ced Amano the greet
heroes of myth, that i5 when we reject him and when he must
pass away Dver the Sea.
What we must flnd 15 the thesis that underlies lb! bgCQ
Qi ~n! ~iŒ9~'S thematic structure. An integral part of the
text has been ignored ln that the ChristIan background ln
Frodo's Quest has been lnadequately dealt wlth by crItICS.
Tolklen's trilogy has been examlned from many angles- the
psychol ogi cal to phi 101 Og1 cal, the structurail st to neo-
platonic. What the crltlCs seem to find is that, while
TolkIen was a devout ChrIstian, hlS te>ct 1S neo-pagan. For
many of these cr i tics, this neo-paganism is advantageous as
it frees the trilogy from the accumulated doctrine of the
Chn st i an /Tt "thos. What is wrong with this is the assumption
that Tolklen could or would cut himself off from the back-
ground of his faith. What is certain is that TolkIen dId not
choose to express his faith and Its symbollc trapPIngs in the
same way that his fellow Inklings choose. The doctrinal
allegory of C.S. LeWIS' Narnla series 1S notlcably absent in
Ml ddl e-earth. What we fi nd i s "a poet who feel s rather than
makes expliclt what his theme portends; who presents it 19
Incarnate ln the world of hlstory and geography " 50
that insi de a seemlngly traditional and romantlc quest is
placed an amazlngly complete invented world, a world that
does not exclude the mytholoqical and anagoglcal levels.
For TolkIen, the creatlon of a fantasy world was more
than just " s tory-making". For him, "Fantasy • • • I S not a
lower but a hlgher form of Art, indeed the mo~t nearly pure 20
f orom, and sa (when achleved) the most patent. Il We can see
ln the structure and size of In! b9~9 gi t~~ ~iQg~, the
.. 10
·U· ~ i'
-, , .. . , -
effort that Tolkien made ta ma ka hi. wark inta his vision of
fantasy. So while pa~t. of the text may defy laoic and
~eaSQn. yet it "doe. nct de.troy or even insult Reason; and
it doe. not eithe~ blunt the appetite far. nor obscure the 21
perception of. scientific verity. Il Tolkien·. use of hi.tory
and leqend i5 what makes his fantasv Harld sa pOHerful. Sy
maintainino an inner consistency within hi. Hork, Tolkien
uses his text to validate his belief that Man·. closest tie
to God is through creation. Man the sub-creator can. in
Tolkien·s wo~ds. "dare to gues5 that in Fantasv he may actu-
Ally assist in the effcliation and multiple enrichment cf 22
creaticn. Il In this way, the Act of creating his world is a
way fo~ Tolkien tc worship Gad.
Some cri tic. see Tolkien·. dependence an the fatrv tale
format as a diminishino of the validity of lb! b9C~ 9f ~b. 23
B!ng~. The dark forms and evil creatures become tha taroet 24
of those who see cnly the childish in fantasy. In the eye.
of these critics, the fairy-tale with its forms and symbols ,
is belittled by relegating it to the nursery. ThouOh many cf
the character5 and creations that Tolkien empleyed are found
in fai~y-tale and folklore, it iB wrong th.t, AS h. hims.lf
hAS .aid, tlFairy-staries have in the modern letter.d world
been releoated ta the ·nursery· • • primarily because the 25
adult. da not ... ant it. and de not mind if it is mi.used."
The tales that we disdainfully castigate a. childish are more
aften simply childlike. and have their OHn subtleties and
11
(~
(
convolutions. These .. children· ... tale. are e.sentlally devel-
opmental and ultimately gro" with the ehild into an adult
vision of the world. Due to their place in a ehild-s early
development. the symbals and forms of the •• child-like text.
have become an important part of our literary heritaoe and
what Tolkien appears to have done in Inc ~e~~lt and !h~ be~~
gi ~b! Bing~ i5 to reinvest some of these i~portant literary
symbols "ith their old power. This reinveBtiture allow. UB
ta make use af our subjective reactions ta them ta bol.ter
the affect that he would have wanted them ta have within th.
text.
We must take the lonq view ta see where rh! bg~g et ~b!
tUn9! fits into Tolkien-. historieal framework and decide
just how much of his faith Tolkien managed ta put inta a text
that never once refers directly ta God. We see the first in
the elaborate history that Tolkien ereated for his world and
the second in the Christian heritage of the text. As with
most of his works, the text is the prime source of informa-
tion. Since Tolkien 15 working wlth myth and legend, we
should see, as he saw, that "myth is alive at once and in ail 2b
its parts, and dies befare it ean be di.seeted." Tolkien-.
abilitv to sublimate his mythologieal mat.rial and r.ee.t it
inta his own forms makes it neee.sery ta overcom. the tradi-
tional need for sources. w. cannat deny thet Tolkien wa.
dependent on the literature and languages that he studied but
delvinQ too deeply into that faet leadB us eway fram what he
12
aetually sueeeeded in dcing. Tolkien-. Qreatest .uce ••• wa.
in turninQ what we know intc somethino new and untouch.d.
The Ring quest i5 representative of Tolki.n·. abillty to
transfarm the ancient into the modern. Sy placing it Into it.
own historieal context, he makes the Quest bath a part of the
past and an element cf the future. Tolkien-. hi.tory of
Middle-earth is divided into ages: the mytholooical First
Age, the Age of the Elves, the Age of the deeline of the
Elves and the final Age of Man. Each age transforma th.
society with its varied dependancies and the One Ring ex-
presses this dependaney. The Ring quest is the action that
precipitates the eoming of the age of Man. The sueeessfui
completion cf the Quest is the action that make. inevitable
the Elves- final deeline and Man i5 dependent an the Elves
even as he reject. them. They may be shadowy creatures to
the minds of fallen Man but they are the link with the past.
With the loss of the One Ring, the rings of the Elve. lose
their power and the Elven leaders ean no langer hold the
effects cf time and change at bay. The end of the RinQ is,
the beginning of change, the movement of old to new and ail
that newness implies.
Within the text, the Elves stand outside of time as they
are immortal and are able ta escape for "the Ultimate West"_
and yet the Elve. remain historie.1 and are a part of change.
l'hev are affeeted by time in that they are part of and cogni-
zant cf hi.tory. unlike the eharacter of Tom Bomb.dil, who
13
(
(
is both anhistorical and amortal. Whera Tom i. part of the
flow of se.sonal change., the Elve. are part of the flo" of
historv as it gaes fram one age ta the next. Vet thev are
diminishing and must pass awav. Dld ideals, dependent on the
Elves, must be replaced as they pass awey.
We sea how leoend develops in the first book of Ib~ bg~~
Qi ~b~ B!D9~. The Shire ha. the simple leQend. of a communal
nature, having to do with the sights a~d topics of. small
agrarian cammunitv. The interest that Bilbo·s daings elicit
and the resultant expansion of rumour inta legend i5 depen
dant cn the interactive nature of the Hobbit communitv.
These communal leQends relate ta the larger leQends that have
formed in the "orld as a whole. The small communitv historv
of the Shire becomes swallowed by the laroer hi.tory of
Middle-earth. The histarv and legend of one area becomes
absorbed into the larger whale and substantiates the actions
of its members in the larger warld.
If historv motivates the actions of the hobbits, it alsa
motivates the actions cf the mare sophisticated characters.
The alliances and suspicions that the Fellowship de.l. with
in its travels are created bv historv. As appearance and
deportment are important to the faundation of alliances, 50
is historv. The develapment of legendarv and historieal mat
erial is critical to the earlv part of the text and is an
integral part of the character of Strider/Aragarn. Strider is
disreputable when he is unknown. and becomes substantiel
14
when he acquires a history, as Boromir appears substantlal
when he is unknown but becomes d1sreputable dS MIS hlslorv
bec:omes I<nown. Appearanc:e. manners and the lntanglble ele-
ments of human lnterac:tlon galn and lose depend1nQ up8n hQW
tMey measure agalnst history and lts eVldenc:e.
The rellglous underpinnlngs of I~~ ~9C9 Qi ~~~ B!~g~ are
as lmportant as the historlc:al ones. The concept of Gad 15
not elaborated as a creed or as a doctrine ln !~~ 6Q~q Qi the
There are no relIgions preached or temples ralsed
upon any of the fields or hills of Middle-Earth that are
presented by Tolkien, and yet there 15 a sanse of diVIne
power wi th in the tex t. The diffic:ulty is ln deClphering the
religious faith withln the text without a created doc:trlne to
hel p. Whlle Tolkien's world has August1nlan overtones we
cannot be llmited whe~ we look at the over-all rel1g1ou~
content. Tolklen built hlS own mythlC: background for the
lt does not create a rellglous
fai th for Middle-earth so much as lt creates a mythaloglcal
context for any faith that may be found ln the texts. What
we see in the In~ tilm2cttt~gQ IS a mythology that fltS Into
the context of the world that Tolkien created for hlmself. lt
i s the ac:c:umul ated stor 1 es of a bell et but 1 t 1 S not sa much
a doctrine as an elaboration of the legends and myths that
are presented ln Ib~ k9~Q 9i ~b~ B!~g?·
Before taklng Tolklen's Chrlst1an intent10ns lnto con-
sideration, we must look at the basis of faith as it appears
15
in the te~t itself. Wh1le much of the mythology of Middle-
offers enough information for us to understand what the baSlS
for falth 1S wlthln the books.
are caught ln a duallstlc world. Here the battle is between
qood and eVlI, where-
the struggle between the old eon and the new 1S also expressed ln terms of darknes5 against light,
• the darkness of Satan lS not only figurative; it is also literaI.
27
we have a dual1stic world that is
transforming Itself by the secondary que st into a monistlc
one. Thls change lS ln preparatlon for the retreat of the
El ves to the West WhlCh creates a vacuum of "meaning" in
Ml ddl e-Earth. The Elves and their lmmortallty have been the
lln~ between Man and God. As the Elves retreat, a need
develops for a new llnk. The world Will no longer be a-
cosmos. torn between light and darkness, goad and eVlI, splrlt and matter, soul and body, the new eon and the old, the Lord and Satan.
28
With the 10ss of the Elves and Sauran, the dua1istic batt1e
Will be incorporated ln Man alone. So If Man lS to redis-
caver the Numenorla of his past, lost because of Man's
eternal dlssatlsfaction with hlS faith, a connectlon between 29
Man and the " num1 nous" must be f ound.
1 n Il The Ak ail abêth Il i n It!~ §!.!.(!!2C!.!.!.!.QQ, we fi nd that
Sauron is repeated1y lnvolved in the dlsruption of faith. He
a=ts as an alternat1ve to the Elves and their beliefs with
lb
his world of technoloQY and rigid intellftct. His vision of •
wo~ld of machines and machine-like obedience is. as Carl
"50 indubitably useful
that we cannot see even a possibility of gettir.g ,-id of them 30
or of our subservience ta them." It is 50 eompelling in
its apparent usefulness that it is capable of suborning the
wizard Saruman and the steward Denethor into partial sup-
po~t. Vet in Tolkien's world, there is an undereurrent in the
society of Man that has a need for a link with nature and
the numinous. The unexplained and u~explainable still reside
in the world and a~e not taken into aceount bv the limita-
tians set bv Sau~on and his imitator, Saruman.
It is this vacuum or void of meaning that creates the
te~ritorv that is covered bv the secondarv Quest. The text
becomes enmeshed in a "Quest" that is in reality a series of
Quests invalving the development of a new basis for faith. A
falth that IS not dependent upon the Elves and their immor-
tality, or upon Sauron and his automatons. Instead the
develapment of belief is based an the Christian thealogieal
vi~tues. not ~n Christianity but on the virtues that are
considered fundamental te its develepment. Wltheut the ••
three virtues, Christianity cannot develep.
"Why did the King ef the Valar (Manwe) or Hu·tatar
Him.elf not assume human forme rather than a mere teLlm of 31
lesser Guardians?" asks T.R. O"Neill. The answer 15 that
the warld i5 not ready. Man has not reached the point of
17
(
su ch Interference in hi. develapment. We, •• Christians, .av
desire such an incarnation but the world Talkien cr.ated
beyand. a warld that .eeks nat the ultimate salvatian but the
right ta seek for it. As Andrew Rutherford .aid of th. WWI
scldier-paets,
their dilemma, b •• ic. unre.olvable, was that they subscribed ta two canfllcting ethic.- an. ba.ed an caurage and comrade.hip and the ather on compa.sian- sa that the clalms of dutv caexisted far the. with thase af prat •• t.
32
Here resid&s the canilict for Tolkien'. heroe., the dilemma
that must be resalved before the aQ. can chang_ and Man can
become a better paQan on the raad to redemptian.
Before we examine the individual Que.t. af ID. be~~ et ~n~ B!ng~, we must begin ta und.rat.nd what thev are struQ-
gling against in the text. The evil that i. pr •• ented ha.
it. awn "realm" of action. Each of evil's demans must be
dealt with 5Q that we can under.tand haw they relate ta the
hero who cambats them and their effects in the warld. It 15
the effect of evil that we recognize, and nat necessarily the
villain cr villainy that creates it. As a re.ult we mu.t
lock beneath the surface ta find what created the need far
the Quests.
lB
o ~xil
levels and .ach level must ba understoad b.fo,.. the fal"m of
tha text. can be seen in It.. antir-.ty.
the mult.iple level. caale.ce naturally. Thel' become more
n.bulau5~ almost. ephameral when we write about. th.m. Tolkien
has been accu.ad af dealino in black and white, of nat con-
franting-
the appall i ng moral, pal i ti cal, and human deva.t.atl an "",-ought bac.use W.stel"n Cul ture so hapDll v. sa stupidly dr •• sed it. Sandalfs in white and put it. Sal"um.n. in black t.awer ••
1
Vet i. it Tolkien wha ha. faUed ta canfrant th!. is.ue ar
tha •• who shallawlv criticize him without lookinQ at the
d.ceptively simple str-ucture af t.hat confUc:t.?
We cannat farce aur write,-. ta stop differenU.t.inQ
bet."" •• n t.he moral and phys i cal pr-eragat. ives of conf li ct. i ng
social realities. Thera i. value in a duali.tic .y.t..m,
esnôi!cially in literature. As long as .aciet.tes change and
gl"~", ne" and differinQ element. will need t.o b. represented
and it is not the calaurs t.hat we dres. them in that cre.te
the issues that. arise. Du.li.tic c:anfllcts exist out.ide of
the calaur-c:oding of mythic intent. or romantic fancy. While
we continue ta send OUI" investigative repart.ers an Quests ta
save us fram t.he secrets of our societ.y, we cannet. degr.de
Ill!! bQcç( Qf t.t!!! BlaQ! bec.use TaI kien expre!5sed t.hi. same
19
need in black and white. Th!! battle between differing ideals
e)(ists and will not disappear if we take away black and
Whl te, rlght and wrong, good and evi 1 •
Tolkien~s world is one of wonder and regret. Man is
caught ln the momentous changes of his age and he is respon
sible for the renewal of falth agalnst the dark tide of what
destroyed it in the first place. It is the dark tide that
undermines the society of Man during the decline cf the
Elves. If we are to understand the text, then we must under
stand how Man in Tolkien's world redeems himse1f and creates
a wor 1 d tha t i shi s own .. The wor1 d of the past was .shared
wi th greater and 1 esser enti ti es but the age to come wi 11 be
Man' s and he must conf ront the dar kness that threatens hi s
abillty to control the coming age. Even as Man matures into
hlS role as master of the world, regret for the past chlld
hood under the El ves ex i sts and mars the coming of the ne.,.
age Wl th the passi ng of the 01 d.
In Ib.~ !:g~ç! gi ~Œ~ 8E!Q~, we find two ideolcgically
oppo.ed forces that are tagged good and evi 1 , and these
forces are essentl aIl y human. The scale in the The Lord of
the RI ngs i s small er than that of It!.~ §!..i!!l!~i.i!.!.g!J.. Once
Elves and Gods battled on a mythic sc:ale, involving the
creati on of new conti nents, ,.. i vers.
flghts on the level of his own reality,
and stars: but Man
a scal e that creates
societies, net mountains. With Sauron, the fi ght i 5 for
20
u control of societies as Il (Saruman) desired Man'. soul for el
diadem and Sauron wanted it as the industrlal dlamond that 2
woul d permi t hi 5 gyrati ng of the wor 1 d. " The battle between
good and evi 1 is not solely for power but for the nature of
power in the worl d. the Quest 1 S
not to destroy power but to def ine i t.
Tolkien populates his world with a wide range of char-
acters And he places bounds on a11 of them. The most powerful
force in !tl~ ~2r.~ gt s.tl~ 8l~Q~ i5 SAur on who, while reslding
at the back of ail the action like a dark cloud, does not
physi call y appear in the story. What we f eel about Saur on l S
muted by di st ance. The evil that e)(ists in the world centers
about Sauron. Whi le he i nstl gates the movement 0 f eVll 1 n the
tex t, he is distanced from the actlons taking place. Under-
neath all the 1 avers of evi l, i t 15 Sauron who i s 1 n control.
We recognize h1S power yet ToI k1en stresses that Sauron 15
not all-powerful. He has limitatlons ln Tolkien's world and
it is the'5e 1 im1tations that perm1t the act10n to go ferward.
While Sauron is the inheritor of the mantle of MlS Mels-
ter, Mel kor , there are eVll el ements that do not answer te
him. Melkor, who predates Sauront is the holder of the mythlc
level of evil. This is the Dark Lord that Bombadll remember5 3
in hi s hi story 1 esson to Frodo, but regardl ess of the mem-
ori es of Bombadi l, Mel kor 1 s gone. Of the evils left ln hlS
pa'5s1ng, Sauron is the strongest and most active. When
Sauron is inactive, evil e)(ists at a lower level, a livable
21
1 evel. Of the evil sin !!:!~ !:::9!:9 9f ~b~ B!09§, Sauron. the
Balrog and Shelob are from the age when Melkor ruled. and if
we add the adventures cf Bilbo, the Dragon Smaug lS also from
that myth1c age. The lesser evils are followers of Sauren,
and wh1le they are tied to the demonic elements of Middle-
earth, they are not of that degree of evil.
The demoni c and the si nner are the concepts that we must
understand and we can find the differenc:e in Christopher
says,
There he
the demonic is usually mere ~undamental than sin, though there can be continuum as weIl as contrast between the two and their effects can be similarsp1ri tual death. Si n can accul turate one to the demonic, but it lS normally thought of as only a transgression of the moral order. The one proceeds from weakness, the other from defl ance.
4
The evi 1 of Saruman and Oenethor i s the resul t of sin. Both
are contr 011 ed by the evi 1 that 1 s Sauren but are not yet
totally under hlS sway. Goll um/Smeagol i s al so a Sl nner,
held by Sauron's tool, the One Ring, It is the Demon Saur en
who IS the obJect of the primary Quest, but it is the sinners
who are the object of the underlyir.~ secondary Cluest. 5
We confront "the magus. the witch and the demoniac"
when we look at Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn. They reflect one
51 de of these characten st i cs, wh1le the1r enemies reflect
the other. Saruman, Gollum. and Denethor represent the three
evi 1 forces that must confront the gcod to achi eve thelr
22
~ , ' , ,
ends. With each confrontation, either the sin or virtue 1S
freed te begin its effect on the larger communlty. As both
sin and v1rtue act out of the preconceptlons that are found
in the society, the secondary Quest establlshes the concep-
tions against which both sIn and vlrtue operate.
We are ln Man's age and lt IS he who must confront the
enemies that exist in hlS world. The Quest must be accom-
plished without the armies of the Elves or the coming of the
Valar if it is to be relevant te the new age.
must not be a godless one but it must be one wlthout the
gods' Interference. The need to create a moral basis for the
society prefIgures intrusion by hlgher, mythlc beings. Gan-
dalf, Saruman and Sauron may be angellc in nature. but thelr
They portray
the human roles of advlsor, betrayer. and decelver. The
gOdlike beings are trapped in Tolkien's world. The oid gods
are retreating from the world, and those of power must recog-
nize the human condltion or retreat as weIl.
Gandalf, and more to the pOlnt, 5aruman and Sauron, are
caught in an increasingly human world. They must adapt to
the changes ln the world that are creating the need for the
quest. The eVll forces cannet comprehend the changes that are
happenlng wlthin the trllegy, since the new crIteria lS
forelgn to the style that has eXlsted ln the pasto As d
result, the forces of eVll cannet understand what has been
23
(,
(~
lest in the changlng of the ages. As long as the ,",or! dis
turn 1 ng towards mer-tall tv then the "powers of evi 1 • " are
"even Wh11 e thev remal n. • mortal deni zens of the mater-6
laI warld, ln lt and of lt." Recoqnltion ef mortalitv be-
comes the key to the surVl val of evi 1.
In the struggle between Man and the remnants of past
power, the forces of eVll are trapped in an outmoded bel i ef
in their own immortality. Nei ther Saruman nor Sauron can
bel1eve that they can decline as the elves are declining. As
a resul t they resi st the i nevi tabl e. In thi s we sel! that
Nugent IS correct. in the case of Sauron, 7
Il h i s i Il us i on of
omnipotence vells the banallty within." Sauron is as trapped
by h: S 111 usions as are the characters who must combat hi m.
1 t i s the 111 usi on of what Sauron i s that must be defeated,
not Sauron hl msel f •
It is the illusion of Sauren and hlS greatness that
Infects those that faii to his power. As with the Ring-
INral ths, the 51 nners who emul ate Sauren are shadews of what
they wer'e before thei r fall. These shadows retai n power
because "the remarkable thlng 15 net the confrontation of 8
good and evi 1 50 much as that of good and good," and the
shadoIN5 were once part of geod before they fe11. Goll um,
Saruman and Denethor are not Just tools of Sauren but they
are oursel ",es af ter we f aIL.
The magus i s an important al i enator in SOCI ety. The
magus, as pertrayed by Saruman, is both mage and scientiste
24
, , ......
-..
This image is shared ... Hh Gandalf untll hlS fall in the
battle wlth the 8a1rog. S1 nce "magi c and sei ence are more or 9
1 ess 1 ncl i ned to sense and power- and both are amora 1" then
the Wizards stand as the amoral ln Tolkien's world. Saruman
and Gandalf are neither good nor eVll until they chose the
path that they wi Il fol1ow. At the Coune: i 1 of El rond. Gan-
dal f reveal s Saruman' s choi ce, te try to take the Ring' s
power for himself. Saruman's choice betrays the ethos that he
and Gandal f had supportlPd and i t i 5 th1 S betraya1 that begi ns
Gand .. lf's Quest. Only ... hen he can make the choiee himself can
Gandal f free himsel f cf the effects of Saruman' s apostasy.
Only then ean he rise above his conditlon and succeed ln hl S
... ork within the primary Quest.
The tragedy cf Gandalf i s that he i s a magus. Gandal f
is ameral until he faces the 8a1rog and clalms hlS power. He
stands on the br i nk cf the deci si on that can free hl m or
condemn him. Unlike Saruman, who, in choslng hls god, choses 10
"the god of the maglcian" who "lS ultlmately himself." So
Saruman fal1s i nto the trap of Sauron, the demoni c 1 n !IJ.~
In denying his faith. Saruman 15 forced,
by the dual i sm of the te)(t, to the slde of Sauron. In hl S
apostasy, Saruman stands opposed tc Gandal f. They become
mirror-images as cne fa11s away from hlS falth and the other
reafflrms it.
"The principle point i5 this: magic can evolve splri-
25
tuallv into re11;ion- religion ean devolve meehanistica11v or Il
franticallv inta magic." Relioion, the white liOh~. is
what Gandal f redl11cover5 and what Saruman r.j .ct.. Thi. i s
the ;oal of Gandalf'. ques~. Wi~hout an affirmation of faith,
Man' B society canno~ stand alone. Gandal f must reJ ec~ the
amcrali~v of pure magic if he is ta a.cend after ~he battle
wi th the aalrag. In the ascension, we see 'the 'truth af the
f ail of S.ruman. The coa~ of manv col ours that he dons i. •
rejection of the simglici'tv of faith and an affirmation of
hi5 deDendence on magic, for "relioion • • • i!5 roo~ed in 12
fai ~h, the other in ·.ions and wenders-." Saruman rej ect.
ail that Gandalf affirm5 and it i5 in ~hat rejectian t.hat we
di scover Saruman' 5 greates't evi 1 •
The .past..sy of Sarumen i s the fi rst evi 1 ta shake the
tale. As the breaker of f ai th. Saruman the Apo.~ate i s more
of a danger than Saruman, War lord of Orthane. In the in-
cre.singly mort.al world of Middle-eart.h, it is Sa.-uman a.
schalar-5cientist gon. wrong, beouiled into evil by his desire to centrol Man; first. it was to be far Man' 5 awn goad, then as crea~ure. of hi. wi Il, far he knew bet 'ter t.hen thev: that i15 'the final stete of b 1 asphemy.
13
Saruman believes that his immortel .~ate make. him A fit
arbiter cf the fate af Man- that the Qift of immor'tality i5
materially Qreater 'than ~he gift of martali~y. It is the
confusian inherent in the difference5 between the two Qift.
of Eru that create the di vi si on and the P055i bi li t Y of evil.
Man·s dominion resides in his acceptance of the glft glven
him. not the eternal searc:h to acqUlre that whieh belongs to
ethers. If Man accepts Saruman's leadership then he denles
his own, hlS one path ta Gad.
Saruman i s an enemy who works .... 1 th words and 1 deas
rather than armed forces and spell s. The flawed rat10na.lltv
of his concepts is enticlnQ, as is hlS paternal1stic imper-
i al i sm. We can see that "no other character in Mi ddle-earth
has Saruman's trick of ba1ancing phrAses .gainst each other
50 th.t incompatibles are resolved, and none cornes out wlth
werds as empty as cdeCJ10ring', 14
Cultlmate' , worst of all
creal'." Even Gandaif i5 threatened by the verbal Skliis
of Saruman, who "like a shaman, cannot converse. but that he 15
can charm the coll ect ive soul • • " Saruman deal s 1 n ""hat
appears ta be 1 0 9 i C but is real! y only homll i es that mask hlS
OINn desire for CJower. This "obsession wlth power has become a 16
compulsion and the i rrati onal enters. " From the moment
Sarl.Jman begins ta desl re the One RIng, he fa.lls and 1t 1 S a
fa11 that cannot be stopped unti1 his death at the hands of
hi s henchman.
The defeat of Saruman takes pl ace in two st ages. The
first is the confrontation between Saruman and Gandalf W1 th
the Riders of Rohan and the Ents. Here the force of the
Voice of Saruman 1S defeated as he is unable to Influence
those over whom he has previ ousl y hel d sway. He can no
longer dominate the forces of Man or the forces of nature. ln
27
(~
(
the clash of wliis between Gandalf and himself he is defeated
and forc:ed te glve up the symbals of hlS offIce, his staff
and the key ta Orthanc. He loses control of hi s surround1 ng5
or tho5e who lnhabit lt. Tc add to his lesses, hlS henchman 17
throli'ls away the palantlr. This 15 hlS llnk te h1S master,
Sauron. Saruman is captlve, si 1 enced. and bl1nded. He 1S
i sol ated from the scci et y that he desi red to ru! e. In hi 5
Isolat1on, he fails fartMer into the morass of a mortality
that he cannot comprehend.
The second defeat of Saruman is final. With the fall of
Mardor and the completion of both the prlmary and secondary
quests, he 15 released fram his pris~n a~ Orthanc. Sy now he
1 S a small grey man "",hose appearance has nothing of the
angellc, but 1S Increaslngly human. Vet he still has a role
ta play. He arrives at the Shlre before the hobbltS. and he
turns the Shlre into a carbon copy of his orIginal ambitions.
