A Rough Guide To Middle-Earth (The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien)

Name: Mauri

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Product:	The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Date:	08/02/02 (1443 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant story, Imaginative

Disadvantages: none

The Lord Of The Rings was recently voted the book of the century. What is it about JRR Tolkien’s epic tale of swords and sorcery that has made it so popular with so many readers? Now that a film adaptation of the book has been made I thought it would be a good time to take a closer look at the original text.

WARNING THIS IS A LONG OPINION! it should be considered more of a guide to Tolkien’s middle earth, than a review of the books. I don’t expect you to read all of it and I have organised it in self contained sections that you can mix and match these depending on your interests.

****BACKGROUND****

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontain, South Africa on January 3rd, 1892. His parents were both English and had moved to South Africa for work. In 1895 His family moved back to England with his father staying on in South Africa planning to join them when work permitted. However after a sudden brain haemorrhage Tolkein’s father died. The family moved to Birmingham and in the autumn of 1900 John Ronald Tolkein took up a place at King Edward’s School. In 1904 Tolkien’s mother died and John along with his brother were left in the care of Father Francis Morgan, a priest at the Birmingham Oratory. In 1915, Ronald graduated from Oxford with a First in English Language and Literature. When war broke out he took joined to take up a commission as a second lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers. He married Edith Bratt in 1916 just before being shipped to France. In the war he saw action in the Somme and was returned to England suffering from trench fever.
Tolkien’s first son John was born in 1917 just after Tolkien had started working as a researcher for the Oxford English Dictionary. His second son Michael was born in 1918. In 1921 Tolkien took up a chair at Leeds University reading English Language.
In 1924 he became Professor of English and his third son Christoph
er was born. A year later he joined Oxford University as Professor of Anglo-Saxon studies and became a fellow of Pembroke College. It was at this time after the birth of his fourth child Pricilla in 1929 that he first started putting down on paper the mythical tales and legends of his imaginary land Middle Earth, which later was to be posthumously published as ‘The Simarillion’ in 1977. In 1937 he published ‘The Hobbit’ a children’s story adapted from the stories he used to make up for his children. Just after WW2 in 1945 Tolkien became Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford a post he was to hold until he retired. Over the years he had been working on a sequel to ‘The Hobbit’ and in 1948 he completed his epic Middle-Earth trilogy ‘The Lord of the Rings’. ‘ The Fellowship of the Ring’ and ‘The Two Towers’ were published in 1954 and the third part of the trilogy ‘The Return of the King’ was published a year later.
He retired as Professor at Oxford in 1959. The Lord of the rings was published as a paperback in 1965 in the United States and it very quickly became one of the best selling works of fiction and was hugely popular in the late 60’s. Tolkien died in 1973 aged 81. The book still remains one of the best-loved and highly regarded in English fiction.


****THE BOOKS****
I don’t want to go into too much plot details as that would spoil the enjoyment of new potential readers but I will give an outline of the story and a few of the themes that are present.

Book1-The Fellowship of the Ring
Book2-The Two Towers
Book3-The Return of the King

Tolkien as a respected academic loved the epic tales of ancient Anglo-Saxon literature, tales such as Beowulf and the folklore associated with these distant times.
The Lord of the Rings seems to have echoes of Ring Cycle and Norse mythology. In it structure it p
arallels the Wagner operatic adaptation of the ring cycle having a short an simpler introductory story (The Hobbit or Das Rheingold) which act as a precursor to a more lengthy trilogy. A ring of power is central to both stories and both involve a powerful Dragon and a broken sword that is mended in order to fight the forces of darkness.

Tolkien wanted to know more about pre-Christian mythology and regretted that loss of so many of the stories from this period. His life was spent trying to create a “mythology that England never had”. Tolkien wanted his tale to also be relevant to today's world, as he stated saying "Middle Earth is not an imaginary world… The theatre of my tale is this earth, the one in which we now live"

His love of the Beowulf saga was a major factors contributing to his writing of ‘The Lord Of The Rings’. Tolkien said about Beowulf

"It is a poem by a learned man writing of old times, who looking back on the heroism and sorrow feels in them something permanent and something symbolical”

This would seem to sum up the purpose for his writing TLOTR.

Tolkien was also an accomplished linguist and was fluent in medieval languages. This knowledge formed the basis of his imaginative writing.

In 'The Hobbit' we are introduced to Bilbo Baggins a gnome like creature, called a Hobbit who is enlisted by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, to kill a powerful dragon that his terrorizing the land. On this adventure we come across many characters drawn from epic poetry and popular folktales; Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Orcs, giant spiders, powerful wizards, necromancers and many others. In The Lord Of The Rings', a similar quest to destroy evil is undertaken by another hobbit Bilbo's nephew, Frodo Baggins. Frodo and his friends journey to Mordor, a dark and evil land, where a dangerous and powerful ring can be destroyed. They must destroy the ring to
restore order to the land and defeat the forces of evil. On the way they struggle against a myriad of supernatural foes and towards the end against their own failings and greed to eventually triumph against their enemies. At the end of the mission Frodo discovers that his own small rural community is still threatened and one final confrontation is needed.