8ag-end becames hlS ne"", tower, and hobbltS replace the Men
that he had W1 shed to domi nate. As the hobbi ts have grown
larger on thelr quest, Saruman Mas became ~maller on his.
In the Shlre he 1S finally defeated. His VOlce has no
power ever Frado. HIS violence cannot imp1nge on the justice
that Frodo has learnt on hlS quest. Offered a chai ce between
the f aIl or Il vi ng in peace el sewhere in Mi ddl e-earth,
Saruman chooses to fall further. In thlS final reJectlon of
hlS past, Saruman loses control of his henchman, Wormtongue.
28
--
Wa~mtanque, who see. • chance at redemptian, kill. hi.
Maste~. In that moment, Warmtangue di.s, finally fr.ed frem
his moral captivity by Freda's charity.
It is Man that Saruman attempts ta d.b.... and i t Is by
debased Man that Sarumen die •• In hi. fall, he denie. that
""hich had given him his immartality and sa it is tek.n from
him. He sought ta centrol mo~t.li ty throuoh hi. immo~t.li ty
and sa lest bath ln hi. -final bid fo~ pawl!~. He def i es the
powers that he had once fallowed and ls denied the pawers
that a~e cami ng i nta bei no. Uni i ke Gand.l f , Saruman i 5
unable te adapt ta the ne"" age, an aoe that is mare than just
a new e~a but an entirel y new saciety.
The demoniac, "the unmitlgated irratlanal, Apt to be the 18
contagien cf tewns" i s the th~eet that hangs over the quest
fo~ hope, the quest of Aragorn. Bath Aragorn and Denether
~epresent ane of the directions that Man in his cities c:ould
folio"". A~agcrn is the past and the future, an amalgamation
of the quallties that a~e needed ta lead the saclettes of Man
i nte the new age. Denethor ~epresents the unchanged and
stagnant traditions ef Gendor. Without an influx cf new
ideas and influences. the traditions that have been main-
tai nad are cDIl apsi ng in on themsel ves, unabl e to su.tai n the
weioht cf their myth wi thcut ranewill. Denethcr halds the web
o-f the cid myth and attempts to keep it immobile while the
world Changes about. ;'im. It i s hi s irrati cnal dependenr.:e on
inviolate ideas and Ideals that must be chan~ed for Aragorn
29
(
(
to suc:ceed ln his quest.
Denethor, unll ke Saruman, does not subordlnate hi mself
to Sauron. He 15 tl ed to Sauron through the use of a pal an-
tlr, the use of WhlC:h violates his stewardsh1p. The palantir
belonqs to the nghts of klngship. Denethor. ln his attempt
te malntaln a realm agalnst the possibllity of the return of
the k 1 ng. Vl cl ates the i deal s that he i 5 sworn to uphol d. He
15 caught ln the fiction cf his stewardship and begins to
usurp the rights that are denied hlm. ln trying to make
hlmself Into the outer Image of a king, he is trapped by his
use of the pal and r • Regnant but nct rul er, Denethor i s
used bv the artlcles of Kingship wlthcut ur.derstanding the 19
lnner emotlonal base that must be part of the Image. Trap-
ped by his desires and h1S loyaltles, Denethor becomes the
shell of what he represents.
Denethor' s stewardshi p keeps hl m trappect between the
prerogat 1 ves of hl s POSl t 1 on and the prerequl 51 tes of hi s
deSl re. The "conf 1 i ct" between Aragorn and Denethor i 5
representatlonal and so they never meet. 1 t i s the trans-
formed Gandalf who reveals Denethor's fall from grace. Gan-
dalf must isolate hlmself from the mythlc level of the battle
of Pelennor Fields in h1S confrontation wlth Denethor. The
mythlc level 1 S for the mortal s to ac:compl i sh as Merry and , Eowyn defeat the Captai n cf the RI ngwrai ths and Aragorn' s
arr i val heralds the turning point of the battle. GandaU
30
rl!mains in the C:lty te keep it frem falling te despalr a10ng-
Slde its deranged Steward. Faith must remaln lr. the Cltv for
hope to be abl e to rall y the mort al remnants of the arml es ot
Men. Gandal f as fai th stands between the representat l ves of
Mope and despai r.
Denethor's stewardshlp isolates hlm from the rest of
Gondor's society. Thl~ Isolatlon keeps hlm from human con-
tac:t, both 1 ntell ec:tual and physi c:al • He has chosen to play
the rol e of the anc:i ent Numenoreans and so he fall s to the
same despair that destroyed them, brought about by the same 20
sour c:e. Unlike his son Faramlr, who looks to the West for
moral strength. Denethor sees the glonous h15tory of the
West and not its 19nomlnlous fall. Oenethor lS the "Christian
English conc:eptlon of the noble chlef before Chrlstlanlty,
who would lapse (as c:ou.Jd Israel> ln tlmes of temptatlon Into 21
i dol atry. " He worship5 the hlstory of his people but irrat-
ionall y. He idollzes it but does not try ta understand it.
The fall of the Numenoreans i s hl S to repeat, as It 15 Ara-
gorn's plac:e to prevent the repetition.
If "Gandal f -Saruman i sapai ri ng li ke Frodo-Gall um 1 n
whic:h the lesser figure's lapse into madne5s helps to de·hne
the strengths, 22
as weIl as the weaknesse5. of the stron-
ger, Il then so 15 the painng of Aragarn-Oenethor. Our
1ntroduc:tion to Aragorn 1S enough to show the llmitatlons of
Oenethor. Wi th1n the Steward 15 "the tragedv of a great man
who overreac:hed himself through the Slns of prlde and covet-
31
{~
(,.
ousness. to become the prey of the E.n.my.·· üehetnor lS
Gondor ln that ~a klnqdom dlVloed agalnst itself. e house 24
dlVldee aga1nst Itself would fa1l." Yet 11: IS a. feU that
would "not aUQer a new dawn. lt was the prcduct of the des-
pa1r of the ole and decadent humanity- as It were. of the 25
5unset years of the ~2! !~Y!S~H!. Il Denether lS of the ole
creed of Men whO challenged the gOd5 themselves for thelr
rlqht to Immortallty. Hragorn, comlng te replace hlm, is of
the new breed who nave come te grlps wlth morta11ty. of these
whO can rlde the Paths of the Dead.
Tne eVll that uenethor percetrates lS one of denlal. He
denles ooth nis her1taqe and h1S responslbi1ities. The Dower
beh1ne the calantfr robs hlm of hlS aDillty to think ratl0n-
al1v. Denethor 15 so certa1n of his control that he accept5
uncondltl0nally wha~ he sees wlthln tne spnere. UnllKe Ara-
qorn wno coulJ t s even when he knews he can control 1 t. Oene-
thor 15 trapped bV hlS crlCe lnto denylng hlS own fallib11ltv
ana h1S own morta11ty. As he 15 told by Gandalf-
'Author1ty 15 not g1ven to you. Steward of &ondor. to order the hour ot your death. •• And enly the heathen klngs. under the domInion of the üark Power, dld thus. S1aYlng themselves ln proide and de5palr. mureerlng tnelr kln to ease thelr own deaths. '
2b
Denethor 1 n hl S pr 1 de chooses to have "!:!!~9n!:: nei ther 11fe 27
a 1 ml nl shed. nor love hal vee. nor henour abated. Il Fearlng
to lose power. Denethor Choses to 10se a11- te "burn 11ke
32
-~ u n~atnen klngs before ever A ship sailed hither from the 28
West. " After living for the heroie past, he dies rejectlng
it.
It i s the eonf 1 i c:t between Ganda1 f and the Bal rog th<1t
manifests ln physlc:al form the intellectual battle between
Denethor and Gandal fin Gondor. The confrontatl0n between
Gandal f and the Bal rog i 5 the bat tl e between two f orms of the
same el em~nt, Fire. Eac:h, ln Mis own right, is an aspect of
the most feared elem~nt and it is the struggle between them
that preshadows the violent death of Denethcr.
The Balrog is unc:ontained fire, the fear of the pri ml-
tive of forest fire, prairie fire and all other 1 mages of
fi re rampant and out of human control. Gandalf is Promethean
fire, the c:cntained +ire of smithy and oven, of hearth and
candI e. It i 5 not untll his confrontatIon fIonth the Balrog
that Gandalf recognizes and eommlts hlmself to the responSI-
bilityof Mis "fire". It i s on the Br 1 dge of Khaz ad-dum that
Gandalf finall y recogni zes and aff irms that he 15 "a servant 29
of the Secret Fi re. "
The batt1e between Gandalf and the Balrog brlngs Into
focus the limlting forces that Gandalf has forgotten and that
have begun to slip after the fall of Saruman. The promethean
tire can break from i ts boundarles or be smothered by ashes.
Gandal f must contai n the elements that he serves if he l S
i Il uminate the shadows that have kept him Gandal f the Grey.
For Gandalf to succeed in his quest, he must replace Saruman,
33
who wi shed to be master of the fi re, not servant. To serve
Aragorn, Gandalf must confront the uncontrolled intellectual
fire that lS Denethor's despair. As wlth aIl mythic symbols,
promethean flre exists on many levels. The physical level 15
brought under control when Gandalf defeats the Balrog, taking
to hlmself the tasK of Saruman, guardlan of the flame. When
hlS body was purlfied by his fal1, 50 was his mind. Gandal f
emarges as the contained flame of the intellect with his
memory and intuition in balance.
After Saruman, it is Oenethor who tests the new Gandalf.
When PipPln notes the similarity between Ganda1f and f.·ene-
thor, he also sees the greater depth that can be found in 30
Gandal f. Where Oenethor has majesty, Gandalf has control.
Denethor needs to rule: Gandalf needs to serve. When he
confronts Denethor, Gandalf serves Aragorn. For Aragorn to
fulfill his quest, he must have the city of Gondor. ln the
uncontrolled flame of the pyre, Oenethor's demoniac influence
15 destroyed, freeing Gondor for the rational and mortal rule
of Aragorn.
The witch. unllke the two rationalistic evils, is fo1k-
lsh and lS seen most often ln falry-ta1e rather than mythe In
Tolklen's world, we find that the mvthic battle 15 shaped bV
the folklorlc witch elements. Gollum and Frodo combine with
Sdm to form the unlon that destroys the demonlc in Tolkien's
world. As with Gandalf and Aragorn, Frodo beglns as what he
34
-...
U
•
cambats. He i. a witch. a. becom.. .ppa~ent wh.n h. m •• t. 31
Gallum. He has not fal1en ta th. lev.l af Gollum far Frodo
can .till re.ist the Ring_ H. ha. hi. " •• pirations, 90als 32
and 1 i mi tati ans" , whi 1 e Gall um barely retain. th ••• e.sen-
tial e1ements of human existance. F~ado and Gellum are bound
by the quest, with Gollum actinQ as the imaQ. of what Frodo
cauld be if he succ:umbed to the temptations of the Ring.
Gallum i5 the mortal in whom the promethe.n fire i5 almost
smothe~.d, F~odo must 1earn ta contain the fire and vet nct
lose it to the Ring.
Ib@ bQ~g Qf ~~@ BiaQ! Is not necessarily allegoric:al,
but instead is a history ef a fairy-tale; and in the fairy-33
tale, "Evi 1 consume. i tsel f. fi The c:omplex relatien.hip
bet" •• n Frede, Sam, Gallum and the Ring i. b ••• d an thi.
truism. In the text, the Ring destrays itself. The agent of
the Ring·s fall is Gallum and through the Agency of the least
of Sauren·s tools, the delic.te structure of hi. evil "web"
is braught te an end. It is Gallum·s moral we.kness that
m.kes him the perfect toel of the Rino, but that same weak-
ness a1so makes him the perfect aoent of its destruction.
It is in the work of Max Luthi that we find. way to
understand the relationship between Frodo and Gollum. Bath
stand as witches in the text but ta overcome the limitations
of their identitv. thev must understand those limits. Frade
must learn the cenfines of c:harity but Gollum/Sme.Qol must
learn the limits of hi. dependenc:y an the Ring and his need
(
34 for human contact. It is hlS vow, made on the Ring. that
sets the limits of hlS membershlP ln the Fellowship.
The many prohibitions, stIPulations, and prec1sely stated tasks are aga1n prlmarily just an element of fairy-tale !Sy!~. They help to Qive the tairy-tale ltS conClseness. Sut underlying these severe prohIbItIons and commands. one senses a way of thlnking simllar to that in the taboos of primItive peoples. Man constructs for hlmself a moral wcrld; he sets hlmself goals, but also limits which are set net by nature but by the human mind. The many tasks given to the fairy-tale hero offer him great oppurtunlties, but the prohibitions place limits upon him and put him te the test. However, even when he oversteps these limits, he is not necessarily destroyed; rather, he may be led on round about ways through distress and sorrow to higher goals. The commands, prohIbItions, and tasks in the falry tale reflect human eXlstance wlth uncanny clarlty- regulated by aspirations. goals and limltatlons.
35
Gollum/Smeagol's need for fellowshlP battles wlth hlS deSlre
for the RIng and so he becomes trapped bv his VOW. He tries
ta get around the vew in order te possess the RIng but the
battle with1n h1mself lS between need and desire. between
Smeagol and Gollum. and deslre wins. At the Cracks of Doom,
Gollum breaks his vcw and the Rlng destroys hlm. Goll um,
un Il ke Frodo,
and sorrew ta"
1 S "1 ed on round about ways through di stress 36
1esser goals untll he d1es, unregulated
des1re. totallv possessed by the R1ng.
It 1S hard to consider the Ringwra1ths as transitory
evils. Wlth Frodo that 15 what they are, they have Impor-
tance ln the primary quest but not the Quest for Charity.
The Lord of the NazgGl, "Captai n of Despai r", 1 5 part of the
36
quest for hope and sa touches Frodo's quest only at the start
of the quest. They exist te create fear ln Frodo. for they
are the fallen of the Rings. Llke Gollum, thev are represen-
tative of what Frodo ceuld become should he fall; but unllke
Gollum, they went willingly to thelr servitude. Gall um 1 S
trapped by the One Ring but the Rlngwraiths seught it out as
their master, willing victims of possessIon. Where we see
Gollum struQgling against the Ring, the Wraiths have no such
problem. They have traded their mortality for power, and
having attained their desire, they are totally subJugated by
it.
Unlike the NazgGI, Shelob is not tied te the RIng. The
deS1re that she is possessed by 1S her own, untalnted by
outside influence. Shelob is a primordial eVll, unattached
ta the evils that are of and far Sauron. The femlnlst Vlew, 37
which sees her as seme sort of anti-female stereotype, may
have some validity, though her purpose cannet be Just as the
"bl tch-castrator". She serves a more fundamental rel e as the
female side of evil, a counter-part te Saur en the male ele-
ment. As Galadrlel and Arwen are the feminlne sldes of
Gandalf and Aragorn, so Shelob serves as a counterpol~t to
Sauran. The female element is necessary ln the stru~ture of
Frodo' s Quest. In the secandary quest, he must overcome not
only the Ring as it represents Saur on and the male element
gone awry but he must defeat the debased nature element that
37
(~
(
is revealed bV Shelob. The dark, ster1le, compulsive under-
world of Shelob lS aligned with the dark, sterile. con
stricted overworld of Sauren. Only by passlng through the
worlds of both Shelob and Saur on can Fredo be returned to the
fertIle world of the mortal.
From the femdle world of Shelob, a wounded Frodo enters
the mal e enVl ronment of Saur on • Frodo 1 S pei soned by the
tWlnned envirenments.
tlcal to Frodo and Sam.
The very soil of Merder is antithe
It is a wor1d as evil as its Ma.ter,
subverted and enslaved te supply the needs ef the armles of
Sauren. It lS here that the final battles between Frodo and
the Ring take place as Fredo virtually crawls towards Mount
Doem. The land of Morder is nature itself turned to evil
purposes by Sauron.
The Ring is the primary evil in !n~ bgCQ Qi ~n~
but Sauren 1 s Ils creator and master. ln Saur on , we fi nd
characterlstlcs of the Judee-Christian Satan. Hewever
8i.Q9!
the
In!
!:9!:Q 9! ~b~ B!!J9§ 1 S net the mythl c wor 1 d of the Bi b 1 e. and
the challenges to the characters are net of that order. What
we see are the l~sser sldes ef pr1de and de+iance. Tolkien
has Spllt Satan lnto twe parts in his mytholegy; Melkor, who
lS conquered ln Tolkien's second age, and Sauron, Melkor's
Il eut enant, who surVl ves to the end of the th1 rd age. It i 5
Saur en that we must understand if we are te recegnl ze the
eschatology of the demon1c ln In! bQCQ gi ~n! B!.!:l9!.
We can see Sauron as the Devi l, where the Devi 1-
38
....... j .
is the hypostasis, the apotheosis. the objectification of a hostIle or hostIle forces percelved as external to our consciousness. These forces. over WhlCh we appear to have no conSCIOUS control, Inspire the rellgious feelings of awe, dread, fear. and horror. The DevIl 15 as much a manIfestatIon of the rel iglous sense as are the gods.
38
Though he is a lesser versIon of hlS master, Melker, Saur an
i s act ive in hi s OppOS1 t i on to the wi 11 of Eru, the Creater.
Where Melkor worked against the gods, the Valar, Saur on works
against th. Elves and MAn. It i5 in the conte~t of their
opponents that one is greater than the other. In the context
of !Œ! b2t2 gf ~Œ~ ~~Q9~, Sauron is sufficient to deny Man
the moral attainment that Man needs to take control of hlS
destiny. Since the evil that was Melker is bound outSlde the
realm of Man's knowledge, it is Saur on who must threaten the
complacency of the inhabitants of Mlddle-earth.
We can eas1ly replace Satan w1th Sauren when saY1ng that
as tempter, Satan brings men to rUln by entlclng them from their falth. As decelver and llar Satan spreads the spirit of errer WhlCh effects a 10S5 ef the Word, I.e., the splrlt of truth that glves meanlng to life for the Christlan. As ebstructer and tormentor Satan is operative ln affl1ctions of martyrdon, disease, and demon posseSSlon. The result cf these activltles often 15 that man's ~aith is weakened, hlS hopes dlsappointed, the oppurtunlty to attain to Jesus Chrlst corrupted.
39
As tempter, deceiver, and tormentor, Sauren operates agalnst
the three quest heroes and, more lmportantly agalnst the
sinners, whe oppose them. For " what he Mad done ln the
beginning, Satan <Sauren) was still dOlng. He was the flrst
39
(
40 apostate, and st11l the ultimate source of ADost •• y." It
ls throuoh Saur on , as he represent. the Devil, that sin
enters the texte
While evil appears ta be intellectual, it is not always
intelligent. Evil is deDendent on a de.ire far Dersonal
control, and it 15 hard for it ta maintain control over its
more powerful allies, allies who alsa desire persanal con-
trol. For Saur on ta acquire control af the Elv.s, he must
develop a plan that will enable him ta subdue tho_e farces
that would be most dangerous. Sa Saur an caused ta be created 41
a series of magica! rings, his tao15 for the .ubjuoatian of
his moat powerful "allies". As with ail technaloQY and
magic in In! bg~g gf ~n! BlQQ!, these rings are nat inher-
entlyevil. They are amoral and tatally -ubject to the
morality of their controll.rs.
The One Ring 15 different. It 15 thi. rino that S.uron
has invested with his own power and with it, he subverts the
rings of Mortal Man and arranges the destruction of the
Dwarven rings. Only the Elven rings are kept separate, but
thev are threatened by the power of the One Rino. The One
Ring is the critical element. In a sense it is bath Saur on
and not Sauron. In investin; a piece af technology with 80
much of his awn power, with his "soul", Sauran thr.atens
himself and his own immartality wlth tt. loss. The physical
lnss is not the worst option for Sauron. The Ring can be lost
40
lJ to Sauron ln two ways. lt can be destroved or it can be
subverted to the side of "Good". This follows the doctrlne
that "at the end of all succeedlnq aeons, even the devll
would be saved. OtherWlse. the eternltv of hell would mean 42
the ultlmate triumph of Satan." The p05siblllty of the
subversion of the Ring and the loss of ItS power to Sauran
would be the ultimate trlumph of the slde of good. It 15
this 10S5 that is essential to the secondary quest.
Where the primary quest is te destroy the One Ring, the
secendary quest needs to subvert it as Sauron has attempted
to subvert the Three. The purpose of the One R1ng 15 never 43
hidden. In lb! kg~~ 2f ~b! B!D9?, Evil lS self-evident and
the ring is representatlve 0+ the eVll that lS Sauron. The
One Ring contains the desires and prlde of Sauron/Satan, a
pride so strong that he is able to imbue the Ring with most
of hlS power. As cne cr 1 tiC sai d "the baslC: 1 rony 1 s that
Sauron should have beund up so much of hlS power ln a rIng
that could, and did, escape hlm and brlng about hlS destruc-44
tien . '. Yet It is an aspect of the demonlC to defy
not only God but itself. 50 that
to some of the early fathers, Satan was the 'alienus' the SPirIt of allenation or es-trangement The demon proceeds from the alienatlon of heaven and earth, God and manklnd, the inner and outer man, and progresses to' hlStoric:al terraIn, to 'Jew and Greek, slave and fr€e, male and female'. Allenation can mean ellmlnation of selfhood, whether 'mystlcal' or soclal or a comblnatlen of the two, which can be as fraught wlth eVll as the apotheosls of the self.
45
41
-----_._-- -----
(
Sauron has aided in the alienation of heaven and earth
in the mythe10glcal age, Gad and Manklnd ln the fall of
Numenor and the inner and outer man with the creation of the
Rlngs and especially the One RIng. Saur en is complete1y
alienated by the time of !Q~ ~9~2 gt ~Q~ ~~Qg§ and has pro-
gressed to the "historlcal terrain" threatening the tradi-
tlonal alllances within the societies of Men, Elves and
Dwarves. Vet his pride, his defiance and his alienation
leave h1m susceptible ta the destruction that the primary
quest attempts and the subversion that is made possible by
the secondary Quest.
We are t01d that "Tolkien's part1cular myth parallels
h1s Chrlstianity, positlng a malevolent and corrupting out-
slde influence, spIritual and probably eternal, agalnst which
man 1S doomed te fight, but Wh1Ch he has no hope of con-46
quer1ng on h1S own Il
• • Yet each vlctory in Tolkien makes
the "malevolent lnfluence" weaker and more mortal. Though
Man declines, 50 too does evil. In Tolklen's world, Man and
hlS "al1enus" fal1 together and Man is "assured that his foes
are the fees a1so of Dryhten, that his courage noble in 47
itself 15 a1so the h1ghest loyalty • " . . Vet there 1 s
also a hint that there lS a possibility of ultimate success,
and that 1S what we seek in the secondary Quest, in the roles
of Gandalf, Aragorn and ult1mately, Fredo.
42
-, ' , , "
In the secondary quest. we are cau;ht 1
betw.en the
concept of a fore-ordained doom and the mortal quallty of
-free-wi Il. It is 'the idea of doom 'that brinQs 'the cOrlcept of
free-will into the quest. The secondary quest encampa.se.
such an important part of the te~t that its .uceeS5 Dr
failure is hard to place on some preordained fate or doom.
Each of the three questers i5 caught by hi. Dwn choices.
They can abandon their quests at Any point and sa bring do"n
the entire structura of both the secondary and the primary
quests. Sinee the quests are interlockad the doom that would
fall is based on the decisions of all thw heroes. The quest
gains strenoth as it continues but remain. only as strong a.
its weakest link.
Faith, "hich is the first of the que.ta to be complated,
is a150 the most dependent upon free-will. For faith is
only viable when it i5 based an choice. Our ChDi ces are the
basis of our fai'th. We must no't be forced 'to believe in
50mething Dr forced t~ place Dur trust in that which wa do
not trust. As our basis for faith i. that belief and trust
with which we bind our loyalty to our faith, our loyalty
becDmes the foundation for faith. As Carlyle s'tated-
•• eoming inta lower, le •• un.peak.ble province., i5 not aIl Loyal'ty akin ta relioious Faith also? Faith is loyalty to some inspired Teacher, some spiritual Hero.
2
43
(
Gandalf~s loyaltv and his faith in his chosen leader creates
the basi s for the Quest for f c11 th. ln turn. Saruman' s apos-
tasy cr~ates the 1nstab11lty in Gandalf's beliefs. an 1nstab-
11lty that Gandalf refuses to recognlze at flrst. Th i SIS
the first choice for Gandalf, the choice of disbellef, 3
ana-
thema te f al th.
The statement that Il f al th may remai n when char i ty i s for
a time lost- a root from wh:ch charity may agaln grow and 4
bear frui t Il descr i bes weil Gandal f' spart in the secondary
Quest. His falth is the root of Gandalf's essentlal inabil-
Ity to come to grips with hIS feelIngs about Saruman. He
hangs suspended between belief and dlsbellef, between faith
and 1tS loss. HIS 1nability to rect1fy the imbalance in
hlmself leaves him vulnerable. lt is thlS vulnerability that
lS revealed at the Council of Elrond. Though Gandalf no
longer trusts Saruman. he reta1ns enough falth to allow
hlmself, dlsabled by doubts of himself and of those he res-
pects and loves most. to conceal hlS lack of trust and crise :5
de fOl.
At the Councll, Gandalf is fcrced to bear witness to the
apostasy of Saruman- to bring him down in the eyes of the
powers of the world and he must eut himself off from the base
upon WhlCh hlS own falth has rested. In speaklng of the last
Council, he speaks not only of Saruman's weakness but hlS
own.
°Then for the last time the Council met; for now we
44
u learned that he (Sauran) wa •• eeking .ver mare .agerly for the One. We f.ared then that h. had same news of it that we knew ncthing of. But Saruman said nay, and repeated what he had .aid to us befare: that the One wDuld never again be faund in Middle-earth • • •
'There was 1 at fault,· he .aid. '1 wa. lullad by the word. of Saruman the Wise; but 1 shauld have sought for the truth sooner and our p~ril would now be less."
6
Here 15 Gandalf"s weaknes5. Trapped batween hi. need to
believe his mentor and the need to find the truth, Gandalf
waits and does not act~ Only wh en he can Act against Saruman
himself, can Gandalf be free to find a new and mare honest
loyalty. To reaffirm his faith, Gandalf must find a sturdier
rock than the word. of Saruman upon which ta place hiB loy-
aIt y and his faith.
Sandalf 7 s faith is shattered by his capture and 5ubse-
quent captivity. The open confrontation between Saruman and
himself frees Gandalf from his dependence, yet it does not
supply a new basis for faith. Sandalf is set adrift. His
wisdom cannot affer him a new foundation for faith. He i5
shaken by Saruman·s fall, and the fact that the path Df
Saruman"s faii was knowledge. Warped knowledge and false
pride are the source cf Saruman·s apostasy. Once knowledge
has been warped then truth and untruth merge to create con-
fusion. As a result Sandalf becomes caught between what he
knows and what he wishes ta believe. Truth and fall.cy are
inextricably linked in the arguments of Saruman. Until Gan-
daif can decipher them, he will be unable ta reestablish a
45
baS1S for faith. Unti1 then he lS cripp1ed in terms of the
pl'" 1 mal'" y quest.