>>>MIDDLE-EARTH RACES & CREATURES<<<

One of the things I found most difficult when I read the book for the first time is keeping track of all the different characters and races that are mentioned. I thought it might be useful to write down a brief description of the main ones.

*Hobbits
Hobbits are similar to dwarves in height but a less stoutly built. They have bushy curly hair and long slender limbs. The have large hairy feet with tough skin underneath so they rarely wear shoes. They are a peaceful race uninterested in the affairs of men, elves or dwarves. They live a shelter rural existence in a secluded corner of Middle-Earth called the shire. They enjoy eating drinking and smoking their famed weed in their long pipes.

*Elves
Elves tend to be taller than men but less strong. They are one of the immortal races and are renowned for their beauty. Elves know magic and the lore of the forest. Their dwellings are amongst the trees in the great forests of Middle-Earth, which they protect from evil. They are good warrior especially using bows and arrows.

*Half-Elves
Half-Elves are the descendants of the human Beren and the Elf-maiden Luthien. They are immortal and slightly taller than ordinary elves although in other ways they are similar.

*Dwarves
Short stout and very strong, always with long beards. They are brilliant metal workers and miners. They tend to live in caverns deep in the mountain ranges. The can be misled by their greed for gold and precious stones. The dwarves and elves mistrust each other partly because of their opposite
ways of life. Dwarves in the past have sided with the dark forces but on they whole they tend to be good.

*Valars
The Gods and creators of Middle-Earth

*Maiar
An ancient race of near immortals that were the servants of the Valars, the creators of Middle-Earth. The Maiar are among the most powerful beings in Middle-Earth and the Istari and Sauron himself are descended from them.

*Istari
The Istari are also known as the wizards five wizards were originally sent by the Maiar to Middle-Earth to fight against Sauron. In the LOTR we meet only three, Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast the remaining tow are never mentioned. They are long-lived but not immortal, and each specializes in one type of magic.

*Ents
The Ents are the guardians of the great forests. Originally created by Eru by order of the Valar at the creation of Middle-Earth, their role was to protect the forest from Morgoth. Over the year due to their close association with trees they have become like tree-men but capable of moving across the land. They are extremely strong.

*Balrogs
These are Maiar that were corrupted by Morgoth and became evil. They are powerfully built being much larger than men and can wield powerful magic.

*Orcs
The evil creations of Morgoth. They live in the dark in caves or in the chambers under the mountains and dislike then light of day. They are ugly to look at and not very clever.

*Goblins
Similar to Orcs but smaller and more numerous.

*Ring-wraiths
These are the remains of the human kings that accepted the lesser rings from Sauron and eventually became corrupted by the evil power. They are now shadowy figures half dead in the service of Sauron. They are well versed in dark magic.

*Trolls
Extremely large human like creatures, created by Morgoth's to mock the creation of Ents by Eru. They will be petrified is they are out in sunlight.

*Wargs
Large high
ly intelligent wolf like creatures created by Morgoth.


>>>MAIN CHARACTERS<<<

(The Fellowship)

GANDALF (MITHRANDIR)- Gandalf the Grey first appears in ‘The Hobbit’ where he helps Bilbo and the rest of the company to slay Smaug the last of the great dragons. Gandalf is one of five Wizards or Istari that were sent to Middle-Earth to help fight Sauron the dark Lord. We know little of their past but they are amongst the most powerful beings in the land. Gandalf is transformed in to Gandalf the White; his special domain is fire spell and elemental forces.

FRODO BAGGINS- Another young inquisitive hobbit, Frodo is Bilbo’s nephew and heir. He becomes the ring bearer and his charged with travelling to Mordor to destroy it.

MERIADOC BRANDYBUCK (MERRY) –Young Hobbit cousin to Frodo. He starts off being light hearted and frivolous but proves himself in battle and becomes a Rider of Rohan.

ARAGORN- At first known as ‘Strider’ one of the mysterious Rangers, Aragorn is the direct heir of Isildur, Elendil's son, who first took the one ring from Sauron. Aragorn is the next in line to become the King of Numenureans a legendary race of men from the west.

SAMWISE GAMGEE (SAM)- The braves of all the hobbits and life long friend of Frodo. Sam helps Frodo fulfil his task regardless of the dangers.

PEREGRIN TOOK (PIPPIN)- One of the hobbits that join Frodo and the rest in forming the fellowship of the ring. He proves his bravery in battle and becomes a ‘Man of Gondor’

LEGOLAS GREENLEAF- Elf of Mirkwood. One of the Fellowship and friend of Gimli. He is an expert with bow and arrow.

GIMLI- A great dwarf warrior wielder of a mighty axe, son of Gloin. Gimli becomes great friends with Legolas and is considered and Elf-friend by the elvish races.

BOROMIR- A mighty warrior, son of Denethor brother to Faramir. Came to Rivendell from M
inas Tirith to join the fellowship of the ring.