When we look at Saruman's presentatlon to Gandalf, we
see the danger that Gandalf faces-
<1 sald ~~, for ~!, it may be, lf vou will jOln wlth me. A new Power is rising. Against lt the 01 d al 11 es and POil Cl es Will not avai 1 us at ail. There is no hope 1eft in Elves or dying Numenor. This then is one choice before you 1 before us. We may Join with that Power. It would be wise, a.ndalf. Thare i5 hope that way. Its victory 15 .t h.nd; and there will be rich reward for those that aided it. As the Power grows, its proved friends will a1so grow; and the Wise, such as you and l, may wlth patience come at last to direct lts courses, to control it. We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ul ti mate purpose: Knowl edoe, Rul e, Order; ail the thlngs tMat we have so far striven in vain to accompl i sh. hl ndered rather than hel ped by our weak or idle friends. There need not be, there would not be. any real change in our deslgn, only in our means. '
7
Gandalf's faith has not been ln Saruman but in the search for
knowledge that Saruman represents. Though their interests
dlffer. each is dedicated to that search for knowledge. That
thlS search lS the Instrument of Saruman's fa1) is lndicative
of how Gandalf's faith has been misplaced, and why he must
reevaluate hlS falth before he can once again be whole.
The pnmary quest is a key to Gandalf's quest for faith
becau5e he 15 unable to recognize hlS own dlsabi1ity. He
attempts to act as he had before Mis 105s of faith and finds
that he lS unable to do so. Faith is not only the first of
46
, "":' ( ,
the three theological virtues that we look at. it lS alse the
one that must be completed before either quest can be SUC-
cessful. As with the other Quests. the quest for falth hlnges
on Gandalf's abllity to reonent his thinklng along new and
different lines. As Geach savs "the test of falth 1S whether
we can cling to the truth ln emergencies that tempt us te 8
abandon 1 t. Il It is this "truth" that Gandalf must redis-
cover. When lt becomes obvious that he must reorient hlmself
he resi5ts by tryino to remain on the tried ~nd "true" paths.
It will be these path5 that wi 11 1 ead to hi s fall.
Gandalf' 5 abll i ty to act i 5 hampered by hi s confll ct lng
feelings as he travels to his fall ln Khazâd-dûm. We see,
in his recurrinQ 1055 of memory, his declsion not te face
Saruman. By denYlng the FellowshlP the road that leads te
Rohan, Gandalf blnds himself to Mis fate. The road thr-ough
Moria becomes the only road. Gandalf is hindered by the fact
that he cannot face Saruman and so he avei ds the confr-ont-
ation. ThiS choice forces hlm to take roads that make lt
harder for hi m to f ace hi s foe. Saruman becomes Ganda 1 f' s
pri mary enemy. By hl s apostasv, Saruman has drawn Gandal f' s
attention from Sauron and from the destination and destlny of
the Ring. He dlstracts Gandalf from two Important deC1Slons:
the transfer of leadershi p in the par-ty to Aragor-n and the
proper selection of companlons for hlmself.
The tran5f er of power from Gandal f te Aragor-n 1 s nec es-
sary for Aragorn' 5 Quest, but i t 15 1 mportant for" Gandal f te
47
<-
(
select companions. We see how Gandal fis caught in hi s
crlsl5 and yet Iole must also see how he can surpass this to
flnd a new foundation for fai th. Part of the answer i s i. n
the cempan10ns that Gandalf ult1mately finds for hlmself as
part of the Q'Jest rI tuaI. This ntual 1S a basic feature of
the f al ry tal e; the type of story that Tolkien prefers~
though what he seems to be wrltlng is the "history" of a 9
fairy tale. The form and features of the fairy tale play A
key part of the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien and the procuring
of companions 1S an Important element in any herees' Quest.
Max Luthi put it best in Mis Hork on falry tales:
Two 1mportant and basic features of the European folk fai ry tale become vi sible here: the abstract yet precise Interrelahonstup of things and the tendency toward 1solat1on. The hero wanders forth from hi s fami 1 iar surroundlng5, he 1 solates h1mself; yet at the same time he encounters other anImaIs and people and estab11shes contact with them. Th1S 15 the Image of man WhlCh somehow shines forth ln every fa1ry tale: outwardly isolated. but for Just th1S reason free to establish essent1al contacts. The fact that the hero of our falry tale each t1me despalrs anew of solvlng his task IS a further effect on the fairy tale's 1501-ati ng style: the fairy tale hero is unable te see a pattern in his e)(per1ences- he repeatedly ilnds himself in a slm1lar difficult sItuation; and then frein nowhere. so i t seems, hel p appears. The helper. however, as our fairy tale and others of the same type show espec 1 ail y cl ear 1 y, i s somehew part of hlm. Without his own knewledge and without i ntendl ng to, the yeuth hi msel f has created the precondltlons for the aide
10
In the Journey frem Rlvendell te the Bridge at Khazad-
dum, Gandal f trI es to estab 1 i sh a rapport wi th both the El f
48
u and the Dwarf.
tale campanianship fails becaus. it cannat b. cr.ated. Hls
attempts ta establish this rapport with Legala. and Gimli
threaten the party by keeplng them fram .stablishing th.lr
praper rappart with Aragarn. Gandalf-s campanians
part af the Fellawship but they are an unlaaked-far factar ta
the learned "izard. At hi. awn insistence, Merry and Pippln
had been included in the Fellawship aver the daubts and
arguments of Elrand. For Gandalf had rightly said that-
'It is true that if the.e habbits understaad the danger, they wauld nat dar. ta ga. But they wauld still wish ta Ga, ar wish that they dar.d, and be shamed and unhappy. 1 think, Elrand, that in thi. matter it wauld be weil ta trust rather ta their friendship than ta Qreat wi.dom.'
11
The factors that had made them rioht for the Fe110wship are
what make them the perfect campanions far Gandalf- their
friendship and their trust. ln their essential innocence,
they serve as guides ta the philosaphically beleaguered Gan-
dalf. For them the world i5 new and na terrar can hald them
farever; no fal1 i5 sa great that the damaQe cannat be
healed. It 15 this essential innacence that Gandalf must
rediscover and ta da sa he must be made young AQain.
Since the quest i. nat one that can be completed cn a
physical level, the choie. of campanians far Gandalf is not
one that calls far the Associations that apply ta the aIder
races. His aiieoiance is ta the yauth of the ne"er races and
the yauth of the caming aoe. It i5 abviaus that Sam and
49
(~ Frodo are not and cannot be a part of Gandalf's quest. Ara
gorn has his own roie to play and Boromir 15 unable to com-
prehend the deeper levels of the quest. In fact, Boromir's
superflciallty undercuts the reasons for the secondary Quest.
HlS bllndness to emotlonal undercurrents indicates the level
of malaIse that eXlsts ln both Gondor and Rohan. What we are
left wlth IS the presence of the two young hobbits as the
proper companions for Gandalf. Their obvious youth is the
antIdote to Gandalf's moral afflictIon, yet It is an antidote
that he reslsts untl1 after hlS fal1.
lt is the youth of the two hobblts that is crucial to
the quest of Gandalf. HIS age and wisdom blinds him to the
nature of thlS recreated falth, a nature that is based on
renewal. HIs belief has depended en what he knows and as a
result he has reJected a more Innocent bellef. We do not
see the Innocence of 80mbadll in the pre-Fall Gandalf and
that 1S the lnnocence that Gandalf must regaIn before he can
overcome hlS counter-part, 5aruman. Gandalf must master him
self before he can be strong enough to master Saruman.
Gandalf'$ fal1 results ln hlS rebirth without a 10S5 of
knowledge but with a renewal of the ldea that aIl new know
ledge lS wonder~ul. He is freed from the chalns of hlS pre-
conceptlons. For in 80mbadil 15 an Edenlc Innocence, he is
the Adam-fIgure trapped in the Garden and he IS unable te
carry that innocence outslde of his preset boundaries. Gan-
50
ü
,
dalf must regain this primai innocence ta complet. hi. que.t.
Vet he cannot tie him.elf ta baundari •• and oth.r physical
limitations. His is an ematian.l and intelleetual freedom
dependent on the innocence that he learns.
Merry and Pippin·s rale. as companians are visible early
in the texte Their dependene. on the .trengths of the larQer
members is given the lie by their ind.pendence of speech and
action. They serve to underscare the nature of the que.t. by
their constant nead to knaw. While Frade is content ta wait,
harne.sing his energies far the longer jaurney that he alone
can make, the junior habbits are forever questianning and
querying the journey. It is Merry who Qives the clue ta th. 12
opening of the door to Maria by qu •• tioninQ the nature of
the docr. The t"O young habbits are cantinually in a ferment
far kncwledge- not in arder ta Qain power, but ta gatn know-
ledge. With no self-seeking behind their cu~io.lty, they are
in a constant need for information. Their innocence in their
quest for knowledge is what can ultimately free Gandalf·.
trust and faith in the knowledge that has, in essence,
betrayed him.
The apostasy of Saruman has broken Gandalf·. faith in
hi. own kno"ledge and he begins to doubt what he knows and
what he remembers. The basi. of his power is hi. memary and
the accumulated lore that he ha. .tared th.re. When he
begins ta doubt, hi. memories beeome lest ta him, and thus
the delay at the door of Maria a5 he .earches hi. memary for
51
(
ever more complex answers to a simple problem. As well. he
becomes IrrItable, and, in pushing aSlde the two hobbits, he
loses more and more of hi s control.
8efore he reaches the Bridge of Khazâd-dûm. Gandalf is
10S1n9 not only his memory but hlS self. ln choosing to avoid
a dlrect confrontat1on with Saruman, Gandalf places hlmself
into a sItuatIon where, if he emerges, it must De as some-13
thi ng other than what he was when he entered. The long
voyage through the dark of Mori a stri pS hi m o-f the outer
1 avers of what he has become in Mi ddl e-earth. F1rst his
memory- "' 1 have no memory of thi s place at ail!' sai d Gan-14
dalf, stand 1 ng uncertai ni y under the arch. Il and then hi s
slght- "Gandalf felt the ground wlth hlS staff like a blind 15
man. " Unt 11 fi nall y at the 8r i dge, beside hi s chosen
companlons he faces the Bal rog and 1 s brought to an under-
standlng of what he IS fated to be. l-Jhen Gl ml i and Legol as
are unable te support hlm, Gandalf is left alone.
It 15 Gandalf's Inab1lity to adapt to the new realities
that re51J1 ts in hl s confrontation wi th one ef the great banes
0+ the mythel Ogl c al age. The Bal reg i5 an enemy that comes
+ rom the myth5 of the Enemy before Saur on • As such, the
Balrog 15 only nom1nal1y involved ln 5auron~s plans. For as
Aragorn says:
'There are many eV1l and unfnendly things ln the world that have 11ttle love for those that go on twe legs, and yet are not ln league with Sauron, but have purposes of thei r o..,n. Some have been in
52
---, ,
-
thi s wor1 d longer than he.' lb
Though Aragorn is speaking of Caradhras, i t rt!veals to us a
world in which Sauren is not the only power of evil. For as
Sauron' s eVll spreads i ts shadow over a l arger and 1 arger
area, i t awakens ether evi 1 s that are i ndependent of hl m,
and these must be deal t wi th before Sauron can be f ac:ed.
The 8alrog is Durin's Bane and a bane of the Elvt!s. And
so, Gandal f • s earl y all i es, these that he had chosen at the
beginni ng of the Fellewship, fail him et the stand on the
Bridge. They cannet support hi min thl s new cr i SI S. lt 1 S
not in thei 1'" natures or W1 thi n thei 1'" power te confront the
Balreg. Theil'" race and thelr knowledge 1nhibit them. What
made them appropri ate compani ons bt!fore the Ring Quest, thelr
knowledge and their lere, 1 S now thelr greatest enemy. They
Il kno~l" teo much of thi s creature but not eneugh to enab 1 e
them to combat i t.
Gandalf's lone confrontation on the Bridge of ~:hazad-dûm
strips h1m of all that he had onc:e held as self-evldent and
forces him to chose Mis path.
The Balrog reached the br i dge. Gandal f !',tood 1 n the midd1e of the span, leaning on the staff ln hlS 1 ef t hand, but in hi s ether hand 61 amdr 1 ng 9 l eamed, cold and wh1te. HIS enemy halted aga1n, +a<:1n9 hi m, and the shadow about i t reached out 11 ke two vast W1 nQS. 1 t rai sed the Wh1 p, and the thongs whined and c:racked. Fire came frem its nostnls. But Gandal f stood f 1 rm.
• Yeu cannot pass,' he sal d. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. ·1 am a servant of the Sec:ret FI re, wi el der of the f lame of Anor. You cannet passa The Clark fi re Wl 11 not aVal l you.
53
(
flame of Udûn. Go back te the Shadow! You cannet pass.'
17
In lone defl anc:e. Gandai f stands en the Br1 dge unt il Aragorn
and Borom1r try ta 1nterfere. And because i t 1 S not wi thin
Man ta combat th 1 S eVl l , he breaks the Br 1 dge, ChOOSI ng te
f allas he had staOd- al cne agai nst hi s enemy.
Sy c:hoesing Merla as the path for the Fellewship, Gan-
dalf made the meeting with the Balrog a part of hl. doom.
His faii is preordained by h15 choices. Until he confronts
Saruman, he cannot fulfill his part of either of the two
quests. Flame te flame, he faiis in a cleansing of his
purpose. Though Gandal f' s encounter Wl th the Bal rog 15 mere
dramatlc than most of Gandalf's other feats, i t i s not the
cllmax of hlS quest. The clImax cornes for Gandalf when he
confronts Saruman and accepts the responSI bll i tles that he
Mas been aVOld1 ng. The freeing of the King 0+ Rohan from the
lnfluence cf Saruman and Gandalf's final confrontation with
Saruman represent the climax cf Gandalf's return ta falth, as
hlS fall in the M1nes of Moria represents the ultimate nadir 18
of his defeat and the beginning of hlS return.
Gandalf's quest is representatlve of the less of faith
ln Mlddle-earth. If he falls and does not te return. then cne
must admlt that Man and Middle-earth c:annot adapt to the new
age that l s coml ng. 1 + the Wi se can f aIl, what then of us?
Gandal f, ln hl s capture by Saruman and hlS capt i vi ty
durlng the Fl1ght of Frodo from the Shire, i5 symptomatic cf
54
-----------------
the difficulties that inhiblt the Northern and Southern KinQ-
doms. Both are captive ta old loyalti •• that are loeino
cohesion or have ceased to have pertinence or viability in
the current situation. Man·. depend.nce on the Elve. ls
waning and their independence is inevitable; and yet Man
still resists the final step. They must clalm their dominion
ta gain their rightful place. This is the .tep that they are
unable ta accamplish 50 1 anQ as they and theï r advi SDrs
refuse ta adapt to the new aQe. The Elves are trapped in
theïr decline and are unable to free themselves from the
inevitable exodus ta the Ultimate West. Even Fangorn the
Ent, in his self-impased ser:lusion from the affairs of
athers, i s aware of the decl i ne of the El ves and of the
emerQenr:e af Man as a predominant force in Middle-earth. Only
Man and the Wise still wait, trapped by histary and a mi.-
Quided fai th.
Gandalf re-emerges cnly after the two young hobbits have
encountered Fangorn. In FanQarn and hie tie with bath Nature
and history, the young hobbits gain the equilibrium ner:essary
for them ta emerge finally at the side af Gandalf. It is in
Fangarn that we see thF pDtency of the Earth. The ent-
draughts, that make the twa young hobbits graw physically,
match the ent-knowledge and autlaok that enable the hobbits
ta graw emotionally. When they loak inta the eyes of Fangarn,
they see "an enormous weil behind them, filled up with ages ."...,
55
(
o~ memory and long, slow. steady thinking; but their surface 19
was sparkling wlth the present." Thus by being wlth Fan-
gorn, they lose none of thelr innocence and yet thev become
more aware of the depths of the world, of the tragedies and
terrors that reslde Just beneath the surface of the happen-
Ing5 of the world.
It 15 ln Fangorn Forest that the two young hobblts
experience the growth necessary for them to match the growth
that Gandalf eKperiences in his fall. While Gandalf redis-
covers !Jome of his Innocence and makes the Tolkien "Recov-20
ery" , the hobbits make their own discovery. They gain a
source of knowledge that has no reason to dissemble with
them. The Hobblts are as new and wonèrous to Fangorn dS
Fangorn IS ta the Habblts, and their meetlng serves to renew
the one as it teaches the other.
We see that Fangorn, Il ke Bombadll, stands outslde the
stream of Man's history, but, unllke Bombadil, he is brought
to enter It to ln1tlate an attack on Saruman. Sy dOlng th1S
Fangorn aliles himself and his own hlstory with that of the
youthful Fourth Age. He brlngs himself into the dOlngs of
the new age by his contact with Gandalf's companlons. The
paIr of hobbltS serve as a conduit between the past and the
present. Whlle the attitudes of the young hobbits are basea
on the wonder of ail the new thlngs that they are encoun-
they have begun to develop a sense of the history
WhlCh Iles behlnd each new occurence.
56
The association bet"e.n the hobbit. and Fangorn enable.
them ta focus their ",onder in the warld.
cantextualize it with their o",n fundament.al innacence and
t.heir quest for knawiedoe. The young hobbits· raie may not
ba based on knawledge, but kno",ledQe is an ess.nttal part of
t.hei r roi e. Their time with Fangorn allo"'5 them ta gain a
basis far histaricel trut.h from an immart.al. One who is et
ane wi th the earth, an i mmart.a1 wi t.h wham they can a.saci ate
as they cannat wit.h the mare et.hereal Elv •••
Merry and Pippin oraw closer ta martel Man as they QO
t.hrough the quest. Their search far knewiedoe brinQs them
inta a closer contact wi th men than Frade and Sam. As Frado
and Sam 00 farther and farther fram the cammuni ty af Man,
Merry and Pi ppi n become mare a part af i t. They become
i ncarporated i nto the Gu.ards of twa of the prami nent Ki nodams
of Man, Rohan and Gandor. Sa that by the ti me Gandalf i.
reuni ted wi th hi s campan ions, i t i s t i me ta 1 et them ga- bath
his task and their. have become dependent upan their assacia-
tian wi th the Ki ngs af Men. The pur5ui t of know1 edge beg i ns
t.O teke second place ta the use of knewl edge- theï r f ai th
serves ta bel ster the crumb! i no ki ngdams of Man. The yauno
Habbi ts Act as adjuncts ta Gandalf end they serve ta spread
his t.ruth and thair faith in him ta places he cannet ga or
"here he cannat stay.
The character of Wormtongue i5 unli ke Merry and Pippin.
57
He i S Il campan i an that i s tatall y dependent an the knawl cd;e
of hi. Master, and unable ta wonder or even can.ide~ an his
own. His slavish devation ta his Master is the antithesis of
the love that the young hobbits have far Gandalf and for the
King of Rohan and Denethar, Lord of Gondar. The habbits·
essential goodness is based on knawledge. Their openness is
what frees them from the ty~anny of kna..,ledge that had al most
dest.royed Gandal f and that has clestroyed Warmtongue and Saru
man. It i s thi 5 openness o~ innocence that Gandal f relearns
from them.
Wi thaut aIl owi ng i t ta contraI them, Merry and Pi ppi n
absarb knawl edge wi th f ai th. They control the knawl adge that
they gain, they are nDt con'tralled by it. This is Nhy Pippin
i 5 nct 5ubverted by hi 5 centact wi th Saur an thraugh the
palantir. It is why Merry can f=al1aw his lave far Theoden
and Eawyn and 50 avercome the despai r engendered by t.he
presenc:e of the Morgul l.ard. Their faith becomes t.he emblem
of Gandal f • As hi 5 campa" ions they serve t.a bi r:!:t the ki ng
doms together until the King returns.
While c:onsidering the importanc:e of hi. companions, it
is a150 nec:essary ta look at Gandalf af=ter Mis return f=~om
the fall at. Khazad-dum. It is done in small steps; the hint
of an eag 1 e on the Meri zan and the voi ce that supports Frada
at Amon Hen. These incidents, while not statino Gand.lf·s
return, offer us a hint of its possibility.
Gandal f· 5 fall i s an important part of the tensi ons of
58
as the 105s of an lmportant c:har-
acter so saon 1 n the text hl ghll ghts the dangers that the
Feil OWShl P 1 S under. It also frees bath Frodo and ~ragorn 50
that thev can Inltlate thelr own Quests. The separation Or
the quests 1 s done at Amon Hen. On the Island. the battIt:!
for control is waged between the Eve and the VOlce Wl th Frodo
and hlS quest hanging in the balance. Whlle we are nat yet
aware that the Voi ce i S Gandal f, the power fol'" good 15
pi tted agai nst the wi 11 of Saur on • At thlS moment the trlple
quest 15 made absol ute- when "perfect 1 y bal anced between
their plercing points, he wrlthed tormented. Sudden l Y he was
aware of himself again.
Eye: free to choose,
Frodo, 21
"
nei ther the VOl ce nor the
Frodo' 5 choi ce, to separate hlmself from the Fellaw~hlp
and quest to strlke out on hlS Qwn, completes the dlssolutlon
that began wi th Gandalf' s f all • Each of the Quests has
become Individual and their completions are no longer hln-
dered by a rel i ance on the others or on fear for the others.
While the three Quests were tied together, it was Imposslble 22
for any of them ta succeed. With Fraao's cholce, the
quests can be worked through wlthout Interference, for good
or i 11, fram the other Questers.
8y the ti me that Gal,dal fis reuni ted Wl th Aragorn and
his two compamons, the form of the trIple Quest 15 complete
and cannot be aboll shed. Each of the group 1 ngs has been
59
(
(
inltiated and established. Ganda! f hi msel fis near to the
completion of hlS own Quest and lt lS necessary for hlm te be
reunl ted WI th Aragorn. For Aragorn 1 s a necessary part of
Gandalf's quest. Falth and hope are tled tcgether ln a way
that char1ty lS note Gandal f serves as the i mpetus beh i nd
Aragorn's transformatlon but only upon the completl0n of his
oINn.
The reU/ll on between GandaIf and the Three Hunters takes
place under the eaves of Fangorn Forest. just es Merry and
PipPln are being established within its depths. Gandalf is
taken for Saruman because of hl S appearance for "Indeed 1 am
Saruman, one mi ght almost say, 23
Saruman as he should have
been. " Gandalf is purifled bv hlS fall and it has, 24
ln
Tolklen's sense cf recovery, "recevered" hi m. As Gandalf
says, "1 have forgetten much that l thought and
learned agaln much that 1 had forgotten. 1 can see man y
thlngs far off, 25
but many things that are close at hand 1
cannet see. Il Gandalf has regalned what we calI Tolklen's
"clear view." The Escape has beeon comp 1 eted. as i t was net
comp 1 eted when Gandal f escaped frem Orthanc. It IS ln hlS
f aIl and ln hl S recoveory that Gandal f f 1 nall y escapes Saru-
man. Now comes the consolation, the moment when Gandalf's
escape fram hlS Master's apostasy becomes self-mastery. This
can only be acccmpilshed by confrontlng Saruman and so cem-
pletlng hlS own quest.
Ganaalf passes several points in comlng to the flnal
60
confrontat ion. Eac:h lnvolves a renewlnq process. He re-
clalms hus name when he meets wlth Aragorn. He rec 1 al ms hl S
rlghtful fame when he frees Théoden trom Wormtonque's splte.
and he lS given Shadowfax. whicn renews and strenQthens the
bond that had already eXlsted between them. It IS tlnallv at
lsengard that he reclaims hlS c:ompanlons and hlS prldt.:!. ln
the confrontation wlth Saruman, It IS hlS pnde and hlS 5elf-
ma5tery thlIIt are at stake. The confrO"tatlon that he could
nct fa.ce, a.nd which forced hlm to the road to Morla. becomes
hlS greal triumph and in his trlumph he reclalms laughter and 2b
openness.
It 15 Saruman who IS lmprlsoned bv hlS own cholce and ln
hl S own tower. He 1 S Impr 1 soned, not bv the moat and the
Ents, but bv hlS own /rears from WhlCh he cannot escape.
Offered freeaom, he cannat a~cept. He lS tled ln Dellef ta
his own mlsconceptlons and his own deceptlons. Saruman. who
strayed onto the path 0+ mag 1 c and sc 1 enee. 1 s t r apped bv rll s
own amoral i ty. In the end, he IS, as Gandalf saVs:
, become a fo01, Saruman, and yet pltlable. You might st1ll have turned away fram folly and eVll, ànd have been of serVlce. But you choose to st ay and gnaw the ends 0+ ycur 01 dpI ot s. St av then! But l warn you, yeu wlli not easlly come out agal n. Not unI E'~JS the dark hands of t he East stretch out te take you.·
27
Saruman IS caught bv hlS own decelt, hlS only hope ot wlnnlng
had been to retain hlS mastery over Gandalf. However, Gan-
dal f has grown beyond the power of Sarurnan to control and has
bl
(.
(
~e~urneo to tne orlqlnal pa~h laid out for the Istari.
Naw Gandalt can Lay clalm to nlS self-mast~rv. Exnibl-
tlnQ hlS aOlllty to control Saruman. ne clalms nlS au~horltv:
. Behol c, 1 am not Gandal T tne Grey. wnom vou be~rayed. 1 am Gandal+ t~e Wh1te. whO has returned trom death. ~ou ~ave no col our now, and 1 cast VOU
trom the order ana from the Councll.· 26
As he turns to walk away. 29
Gandalf rlghtly says: "It lS the
end." For Gandal~'s Quest 15 complete and hlS actions now
are not to complete hlS Quest but to apply Its virtue.
Wlth the completlon o~ hlS Quest. Gandalf supports Ara-
gorn ln hlS Quest. Gandalf nas establlshed hlS falth and hlS
ablilty to engender falth ln hlS con~rontat10n wlth Saruman
and he becomes a form of mage-prIest ln the new order. 1 t 1 S
tlme +01'" Ganoalf to Oeqln to lav the grouna work for the
coml n9 ot hope 1 n the form of the "Return 01" the KI ng" •
Gandalf's actions are now deslgnea to engender falth; a talth
that 1S reQUlred to ensure that nooe wlii have a flrm oaSlS
ln the Society ot Ma-. It Will be MlS preparations and the
presence of hlS companlons that ensure that Gondor still
stands when Aragorn comes to clalm 1t.
o~ Gandalf's preparatIons. lt lS the placement of Merry
and P1PPln that has the greatest bearlng on the actions that
support Aragorn's arrlval at Gondor. Merry 15 Incorporated
lnto the Guard of the ~lng of Rohan, a role that the King
sees as purely ceremonIal. Yet It IS not a ceremonial func-
02
tion that Merry 1s called on to perform. His secret ride and
his loyalty te hlS King results ln hlS presence at the ~lnq'~
f all at the hand of the Morgul Lerd- the Captal n ct Despal r.
At the same time, PipOln 15 claced ln the House of DenethDr.
th~ Steward of Gonder. It lS PipCln who calis Gandalf tram
the battle to save Faramlr from his father's despalr. Gan-
dal f becemes caught between hl s two companlons. Two forms of
despair, the mortal and the immortal, are placed on the fleld
of battle and Gandalf IS caught between thelr forces. HlS
two companiens represent the two fOCI of Gandalf's attentlon-
the Morgul Lord represents Gandalf's old 10ya1tles and be-
liefs, wh1le Denethor's despa1r represents hlS new service.
To serve. Gandaif must combat the mortal despal r of the
Steward.
Ga.ndal f establ ishes the new cr10rltles of the a.ge by
gOlng with PIPPln. There IS a sense of urgency between the
two forms of despai r. A sense that wlth one the danger 1S
more imperatlve than the other. The threat brought by the
Morgui Lord i5 a kncwn element, ~ mag1cal element. The fal1
of the Steward 1nto despair IS a threat ta the communlty as a
whole. Where Theoden had fa 11 en 1 nto a dec Il ne due ta
faili~g falth, Denethor 1 S beyond the dec 11 ne 1 nto full
despair- "We Will burn llke heathen klngs before ev el'" a ShlP 30
sai lec hither fram the West. The West has fal 1 ed .• , The
battle has not rejuvenated hlm but has torn hlm fram hlS
beliefs and his faith in the West. He means ta take Faramlr,
63
(
hls son, with hlm lnto the flames. Two l1vlng bodies to be
burn t 1 n a pagan ceremony. 1 t 1 S th 1 s that must be stopped.
Where, before Gandalf's fall, the Morgul Lord would have been
hlS prlmary concern, lt is now the world of mortal Man that
he must save. lt lS the heart and mlnd of Men that must be
saved by falth and hope and not allowed to faii to sel f-
Immolation. Gandalf's fInal act be.ore hope returns ln the
form of the King is to save Faramir from his father~s des
pair. This ensures that the heart of the Citadel does not
fall completely from God but is salvaged,
untll lt can be revived by Aragorn.
GandaIf's ro1e is as an emissary.
in suspended form,
He and the two hob-
bits become emblems of the new order. lmpartlng their beliefs
to those wlth whom they come 1nto contact. lt 1S the pres-
ence ot
Aragorn arr1ves.
that ensures that Gonder still stands when
And it is GandaIf's dec1sions that create
the atmosphere ln Whlch hope can again clalm the city of Man.
64
"w. have th. g ..... t p.Q.n an th. th ..... hold af the ch.ng. 1
of the wor" 1 d Il
• •• J.R.R. Tolkien w ... ot. thi. in hi.
ass.y and sa we pereeiv. A .... gorn. Ar.Qorn i s pre-
sented ta us .B a livinQ .... lic of the h.roic pasta the Bcion
of the leganda ... y He ... o-Kings who battled evil single-handedly
of a new aoe; an aQe whe ... e • direct canf ... ontation between
Sauran .nd the Hero-King is na longe ... passible.
of great heroes are passing away and while A ... aga ... n rep ... eB2nts
the last o~ the old heroic made, he iB ma ... e than th. heraic
... eturn of hiB farefath .... s. A .... gorn iB not the old id •• l of
he ... oism but the t .... n.c.ndenee af that ald .... ide.l into a new
age af he ... eism. His quest is ta beeome "the o ... e.t (if lesse ... '
Ch ... istian JUBt ove ... the th .... shald ef the gr •• t change in hi. 2
time and place Il
• • •
A .... gorn·. raie appea ... s ta be les5 camplex than the ... oles
of eithe ... Gandalf a ... Frodo. He app ..... s ta be ~illin9 • stan-
da ... d he ... oie ... ole, th.t of the hero trapped in a prophecy, but
if we look deeper, we find that his ... ole i5 les. sup.rficial
th.n it appea .... et first. AraQo ... n se ... ves •• the queste... for
hope, the second of the vi ... tues neeess.ry fo ... th. fulfillment
of the secondary quest. For whi 1 e "Fai th may rem.i n when
ch.rity is for a time lost- .... oot f ... om which charity may 3
again g ... ow .nd bear f ... uit" but "there i. littl. prospect
65
for such a revival of charity unless hape remain. a. weil as 4
faith Il The raie that Aragorn fill. is a fundamental • •
element in the establishment of the Age of Man.
Aragorn· 5 fi rst appearance i. as a non-descript tra-
veller. He is indefinite in the beginning, which defin •• hi.
early raie. Araoorn does not begin as a great haro but OroNs
into that raie, as Froda will graw into hi. awn rale. Ara-
oorn's quest is dependent an his ability ta chanQe, and hi.
persanal grawth is instrumental ta the development of the
societal change that hi. grawth represent. in !b~ bec~ et ~h.
Onl y by understanding the ba.ic nature of hope can
Aragorn succeed in bringing the virtue to Gondar, the city of
Man. Wh en he gains thi. understanding, th en Araoarn can
become the leader of Men th.t he is meant to be.
Gondor, in its decline, is similar ta pre-Christian
Rome in that it is "a kingdom divided against it •• lf • •
a product of the despair of the ald and decadent humanity- a. 5
i t were, of the sunset years of the !9! !nï!S:ty!." Only
when the city enter. the new age can Aragorn succeed in his
quest, and to change the city, he must avercame Man'. depen-
dance on the Elve. and their immortality and the ald arder
that upholds i t. Aragorn must become independent of the old
age before he can lead Man inte the new.
Before the Falls of Rauras, Aragorn is caught in hi.
history and in a prophecy, and yat he ha. no understanding of
his own rele within that praphecy. Only when he becames
bb
separated from Gandalf and Frodo can Aragorn see beyond hlS
original role and take on the responslblltles of hlS true
quest. Aragorn must abandon the old herolc Ideal Slnce It has
no relation to the new age. He must declde between the old
and the new wlth the fate of Gondor as the prlze.
Before discusslng the events at and after the Falls of
Rauros" we must look at what leads up to that moment of
decision, and so we go to a dark corner ln an inn ln Bree.
Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-Iooking weather-beaten man, sitting ln the shadows near the wall" was aIse listening lntently to the hobblttalk. His legs were stretch~d out be+ore hlm" showlng hlgh boots of supple leather that fitted him weil, but had seen much wear and we~~
now caked with mud. A travel-stalned cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about hlm, and ln splte of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed hlS face; but the gleam of hlS eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbltS.
6
We are SUSpiC10US about thlS amorphous flgu~e and that
keeps us from liklng Strlder/Aragorn. His appearance and
hlS undefined natura makes lt ha~d for us ta accept hlm. He
enters the tal e as the outsi der, as".. 7
one of the wan-
deri ng fol k- Rangers we call them." As an outslder, Arago~n
is trapped by his lack of hlstory. For us to accept A~aqo~n
as he lS, as opposed to what he appears ta bp, sorne hl story
is needed and yet both the hobblts and ourselves must accept
him wlthout a hlstory, Just as he IS presented.
He is the a11en, a Man whose sole eXistence lS that of
the ultimately allenated, the placeless one. ThIS allenatlon
67
{
must be avercome befare ArAQarn can became the true pratec-
tor af the hope that he embadies. It may only be the hape of
QettinQ the RinQ as far as Ri vendel 1 , but ev en SD .mall a
hope must overcame • barrier that exista in the hobbits'
cultural xenophobia. Whil. the four hobbits are apen-minded
for their race, they are still inhibited by their awn cul-
ture and pre-conditioning. They need mare fram AraQarn than
he is prepared to Qive at thia point and sa bath are kept
fram a relatianship based an trust.
History is a two-edQed .word far Aragorn. His personal
histary is a danQer ta his safety. Who he is threatens what
he must become, and 50 he hides himself in shadawso As a
consequence he shuts himself out of society. Trapped by his
histary, he must make concessions ta it and i. kept fram
normal contact with even his allies. Only Gandalf·. ability
to break the baunds of his secrecy allaws the hobbits ta
trust AraQorn and yet it affera new complicatian.-
'Would it? Would Any of yau have believed me till naw?" said Strider. "1 knew nothinQ of this letter. For ail 1 knew 1 had ta persuade you ta trust me without praofs, if 1 was ta help you. In Any ca.e, 1 did nat intend to tell you ail about myself at once. 1 had ta study ~g~ first, and make sure of yau. The Enemy ha. set traps for me befare naw. As saan as 1 had made up my mind, 1 was r.ady ta tell yau whatever yau a.ked. But 1 must admit,· he added with a queer lauQh, °that 1 had haped vau wauld take ta me far my awn sake. A hunted man sametimes wearies of distrust and lonQs for friendship. But there, 1 believe my looks are aQainst me. •
B
68
Aragorn's lite is lacking ln trust and frlendshlp. ttle very
elements that bind the four hobblts together. These are the
elements that he seeks and that nave been denled to MIm. The
first stage of his development is towards a maturl~Y that 15
based on trust and +rlendship. ThIs development beqlns when
Aragorn sets aSlde his hlstorlcal limitations and befr1ends
the four hobbltS regardless of the limitations that hlS
history places on him.
On the trip from Bree to Bruinen, It is Aragorn who
make5 the journey possible. Aragorn is partlally freed from
his history by the rigors of the trip. In hlS story telling.
~i!~g~y is secondary to the personal implicatIons Imbedded
wlthin the historlcal perspective. The storv of Seren and
Tinuviel becomes that of Aragorn and Arwen; the tale leaves
the realm of myth and become relevent to hlS growth. When
Frodo falls to the power of the Ring and the Wra1ths, It 1S
Aragorn's knowledge that saves hlm. The athelas, a plant
out of Numenorean hlstory, takes on a newer and more power-
fui identity ln aSSOCiation with the present dangers. Ara-
gorn steps out of hlS hlstorlcal role and grows as an Indlvl-
dual durlng this part of the texte
At Rivendell, Aragorn's hlstory and sOCial 1 mperat 1 ve
are revealed to us:
<Sut there are few left ln Mlddle-earth ll~e Aragorn son of Arathorn. The race 0+ the ~ln9S fram over the Sea IS nearly at an end. It may be that thl s War of the RI ng Will be thel r 1 ast ad venture. '
9
Araoorn i5 stripped to his b •• ics- his hi.tory, hi. persona-
lit Y and hi. traoedy are seconder y ta the reality of hi.
quest. Tied ta prophecy and the obligations of a ru1er,
Ar.oorn i5 raised above the character of Strider. He is
overwhe1med by the hi5tory that is revealed et thi. time. The
love between Araoorn and Arwen i. just one of the imperatives
that binds him and is shawn ta be as dependent on the quest
as aIl the other mythologieal elements that surround him.
Aragorn is revealed a5 the Hero-King and that is what he must
become before his quest is done.
At the Couneil of Elrond, the primary quest begins and
the perimeter. of the secondary quest are set. As Gandalf
reveals his trials and the beginning of his doubts, 50 Ara-
Qorn reveals his identity and appears ta step into the raie
he was born ta fille Aragorn must cast a.ide the secrecy th.t
has sheltered him and step inta the limelight, taking on the
responsibilities that follow. He must overcome the daubt. of
the representative of Man, Baromir, who stands .s the repre-
sentative of Gondar. He ha. claimed his inheritance, yet he
must live up ta it. Araoarn must praye himself. 50 while:
becomes:
"Far my part 1 faroive your doubt," he .aid. "Little do 1 resembl. the figures of Elendil and Isildur as they stand carven in their maje.ty in the halls of Denethor. 1 .m but the heïr of Isildur, not Isildur him.elf. 1 have had a hard life and a lono;"
10
70
--.. 1
'But now the world is changing once aga1n. A new hour comes. Isildur's Bane 1S found. 8attle 15 at hand. The Sword shall be reforged. l w111 come to
1 1
He is not yet the true leader of Men. He may be able ta f111
that rol e, but he must st III praye hl s her 1 t age.
While the accoutrements of the Hero-K1nq are revealed at
the Counc11 and Aragorn appears to step 1nta h1S h1stary. he
has to prove himself and hlS herltage. We have, in a sense,
come "to take tnm for his own sake". We are presented wlth
aIl the attributes that make him the perfect hero- a k1ngly
heritage, a traglc love and a dut y that averrldes a gentler
nature. Though he is revealed ln the mythologlcal panoply of 12
a "Lancelot", a "Trlstram" or a "Sigurd", he abdlcates the
role of leader to Gandalf.
Aragorn and Gandalf reslst thelr roles ln the secondary
Quest; Gandal f 1 n avoi ding the conf Il ct between Saruman and
himself, and Aragorn ln abd1cating hlS role as leader of Men.
ln allowing Gandalf ta lead lnstead of lead1ng hlfn5elf,
Aragorn denies the growth that he ach1eved between 8ree and
Rl vendell. As Gandalf strug91es w1th hlS doubts, Aragorn
struggles w1th MIS identlty. Each 15 caught between hlS td5~
and h1S loyalties. Aragorn's loyalty ta Gandalf prevent5 hlm
from assuming control of the Fellow5hlP and when Gandalf
falls at the Bridge of Khaz'id-dûm, Aragorn 15 shal--en from h15
preconceptlons. Wh1le shaken, he allows the FellowshlP te be
cast adrift in events.
71
(~
l
Aragorn's belief in Gandalf and Elrand, wha have guarded
and trained him, holds him back. These beliefs, based an the
passing age, keep him fram beginning hi. awn quest. While
Gandalf must complete his quest before Aragarn can begin his
awn, Aragarn's indeeisian 15 different from that af Gandalf.
After Gandalf's fa11, Aragarn does take control of the party,
yet he is tied ta a misconeeption, a belief that Gandalf is
the source of hope. He is dependant an the guidance af
Gandalf and Elrand, a hold-aver from his years in Rivendell.
His belief in their pre-eminenee is what he must avercome
before he can fulfill his quest. As long as Aragorn does not
understand his own raie in the quest, those old beliefs will
be impossible to break.
Aragorn's lack of faith in himself i5 based on a soei
etaI dependence an another race's immortality, and the immor
taIs are fadinç away. Where Boromir and the mortels cf Gondar
have developed a jealausy and disbelief where the Elves are
caneerned, Aragorn has gene the ether way. His upbrinQing
has brought him into unusual contact with the EIder Races,
mareso than with the kingdom5 of Men. Aregarn must break away
from that dependence, or he will be unabls tc lead in the
warld of Men. Aragcrn i5 trapped between his cwn mcrtality
and the immcrtality of his teachers, between his upbrinQing
and his future.
After the fall of Gandalf, Aragcrn is faeed with chaiees
72
and he refuses to take them. He drifts through events un-
willlng to take responslbll1ty for the Fellowshlp. He 1S the
leader but he does not lead. Wl th the fall of Gandalf,
Aragorn loses faith in beth hlmself and the vlabllltv ot tne
Quest. He lS stlll unwllling to accept hlS own raIe ln the
quest, or te recognlze lt. "Farewell, Gandal f !
hope have we Wl thout you?" 1 aments Aragorn at the Great Gates 13
o-f Morla. Aragern laments and forgets hlS responslbil-
ities, the lmperatlves that drive hlm. The leadership has
passed te him but he does not take It.
Aragorn avoids maklng any decislons for hlmself and 50
the FellowshlP fleats through Lothlorlen. unable to choose a
dlrection-
They would have been wllling to follow a leader over the River and lnto the Shadow 0+ Mardor, but Frodo spoke no word, and Aragorn was stlll dlvlded ln hl s ml nd.
14
Without leadership, the Fellowsh1p 1S staqnant. Frodo 1 S not
a leader and Aragorn lS unable to take the leadershlp. He 1 S
caught between the Influences of his past and the needs of
hi s future, hlS old dependence and hlS independence. He has
made his plans based on Gandalf's contlnued presence-
Hl s own pl an. Whll e Gandal f remalned WI th them, had been to go wlth Boromlr, and wlth hlS sword he!p ta dellver Gonder. For he belleved that the messdge of the dreams was a summons. and that the haur had come at last when the helr of Elendll shauld come forth and strlve wlth Sauren for the mastery. But in Moria the burden 0+ Gandalf had been laid on him; and he knew that he could not new forsake the Ring, if Fredo refused in the e~d to go wlth 8oro-
73
(
(
mir. And y~t what help could he or any of the Company gi ve to Frodo, save to wal k bll ndl y wi th hlm lnto the darkness?
15
He belleves that he must replace Gandalf. become Gandalf for
the quest to succeed. He IS unable to recenclle Gandalf's
quest wlth hlS herltage and se. 0311 through Lothlorien,
Aragern 15 lmmebillzed. He is trapped by what he believes he
must de and what he would prefer to do. Slnee the two task5
are dlametrically opposed, he 15 unable to fulfill either and
50 he is trapped by hlS beliefs.
Aragorn drifts through Lorien and then dewn the Anduln.
The Andlun, the Great River, is the condUit whieh Aragorn
m~st travel to discover hlmself. Travelling the river and
flo~tlng as lf devold of eholce, he struggles wlth hlS dut y
and hl s fate. Aragorn lS trapped between the primary Quest
wh 1 ch 1 S Frodo' sand hl s own rel e i 'l the secondary Quest.
'Fear not!' s~ld a strange voiee behind him. Frodo turned and saw Strider, and yet not Strider; for the weatherworn Ranger was no longer there. In the stern sat Aragorn 50n of Arathorn, proud and erect, qUldlng the boat wlth skilful strokes; hlS hood was cast back, and his dark hair was blewing in the wind, a llght was in his eyes: a king returning from eKlle te his own land.
'Fear not!' he sald. 'Long have l desired to look upon the llkenesses of IS11dur and An'rlen, my sires ef old. Under thelr shadow Elessar, the Elfstone son of Arathorn of the House of Valandll ISlldur's son, heir of Elendll, has nought to dread! '
Then the light of his eyes faded, hl msel f : • Woul d that Gandal f were heart yearns for Minas Anor and the city! But wlther now shall l go?'
74
and he spoke to here! How my wa 11 s of my own
16
'Î ' ,'\",,;1 Trapped, Aragorn is unable to follow his heart. Aragorn' s
dutv is wlth Gondor. the Clty of Man. He must open the cltv
to the new age that 15 camlng. In essence. he 1 s the hop~ 01"
the city, and so he cannot take Gandalf·s. or Frodo's, pùth.
Caught ln what he sees as hlS dutv. hecannot start hlS own
Quest. He cannot "betray" Frodo but cannet remal n W1 th h 1 m
an the march to Mordor. Aragorn arrives at the Falls to flnd
that the deci ~i on must be made because .. They coul d go no
fur'.her wi thout choi ce between the ea5t -way and the west. 17
The last stage of the Quest was before them."
At the Fall s of Rauros Arago,.-n begl ns ta real1 ze the
true nature of Frodo's quest, and by comparlson, hlS own.
"1 fear that the burden lS laid upon you. You are the Bearer appalnted by the Councll. Your awn way you alone can chase. In th1S matter l cannat advi se you. 1 am not Gandal f,
18
i s what Aragorn tell5 Froda. At thlS pOlnt, he beglns ta
perc:eive what separates Frodo and hlmself. He beg1ns talnnq
on his role as King of Men, and to see Froda as the Rl ng-
bearer, not as a simple hobbit. With thlS understandlng, he
begins to heed Sam, wht:) knows Frodo best. Though he plans to
appoint c:ompanions for Frodo, thlS falls when Frodo flees the
Fell owshi p. Frodc reall zes the dangers of Aragorn' 5 presence
to the prlmary Quest. The Ring Quest is not related to the
older ages and Ar agorn cannat make 1 t SO. Aragorn does not
yet understand his own role. yet he 1S beglnnlng to see
beyond the surface of the Quest- "There are other powers at
75
(
19 work far stronger." Unlike Gandalf who must fall to dis-
cover hlmself, Aragorn 1S growlng 1nto It.
In "The Departure of Baromlr", Aragorn realizes that
there 1 S nathl ng he can do for Frodo. "My heart speaks
clearly at last: the fate of the Searer 15 ln my hands no 20
longer. The Company has pl ayed 1 ts part." Aragorn separates
hlmsel f frem the primary Quest and devotes hlmself to the
secondary quest. He 1 s 1 ef t al one wi th G1 mll and Legol as and
50 he formaI izes the role of his companions- the Three Kin-
dreds become the Three Hunters. Sy j oi ning the three dominant
races of Middle-earth under his leadershlp, Aragorn's quest
of hope 1S flnally begun.
Ll ke Gandalf, Aragorn has avol ded sel ectlng compani ons.
At f1rst thlS lS due to hlS decislon to leave the leadershlp
to Gandalf and then due to hlS tles wlth Frodo. The 1 ac:k ef
establlshed companlens holds hlm back from hlS trld' Quest. He
cannot see the relatlonship between what he desires and what
must be done. Hl s obseSSlon Wl th accompanYl ng Frodo has
prevented the breaklng of the Fellowsllip, one of the precon-
dltlons ta the formallzatlon of the companien rales that are 21
50 nec:essal'"y to the secondary quest.
Aragorn' 5 compani ons are Gl mli and Legel as, whO Gandalf
had trl ed te bond l1li1 th. What Gandal f percel ved as a Il nk
between hi msel f and the El der races i s brought into bei ng
Wl th Ar agarn. As he 1 s the end resul t of the al d 1 egends and
heroes, 50 15 he the agglomeratlon of the old races. The
76
.......
Quest of hope reQUl res that those that oppose Saur on ce oounc
toqether for SOCle~v ~o reorlent 1~self. Sv JOlnlnq tne
races, ~ragorn underscores tn2 ascendancv OT Man ln tnS'
coml nQ age, Jal nl nQ ~oqether the best Ot" the past aqes.
Each ct the three key races l~ represented 1 n
and the age-oid alliance aqalnst eVlI lS re-orlented.
The tri ad represents botl, the 1 mportance of the chang 1 ng
times and the essential llnk to the past-
tThese are lndeed strange davs,' he (Eomer) muttered. < Dreams and 1 eqends spn nq to 11 fe out ot the grass.·
22
Wlth thelr Ilnk te the mvthological pasto the ~hyslcal appea-
rance of the Three Hunters enables thcm to pass as what they
appear to be. 8ased on leqendary concepts, the trlad 15
ln the preconceotlons lnnerent to mvtn dnd thel ,..
purpose becomes hl dden beneath those preconceptlons. The
Three Hunters present an appearance of hope. and not a new
force that needs to be asslml1a~ed lnto soclet'l.
When we see Aragorn wlth hlS companlons. we reallze that
1S only when Aragorn lS separated trem the Rlnq-bear-er
that he stops reJectlng hlS roie ln the texte For:
Hope as a vlrtue makes sense on the Vlew that man's last end lS nelther Imposslble ot attalnment. norperfectly assured. for any glven IndlVldu.!!. The way to eternal Il fe may oe very ardUOus: and !NE.'
have no qround for conf 1 dence that we shall preval l only that wlth God's nelp we cano Hny gr-ace 0"
fered and reJected mOlY be the 1 ast cnance. noweverlong a man llves afterlflar-ds •
23
77
(
When Frodo pa.ses into the wAste., the knowledge of the Ring
passes out of human reach. Aragorn becomes a. dependent
hope as we m'.Ist be. He must base his actions on hope
faith as opposed to knowiedoe. Araoorn must believe
Frodo will succeed, and he must lead the allied farces
Man based on that belief. Freed from the presence of
on
and
that
of
the
Ring, and its influence, Aragorn now steps forth as the
source of hope for the city and far the Kingdams of Man.
After he passes the monoliths of the Kings at Argonath,
Aragorn takes on the raie of the Exiled King returning. He i.
no longer the wizard"s pupil or the orphan in the care of the
Elves, he has outgrown his juvenile raie and has came into
hi. edult one. With Frodo's departure, Aragorn begins ta use
the authority that i5 vested in him by his heritaoe. He
proclaims that heritage repeatedly- to Eomer on the plains,
to Theoden at Meduseld and te Fangorn et Orthanc. He gone
beyond his initial characterization and not even the return
of Gandal f can return him ta i t.
When Gandalf returns, he takes the lead in the small
group. This may appear ta be a problem, yet Gandalf has not
fini shed his quest, and until he is finishad, AraQorn must
wait. It is Gandalf who deals with the problems that face
Theoden. The stand-off between Saruman and Gandalf is char
acterized by the situation et Meduseld. It is not a situa
tion that can be influenced by Aragorn. Aragorn"s quest deals
78
with the next age and ,.
Theoden represents the age WhlCh lS
pass1ng. Aragorn's influence ,. ...
lS over Eomer and Eowvn whO
are te be part of the comlng age. It lS an Influence that we
see forming from the moment Aragorn rlses out of the pldln to
~
confront Eomer.
Like the legends of the past, Aragorn touches the lives
of other heroes, whom he collects as allies. He acqUlres
the next generation as the world changes about hlm. Legends
rise when Aragorn walks by- the Ent-March, the Wh1te Rider.
the King of the Golden Hall, and HeIm's Oeep are like the
telling of old tales and they occur as Aragorn takes control
of his heritage. Recognlt1on occurs when he takes the field
ot battle. At Helm's Deep. he and Andurll serve as the
centerpiece of the battle-
Together Éomer and Aragorn sprang through the door. their men close behlnd. The two swords flashed from the sheath lS one.
'Guthwinè!' cried Éomer. 'GGthw1ne for the Mark l' cAnduri I !' cried Aragorn. 'AndGri 1 for the Oûne
dai n ! ' Charglng from the side, thev hurled themselves
upon the w1ld men. Andûrll rose and fell, qleamlng with white fire. A shout went up from wall and tower: cAnduri1! Andûrll goes to war. The Slade that was Broken shines agaln!'
Dlsmayed the rammers let fall the trees and turned te flght; but the wall of thelr shields was broken a~ by a llghtening-stroke .
24
Even among the Rohirrlm, lt lS Aragorn that leads. Aragorn's
herltage glves him a special force that 1S represented by the
Blade that was Broken. More importantly that influence e~-
tends to the Men who are among his enemles-
79
(
So great a power and royalty was revealed in Aragorn, as he stood there alone above the ruined gates before the host of his enemles, that many of the wlld men paused. and looked back over thelr shouLders to the valley, and some looked up doubtfully at the SkYe
25
Aragorn 1S truly the Klng of Men, the King of the new age.
It ,-
pal antl r that sets Aragorn upon hlS final 1S the
path. The palantlrl were the unifying force behind the Klngs
from the Sea and with it, Aragorn is imb'Jed with the hi.tory
that makes up the palantfr. Like Anduril, it proclaims hlS 26
status wlthin the mythology of Middle-earth. It removes the
restrainlng forces that have held hlm back. Gandalf has com-
pl eted hl S own quest and now Aragorn can state- "Now my hour 27
draws near. 1 wll 1 take i t ... At that moment, Gandalf
bows and presents the palantir to Aragorn 28
other thlngs that shall be glven back."
"ln earnest of
Gandalf's quest is
camp l ete, and Aragorn steps forward as the King Returned.
Gandal+ steps back, and though he stlll pl ays a maJor part
ln the freelng of Gondor, he does so as an emlssary of Ara-
gorn and as the proponent of falth. Gandalf serves Aragorn
rather than 1 eads hl m.
The comlnq of the 06nedain from the North, after Gan-
dal f 's departure for Gondor, changes Aragor n. The Hero-Ki ng
1S no longer allenated from h1S soclety. The Northern King-
dom of the Dunadan, lS half of h1S herltage and A,~agorn lS
becoml ng whol e. The North has jOlned hlm and so he wi Il ride
80
l , :0....<- South ta claim the other half of his heritage. Aragorn must
take upon himself the responsibllitles of his klngshlP if tH:.'
i s to succeed. The Ounedai n and thel r compan 1 ons, the sons of
El rond, represent those responsi blll t 1 es.
The O~nedain bring wi th them the final Slgns and sym-
bols needed te fimsh Aragorn's myth. Wlth the Dunedaln cornes 29
Aragorn' s horse, Roheryn and hi s banner, made by Arwen. He
is also brought tidings from Elrond that the tlme is comlng
when he can no longer hide from his destlny. Thus Aragorn
tells the Ounedai n-
'We must secret. wi 11 ri de the PatMs
ride our own road, and no longer 1 n For me the t 1 me of steal th has passed. 1 east by the sWlftest way, and 1 wlll take of the Oead.·
30 31
Regardl ess of the protests of Théoden and Eomer and thel r
genui ne fear for hlS li fe, Aragorn i s sure of hi s dest l ny.
Regardl ess of the dangers to other Men, Aragorn 1 S sure of
hi s her i tage and has no f ear of the Paths of the Oead. He can
say without fear-
'That road. gorn. 'But may yet meet shoul d stand
1 wi 11 take, nonethel ess, • sai d Ara-, 1 say to vou, Eomer, that ln battle we agaln, though aIl the hosts of Mordor between. •
32
It is his heritage that comes to the fore now, for M1S hlS-
tory presupposes hi s future. "It 1 S your eoom, 33
maybe, ta
tread strange paths that others dare not" and he does not
fear the path. Once firml y on hls !>,ay, Aragorn 1 s free of
the doubts that èlssalled him before Amon Hen. He has taken a
al
firm grip on hope and relies upan it. Faith and hope can
sustain him, because he i5 sure of his right ta hi. heritage.
Aragorn bases his decisien ta ride the Paths of the Dead
on his use of the palantir. Where Saruman and Denethar have
failed to cantrol the palantiri, Aragorn succeeds. Ara-
gern' s use of the stone i s not based on a fal s. pri de but an 34
hi s Il 1 awf .11 Il ri ght ta the Stan.' 5 pawer. In Aragarn' 15 use
of the palantir is his divine right, a right that enables him 35
te overcome Saur on in a cantest of wi Il s. The ri ght ta the
Stene evercome15 ail other factors in i ts use and the reBul t
of the confrontation between Aragorn and Sauran i5 ta cause
Sauron to fear and to doubt. For~
• • Saur en has nat fargotten Isildur and the sword of Elendil. Naw in the very haur af hi. great designs the heir af Isildur and the Sward are revealed; for 1 shawed the blade re-farged to him. He is not 50 mighty yet that he is abave fear. nay doubt ever gnaw5 him.'
The result i15 two-fald. Sauran begins to doubt hi. plans and
Aragorn learns of the threat from the Sauth. The way ta 37
overcome the threat is by taking the Paths af the Dead.
Aragorn i5 caught completely by the prophecy attached ta 38
his harit.ge yet he i 5 now prepared for i t.. He is na
longer !Str i vi ng agai nst hi s raie but ha. became a will i ng
part of it. The time has come far Aragorn ta awaken the Army
of the Dead to his banner and he must cali in the oath of the
"Sleepless Dead". The army that failed Isildur must help his
82
heir. In thlS. Aragorn will free the dead from the tle that
blnds them to the earth.
lt 1S the Quest10n asked bv Eowvn at Dunharrew that 15
cr1tlcal to Aragorn's Quest- "1S It then vour erranC! to sl?e~ 39
death -,,, The answer IS- yeso 1 t 1 S Ar agorn . S Que<:;t to 5e~~
death and to take to Man an new understandlng D~ mortallty.
The c:omlng age lS based upon !"Ian and hlS mcrtallty and 50 It
must be brought into the context of the new age or the Quest
f ai 15. As he rep 1 i es- Il 1 go on a path apPOl nted. But tho~e 40
.... ho follow me do 50 of thelr own +ree-wl11: " and
further "Onl V 50 c:an 1 see any hope ot dOl ng my part 1 n the 41
war agalnst Sauron." The Path of the Dead lS the ultlmate
trlumph for Aragorn and for those that follow h1m. HIS
companlons follow hlm out of love and thelr bel1ef ln hlm let
them fo110w hl m though "there was not a heart among them
that dld not Quail, unless It were the heart of Legolas of 4~
the El yeso for whom the ghosts of Men have no terror." Vet
for aIl the dread and f ear that death 1 nst 11 s. ttle Company
passes through and, ul t i matel y. 1 eads the Army of the Dead
ou t of the h 1 11 S. 43
Aragorn adds the "K1 ng of the Dead" to hl S other
tltles. Aragcrn represents net cnlv the age ln wnlch he lives
and the age that lS to come. but the ages past- the uead. ln
bringlng together the entlrety of hlstory, Araqor., takes us
beyond the simple tact of death to the place beycnd death;
the unknowable gift of mortallty, the G1ft of the One to Man.
83
(
(
In the creatIon, God gave Immortality to the Elves and
morta11ty to Men. Morta11ty 1S the one thlng that the Elves
do not understand, nor do the Valar, the goos of the earlier 44
Ages. The glft of mortallty 15 Man's alone, and only Eru,
the One God. knows what lt 1S. As a result. th1s PQrt of the
quest belongs to Aragorn, and not Gandalf, or ~ven Frodo.
Gandalf, 1 i ke the El ves, i s an 1 mmortal to whom death has no
meanlng. He can comprehend faith but a hope that is based on
death? That IS not within h1S realm.
It IS on the battlefield of Pelennor Fields that the
fate of Man resldes. Here Sauron attempts to take th9 city of
Man. It IS here that two powerful symbols of despair fall.
De5palr, as it lS embcdled by the Margul-Lord, falls to the ...
swords of Merry and Eowyn and with him falls Th~oden, repre-
sentatlve of the old age of Rohan. Mortal despalr 1S over-
come w1th the fall of Denethor, the mad Steward to his prlde
".
and hiS dreams of domination. On the field, Eomer King of
Rohan leads hlS forces against the m1ght of Mordor, and Into
the confuslon of the battle come the Black ships of the
Pirates of Umbar. These were what drove Denethor to his fiery
pyre, and thlS is what the forces of Mardor rely upon to
1nsure their vl~tory. And on the f1eld, a young king takes
the step that sets the next age apart from the last. ,
Stern now was Eomer's mood. and hlS mind was clear agaln. He let blow the horns to railv aIl men to hlS banner that could come thither; for he thought to make a great shield-wall at the last, and stand,
84
- and fight there on foot tlll aIl fell, and do deeds of songs on the flelds of Pelennor, tnough no man should be left ln the West to remember the last King of the Mark. So he rode to a gr(~en hllleck and there set his banner, and the Whlte Horse ran r1ppllng in the w1nd.
Out of doubt, oul of dark ta the day's rlStnq 1 came slnging ln the sun, sword unsheathlnq. To hope's end l rode and te heart's breaklng Now for wrath. now for rUln and a red nlqhtfall'
These staves he spoke, yet he laughed as ~e sald them. For once more lust of battle was on hlm; and he was still unscathed, and he was young, and he was king: lord of a fell people. And lo! ~~~!J~?
D! !!~gb~g !~ Q~!e!lt b! !gg~~Q Q~~ !9!!Q Q~ the ~1!5~ !bie§~ !QQ b~ !l!S!g ~2 bl§ !~9rg !9 Q~±Y
45
Out. of the ships come Aragorn and hl s followers. One
can argue the melodrama of the scene. but It 1S unden1able ~
that hope is a cr1tical part of th1S scene. On l y when Eorner
goes beyond despair lnto deflance and challenges hlS fate 46
does the hel~ come. Only then does Aragorn come, ln all
his panoply, to rejuvenate the forces of the West. lhe
battl e goes to the West because of hope reVl ved oeyon,j hope.
In the Clty, Gandalf 15 tled te af falrs fa.r trom the
battlefield. He deal s wi th the despalr of Denet hor and saves
Faramlr, ",
only to f1nd that Eowyn. Théad en and Merry have
fallen to the Margul-lord. He IS t1ed to the C1t'l by dutles
off the battiefleid. ThlS frees Aragorn from the presence of
faith. Gandai f' s dutl es have changed Wl th the tr ansformat 1 on
of Aragorn. Where once Aragorn tollewed Gandal t 1 n all
things, now Aragorn leads ln the field and Gùndalf 1S com-
85
(
.( ...
mltted to the city.
Th~ Paths of the Dead, the Battle of Pelennor Field and
flnally. the Houses of Heal i ng represeni: the three functlons
of hope. Death, combat and the renewal of llfe are the tasks
of Aragorn. The l1fe-glvlng aspects of the 1<.1ng-returning
must
tage.
be eXj:llored before he can come Into hlS complete heri-
Il The hands of the K1 ng are the hands of a heal er, and 47
50 shall the r1ghtful k1ng be known." This final aspect
draws Aragorn into Gondor and to his people. As before, he
uses the plant athelas to brlng the victims of the Morgul
from the br 1 nk of death. Si mil ar to the heal i ng of Frodo,
Aragorn uses the herb to chall enge death and to draw them
back from 1 ts borders, as i stol d 1 n the
When the black breath b 1 ows and death> s shadow grows and aIl li ghts pass, come athel as! come athel as!
LI f e to the dyl ng In the ki ng > s hand 1 yl n9 !
48 ,/
rhyme-
The healing of Faramlr, Eowyn and 11erry establishes Ara-
gorn, for .. the k 1 ng was 1 ndeed come among them, and af ter war 49
he brought heal i ng • " Af ter death cornes Il fe and
Aragorn represents both. Klng, warrlor, healer- he br1ngs
the Cl ty of Man a sense ot "th1ngs deeper and higher; and not
a gaffer could tend hi s garden in what he call s peace but for 50
them. whether he knows about them or not."
'Vet Aragorn' s task 1S not over. Wh1le he has completed
hlS part of the secondary quest when he frees Gondor, there
86
- is still the prlmary quest to be completed. Wl th the com-
pletion of his Quest. he stlll resldes outsldp- of the qdtes
of Gondor. Onlv when 0'111 three parts of the secandary quest
are complete, can Aragorn brlng together the parts of hl S
heri tage. 1 t 1 S now a quest 1 on of """hen Aragarn comes ln ta 51
hlS oINn," and "if Aragorn cornes lnto hiS own, 1 as stated DY
hi 5 campan ions, Gi ml i and Legel as. To brlng about Araqcrn's
fl nal ascensi on, the secondary quest must be cemp 1 eted, unt 1 1
that time the age of Man cannet be.
Fa1 th counsel sand hope responds. The 1 ast debate 15
between the counc1ls of prudence that sustained the old age,
and the possi b1l i t Y of a new age. The councl1 of Gandalf 15
to assaul t the BI ack Gate to gain Frodo the t 1 me needed ta
complete the Ring quest. This 15 enough for Aragorn. The
f oLlnd a t l on of the new age 1S based on the completlon ot that
quest, W1n or lose the last battle must be fought before the
age can change.
87
-, \ . ,
It i 5 in Frodo that the fi nal theol ogi cal vi rtue ct
chari ty is brought 1nto the tale. Wh1l e we are caught up 1 n
the majesty of Gandal f' sand Aragorn' s Quests and the herol C
panopl y that 1S a part of them, 1 t 1S the small, ordlnary
hobbit that takes us through the final demise of the pagan
era into the more Christian age of Man. The Quest for chari-
table love gives Frodo his strenQth and takes him beyond
mortal constraints. As readers, we are taken W1 th hi m i nto
the Fourth Age, the age of Man.
In the §!5~1!r §5~ie!~~~ by Northrop Frye, we f1nd the
heroic parallels tnat deflne Frodo. Frodo parallels Frye's
definitlon of the vlrgin hero1ne. H1S herolsm is Inherent ln
his bachelor nature and hlS close ties wlth the female char-
acters of The Lord 9f. ~IJ.~ B.iQg~. Frodo 15 Tolklen's vlrg1n
hero where:
a vi rg in i s actuall y a human c:onVl ct 1 on, hewever e)(pressed, that there i 5 somethlng at the core 01
one'5 inf1nitely frag1le being WhlCh 1S not only i mmortal but has di sc:oveored the secret of 1 nvul nerab il i t Y that el udes the tragl c: hero.
1
Where Gandalf and Aragorn descend and return to Mlddle Earth,
Frodo's descent results in an ascenSlon beyend the world that
i s recreated by hl s suc:cess. On the march thr ough Mordor,
Frodo appears to be sac:r if i ced te redeem a wor 1 d that he c: an
no longer inhabit. The quests make hlm "the conqueror of 2
death and the redeemer of its captives. Il Whlle the re-
88
(~
(
demptlon is the c:enter of the primary quest. i t i s the
conQuest that i 5 the center of the secondary.
Frodo's prlmary quest obscures the sec:endary quest. We
see the que5t as trYlng to de5trey the R1ng and yet we +,ul 3
to see that a quest 1S not against something but for some-
thlng. Randel Hel ms states that "Ib~ "gggij; i s a que5t to 4
get something, the LOTR a quest to renounee something.· He
persi sts in tell i ng us that "the hobb i ts are To1 k i en' S sym-
bols for thlS antl-Faustian urge. Frodo has the Ring, the
symbol of ail corrupti ng power, S
and his every desire i s to
get rld of it ... However Frodo i 5 torn between the need to
destroy the Ring for the sake of f1an and the overwhelming
desl re te keep the Ri ng f or Ml S own sake. Thls is a basic
need that lS answered by Frodo' s dual quest. The Ring 15 not
onlya dangerous obJect and an Incarnation of the evll, it 1S
al 50 Mas an immense potent i al for goed.
The prlmary quest, WhlCh is the destruction of the Ring,
answers only one of the myrlad questions that abound in lb!
Whll e i t wi 11 stop the encroac:hment of
Sauron, 1 t dees not effect the gropi ng towards sel fhood that
15 svmptomatlc of inortal Men ln Middle-earth. The R1ng quest
and 1 ts potent i al for both geod and eVll cannet i nf 1 uence the
establishment of a new moral and soclal lmperative upon which
Man can rebulld hlS society. The Rlng's threat lies ln whe-
ther lt is used by a corruptible soul cr, in the case of
89
, , - Sauren. one that i s corrupted beyend saI vatl en. The Rlng's
pr i mary threat i 5 to the order that i s pass 1 ng away, and that
threat ex 1 st s whether the Rl ng 15 destroyed or not. 1 t 1 S
this threat that is the motivation of the secondary Quest.
the quest te create something out of the dp.structl0n.
To understand why it is Frodo w!"lO IS "asslgned" the
quest, He must recognlze Frodo's singular posItIon as cam-'
pared te the other Ring-bearers. At Bilbo's BirthddY Party,
Frode is bequeathed the RinQ as a free gift. Thu$ Frodo 1S
the "inheritor" ef the Ring and freed from the Ring's essen-6
tial deceit by Bilbo's will. The "gift" tale that IS a part
of the Ring mythology becomes real ity and at that moment lhe
sin ef the lle 15 broken by beccming reallty.
Frodo's essential innocence, a form of moral vlrgln1ty,
lS his salvatl0n when faced wlth the ta1nt of sIn that 15 a
part of the One Ring. The virtues that he has galned
through hlS "geod hobbit sense" and through the Simple
pastoral eXIstence that characterlzes the Shlre are hlS
strength. The Shire is Fredo's advantage over the Rlng.
offering him social roots during his e)(ile and Journeylng.
The Shlre defines Frodo' s strengths, not cnly because lt 1S
his heme, but, as both Gandalf and Aragorn lmply, 1 t 1 S a
symbol of what will be lost should the Ring not be destroyed.
It i 5 the Shi re that we see as ToI kl en' 5 i deal of human
co-ex i stance. Whi le the S~l1re is net necessarll y perfect,
1. t i 5 not totall y i sol ated from the changes that are cccur-
90
in9 in Middle-earth. 7
The verbal battle. between Sam Gamgee
and Ted Sandyman, indicate a di.satisfaction with the status
quo and an inability to decide which path iB the best to
take. Vet the Shire represents the childlike security that
we ail retain thraugh aur lives as the haven that we .eek in
rough waters. It is this haven that Frodo exiles himself
fronl in order ta save i t from the Ring, and when his final
voyage takes him beyond the possibilities of the retreat into
childhoed, he goe5 west ta his last haven. When he goes, WE
find, in aurselves, a similar need for the One Straight
Road, f cr a 1 ast place ef retreat.
We are stopped by the definitian of charity. While bath
hepe and faith can be easily defined by words or feelings,
charity is mere difficult te define. What we find in Tolkien
is not the modern concept of charitable g;ving or af chari-
table institutions but with the original Christiar, cancept as
found in the New Testament. We need to understand that what
makes this virtue 50 important i5 the Christian concept af
social well-being. Ta do this we must ga to the best Chris-
tian source, the New Testament.
In 1 Carinthians 13, it is Paul who stands forth on the
nature of Christian charity, who defines it by example-
1. Thaugh 1 speak with the tangues of men angels, and have nat Charity, 1 am become a.
and af sound-
ing brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2. And thaugh 1 have the gift of underatand aIl mysteri es, and ail thaugh 1 have ail fai th, 150 that
91
prophecy, knowiedoe;
1 cauld
and and
mave
-'-
mountains, and have net charity, 1 am nothinQ. 3. And theugh 1 bestow aIl my goods to f ~ed th e poer, and theugh 1 glve my body to be burned. dnd have net charity, It profiteth me nothlng. 4. Charlty suffereth long, and 15 klnd; chant y envleth not; charl ty vaunteth 1 tsel f not. 1 s nct puffed uo. 5. Ceth net behave ltself unseemly. seeketh not her own, is net easlly provol<ed, thlnketh no evll; 6. ReJOlceth not ln 1niqU1ty, but reJo1ceth ln the truth; 7. Beareth all thlngs. believeth aIl thlngs, hopeth all things, endureth aIl thlngs; 8. Charity never faileth; 13. And now abideth faith. hope and char1ty, the5e three; but the greatest of these is charlty.
e
It is only by defining what it 1S not that Paul can even
disc:uss c~arity as a Christian reallty. So we go to Luke te
contextualize It for us. ln Luke 1. 25-37, we flnd the par-
abl e of the Good Samar i tan. It is not the parable that i s
important here but the Questlon that makes lt necessar{-
25. And beheld, a certain lawyer stood uo, and temoted him (Christ), saylng, l'1aster, what shall 1 de to 1 nherl t eternal 1 i fe? 2b. He said unto hlm, What 1S wrltten ln the law? how readest theu? 27. And he answerlng sald, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God W1 th aIl thy heart, and Wl th aIl thy soul, and wi th aIl thy strength, and W1 th ail thy mind, and thy ne1ghbour as thyself. 28. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered rlght: thlS do, and thou shalt live.
9
lt is here that the value of c:harlty- carl tas- 1S made clear.
Wlthout the ability to love beyond ourselves, we cannot llve
eternally. The Christian concept of love, as presented ln the
notion of charlty, becomes the key to Frodo's quest.
While charity serves as the ultimate goal of the dual
92
(
quest, we are not aware cf the import of this Quest unless we
see Frodo' s growth as he proceeds on the quest. lt 1 S 1 n
Frodo that the bat t 1 e between good and evi 1 lS f ought. Hl S
growth 1S critlcai as it establishes the grounds IJpon WhlCh
the battle will take place. Thls is not a physical battle
between arml es but a SPl r 1 tuaI bat tl e 1 ncorporat i ng the emer
gent soul of Man and the passi ng mythology of the el ves and
the Malar.
Frodo's retlring na~_"e and Mis seeming inability to act
are apparent during the Birthday Party and after the warmng
f rom GancJal f. It is only when he 1S fcrced into action that
the other si de of Frodc comes out. In the desperate chase
across the countrysi de, 1/111 th the 81 ac k Ri ders on hl S hee1s,
the rec1uslve hobblt of the Shlre becomes a determlned
Quarry. willing to extend hlmself to protec:t those he loves.
Hunted by the 81 ac: k RI ders and f eell ng f cr the f 1 rst tl me
the overwhelming compunctions that the Rlng can place en lts
bearer. Frodo makes hl s way acr-oss a darl<ened countryside.
lnexperlence making it a more deadly chase than mlght cther
wise be the case.
We see most of Frodo' s fi rst j cur-ney agai nst a back
ground of mght and shadow. Dar-k Riders on black horses r-lse
out of ml st and darkness to hunt him among brlars and aIl eys,
tern fy hlm 1 n the woods and tempt hlm to use the Ring;
Barrow-wlghts captur-e and confound hlm; even the trees rise
agalnst hlm in the Old For-est. For the fi rst ti me, Frodo
93
-- encounters threats that stand outsi de hl S knowl edge and
allies who are as terrifYlng as his enem1es- EH-lords
cloaked in 11 ght and 1 aughter, the eluslve Bombadll. and
Strlder, a character who i5 shadowy and non-descrlpt at flrst
t'Iut who grows more disturblng as he becomes more def 1 ned.
The strange wor 1 d out 51 de the Sh 1 re 15 most 1 y shadow as Frodo
races across the countryside and so lt lS that the places of
1 i ght stand out in stark c.ontrast.
Frodo's first encounter with the llght is while he 1S
still withln the Shire, after hl s fi rst reB 1 encounter Wl th
the 81 ack Riders and the power of the Rl ng. It 1 s the El ves
that free hl m from that flrst temptatlon. Thelr wor 1 d of
starllght and song break the darkness of the' Rlders. 1 t 1S
thel r presence and thel r advi ce that hel phi m to overcome
the RI ng and to cont 1 nue to hl s f 1 rst refuge, the house at
Crickhollow. Each refuge becomes a st age 1 n Frodo' s pr i mary
development. Frodo moves out of hlS lnltlal world, the
1 i mi ted boundar-l es of Bag-End, te the S 1re as a whole, and
fi nall y out of the Shi re to hi s second encounter Wl th the
1 i ght, Bombad i 1 and Gol dberry. We can remar k that "i t 1 S for
one thlng remar-kable that Frodo has to be duq out of no less
than fi ve 'Homel y Houses' before hi s quest 1 s proper 1 y
1 aunched there i s a sense that the z est of the story 10
goes not 1 nto the dangers but the recovenes. Il
80mbadll is important to Frodo's development. He 1S both
94
(
a humorous fIgure and a powerful one, powerful enough to be
non-accountable for hlS actIons. Even ln hlS relatlonshlp
with hlS wlfe, 80mbadll stands outslde of the human concept
of accountablllty. We see 80mbadll's power reflected ln thlS
sImple non-acc:ountabl1Ity. Even the Rlng's specIal influence
cannat 1 nf r 1 nge upon hl s freedom. Wlthln hlS own boundarles,
Bombadll cannot be domi nated or constral ned. He i s trul y
"the Master", Master c.f himsel f.
Frodo's concepts arlt challenQed by Bombadil, a being who
s~ems to move through hi story and time but not space, and
whose charIty lS absolute but only wlthln the bounds that he
has set. 80mbadi 1 gl ",es, but not out of responSl bi 1 i ty, and
he does not rule ln his sphere of Influence for "that would 1 1
1 ndeed be a burden. Il The bounds of Bombad il' S good-wlll
are hlS home. Hl s ab i 11 ty to e)( tend thl s to the hobbl ts, to
lnclude them under the blanket of hlS protection, is lmpor-
tant because i t offers Frodo a source to draw upon from
outSl de the 01 d "power" structure.
80mbadll and Gol dberry are outside the power structure
of the age, as Frodo senses when he enters thel r home-
as he had at t 1 mes stood enchanted by fai r el venvOlces; but the spell that was lald now upon him was dlfferent: less keen and lofty was the delight, but deeper and nearer to mortal heart; marvellous and yet not strange.
12
When Frodo requl res 80mbadll' s hel p, he 1 S call1ng upon the
one bel ng who stands outSl de of the ex i st i ng struggl e, who in
95
•
fact p,.edates aU st,.ugQl •• -
-Elde.t, that-. wh.t 1 am. M.,.k my wo,.d., my friend.1 Tom w.. h.,.. befo,.. the ri ve,. and the trees; Tom remembe,.. the fi,.st ,..ind,.op and the first aco,.n. He made paths b.fo,.e th. Big P.ople, and saw the little P.ople .r,.iving. H. wa. here before th. Kings and the g,..v ••• nd th. a.rrow-wights. When the Elve. p •••• d w •• tward, Tom wa. here al ready Il b.f 0.... the •••• we,.. bent. H. knew the d.rk unde,. the star. when it wa. fearlessbefo,.e the Dark Lord came f,.om Out.ide.'
13
What "le see in Tom i. the arch.type that "la. set befa,.e evi 1
entered the wo,.ld. Yet he i 5 conf i n.d. limited by hi. own
decision, ta a part of the wo,.ld th.t he can be camfcrtable
in and in which he has na respcnsibilties.
We see Tcm's powers, self-limited AS they are, as re-
lated ta the power. that Fradc is .equiring. While it is
Tom' s pcwer that d,.aws F,.odo out of from under the aarrow-
wight·s incantation, it is Frodc's incipient power that en-
ables him ta cali upon Tom. Thi s pawe,. i s an essenti al p.rt
of the quest. It resembles the independent power that Tam
passesses, yet it is a power based upon mutual respansibil-
i ties. This adaptation of Tam's pre-societal pawe,.s is what
can give mortal Man the handhold that would enable them to
su,.vi ve the exodus of the El ves.
When Frado leaves 8ambadil, he is still not capable of
defeating the Ringwraiths or the powe,. of the Rino. 50 a
proteetor i 5 added ta the j aurr,ey. His pratectors SD far
have been images of same type cf light, Gildar and the star-
light of the Shir.. 8ambadil and sun-light on water and now
96
Aragorn and the harsh light of flame. Shadawed by candle-
flame in Butterburr·s Inn, he is a men.cinQ figure. The large
Man in the grey-cloak stands between the white of Gild~r and
the black of the Ringwraiths and is still more distant frcm
the primary colaurs of 80mbadi 1.
Aragern begins as a shadawy figure. His indefinite
appearance both attracts and repels Frodo at ihis stage of
his development. Frodo is beginning to formulate new baund
aries fer himself and Aragorn's appearance i5 indefinite,
almest fermless. In Aragorn-s changeability is Frodo·$ pro
tection. Frodo is beginning ta lose his initial ider.tity,
and Araoorn appears to be changing i denti ty as weil. In thi 5
Ma" they become conjoined; Frado gains perspective as he
becomes more attached to Aragorn. It is Aragcrn -and Ara
gcrn's mertality that form Frada's quest. It ls Froda's
place to ensure the moral structure of the wcrld that Aragorn
must grow to rule. Aragarn's "immortalit.y·' must. first be
created by Frodo.
When we come to the fight at Weathertcp and the wounding
of Frodo, it 15 clear that Aragorn has no influence aver
Frode a~ ccncerns the Ring. While Aragorn can physically
protect and heal the Ring-bearer, he is incapable af dealing
with t.he power that the Ring possesses. In the situations
that invclve the Ring, lt is characters, such as Gandalf or
Bombadil, who influence Frodc. At Weathertop, Frodo's resis-
97
, ' 1 -
14 tanc:e i 5 nat enough te heed Gandai f • s warn i ng, and at the
15 Fard af Brui nen i t i s to 80mbadi 1 that Frodo i s compared.
Frede must ac::quire the ski 115 of tha previaus ages. Wi thout
these skills, he c::annat accamplish hi s task, and he must go
beyond those ski Il s to suc::ceed.
Frade stands betwixt and between the two ages, he is the
bridge that must be c:rassed before the age of Man can come
into being and sa he represents bath sides and neither side.
This duality is shawn by his friendship with both Aragorn and
Gandalof and is reated in his dependenc:e upon Sam, a depen-
dence that grows as both he and Sam go farther and farther
fram the Shir-e. Vat Frodo i s tied to more than these three.
When he is wounded at Weathertop, he bec::ames, in part, 1 i ke
the Ri ngwrai ths. Afraid of them, c::hased by them, he incor-
parates a part of them. He begins to see into their world,
the world that they share wi th the el ves. The ..,ound and hi s
submission ta the Ring at Weathertap open up a new world for
Fredo, the half-world of the wraiths and the elusive world of
the Elves, the invisible spirit world te which the Ring gives
hi m acc::ess.
Once mare Frodo has expanded hi s baundari es but i t i s
into a shada.., world where even Sam cannat pratect him. Thi 5
is the werld in whit:h his real quest will take place. For
the sec::ondary quest must take plac::e in the realm of the
spirit, where until now martals had no access and from which
t.he El vas are retreating. In this half-world, Frodo must
98
(
ç l na the l''')\?r 1 t aoe o't "'t'In ano 1 t 1 S on 1'1 here that the Rl nq
can tnJlv clestroy nlm. Tn 1 S 1 S t~e descent that FrOdo must
ma"'e ta succ~>etj 1 n the secondarv ouest.
Decorne
he has aJ.ready passeo
1-'5 GanOalt sù'ls aoout n1rrl. he nas
.li;"e a qlass fllLed wlth a clear 11g"t 'tor eyes lb
to see that can." V'et n 1 s tr ansformatl on i '!' on l v beg 1 n-
nl n9, Froda has touched on the realm that he must conQuer
but he has not yet chosen ta go there. The road to Rl vendell
1S Just one stage ln t11 s Journey. Whlle he lS already ln the
secondary quest. he can stIll retreat fram the responslbllity
of the Ring and fram the prlmarv Quest. ln Rl vendell. FrOdo
must tat<e responslblilty For the R1nq.
lhe Councll serves aS the focus for the three oarts of
the seconOary ouest. ~s we have CH scussed W1 th Gandal f and
Aragorn. 1 t 1 S at th 1 S J uncture that the pr 1 mary and SE'con-
dary ouests beql n. Wl th Frodo. we have seen the 'Etart of the
secondary Quest. vet 1 t 1 S at the Councll that we are made
the nature ot" trIe prlmary Quest. Frodo assumes
t ull resDonS1blllty for the Rlng. He h ad or 1 gin a 1 1 v seen
Ri vl?ndell as the end of hl S Quest. He 15 nOIN made a"jar~ of
the Qreater IfTlPllcat1ans of the Fnng. He come!:. ta reall ze
that he 15 "the R1nq-bearer". yet he can oni y take the Quest 17
ln 1 qnor ance. rhe road to 1"10rdor can tle mapped but the
road that Frodo must f 011 OW 1 S not 50 51 mp l e. Frodo' 5 ta5k 15
99
not si mp l y to destroy' the Rl n:,. but to suborn 1 t as a svmbo l •
HS ' .. An tn the other two quests.
answer the needs of the Vl rtue.
slmole dest:.ructlon does not
The Nlne Walkers r,?present thE:' compan 1 ons cnosen b'l
the Wise. Wnen Frodo offers to go alone Wl th Sam. the Wl se
Rlders. Ins:st on ca FellowshlO of ~hne to balance the Black
As Wl th the other two questers. requ Ires t~"JO compan l ons
to create a bal ance for the mal n character. The burden of
the other compani ons s10ws Frodo' s transformation and forces
him In"Coa state of stagnation. Thelr presence, whlle It
offers hlm protectiün, makes It lmposslble tOI'" hlm to brecal<'
from the FellowshlP and he IS unable to begln hls quest untll
the FellowshlP lS brol<.e'i. He 15> trapped bv the tradlttOncal
quest format unt 11 he can see beyond i t and so breal-' of ree.
Frodo reJects the 1 dea of havlng companlons. even Sam,
:35 he sees the danqer that the compamons can De to hlm and
tne danger to the compan 1 ons. Yet he rt?S1 sts breakl nq Wl th
the FellowshlP. The dllemma ot companlons mcaves Frodo a
oaSSlve member of the party from R.vendell to Lothlorlen. He
IS caught ln the trap of MIS own conscience. he cannot suc-
ceed aione and vet he wlll net endanger nlS frlends. Gan-
dalf' s fail and the danger that fol1 ows the party at terlfldrds
crlngs Frodo partlally out ("Jf hlS self-lnvolveme,lt but 1 t
falls to push hlm Into actlon. Frcdo remal ns t.1'" apped \l'Il th 1 n
h1S role. Frodo's 1ndeC1Slon lS not due ta 'Neaknes~ but love
and an Inabllltv to sever hlS connections with hlS compan-
100
(
10ns. Frodo must s~parate h1mself from the emotlonal attach-
ments that demand nlS attention.
Frodo and the other party members,
flght the Influence of the Ring.
1he mutual love betwe~n
hampers hlS abllity to
Only Sam's totally unde-
mandlng love otters Frodo a basls from wnlch he can overcome
th~ evil Influences of the Ring.
8oromir. the representative of Gondor. attaches him-
self to Frodo when they leave Rlvendell. He becomes ob-
sessed wlth Frodo as the trip continues but Frodo remAlns
paSSlve. Boromlr's obsession lS two-fold. His feelings for
Gondor and the Ring'5 1nfluence blind h1m to Frodo's auest
and Aragorn's nature. ln concentratlng on Frodo, he ignores
the lncreasing power of Aragorn. At Amon Hen. the situation
explodes. Borom1r attempts to Influence the Ring-bearer and
Frodo recognlzes that. due to the Rlng's Influence. he can
no longer remaln wlth the Fellowsh1p. lt lS 8oromir that
make5 Frodo declde to flee the FellowshlP alone.
Frcdo succeeds ln breaking the FellowshlP, and he fln-
ally aCQUlres hlS compan1ons. Sam manages to catch up with
Frodo betore he dlsappears. As hlS last 11nk with the Shlre
and hlS old eXistence. Sam lS the anchor wlth WhlCh Frodo
remalns wlthin the phYS1Cal wcrld. The second compan1on 15 as
crltlcal. Where Sam is lncorruptlble, the second 15 already
corrupt. L1ke Sam. thlS companlon's emotional attachment te
Frodo does net Impinge on Frodo's auest. 50 from the Gates of
101
Moria through Lothlorien. Frodo is follewed by glltterinQ
eyes and padding footsteps. These foot5teps w1ll becoene hl':!
second companlon when Frodo finallv SPlltS otf from the
Fellowshl0.
Before we come to Gollum. 1 t 1 S necessar'l ta see hO\l'I
Frodo Spllts from the Fellowshlp. 1 t 1 S af ter the f al 1 ct
Gandalf and dur1ng the period in WhlCh Araqorn 1S unable ta
bring himself ta accept hlS own raIe that Frodo beglns te
awaken from his self-involvement. It is ln Lothlorien that
Frodo beg1ns to take control of his destlnv.
1 stated at the beginnlng that Frodo 15 less of a hero
than a herolne. We see thlS most clearly in hlS relatlonsh1p
with the female eharaeters. Whlle the male eharacters push
Frodo Into act1on, the females gUide hlm to understandlng.
Goldberry cl arlf1es the nature of 8ombadll. Arwen and her
chOlee clarifv Aragorn. and Gal ad!"" 1 el and her Ml rror pull
Frodo out of h1S self-involvement and lnto a recognltl0n of
his own quest. Galadrlel's Mlrror ana her reJectlon O~ the
Ring lead Frodo te understand the lmmortallty of the Elves
and, by consequence. the nature of Man' s 1 mmortall t y.
Frodo lS freed trom some of his cares ln Lothlerlen, 18
for "on the 1 and of Lorlen there was no staln." 1t 1 S here
that Frodo comes to feel nature. freec from the mel anchol y
that is visible in the 01d Forest and later ln FanQorn. ln
Lorlen, Frodo beglns to sense wnat Sam has glven up to follow
for him on the quest. Frodo beglns to balance hlmself
102
between nature and spirituality a. Sam must da. Far Frada,
this balance is critical, without it he cannat hope ta .uc-
ceed against the Ring.
As with the Shire, larien i5 nat untauched bV the
struggle. It stands as a beacon of light surraunded by dark-
ness, but ail it affers is a periad of freedam. Safe fram
the struogle, the party i5 again offered the choice bet"een
continuino on the quest and stopping. Each decides his o"n
path within himself and under Galadriel·s gaze, Frodo recog-
nizes his duty. He is freed from hi. dependence an Aragorn
and Gandalf, and can choose his own path.
It is in the Mirror that Frodo finds strength ta con-
aider the path he must follow. In the Mirror, Froda sees "hat
he misses (Gandalf and Silbo), "hat he is invalved in (his-19
tory) and finally what he ia up against (the Eye). The
three visions let Frodo offer Galadriel the Ring. In the
freedom of lori en, Frado can far a time break the compulsian
of the Ring. Galadriel recognizes the danger af the Ring.
Even theugh it is freely given, she rejects the Ring and
deeides te "diminish, and ga into the West, and remain aalad-20
riel." Galadriel·s choiee shows Frado that lave it.elf can
be a form of dominatian, and he cames clo.er ta understanding
his task. Such a lave is a travesty of itself- "ail shall 21
love me and despai r ! ... Any domination, no m~tter how
leving, must be rejected. He seeks charity and it must be
103
-" ~ , ..,..
more than just an all-encomp&SSlng love.
After leav1ng Lorien. Frodo 15 readv to ma~e the flnal
decisl0n that wlll seoarate hlm from the Fellewsh1P. rhe
struggle he has wlth the flnal dec1510n 1S symotemat1c of tne
love that Frodo feels for MIS compan10ns. It lS not that he
deSlres to Iead them 1nto danger but that he 1S unable to
secarate h1mself from the securlty that thelr love repre-
sents. It is the security of love that endangers the quest.
Without the love of his companlons. Frodo lS weakened ln hlS
struggle but with the love he 15 unab1e to begln the
struggl e. The struggle 15 betwee~ h1mself and the Rlng. he
must leave the FellowshlP to resolve 1t. 22
HIS V1Slon from the Seat of Seelng on Amon Hen forces
Frodo to acta If, as the VISion 1ndlcates. he 15 endan-
gerlng the party cy remalnlng wlth them. then he has no
chOlce but to leave and go on alone. If he travels te Gondor.
then he condemns thousands to death wlth no certa1~ty of
success. The oid herolc Ideal that Aragern still cllngs te
and which Boromlr puts forward IS what the Rlng's Influence
lS based on. Sy followlng the old ldeàls, Frodo would 10se
to the RI ng. In recognizlng thlS. FrOde recognlzes the
FellowShip for what lt 15, the last remnant of the cid 1deal.
What he falls to recognlze 15 that Sam's love and company 15
d1fferent from that of the other memoers ot the FellcwshlP.
Sam's love lS reflectlve CT the age te come. brlnglnq wlth It
no responslbl11tles or restrl~t10ns. Sam, 11 ke Lorlen, 1S
104
( unstalned and hlS love lS treely glven.
offers comfort. not constrlct10n.
Sam, 11l<e Bombadi 1.
When Froao flees the party lt lS te the beglnnlng of a
ver,/ ,..eal
Hmon ~en.
struggle tnat beQlns as soon as he 1S away irom
While Gandalf and Araqorn face many phYSICal
battles on the way. Frodo's battles are aIl Inte,..nal. Only ev
faclnq the enemy w1thln can Frodo have the strength te des-
troy the Rl ng. The enemy 15 not and cannot be elther Gollum
or Sauren. Convenient as they are, thev are also vlctims of
the Rlng at thlS pOlnt.
When Frodo leaves the party at Amon Hen, he begins hlS
ouest. He acouires hlS two cempan10ns. Sam 15 already wlth
h1m and Gollum JOlnS up wlth them after they cross the R1ver
Anduln. HlS role IS separate f,..om that of the Fellowshlp. As
a vlctlm of the Rlng, he 15 what Froao could become should he
fall the battle tor contrel. Goii um
as Sam becomes what Frodo once was.
IS what Frodo could be,
Gollum and Sam revolve
areund Frodo. who balances the confllct between them. Only in
dlvlnlng and malntalnlng the balance can Frodo establlsh a
basls for charlty, for the unconditlonal love that will lead
te 1"1an's "G1ft trom the One".
Gollum serves as more than Just Sam's OPPoslte ln the
text. he 1S alse the agent for blndlng the fate of the Rlng.
The Gollum/Smeagol personality makes hlm unstable and so
Frodo blnds Gollum te hlm w1th a promlse. Go 11 um will on 1 y
105
, .. 1 .~
promise on the Ring, his Preciaus. It 1. this promi •• - "1 23
"i Il serve the m •• ter of the Preci OUSe .. that becomes the
crux of bath of the quests. For at the time of the swearinQ,
• •• it appeared ta Sam that his master had gro"n and Gallum had shrunkl a tall, stern sh.dow, a mighty lord who hid hi. brightnes. in grey cloud, and at hi. feet a little whininQ doge Vet the two were in same "av akin and not alien: they could reach one anotherPs minds.
24
Frado 15 rap;dly becoming the Ma.ter of the Ring. He ha.
acquired some of the strenoth of mind needed and the main
part of his inner gro"th i5 still befare him.
When Gollum .wears on the Ring, Frodo is unaware of
the power that he posseS5es. As he nears Mardor, he becomes
more aware of his limits and the nature of Gollum"s decision.
When the Gates cf Mardor are impessable and Gollum offera
another "ay, Frodo sees the threat that the promise is to
Gollum and informs him of his danger-
• ln the last need, Smeagol. 1 should put on t.he Precious; and the Precious mastered you lono ago. If l, wearing it, "ere to command vou, vou would obey, even if it were to leap from a precipice or to cast yourself into the fire. And 5uch would be my command.·
25
In warning Gollum, Frodo acknawledges his a"n attach-
ment ta the Ring and reveels a part of him.elf that his
campanions have misunderstood. They "may have made a simiJ ar 26
mistake, confusing kindness and blindness." Frodo is
Qrowing, not physically as Merry and Pippin do, but spirit-
ually. He is lcsing his physical attachment to the "orld.
106
(
Wlth Sam acting as hlS only anchor, that attachment IS belng
replaced by a growlnq SPlrltual1~Y. Sam sees 1 t as "a li ght
shlnlng falntly wlthln; but now the llght was even 27
r::: 1 earer and stronger." This llght began at Rlvendell after
Frodo's Illness and now, unoer the stresses of the Journey,
It 1S growlng as Frodo qrows. As Frodo goes deeper Into
dar~ness, the lnner 11ght becomes hlS gUide. Frodo must
understand thlS llght, If he is to complete hlS quest.
For Sam, Gollum ana even Frodo, the journey to the
heart of Mordor i s not one of 1 i ght but one of darkl,ess. In
the trip from Rmon Hen to the Cracks of Doom. there are only
two moments of llght- Faramir and the Wlndow on the West and
Shelob and the Phall of Galadrlel. 80th of these moments are
tests ot Frodo's resolve and ablilty to expand hlS bellefs.
Unllke the Journeys to Rlvendell and to Amon Hen, the moments
of light are not advlsOry but are examlnatory. Frodo can no
longer seek outslde for advlce but must look lnward.
Wlth Faramlr, Frodo examines his baSIC Instincts of
trust and falth. He learns to trust Faramir. and he learns to
keep falth wlth Gollum. With Faramlr. he examines hlS heart
to rea Il z e that "though he was much li ke hl s brother 1 n
Looks, (he) was a man less self-regarding, 28
both sterner and
WIser." Seing Wlser, he sees the task and the strength that
FrOdo requlres to succeed-
'If vou took thlS thlng on yourself, unwl11ing, at others' asklng, then you have Pit y and honour from
107
· w
and
me. And 1 marvel at you: to keep it hid and not te use it. Yeu are a new people and a new world te me. '
29
"Fear not! 1 do not Wl sh to see 1 t. or touch 1 t. or know more of it than 1 know (WhlCh 1S enough). lest peril perchance waylay me and 1 fall lowcr ln the test than Frodo son of Drogo.'
30
Faramlr is a man of the age to come and sees beyond the power
of the Ring to its dangers, bath physlcal and moral.
With Gollum, it 15 ln the Forbldden Pool that Frodo fin-
ally acknowledges the full relatlonship between hlmself and
Gollum. Both Sam and Gollum are hlS servants and are bound
ta him by the complexlties of responsib1l1ty-
Only one true shot, and Frodo would be rld of the miserable V01ce forever. But no, Gollum had a claim on hlm now. The servant has a clalm on the master for service, even serVIce ln fear.
31
In thi 5 case, both the servant and the Master fear, each the
other and the task. The ties of thelr relatlonshlp are beyond
thelr ability te sever and beyand the1r abll1ty ta under-
stand. For Frodo the exam1natien of h1S relatlonship wlth
Gollum shows him the lnevitablilty of hlS own cholces- "But 1
promised that if he came to me, he should not be harmed. And 32
1 would not be proved falthless." If he reJects Gollum, he
lnvalldates what he has already accompllshed. Keeplng falth
15 as Important as retalnlng hope ln Mordor- wlthout elther,
he cannot succeed.
108
,
ln the last climb before entering Mardor, Frodo begins
to isolate his feelings about the que st as he r.ali~e.-
that what he had to da, he had ta da, if he could, and that whether Faramir or Aragorn or EIrand ar Galadriel or Gandalf or .nyane else ever knew about it was beside the purpase.
33
With the realizatian that he is isolated from those th.t he
sees es wiser th an he, Frodo·s belief in him.elf is .treng-
thened. Frodo's decisions Change wh en he recagnizes that
though his responsibillty is societal, his actual que st ls
internaI and persanal. The only help he ha. naw i. repre-
sented by talismanr:,- the Phail, the mithril armaur, Sting and
the Ring. These talismans will alsa be shed as Frodo canti-
nues deeper into Mardor.
In the battle with Shelob, Frado uses the Phail of Gala-
driel ta bring light ta the darkness. The light acts as a
weapon and Frodo·s courage is revealed, and yet Frod~ gives
the light to Sam after the first encounter with Shelob and
without it, he loses the secand encounter. UnthinkinQly,
Frodo is freeing himself from the talismans that he ha. Qrawn
to depend upan, thaugh he is not yet strang enauQh ta become
entirely free. In hi. own "ay, he i5 becoming the talis-
mans, DutgrawinQ his dependency an autside forces.
It is Sam wha completes the battle, chasing Gollum away,
and defeating the manster. While he believes that Frada is
dead, Sam faces the mast desperate decisian of his life. Sam
must choose between Frado and the quest. He choses ta take
109
- the burden of the R1ng, and wlth 1t, he takes the elven
sword, Sting. and the Pha1l. Wlth these talIsmans. he 15
orepared to cont1nue the pr1mary Quest.
Whlle Sam IS capable of completlng the prlmary que5t.
the secondary 1S beyond h1S current evolutlon. Wh1 le he has
paralleled the stages that Frodo has gone through to g~t ta
this point, he has net been develcplng ln the same areas.
While Frodo has been develoPlng ln the spiritual world of the
wraiths and the elves, Sam has been deve1cp1ng ln the human
world. As Frodo becomes more elf-like, Sam has become more
like Sombadil. He IS slmply unaware of the deeper 1ssues
that plague Frodc. Whlle he may sense them, he does nct
understand them. If the pr1mary Quest were the mast 1 mpor-
tant, Frodo's capture would be trag1c but not lrrepareable.
Sam cannat complete ~he secondary ouest, and wlthout that.
the change of ages cannot occur.
Sam reverses his decis10n when he dlscovers that Frodo
is allve, though unconSC10US. Sam IS able to abandon a dead
companion but not a living one. Tc a greater extent than
ev~n Frodo, Sam's Quest lS personal and he 15 unable to
sacrifice people for things. Sam has had to lose 8111 hlS
pony to the Quest but that was a deC1S10n oetween Frodo and
Bill and it was a near th1ng for Sam.
the RIng would vlolate what Sam 1S,
To sacrifIce Frodo for
and so Sam 15 able to
wear the Ring under the Eye of Sauron for a short t1me. It
110
(
lS not th et Sam 15 not tempted, it is that the temptation
vlolates what he sees hlmself as belng-
'In that hour of trIal lt was the love of hlS master that helped most te hold hlm flrm; but also deep down ln hlm lived stIll unconQuered hlS plain hObblt-sense: he knew ln the core of hIS heart that he was not large enouqh to baar such a burden, even If such VISions were not a mere cheat to betray hlm. The one small garden of a free gardener was aIl hlS need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; hlS own hands to use, not the hands of oth~rs to command.'
34
A5 with Fredo, Sam's sense of identlty IS his defense
agalnst the Ring. This defense enables hlm to free Frodo and
allows both te continue the Que~t.
The final march is a la5t test of Frode's will. He IS
alone agalnst the RIng and the burden of the RlnQ lS like a
great welght in Mordor. More a weight on the soul than on
the body but, for Frodo. it 15 eQulvalent. HlS oody and hls
soul allke are stretched taut agalnst the forces of the Quest
and the pressures of the Rlng. Whlle the battle IS Internal.
the RIng l~ felt as a phY51cal burden by the bearer, espec-
lally when he runs counter to the desires of the Rlng. 35
Wlth
Frodo. hlS lncreaslng "hopelessness" IS symptomatlc of the
burden. In carryl ng 1 t, it takes hlm farther and farther
from the physlcal realm, and only his lnner bellefs keep hlm
gOlng towards the mountain. The more the RIng takes away,
the more Frodo becomes hlS true self.
The battle IS between the Ring's possessIon of Frodo's
darker slde and Frodo's possession of hlS lighter side. Even
111
as it strlves to take control. 36
the Rlng separates Fredo tram
his pasto tak1ng hlm Into a dark~ess where onlv hiS lnner
light can support hlm. Eventually he isolates hlmselt tram
the Phail, so that the only llght avallable ta him IS the ~7
Wheel of Fire. the llght WhlCh keeps out aIl ether llQhts.
The Wheel of Fire that grows ln hlS mlnd's eye becomes the
center of his e~lstance, and lt 1S only ln conquer1ng the
Wheel, that Frodo can complete the quest.
As Frodo Increases hlS hold over hlS Inner Ilght, h1S
darker side IS pushed more firmly lnto the posseSS1on of the
Ring but lt is forever gone from Frodo. He 15 strlPPlng
hlmself of aIl hlS earthly attachment5, both emotlanal and
socletal. The Violence that 1S represented by the sword must
be denied as 1t 1S one of the weapons that the Ring can use
agalnst hlm. As a re5ult, Frodo glves St1ng to Sam and den1es 38
the orclsh blade that he had been glven. Only by striPPing
himself to the baSICS of llfe can Frado hope ta overcome the
Ring and yet thlS very denlal of hlS past Ilfe makes hlm
susceptlble te the Ring's lnfluence.
Sam is the reserV01r for the emetlons and senses that
Fredo must shed to ~ont1nue the struggle wlth the Ring. He
has g1ven up the earthly belonglngs that slowed hlm phYSI-
cally, and he is givlng up the emotlons that slow hlm splrlt-
ually. He 1S free1ng hlmself for the final battle wltn the
Ring. It is a battle where one's emet10nal baggage can be
112
(
used against one, so Frodo clears himself of emotianal ties.
His dependence on Sam remains, as only Sam free him from it.
Sam has felt what has driven Frodo on- the sense that the
"Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light 39
and high beauty for ever beyond its reach." Knowing this,
Sam can be Frodo·s anchor. He can "Lead me~ As long as you·ve 40
got Any hope left."
Fredo is slipping farther and farther inta the astral
werld of the Ring. He is 10sing touch with his self-
• 1 know that such things happened, but 1 cannet see them. No taste of food, no sound of wind, no memory of tree or gra5s or flDwer, no image of moon or star are left to me. 1 am naked in the dark, Sam, and there is no veil between me and the wheel of fire.·
41
Te conquer the Ring, he must first canquer himself, which
l~aves him vulnerable to the Ring. He is caught between his
need te free himself from earthly attachments and the vul-
nerability that is Inherent in "being naked in the dark."
On the final climb up Mount Doom, both Sam and Frodo
reach their turning points- Sam breaks his last ties to the
Shire when he abandens his precious pots and pans, and with
them, the old masterlservant routine. He is FrDdo·s compan-
ion, rather than servant. This is most apparent when Sam
carries Frodo up the slope-
He had feared that he would have barely the strength te lift his master alone, and beyond that he had expected to share in the dreadful dragginQ weight of the accursed Ring. But it was not sa. Whether because Frodo was 50 worn by long pains,
113
wound of knlfe, and v€nomous stlng, and sorrow. fear, and homeless wanderlnQ, or because sorne glft of flnal strength was g1ven h1m, Sam 11fted Frodo wlth no more d1fflculty than 1f he were carrylnq a hobblt-chlld plg-a-back •
42
Whatever Sam can do for Frodo, the burden of the RIng cannat
be shared, just as Its power cannot.
Frodo has also reached hlS pOlnt of balance. Ll~e Gan-
dalf he lS now robed in white. 43
His power is equalled by hlS
purity of spirit. Frodo has stepped through the wheel of
fire and yet he is caught between the Rlng and his own spe-
ci al light- Frodo 1S one step away from falllng or rlslnq.
Facing the wholly fallen Gollum, Frodo repeats the threat
of the proml se- "touch me ever aga1 n, 44
you shall be cast
your·sel f 1 nto the Fl re of Doom." Frodo can now make the
final cl1mb to the Cracks of Doom. The dlfferlng aspects of
Frodo's quest come together. Frodo cla1ms the RIng at ItS
place of manufacture and he 1S correct when he clalm5 the
Rlng fo~ himself. In the long voyage through Mordor he has
flnally "mastered" the Ring. He c:an step "through" the wheel
of fire and take on hlS full potentlal.
Sauron's doom 15 two-fold. If Frodo takes full control
of the Rlng and ail its functien5, then Sauron has lest the
Ring again. Should Frodo galn the strength to throw the RIng
away, Sauron's doom wlil be complete. ln elther sltuatlon,
Sauron's power is threatened-
And far away, as Frodo put on the Rlng and clalmed it for his own, even ln Sammath Naur the very heart
114
(
l'et
of hlS realm, the Power in Barad-dur was shaken, and the Tower trembled from its foundatlons to lts proud and bitter crown ••• For he knew hlS deadly peril and the thread upon which hiS deom new hung.
45
Frodo can only master the Ring for a short time and tnen
he too would fa11 to lts illuslons. lt 15 in that brlef
moment of control that the doom of the Ring comes lnte play.
Frodo has bound Goii um to the Ri ng by oath and t i ed the
power of the Ring to that oath. GOllum, driven by the Ring,
must prevent Frodo from either destroying it or mastering it
and yet he can only prevent this by touching the Ring. ln
touchlng the Ring at the moment of Frodo's mastery, the oath
and Fredo's threat cornes into play-
'If I, wearlng lt, were to command you, yeu would obey, even if it were to leap from a precipice or to cast y~urself inte the fire. And such would be my command.'
4ô
The vow destroys Gollum and the Ring, and it is the VQW that
f rees Frodo.
BV claimlng the Ring on the edge of the Chasm, Frodo
Mas momentarl1y merged the two inherltances- that of the
Elves and that of Man. Vet the age of the El ves i s over and
the two lnherltances cannot co-exist 'withln one being. Tol-
klen's "Glft of the One" to Man can only be redeemed when the
Ring lnherltance lS destroyed and the full lnheritance of Man
l S reveal ed. The Quests become one at the moment when Frodo
steps through the wheel of flre, and the two inheritances are
fused. The herl tages of both El ves and Man are combined
115
wi thi n Frodo and when the Ri ng i 5 torn away and fall s. the
heritage of the Elves in Middle-earth fails as weIl.
Gollum, fall en as he i s. i 5 the instrument bv Whl ch
Frodo frees himself from that fInal duallty and balances
himself firmly between the physilcal and metaphysu:al worlds.
The fallen of the Rlng lS the agent of 1 ts fal1. At last
Frodo becomes the possessor of true chari ty. As Sam sees-
ther. wasFrodo, pale and worn, and yet himself &gain; and in his eye!5 there was peac:e now, neither strain of will, nor madness, nor Any fear.
47
Frodo is not unchanged by his experienc:e, more than a fi nger
has been torn away by Gcllum~ 5 fall. He has passed beyond
the wheel of flre and the lcss of 1 ts phYSlcal emblem wi 11
not change that. Frodo is pa st pit y te understandlng. He
can see ln the fall of Gollum. "1 S own success-
(But for hlm, Sam, 1 coul d not have destroyed the Ri n9. The Quest woul d have been 1 n val n, even at the bitter end. 50 let us fergive him! For the Quest 1 S achi eved
48
1 t i s not over. Frodo compl eted the pri mary Quest when the
Ring falls but the seccndary quest must still be c:omp1eted.
"Christian charity has to be love of people lndlvldually, not 49
j ust general gcod wlli. Il
The fa11 of the Ring makes the new age possible, when
the three vi rtues have been brcught i nte the wor 1 d of Man
then the seccndary Quest can be compi eted. Out of the dust
and earthquakes of the fall of Sauron, the complete change
116
comes. Frodo has reallzed hlS quest and the change begins to
ex tend beyond hl m. The influence of hlS quest lS vlsible ln
,-Faramlr and Eowyn. At the moment preceding the f al! of the
Ring, Éowyn stands 1001<1ng eastward and feels as if-
<1 stand upon sorne dreadful brlnk, and lt is utterly dark in the abyss before my feet, but whether there lS any l1ght behind me 1 cannat tell. For 1 cannat turn yet, 1 walt for some stroke of doom."
50
Bath Faramir and ~owyn stand as if on the bri nk wi th Frodo.
As Aragorn and Gandalf battie at the Gates of Mordor, Faramir
" and Eowyn experience the fall of the Ring and the blrth of
charlty- "and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason
can deny • • in thl s hour 1 do not beli eve that any dark-51 .,
ness WIll endure! Il In Faramir, Eowyn, and Sam, the apo-
'" theoSls of Frodo lS carrled lnto the everyday. 50 Eowyn can 52
say. "No longer do 1 deslre to be a Queen" and brlng about
the new age.
The world of Man must be settled before Frodo can com-,
pIete hlS own transformation. On the Plains of Pelennor
before the gates of Gondor, the final transformation occurs.
Charity glves to faith the crown of hope. As trite as it
mlght appear, the new age of Man begins at that moment. The
f 1 nal tal i smans of the new age come to Gondor- the Whl te Tree
and 1 ts Glueen, in whom "not the day on 1 y shall be beloved but
the nlght too shall be beautlful and blessed and aIl lts fear 53
pass away. Il And to the Ri ng-bearer i s gl ven Arwen Even-
117
' ..
54 star's place at the Havens. More hereine than hero. Frodo
is given a place of reste
For Frodo the task is not complete unti 1 he returns tu
the Shlre. It i s from the Shl re ~at he set out and 1 t l S to
the Shire that he must return. 1 f he does nct cont i nue tl1 S
influence into h1S home then he has not succ:eeded. 1 t 1 S at
home that charity must prove itsel.f and where he battles hlS
final enemy, Saruman. Saruman has been lessened by hlS
defeat by fai th, broleen by the advent of hope but st i Il
unab 1 e te stop hi s destruct ive tendenCl es. Saruman has
fallen but he is determined to take the world wlth him.
It 1S l'lere that charlty can prove itself, that Frodo can
forgive Saruman as he"has forc;pven himself. Saruman' 5 des-
truction of the haven that Frodo was comlng home to. the
haven whi ch he dreamt of on the long quest, 1S the flnal
straw whi ch fai 1 s to break Frodo. Here he takes no revenge
and offers no recriminations. The war that others fought in
the fields. he fought in hl s heart and bel ng the Wl nner he
does not crow over the .fallen enemy.
lt is Frodo's mercy that kills Saruman. The d 1 f ference
between Frodo and Saruman 1 s too great for Wormtonque the
fai th 1 esse He could maintain his loyaltv ln the face of
fa1th and hope but the love that forglves aIl lS too strong.
Wormtongue dies to be redeemed, seeklng love ln the onlv way
he knows, tnrough death.
Frodo can br i ng chari t y to th. ShI re, and l'lit and Sam can
118
salve the damage of the war. but Frodo cannet survi ve in the
world that he has built. He can forgl ve all and mend much.
but that WhlCh has been torn trom hlm, he c:annot repal r •
Frodo's passage through the wheel of flre and the 10S5 0+ the
dream cannot be redeemed. He has 5een beyend the walls of
the phYS1Cal world and cannot new be reconciled te it. For 55
hlm- "aIl 1S dark and empty." He can see the changes begin
but he h1mself IS far past them. For him, the world that he
has brought into belng is not eneugh.
The world that Frodo has created is for Sam. He IS the
inher1ter. His master is unable te live in hlS world and he
lS unable to leave It. As they say towards the end-
'Do not be teo sad. Sam. You cannet always be torn ln two. Vou wi Il have to be one and whole, fer many years, Yeu have so much to enjoy, to be, and te do.'
• But,' sa1 d Sam, and tears started in hi s eyes, • 1 thought vou were 901n9 to enJoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after aIl vou have done.'
'50 1 thought too, once. But 1 have been too deeply hurt, Sam. l tried to save the Shlre, and it has been saved, but net for me. It must often be so, Sam, when th1ngs are in danger: someone has te give them up, lose them, so that ethers may keep them. But '''ou are my hei r: aIl that 1 had and ml ght have had 1 1 eave to you.·
Sb
Sam 1S all that Frodo had become, but the saCrl f i ce that
Frodo made was for Sam and 50, as he foresaw in Bombadil's
house, Fredo passes the veil a second tlme into the 11ght.
Now 1 S the t 1 me f or Il ~Y~Qg!i!.!:!!!! a fi eetlng
gllmpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant
119
l, -57
as gr i ef. Il Frodo. in passing beyond the world of Man.
completes Tolklen>s hlstory of a fairy tale. and "though ail
the mlghty elf-friends of old, Hador. and Hurln. and TGrln.
and Seren hlmself were assembled together. your seat would be 58
among them." And so the story goes on, Wl th other t'teroes
and other Quests.
120
(
(
Ib~ b9!:f! Qi S!J~ B!!J9§ ends wlth Sam's beginnlng, with
the moment ln 8ag-end when Sam IS reunited wlth hlS family.
Contlnultyof Ilfe 1S an lmportant part of Tolklen's worl<' and
lt is thlS contlnulty ttlat lS the focus o-t Tolklen's mythe
As Sam and Frodo go through thel r adventure, they real i ze
that they are part of an on-going process, that they are only
one element in the mythic: reality of Middle-earth. The
hlstorlcal and mythic: background of Middle-earth 5ubstan-
t i ates the feel i ngs of the two hobbi ts. They begin to see
the myth1 c structure of I!!~ ~g~Q. Qi ~b.~ B!'Qg~ as an eternal 1
process, as Sam says "Don' t the great tal es never end?"
The1r success in Mordor represents the ongolng changes in
herolsm in Tolklen's Mlddle-earth and so, Sam·can observe, 2
"1 wonder how 1 t wIll go on after cur part."
Looking at Tolkien's work, we realize that he was one of
the few modern writers who 1S capable of belng "possessed by
the myths they recount (or invent) by Vl rtue of sorne unI que 3
ab 111 ty • " . . The world that Tolkien created is mythic-
aIl y sound. It 1 S not as 1 f he had regurgi tated the myths of
our pasts but as 1f the myths of Mlddle-earth stand sol idly
of thelr own rlght. We can see the musIcal creation of
see the creatl en of the mortal reality. The never-endlng
great tale flows from the early ages te the new age and it
121
~ : -
_ ....
-
u ••• staries, legends And myth ta accomplish the progre •• ion.
The mythic background af the text. acr:ent.uates th. t.ransferral
of power from immortal morality ta mort_l re.lity. lt i. thl!
movement of myt.h in the text t.hat creAtes the under 1 yi ng
secondary quest in Ih~ bgl:~ 9i j;h!! B!!!SU!-
Well-wrought fant.sy challenges our log1 cal upbringi no.
It challenges our belief in the rationality of the modern
novel • We do not al ways want ta Bee the creature under the
bed but when we deny him, we da not vanquish him. As T .A.
"if Tolkien Qot
th .... ough ta 50 many people who would find no -relevance· in
'ineestuous dukes· At. al1, then possibl y the preoc:c:upation
wit.h licenc:e and self-gratificat.ian whieh that example sug-
gests is nat a unive .... s.l instinct., and no mo ..... bre.dly ba.ed 4
than Tolkien·. Victorian pieties .. " The ''l'''elevance'' of Tol-
kien·s warld is in its mythic int.ent. The twe quests develop
in .... esponse to the underlying myth, ta the mensters unde..- the
bed.
In .... ecognizing that the text is made up of two quests,
we need te observe that .. a myth i 5 an open-ended prece5s; a
wa .... k of literature is a closed preduct. Anybody may centri-
but.e his little bit t.a III myth, but i. obliged to .... espect the :;
original integ .... i ty of a paem or • play." The two levels of
the text. respond te the two quests. Bath t.he p .... im.l"'y and
secand.ry quest suceeed in the cantext ef Ih!! bg!:~ Qi !;b~
Bi!lg~ because they l'''espend t.e different fOI"'c:es. The prlmary
122
(
quest responds to the novel, but the secondary quest responds
to the mythe
Though the secondary quest partakes of some of the moral
questlons that we flnd ln Chrlstlan ideology, i t i 5 not a
retelling of the story of Christ. What we flnd 15 that "if
one thlnks that a 'myth' should be a 'story repeatlng ln
ve11ed form the truth of Chnst Crucified',
8!!J9§ does not quaI i fy el ther. Th .. re I S an evi 1 Power in
both stories, and a g1oriou5 Tree, but Frodo, to make onl y
three of the most obvious points, is not sacrificed. is not
the Son of God, and buys for hlS peopl e onl y .:,
a 1 i mi ted,
wor ldl y and temporary happiness." The Quest for the theo-
1 ogi cal vlrtues 15 pre-Christian as those virtues are a
requl rement ln the formatIon of the conceptual basls of a
ChrIstIan society.
There is a major stumbling black to the success of the
secondary quest and It lS, as Derek Brewer so aptly pOInts
out, that "there 15 ln the human conSClousness a deep sense
that the ul t I mate goodness of the un1 verse reQui res an ul tl-
mate sacriflce of self that would usually seem to be the 7
ultlmate personal d1saster." He fu,..thers the pOInt when he
says that "self-sacrifice lS most pOIgnant when it is en-
t 1 rel y sol i tary; when apparent 1 y no one can ever know of the
lonely painful deed that has been ungladly vOlunteered, and
that has apparentl y been of no avai 1. Thi 5 soli tary heroi sm
123
-f , .... -
i s Frodo' s • • this is a hopelessness WhlCh lS not desoalr; 8
an assertlon of the Will which denles the self." l>Je Wl sh ta
see Frodo as the Chr i st. redeemlnQ Man and freelng nlm tram
hl S 51 ns. What we cannot seem to see 1 s the orocess by wt11 ch
the sacriflces of the FellowshlP, lncludlng those ot Froda,
f ail to follow the Chn st 1 an schema.
What we find ln the secondary Quest IS a balanclng act
between the needs of the ind1vldual and the needs of the
society, between docm and free-will. The creation of an
equilibrlum between these abstract notlons is part 0+ the
secondary Quest's problem. Gandalf's Influence on Frodo makes
Frcdo very aware of the forces that set hlm on the road to
Mordor. Yet when he lS separated from the FellowshlP, he
becomes more aware of hl s own ChOl ces 1 n the Quest. 1 t 1 s the
discussion between Frodo and Sam on the nature of tales that
shows us the emerglng balance between ~he dltterlng con-9
cepts. Frodo's reliance on socletal norms made hlm ta~e the
Quest, but 1 t 1 s when he i s free of those norms that he Cdn
suc:ceed in his Quests. The Questers are forced lnto moments
when they are c:aught between SOclety and self. 1 t 1 S onl y
when the questers chaIl enge the bell efs of thelr SOCidl
upbrlnging that the society can change. When the quests are
completed, a balance is created that enables the lndlvldual
to become a part of the recreated SOCl al norme
The secondary quest serves as an lnitlatlon. As such. lt
lS lia process that begins ",uth a rite of submlss1on, followed
124
(
cy a perl od of contai nment. and then by a further rite of
11 berat 1 on Il so that the lnitlate" can reconcll e the . confllctlng elements of nis personall t y: He can strl ke a
ba 1 ance that makes hlm truly human, ana truly the master of 1(t
hlmsel+. " Each Quester str ives to attaln \l'Ihat we see in
the character of Tom Bemcadll, a level of self-mastery that
ensures that the balance is malntalned. Unlike Bembadll, the
three Que5ters have to malntain that balance witnln the
centext of society. The self-set bounds of Bombadil are not
possible for the three Quest heroes. The characters have to
ensure that the bal ance operates wi thl n the structure of
their soclety, 50 that they can change their society.
Iron i calI y, the quest te destroy the RI ng 1 s ..,hat makes
Frodo susceptible to destruction by the Ring. At the Cracks
of Doom, Frodo lS ln equl11br1um and 1t is wrong to say that
"Frodo, everyone' s hero, reall y fall s the test at the drama-
tlC moment, and must be re5cued by hlS slithering, unwilling 11
shadew. " Frode's eQulllbrlum, Mis self-masterv, lS what
makes hlm susceptible to the R1ng's influence and makes the
Rlng suscept1ble te hlS Influence. Frodo's self-realizatlon
at the Cracks of Doem lS solely that of charlty, the vlrtue
WhlCh he comes te understand on his voyage. Onl y when he
becomes "charltv" can Frodo activate Gollum's vow. When we
see Frodo at the Cracks of Doom, we are looking at the moment
when the two quests meet and d1verge. The primary quest 15
125
L
-, 1
completed and the completion of the sec:ondary quest i!i set ln
motIon.
When Goll um and the Ri ng are destroyed. a part. of what
Frodo was stn vi ng to attai n i 5 destroyed as weIl. Gall um 1 S
r.ot Frodo' s shadow-hal f, and hi 5 loss does nct 1 ead Frodo ta 12
a "deeper one-sldedness. Il What Frodo loses lS a mul t 1-
sldedness that lS beyond hlS mortal c:apabll1tles. Frodo was
"Master of the Ring" when it was bitten off and yet he actl-
vates the vow. Even though, he had the self-mastery to clau
the Ring, he was able to deny lt to himself. In the moment
of realizatI0n. when he embodied bath mertal and lmmortal
realities, he could rec:ognize the limlts cf hlS attainment.
Frodo does not have the power of a Chr i st. for 1 f he had.
Goll um woul d net have fal1 en Wl th the RI ng. Wl theut that
power, Fredo cannet redeem what 15 lost. he can onlv forglve
the unforgivable.
Tolkien's is a world in WhlCh ". • an y true here or
MerCl ne of Il terary f antasy dl sc:overs at 1 ast that the on 1 y
fire they can steal is already and orllJlnally thelr own 13
fire." The three Quest heroes cOllle te thlS reallzatlon.
Gandalf, the servant of Promethean F1re. Aragorn, the leader
of the Army of the Oead and ul t i matel y, Frodo, bal anc 1 ng
hl msel f on the Crac: k s of Doom, come to reali ze that thelr
quests are internaI. Ali that they brlng back tram thelr
quests i s what they had to begl n Wl th. Thelr trlumphs are
tr i umphs over themsel ves rather than over ethers.
126
(
(
Thf.? thesl s started Wl th 8ernard F. Huppé' 5 statement
that "even if a paoan hero were b 1 essed Wl th pi et y and the
cardlna! virtues. he could nct thereby attain the status of
Chrlstlan here, whlch lnvolves the posseSSlon of the three 14
theologlcai vlrtues of Feuth, Hope and Charlty. Il As we go
through the secondary Quest, we f 1 nd that thl s hol ds true in
In Tolklen's tri logy there are no
Chl"'lstlan heroes, no her'o possessing piety and the three
theologltai vlrtues. What we flnd 15 that the three vlrtues
are "dlscovered" by the actions of the three Questers.
Wl th the passi ng of the El 'les and the emer gence of Man
as the doml nant force, the need for a social and rellgious
baSls poslted in Man's mortallty lS the maln fac:tor ln
Mlddl e-earth. Wi th the "di sc: overy" cf f ai th, hope and char-
1 ty 1 n the second ary quest, the possibllity for Chrlstian
herOl sm i s crec'lted for the ch i Idren and 1 nhen tors of those
who made the Quest. As Gandalf tells Arago!"'n Just Defore
they flnd the sapling of the White Tree-
'This is your realm, and the heart of the greater realm that shall be. The Third Age of the world i s ended, and the ne .... age i s begun; and i t i 5 your task te order 1 ts beglnni ng and to preserve what may be preserved • • And aIl the lands that you see, and those that Ile around about them, shall be d .... ellings of Men. For the time comes of the Domln10n of Men, and the El der Ki ndred shall fade or depart. • The burden must 1 i e now upon you and your kl ndred. '
15
Wlth the destruction of the Ring, Man's beliefs must be based
127
upon his positlon in the mortal world. With the passinc} of
the El yeso the vir'tues brought bac:\< trom the secon.:ldry Quest
serve as Man's baS1S for bellef ln the tlme of hlS dOmlrHon.
l t 1 s wi th appearance of the theol og 1 r:dl v 1 r tues that \"e
see Tolklen'"s "eu.catastrophe" ln that It "denles (ln the face
of much eVI dence, if you wlll) uni versaI f 1 nal deteat and ln
so far" i s evangel i um, gi "1 ng a fl eet i ng 9 1 i mpse of Joy, Joy ~6
beyond the walls of the wcrld, poignant as grlef." A jny
seen and lost by Frodo and that mal<es the wor 1 d he recreated
insufficient to hcld him. A joy that Frodo wIll s fer hl S
i nher i tors, as the Ring was Nilled to him, free of sIn and
confusi on. It 15 thlS joy that makes Tolklen's tale pre-
Chnsti an and that maltes !'Q~ ~2cq et tl}~ B!.lJ.q~ a place where 17
"Legend and Hl story have met and been fused. Il
128
1 8ernard F. Hupp', !~!_~!~9_i~_~Q!_~!~~~~ï_Çi~Yl !_~!!~=
lQq_tQ_~!~~~~Q_bt~~[~~y~~ Medleval and Renaissance Texts and Studles vol. 33 (8inghampton: State University of New York at Blnghampton, 1984> 36.
2-J.R.R. Tollnen, "On Falry-steries" rpt. I!!~_~QlJ.âi~Câ_~Qg
~b~_Çr~!!~~_gDg_Qsb~r_~33~~~ ed. Christopher Tolkien (Boston: Houghton-Mlffl1n Co.. 1984) 109-161. from !!:!!_.!!JSLb!§f (1964> 156.
3T.A. Shippey, I!!~_BQ!~_~g_~tg~l!=!!~~h <London: George Allen le Unwin, 1982) 150.
4 Ruth S. Noel, In~_~~~n21Qg~_2f_~~ggl!=g!~i!! <Boston:
Houghton-Mlfflln Co., 1978) 10.
5 Interlace seeks ta mirror the perceptlon of the
flux of events in the world around us, where everything is happening at oncp. Its narrative line is digressive and cluttered, dlvidlng our attention among an Indeflnlte number of events, characters, and themes, any one of which may domlnate at any glven time, and it 1'3 often ind1fferent to cause and ef fect rel at 1 onsh i ps. The paths of the characters cross, diverge, and recross, and the story passes from one to anether and then another but does not follow a single line. AIse, the narrator implies that there are innumerable events that he has not had time to tell us about; moreover, no attempt IS made to provide a clear-cut beginning or end to the story. We feel that we have interrupted the chaotic actlvlty of the world at a certain point and followed a selection from it for a time, and that after we leave, it contInues on ltS own random path. The author, or someone else, may perhaps take up the threads of the story again later and add to it at oeglnning, middle, or end. (83-84)
Ri chard C. West, Il The Inter! ace structure of I!!~_~gr.~=
Q!_~b§'_Bi!Jg!" e_IQ!.!5!§,!J_,Çpme!!! ed. J ared LObdell (New York: Ballantlne Books, 19BO) 82-102.
6 In Tolklen's Second Age, Saur on managed to convince some
of the great El ven Sml ths to rnake the Great RI ngs. (NI ne for Men, Seven for Dwarves, Three for Elves> Between them they made the Nine and th~ Seven but the Elves made the Three by themselves And Sauron secretly made anothRr, the One Ring.
129
-~ u The One Ring was designed to dominate the others, to act as a controlling agent. However the Elves sensed what Sauron was doing and hld their RIngs. The Nlne RIngs of Men fell to the power of Sauron's One and the Nlne Klngs became Wraiths under Saurcn's control. The Owarven RIngs were destrO'jed or lest, one by one. Flnally the One RIng was taken frem Sauran and lost to all knowledge. The LOTR begins with the acknowledgement that Bllbo's RIng lS the One Rlng.
7 J.R.R. TolkIen, In~_8~~~~Q_gt_sn!_~~Qqt §~~Œ9_tQ~
Ihl~~_eê~~_1i_In!_~Q~q_2f_~~!_8~Qg! (London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1955) 251.
Hereafter signified by III.
8 Gunnar Urang, "Tolkien's Fantasy: The Phenomenology of
Hope" §b~~9~!_2f_S~~_!m!g!~!S!g~ ed. Mark R. Hillegas (Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1979) 97-110; 105.
ChrIstopher Nugent, ~~!~!_gt_ê~~~Qt IQ!_Q~~eQ~~_lQ_~~!: ~g~t (London: Sheed and Ward, 1983) 60.
10 w. T. H. Jackson, !h@_t!~~2_!Qq_~h~_l!;i.Qgt ~Q_€2!.~_It!~~~
(New Vor k: Co 1 umb l a UP. 1982) S.
11 Charles Moorman, '''Now Entertaln Conjecture of a Tlme'
The Fictive Worlds of C. S. Lewls and J.R.R. Tolloen" ln §h!g2~~_gt_~rr@_!m!qtQ!~i.2Q ed. Mark R. Hillegas 59-69; 62.
12 Urang, 108.
13 J.R.R. Tolkien, Irr!_E!ttg~~rrt~_gt_~n@_~tQ9t ê~~Qg_~n~:
El~!!_2!~!_gf_In!_~g~g_gf_~rr!_8tQg~ 2nd Ed. <Boston: HouQhton Mi ff lln Co.. 1965) 114.
Herea~ter signlfled by 1.
14 "There is an lnhuman, amoral Quality 1n both the Foel
and the Hero, 50 that each poses a threat to socIety. They shock and bewilder us and rebel agalnst our cherlshed conventions. Yet vHthout them soclety could scarcely survlve." (44)
H.R.E. Davidson, "The Hero as a Focl: The Hamlet" The Hero in Tradit10n and Folklore ed.
---~-------~---------~------------Davidson (London: The Folklore Society, 1984) 30-45.
130
Northern H. R. E.
(,~
(
15 1 Foreword ô-7.
16 1 Foreword 7.
17 Shi ppey, 160.
18 Dav i dson, 44.
19 J. R. R. ToI kien, "Beowul f: The Monsters and the Cri ti cs"
rpt. !b~_~9D!S~~~_!Dg_~n!_~~!S!S!_~D9_Q~b!~_g~!!~! ad. Christopher Tolkien 5-48 +rom e~gS!!9!D9! g!_SO!_~c!s!~n_8s~g~mt vol. )()(il; 15.
20 Tol ki en, E~!.Cl 139.
21 Tolklen, E~!.~~ 144.
22 Tolkien, E~i~~ 156.
23 Edmund Wilson, "00, those Awful Orcs~" ~!t!.glJ cl)(xxii
(AprIl 14, 1956): 312-14.
24 "Many c:hlldren make and then inhabit imaginary kingdoms.
A few suc:h chlldren, when grown up, still fabric:ate whole fantasles." <3>
Catherlne R. Stlmpson, ~~8~8~_IQl~!'~Q <New York: Columbia UP, 1969)
25 Tolkien, E~!.~~ 130.
26 Tolkien, §~9~~lf 15.
27 Jeffrey Burton Russell, !a~_Q~y!.lt
iCQ~_enttg~!.t~_tg_e~!.m!.~!.y~_çQ~t!t!.~n!.t~ Cornell UP, 1977) 236.
28 Russell, 248.
131
e~~~~2t!.9Q~_9f_Sy!.l <Ithac:a and London:
29 What follows is a cendensed versIon of the "Akallabeth"
from J.R.R. Tolkien, !b~_§!lID~rill~9D ed. ChrIstopher Telklen (London: George Allen ~ Unwln. 1977>
After the end of the flrst age, the Gods created a land far the heuses of Men who had fought agalnst Melker, MorQoth Baugl i r, the Power ef Terrer and Hate. Te the three houses of the Edain was glven a land called by the Gods Andor, Land of Gift and by Men, it was called Elenna or Starwards, also Anadune WhlCh lS Westernesse. WhlCh translat~s 1nte Numenore in the Hl gh El dar 1 n tongue. The Numenoreans, al so known as the D~nedain, took as their flrst K1ng, Elros, brother ot Elrond, descended from Man, Eldar and Malar. He I1ved flve hundred years and his descendants also had Ilfe longer than other Men.
The D~nedain grew mighty in craft and knowledge and they lived undar only one prohibition. The Valar forbade that they should sail so far west that the shores of Numenore could not be seen. ThIs being so, the great sallors of the Numener1ans sailed eastward to M1ddle-earth. They found lt under shadow and its peoples fearful. They brought wlth them knowledge and skills and stayed fer only a shert tlme. In t1me they bUllt klngdoms and cities in M1ddle-earth but already they were bemoaning their fate, the 6ift ef Iluvatar. the fact of thelr mortal1 ty. For. as they sa1 d • Why shoul d we not envy the Valar. or even the least of the Deathless? Fer us lS required a blind trust. and a hope w1thout assurance, know1ng not what lies before us ln a I1ttle while. And yet we aIse love the Earth and woul d not lose 1 t. (§!!!!.l!!:!l!.'!'QD 265)
At this t1me there was a splIt between these whe had lost falth in Eru 1 s gift and those who retained lt, those who ruled and the Elend1li. the Elf-friends. ln thlS Age. Sauron rose in Middle-earth and wlth him were hlS R1ng-wralths and he made war on the'Numenoreans and he lost. He lest ta HrPharaz6n, who was proud, and, thlnklng he was strenger than Sauron, brought him to Numenor. And Saur en slowly Led the Numenoreans from the worshlp of Eru te that of Melkor. The Numenoreans, angry because they dld not have ever-lastlnq llfe, belleved Sauron and were led to evil paths. They destroyed the Temple of Eru and burnt the WhIte Tree, symbol of the Kingship. Isildur, followers of the Elendll1, saved one sapl i ng of the Tree. But the eVl1 1 n the 1 and 1 ed te the decline of the Nûmenorians, lilness, madness and sorrow came to them until flnally they declded to vlolate the 8an of the Valar to assaul t ·Vallnor. Sauron had convlnced them that immortal1ty was part of the land, not of the Valar themselves. 50 Ar-Pharazôn made a vast fleet and salled to assaul t Vall nor •
The Elendill gathered aIl that they possessed and prepared thelr ShlPS to sail east If Ar-Pharazôn dld sal1 west. When
132
(
he landed in Valinor, the Valar returned the governance of tne world to Eru for a tlme and Eru changed the world. Numenorla was destroyed as was the fleet and army of the N~menorians and the Lands of the Eldar and the Valar were removed beyond the reach of Men. Of the Numenoreans only the Elendlll survlved going east to Middle-earth but Sauron survlved as well though he lost for aIl time hlS ability to take human shape.
Thus fell N~menoria and now only the Elves can go to the True West.
30 Carl G. Jung, "Approaching the Unconscious" ~!!n_!!ng
~i§_§~mg9!§ ed. Carl G. Jung (New York: Dell Publishlng Co., 1968> 91.
31 T.R. O'Neill, !Q!_!QglylgY!!~!9_~2qql~ (Soston:
Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1979) 104.
32 Andrew Rutherford, "The Common Man as Haro: Literature
of the Western Front" !n~_bi~!~~~Yr!_gf_~!~~ E!~! §~Y~!~§_iD= _!j!!:9if_~!!:~!J~ ed. Andt"ew Rutherford (New York: Harper le Row Co.. 1978) 85.
133
-,., ~'-
1 Stlmpson, 45.
2 WIlliam Ready" !~~_Igl~l!Q_~!l~~iQQ (Chlcago: Henry
Regnery Co., 1968) 121.
3 Tom Bombadll uses rainy weather as a tlme for instilling
a sense of history inte the four young hobbltS. 1 140-142.
4 NUCiJent, 4.
5 Nugent, bô.
6 Tolkien, @!e~!:!!.:t 20.
7 Nugent, ll.
e Nugent, 18b.
9 Nugent, 23.
10 Nugent, 22.
11 Nugent, 23.
12 Nugent, 22.
13 Ready, 94.
14 Shippey, 91.
15 Nugent, 153.
134
(
16 Nugent, 102.
17 / The palantlri, the Seven Stones of OGnedaln legend, were
crafted ln the f1rst Age by Fëanor. the great sm1th who made the 511 marlI. They were desl gned to respond each to the ether te send messages and te see from afar. The Seven Stones had been glven te the House of Elendil ln Numenor1a when Sauron was brought there. When they escaped the fail of N~menorla they brought the stones to Middle-earth. There they spllt them up among the strongholds of Gondor and Arnor. As the Kingdems fell in the Third Age, the stones became lost and became part of legend. Three stones appear in the textthe Orthanc-stone that leads to the fail of Saruman, the Osgillath-stone that leads to the downfall of Denethor and the Ithil-stone that is under the control of Sauron.
Concerning Saruman and the Orthanc-stone see: III 202-204.
18 Nugen~, 66.
19 One can speak of an archetype on1 y when these two as
pects are slmultaneous. When there is merely the image, then there 15 slmply a word-picture of little consequence. But by belng charged with emotion, the image gains numlnosity (or pSYChlC energy); it becomes dynamic, and consequences of some 1<' 1 n d must f 1 ow f rom 1 t •
Jung, 87.
20 The Nûmenoreans fell in Tolkien's Second Age to Pride
and ldolatry. They had been Men who had been given a special place tor thelr service to the Gods ln the Flrst Age. Yet as tlme passed they grew to resent the Elves and the Gods for the1 r deathl essness. Thei r resentment made them proud and when they defeated Sauron lt led them to lmprison him on Numenorla. Through decelt he played with their resentment and conv1nced them that the Gods lied and that they could galn eternal Ilfe by gOlng to the Land of the Gods. 50 the NGmenoreans qathered a fleet and assaulted Val1nor, the Land of the Gods. Numenor1a was destroyed and the few loyal Men fled te Mlddle-earth and became the Klngs and Lords of Arnor and Gendor.
The whol e hi s~ory 15 found in "The Akall abeth Il i n IQ!_~l!.=
1!'~!:l!!lQ!J •
21 Tolklen, ê!9~~!.t 27.
135
.~ . -22
Oanlel Hughe5, "Pleties and Giant Forms in gf_!!J~_BH!9~" §b!~g~§_gf_!!!'.!9!D!!! 9D ed. Mar k R. 81-96; 88.
23 Ruth S. Noel,
Houghton-Mlfflin Co ••
24 Nugent, 41. '
25 Nugent, 41.
26 III 129
27 III 130.
28 III 99.
29 1 344.
30
!1}~L~Qr. çI Hillegèl5
<Boston:
He (Denethor) turned his dark eyes on Gandalf, and now Pippin saw a likeness between the two, and he felt the straln between them, almost as If he saw a llne of smouidering flre, drawn from eye to eye, that mlght suddenly burst Into flame. Denethor looked indeed much more llke a great wlzard thdn
Gandalf dld, more kingly, beautiful, and powerful; and eIder. Vet by a sense other than slght PipPln percelved that Gandalf had the greater power and the deeper wlsdom, and a maJesty that was vel1ed. And he was oider, far older. 'How much older?' he wondered, and then he thought how odd lt was that he had never thought about it before. And then hlS muslng broke off, and he saw that Denethor and Gandalf still looked each other ln the eye, as if readlng the other's mlnd. But it was Denethor who flrst wlthdrew hlS gaze.
III 29.
31 For a moment lt appeared te Sam that his master had
grown and Gollum had shrunk: a tall stern shadow, a mlghty lord who hid his brlghtness ln grey cloud, and at hlS feet a 1lttle whlning doge Vet the two were ln some Hay a~ln and not allen: they could reach one another's mlnds. Gol1um raised hlmself and began pawing at Frodo, fawnlng at hlS knees.
136
(
(
J.R.R. Tolkien, Ib~_I~9_Ig~~r~1 §~ing_~b~_§~fgng_E!r~_g!= ~b~_bgrQ_Q!_~b!_Bing~ (London: George Allen & Unwln, 1954> 225. Hereafter referred to as 11.
32 Max Luthi, QŒ~~_~2QŒ_!_I~~~~ Qn_I~~_~~t~c~_Qf_E~tC~=
I~~~~ transe Chadeayne, Lee and Paul Gottwald (Bloomlngton: Indlana UP, 1976) 78.
33 Luthi, 64.
34 'Sméagol,' 5aid Gollum 5uddenly and elearly, opening his
eyes wlde and staring at Frodo with a strange light. ~ Smeagol will .wear on the Precious.'
Frodo drew hlmself up, and again Sam was startled by hlS words and his stern VOlee. 'On the Preeious? How dare you?' he sald. 'Thlnk!
Would you commit your promIse to that, Sméagol? It will hold you. But lt 15 more treacherous than you are. lt may tWist your words. 8eware!'
Gollum cowered. 'On the Preclous, on the Precious!' he repeated.
<And what would you swear?' asked Frodo. 'Tc be very very good, , sald Gcllum. Then crawllng to
Frodo's feet he grovelled before hlm, whlsperlng hoarsely: a shudder ran over hlm, as if the words shook Mis very bones wlth fear. 'Sm~agol will swear never, never to let Hlm have It. Never ' Smeagol wILL save It. But he must swear on the Preclous. >
<No~ not on lt,' sald Frodo, looking down at hlm wlth stern Plty. 'ALI you wlsh is to see it and toueh lt, If YOu cano though vou know lt would drive vou made Not on It. Swear by It, If you will. For you know where it is. Ves, you know,
/ Smeagol. It lS before you.' For a moment it appeared to Sam that his master nad grown
and Gollum had shrunk: a tall stern shadow, a mlghty lord who hld hlS brlghtness in grey cloud, and at hlS feet a little whlnlng doge Vet the two were ln some way akin and not allen: they could reach one another's minds. Gollum raised hlmself and began pawing at Frodo. fawning at MIS knees.
• Down! down l' sai d Frodo. 'Now speak your proml se! ' 'We proml ses, yes 1 proml se!' sai d Goii ume • 1 wlli serve the
master of the Precious. Good master, good Sméagol, gOllum, gollum~ .
II 224-225.
137
, 4< ::. , ' -
-'-
35 Luthi, 78.
36 Luthi. 78.
37 Even more suggestive ef Telklen's subtle contempt and
hoStlllty toward women is the atavistic tale of Shelob. the terrible, pOlsoneus splder. (The Anglo-Saxon werd ter spider lS lobbe.> Lurklng ln the mountaln fastnesses of Mordor. Shelob. who Mas the moral worth and grace of Sin on guard at the Gates of Hell ln Milten's e!r!g!!!_bg!~, persenlfles profoundly malicious death. A jubllant, exultant Tolkien tells how Sam forces Shelob, who has wounded Frodo, to lmpale hers.1f, somewhere in the region of the womb, on hlS little knife. The scene, which has a narrative energy f.r greater than its function, oozes a distasteful, vengeful Quality as the small, but brave, male figure really gets the enormous, stenching bitch-castrator.
St i mp son, 1 9 •
38 Russell, 34.
39 James W. Boyd, §!~~~_!Q~_~!~!t ç~~~~~~!Q_!Qq_§~~~~~~t:
§~~!2.2!.~_S!f._~y:!.!. (Lei dan: E. J. Br 111, -1975) 37.
40 Neil Fersyth, IQ~_Q!'Q_~Q~~~t §!t!Q_!QQ_!Q~_ÇgmQ2!_~~!Q
<Princeton: Prlncaton UP, 1987) 310.
41 Three Rlngs for the Elven-klngs under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords ln thelr halls of stone, Nine for Merta! Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on hlS dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows Ile.
One Ring te rule them, One Rlng te flnd them, One Rlng to brlng them all and ln the darkness blnd them
In the Land ef Merdor where the Shadews lle. 1 Frontispiece
42 Fersyth, 359.
43 Noel, 138.
138
(~
(
44 Noel, 130.
45 Nugent, 5.
46 Randel Helms, IQ~~t~Q:~_~g~lq (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin
Co •• 1974) 67.
47
139
.. ,
1 If we take Tolkien's translatIon of the nordic "dom"
then it is a judgement or assessment and ln another meanlnq just esteem or merited reknown. Further it Includes a Christian idea of doem WhlCh makes It a Judgement bv God on the dead. lt is further modernized by the concept ot a preordalned deom or fate. Withln the text. the concepts of fate and doom play of f of each ether. In ToI kl en, the Nor thern doom and the classlcal fate mlX to create one ldea of destiny, as if the judgement upon death has been pre-declded by other powers. ln one way, we are placed upon a set path and it is only in how we walk It that we affect the flnal end. Thus we have in Tolkien the problem of balanclng the 1deas of "doom" and free-wi 11.
2 Thomas Carlyle, "Heroes and Hero-worship" In~_~Ç?t:.~~_e!.=
_ID9~!!_Ç
(
(
of the reader. and the other in the purcosed domlnation of the author.
l Fcreword 7.
10 Luthi. 68-69.
11 l 289.
12 '1 was wrong after aIl,' sald Gandalf, 'and Gimli too.
Merry. of aIl peop 1 e, was on the ri ght track. The apeni ng word was lnscrlbed on the archway all the time~ The translatlon should have been: §!~ ~f~i!ng~ ~Dg !D~!~ ... QUlte sImple. Too slmple for a learned lore-master in these SUSplClOUS days. Those were happier times.'
1 321-322.
13 The soul of man again and again suffers convulsions and
paralys15 and, each tlme- wlth luck- it can be revlved, healed, redeemed. Wlth luck! The abnormal lndlvldual, of course, can also remal~ ln the paralyzed condition, unable to d15cover the fountainhead of the llfe in hlmself and to reestabllsh contact wlth hlS surroundlngs. But the falry tale does nct portray the abnormal case, but natural development, and It f111s 1tS hearers w1th the conf1dence that a new, larger llfe 15 to come after the deathlike sleep- that. after the lsolatlon. a new form of contact and community wlll follow.
Luth 1 • 24.
14 1 326.
15 1 341.
16 r 302.
17 1 344.
18 Here. we feel at once the capacity for change in man in
general. The focal p01nt lS not the rlse of the servant to MIS posltion of master. not the esteem and recognition accorded the former outcast child; these are Images for somethlng mare fundamental: man's deliverance from an unauthenti~
141
i ~ , , -
-
existence and his commencement of a true one. Luthl, 138.
19 II 66.
20 Recovery (which includes return and renewal of health>
is a re-galnlng- . egalnlng of a clear Vlew. Tolkien, E~~~~ 146.
21 1 417.
22 Luthi, 146.
23 - II 98.
24 Tolkien, E!~r~ 146.
25 II 98.
26 To the wIll to power he (ChrIst) brought the power of
love, to resentment or envy, a certa1n res1gnatlon; to the pride of 1ntellectuals, the wlsdom of chlldren; to madness. the holy med1cine of folly; 1f even the foollshness of the Cross; and to death, a love that is stronger than death.
Nugent, 36.
27 1 1 188.
28 Il 188-189.
29 1 1 189.
30 III 98-99.
142
(~
(
1 Tol ki en, ê~~~~!.f 24.
2 Tol k 1 en, ê~g~,:!!.f. 24.
:3 Geach, X)()(lli.
4 Geach, )()()( 1 i i.
5 Nuglmt, 41.
6 1 lb8.
7 1 Ib8.
8 1 18"3.
9 r 233.
10 1 2b1-
11 1 262.
12 Sigurd never knew his father; he was fostered by a dwarf
(a maglcal race); he possessed a wondrou5 horse which only he could ride; sword forged from the fragments of his father's sword; cursed ring; taught by Odin; understandlng of nature.
Annellse Talbot, "The Hero as a Warrior: Sigfrid" Ib~_~~~9_!~_I~~~!~!9n_~~g_E9!~!9~~ ed. H.R.E. Davidson, (London: The Folklore Soclety, 1984> 16-29.
13 1 347.
14 1 384.
143
,- ~
'l,} 15
1 384-385.
16 1 409.
17 1 410.
18 1 412.
19 1 420.
20 II 21.
21 The fac:t that the hero ef our fairy tale each time
de5pairs anew ef 501vlng hi5 task lS a further effec:t on the fairy tales isclating style: the fairy tale here is unable te see a pattern in hlS eICperienc:es- he repeatedly f1nds himself in a siml1ar difflcult situation; and then from newhere, 50 1 t seems, hel p appears. The hel per, however, as our falry tale and ethers of the same type show espeC:lally c:learly, is somehow part of hlm. Wlthout hlS knowledge and wi thout intendlng to, the yeuth hl mself has c:reated the prec:ondi t i ons for the al d.
Luthi, 68-69.
22 II 36.
23 Geach, le 1 •
24 II 139.
25 Il 145.
26 The nature of Aragorn as the un i ter of OpPOSl tes 15
c:learly symbolized in a varlet y of ways: the re+orglng of the sword that was broken • .; ln his abillty to move ln both worlds, walking wlth eQual grac:e among Men and Elves and speaklng their tongues: ln hlS role as warlord of the armles of 1 i vi ng and dead, the Men of the West and the SP 1 r"l t s of Dunharrow • • •
O'Neill, 139-140.
144
(
27 II 199.
28 II 200.
29 ln the herolc llterature of the Middle Ages, the sword
and the horse took on a spec l al Sl gnl f 1 cance and acqui red names and characters of thei r own.
Talbot. 17.
30 II 1 52.
31 'The Paths of the Dead!' sai d Théoden and trembl ed.
'Why do you speak cf them?' Éomer turned and gazed at Aragorn, and i t seemed to Merry that the f aces of the Ri ders that sat wi thl n hean ng turned pal e at the word5. • If there be 1 n truth such paths,' sai d Théoden, °thei r gate 15 in Dunharrow; but no Il vi n9 man may pass i t. '
'Alas' Aragorn my frlend!' said Éomer. '1 had hoped that we shoul d nde to war together; but 1 f you seek the Paths of the Dead, then our partlng is come, and it is l1ttle likely that we shall ever meet aga1 n unde ... the Sun.'
1 1 1 52.
32 III 52.
33 It is said by Théoden before separating with Aragorn.
1 1 1 52.
34 'You
exclalmed 'Dld you encounter ••
hoive looked in that accursed stone of wi z ardry ! ' Glmll wlth fear and astonlshment in his face.
say aught to- hl m? Even Gandal f feared that
'You forget to whom you speak,' sald Aragorn sternly, and hlS eyes glinted. 'Dld 1 not openly proclalm my tltle before the doors of Edaras? What do you fear that 1 shoul d say to hlm? Nay, Glmll,· he sald in a softer vOlce, and the grlmneS5 left hlS face, and he looked like one who has laboured ln sleepless paln for many nights. 'Nay, my fnends, 1 am the lawful master of the Stene. and 1 had bath the rlght and the 5trength te use 1 t, or 50 1 judged. The r l ght cannet be doubted. The strength was enough- barel y. '
1 1 1 53.
145
--(;
--.. ~
...,.".
35 Something really "hiqher" is occa51onally glimpsed ln
mythology: Oivinity, the rlght to power (as distinct trom its possesslon). the due of worship; ln fac:t "religlon".
T 01 k i en • E ~ i!: ~ 124 •
36 11153-54.
37 The hero gces 1 nto darkness. wh 1 c:h represents a k 1 nd of
death. ( 111)
Joseph L. Henderson. "Anclent ~!!:!_!!:!~:Lt!!~_§~!!'B9!~ ed. Car l G. Publlshlng Co., 1968) 95-15b.
38
Myths and Jung (New
Modern York:
Man Il Dell
CThe 1 i ving hav. never used that road since the coml ng of the Rohirrim,' !lald Aragorn, 'for it 1S c:losed to them. But in this dark hour the heir te Isildur may use it. 1f he dare. Listen! This 1S the word that the sons of E.lrond brlng to me from thei r f ather in R1 vendell • wi sest in lorE?: 81 d e!:!gg!:!:! !:!!!)!~œ2!!: ~!:!! ~g!:g! gi ~b! !!~!:.l. ~!Jg !;b! ~!!;b!? Qi !b§! Q!!~.:. •
'And what may be the words of the seer?' saI d Legol as. • Thus spoke Mal beth the Seer, 1 n the days of Arvedul. 1 c3st
klng at Fornost,' sald Aragcrn:
Over the land there Iles a long shadow, westward reac:hl ng Wl ngs of dar kness. The Tower trembles; to the tomb of klngs doem approaches. The Dead awaken; for the hour 1S come for the oathbreal<'ers: at the Stone of Erec:h they sha11 stand aga1 n and hear there a horn ln the hllls rlnglnq. Whose shall the horn be? Who shall calI them from the grey tW111ght, the forqotten people? The hei r of hl m to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come, need shall drive hlm: he sha 11 pass the Deer to the Paths of the Oead.'
III 54.
39 III 56.
40 III 57.
41 III 57.
146
(
42 III 59.
43 1 1 1 62.
44 M1ddle-earth in the wanlng years of the Third Age 15
bound te the fate of Man, not Elves, whose power dWlndles. ThIs 1S the problem of the Valar: to oppose Sauron, when they are not senSI t 1 ve te the wor 1 d and the ways of l"Ien. The vigor that comes. as we have seen, from Man's mortallty 1S the g 1 f t of the One, not Hl s 5ttewards. Man' S phenomenal world IS beyond them, an enigma.
0' Ne 1 1 l, 89.
45 1 1 1 122-123.
46 Courage is not just an ideal te be admired; we never
know when It will be absolutely demanded of us, the alternatIve belnQ infamy. Each of us is a hero ln the Greek senses, a Chl1d of Gad; we must be ready for a calI to do great thlngs, and trustful that God will provlde the strength we shall need
6each, XXlX.
47 III 139.
48 II 1 141.
49 III 142.
50 II 1 146.
51 ThiS comes at the beginning of the chapter called
Last Debate", 61 mIl and Legol a5 are tell1 ng whal: they thelr people will do to help rebulld the city should Que5t be successful. This is Important as it indicates
"The and the the
extent of the merglng of races that is extant in Aragornhe lS a mixture of the races, so too Will be hlS clty.
as
1 1 1 148.
147
--
1 Northrop Frye, Ibc_§.çyl.~_§~~lRtY~. (CambridQ.1 Harvard
UP, 1976) 86.
2 Frye, 89.
• • • dertaken
in medieval romance. an eKpedition or ad venture unby a knight ta procure samething or achieve some
eKploi t. !bc_§bg~t~~_Q!fg~g_~ng!l.n_Ql~tlgn.~~_gn_~l!t9tl,~!_et~Q= ,le!~. 3rd ed. (London. OKford UP, 1968) 1639.
4 Helms, 37.
5 Helms, 61.
6 'He told me the true story saon after 1 came ta live
here. He .aid you had pestered him til1 he told you, sa 1 had better know tao. "No secrets between us, Frada, "he liai d; "but they are not. t.o 00 Any further. It·. min. any~ay. II. 'That·s interesting,· said Gandalf. ·Well, what did you
think of it ail?· 'If you mean, inventing ail that about a "present fi, weil, 1
thought the true story much mare likely, and 1 cauldn't see the point. of altering it. At. ail. It was very unlike Bilbo ta da 50, anyway; and 1 thought. it rather odd.·
1 49.
7 1 53-54.
8 ~!~_§têngêtg_B@f!~!n,!_@!~!@ (Chicaoo: John A. Hertel
Ca., 195B) 697
Bible, 627.
10 Shippey, 79.
11 1 135.
148
(.
(
12 1 134.
13 1 142.
14 • • hi S terrar W035 swall awed up in a sudden temptat 1 on
ta put an the Rl ng. The desl re te do thl S 1 al d hol d of "1 m, and he could thlnk of nethlng else •••• sClmething seemed to be compelllng hlm to disregard ail warnings, and he lenged te yield.
1 207.
15 The Riders halted, but Fredo had not the power of Bomba-
di 1-1 226.
16 1 235.
17 Frode gl anced at all the faces, but they were net turned
to hlm. All the Council sat Wlth downt;ast eyes, as if ln deep thought. A great dread fell on him, as If he was wal t 1 ng the pronouncement of some doom that he nad 1 eng foreseen and valnly hoped might after all never be spoken. An even~hel ml ng long 1 ng to rest and r'emal n at peac:e by 81lbo's slde ln Rlvendell filled aIl his heart. At last with an ef fort he spoke, and wondered to hear hl S own words, as 1 f some ether wlll was USl ng hl s small VOl ce.
<1 wll1 take the RIng.' he said, <though 1 do not know the way.' (The 1 ast part of thl S 11 ne l s 1 ater repeated by Sam when they near the Cracks of Deom.)
1 284.
18 1 365.
19 ThIS sectIon is part of "The Mirror of Galadriel".
1. 378-379
20 1 381.
21 1 381.
149
i: , ... -
--i
22 ln "Tne Break i ng 0+ the Fe 11 0..,51"1 i p " , Frodo foresees the
war as 1 t w i l 1 happen 1f the Ring 15 not destroyed. 1 416-417.
23 Il 225.
24 Il 225.
25 II 248.
26 II 248.
27 1 1 260.
28 II 274.
29 II 290.
30 1 1 290.
31 1 1 296.
32 II 299.
33 Il 317.
34 III 177.
35 "1 am tired, weary, 1 naven't a hope left. But 1 have
to go on trying te get to the Meunta1n, as long as 1 can move. The Ring 15 enough. The extra welght is 1<1l11ng me.'
1 II 195.
36 'As 1 Lay in pr-150n. Sam, 1 trled te rememoer the Bran
dywine. and WOOdy End, and The Water runmng through the mlll at Hobbiton. But 1 can't see them no..,.'
II 1 195.
150
(
/'
37 <Things are looking up, Mr. Frodo. Haven't vou got some
hope now?' ·Well. no, not much, Sam,' Frodo slghed. 'That's away
beyond the mountains. We're gOlng east not west. And l'm 50
tlred. And the RIng 15 50 heavy, Sam. And 1 begin to see lt ln my ml nd all the ti me, 11 ke a great wheel of f 1re. •
1 Il 196.
38 'l'Il bear no weapon, fair or foul.' (Frodo)
111214.
39 1 II 199.
40 II 1 20~.
41 III 215.
42 III 218.
43
figure f l re.
• before it stood stern, untouchable now robed ln white, but at lts breast lt held
(Frodo) 1 1 1 221.
44 III 221.
45 III 223.
46 II 248.
47 III 224.
48 III 225.
49 Geach. XVIII.
50 1 II 240.
151
by Pit y, a a wheel of
., .. 1
51 II l 241.
52 1 II 243.
53 III 251.- $aid by Frodo.
54 But the Queen Arwen sald: CA glft 1 wlll glve you. For
1 am the daughter of El rond. 1 $hall nct go Wl th hl m now when he departs ta the Havens; for mIne i$ the cholce of Luthlen, and as ehe sa have 1 chosen. bath the sweet and the bItter. But in my stead you shall ~o, Ring-bearer, when the tlme cames, and if you then desire lt. If your hurts grleve you still and the memory of your burden is heavy. then you may pass into the West, until aIl your wounds and weariness are heal ed. '
III 252-253.
55 III 304.
56 III 309.
S7 Tolkien, E~~c~ 153.
58 1 284 •
152
(
1 Il 321.
2 III 229.
3 K.K. Ruthven, ~lin (London: Methuen & Co., 1976) 75.
4 Shippey, 217.
5 Ruthven, 57-58.
Shippey, 154.
7 Derek S. Brewer, "l:e(.Q_ei_in!_8!,Q9.! as Romanc:e,"
~~B~B~_IQ~~!'!Qt êçnel~('_~Qq_êtQ(.~!~~i!(. eds. Mary Salu and Robert T. Farrell <Ithac:a: Cornell UP, 1979) 249-264; 256.
8 Brewer, 257.
9 fI don't llke anything here at aIl.' sald Frodo, ·step or
stone, breath or bone. Earth, al rand water aIl seem accursed. But so our path 15 laid.'
·Ves, that's 50,' sald Sam. 'And we shouldn't be here at ail, if we' d known more about 1 t before we started. But 1 suppose 1t'S often that way. The brave th1ngs in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frede: adventures, as 1 used to calI them. 1 used te th1nk that they were th1ngs the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exc1tlng and 11fe was a bIt duIl, a klnd of sport, as vou m1ght say. But that's not the way 0+ lt w1th the tales that really mattered. or the ones that stay ln the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed ln them. usuaIly- their paths were la1d that way, as vou put it. But 1 expect they had lots of chances, 1lke us, of turnlng back, only they dldn't. And If they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those as Just went on- and not aIl to a good end, mind you; at least ~ot to what folk InS1de a story and not outslde it calI a good end. Vou know, com1ng home, and f1nding th1ngs all r 1 ght, though not qUI te the same- li ke 01 d Mr. Bi 1 bOl But those aren't always the best tales to hear, though they may
153
..... j
be the best tales to get landed ln! 1 wonder what sort of a tale we've fallen lnto?'
II 320-321.
10 Henderson, 156.
Il O'Nelll, 63.
12 O'Neill, 137.
13 Harold Bloom, "Cl inamen: Towards a Theory of Fantasy,"
§~!gg~~_!g_E!n~!~~ eds. G.E. Slu5ser, E.S. Rabkin and R.S. Scheles <Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1982) 1-20; 10.
14
15
16
17
1 Huppe, 36.
1 II 249.
Tolkien, ~!~~~ 153.
Tolkien, E!~~~ 15b •
154
(
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157
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158
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