**********


BILBO BAGGINS- Bilbo is the most adventurous of all hobbits and hero of ‘The Hobbit’ where he takes the One Ring from Gollum. Not realising its power. He only plays a small part in the LOTR as the burden of the ring is passed to his young nephew Frodo.

CELEBORN- A powerful Elf, expert in Lore and one of the oldest beings in Middle-Earth. He is married to Galadriel.

DENETHOR- Human Steward of Gondor, father of Faramir.

ELROND- Half-elven in possession of the ring of Valya. He is expert in the magic of healing and helped Frodo recover from his wound after the attack by the Ring Wraiths.

EOMER-Human, third Marshall of the Riddermark. Nephew of Theoden King of Rohan.

FARAMIr- Son of Denethor and heir to the stewardship of Gondor.

GALADRIEL- Elf, wife of Celeborn. She possesses the ring of Nenya and works powerful magic.

GOLLUM(Smeagol)- First appears in ‘The Hobbit’. He found the ‘One Ring’ many years in the past when it was lost by Isuldur. Gollum was once of a race that was thought to be the ancestors of the hobbits. Over the years he has kept the ring he has become totally corrupted by its power and is turned in to a hideous pathetic creature. He loses the ring to Bilbo but never gives up trying to find it again.

MORGOTH- the evil version of the Valar.

RADAGAST- Another of the five wizards or Istari sent to fight Sauron. Known has Radagast ‘The Brown’ he is knowledgeable in natural lore and is a friend to the birds and other animals.

SAURAMAN- One of the five original Wizards or Istari, known as Sauraman ‘The White’ At first he is their leader and most powerful of the order but he betrays them and becomes Sauraman of Many Colours’ and allies himself on the side of evil.

SAURON- Originally of the race of Maiar he was c
orrupted by Morgoth and became evil. He created the One Ring to gain control over all others and thus rule all the races of Middle –Earth. He lived in Mordor and practised the black arts.





TOM BOMBADIL- A mysterious being related to the Maiar and a powerful wielder of magic. He helps the hobbits in their task. He is married to Goldberry an elf-friend.

Treebeard- Mysterious creature leader of the Ent race. He is said to be the oldest living being in Middle-earth. Treebeard was a steward to the trees of the great forests at the beginning of Middle-earth. He lives in Fangorn forest and leads an attack on Islegard Sauraman’s base.

THEODEN- King of Rohan.

WORM-TONGUE (GRIMA)- Servant and first advisor of Theoden.


***THEMES***

WAR

The books have a simple morality; on one side are the forces of good and on the other the forces of evil. You are left in no doubt how the characters align themselves. This seems to tap in to the experience that ordinary people in Britain had with the advance of Fascism and Nazism during the 1930’s and in to the war years 1939-45.
Tolkien himself had had the experience of war in WWI when as a junior officer he found himself in the trenches of the Somme. This experience affected him deeply. During this time he became aware of the extraordinary heroism of ordinary soldiers, not just officers like himself but the young conscripts. He admired their dogged spirit to carry out orders and survive as best they could and also their loyalty to their superiors. The character of Sam Gamgee and his relationship to Frodo mirrors this. In many ways Sam is the everyman figure of the story and also the most appealing character. The general comradeship that Tolkien witnessed amongst the soldiers in the trenches, even when they were faced with terrible suffering, inspired Tolkien to create a fellowship of men (no women figure in
this) to symbolise what he had come across from his own experience.

Another parallel to real conflicts can be seen in the way Tolkien has organised the nations within Middle-earth loosely based on Europe. The enemy lies in the east and the side of good in the west just as in both European conflicts Germany (or earlier Prussia) and Japan lie in the east while Britain and America are in the west. The books also make reference to struggles further back in time. We are told that Gondor continues to protect the west from the attacks of Eeasterlings and Southrons just as the Arabs, Persians and Mongols had continually attacked Europe from the East. The description of the weapons and armour used by the Orcs and Goblins seem to be non–European in nature more akin to those used by the Saracens or the Ottomans.

The description of Mordor and the plains of Gorgoroth

"pocked with great holes, as if, while it was still a waste of soft mud, it had been smitten with a shower of bolts and huge slingstones"

could be a description of the1914-18 Western Front on the edge of the mortar hit no-mans land of the battlefields.

A further comparison to WWIcan be made when considering the attitude the characters in TLOTR have to the impending conflict. There is a feeling in the book that the conflict with Sauron would be a final conflict that would change the world, as the people of Middle-Earth knew it. These same feelings were prevalent in Europe, WWI being often referred to as the war to end all wars.

Parallels can also be made between Sauraman experimenting with the Orcs to cross breed them and produce different variations and the eugenics ideas that the Nazi’s were following.

RELIGION

Religion played a very important part in Tolkien’s life. Although born in the Anglican faith, after the death of his father his mother converted to Catholicism. Tolkien also took up this faith and was a fir
m believer for the rest of his life.

In the LOTR Tolkien never mentions God but he does talk about a supreme being or ‘The One’. Sauron was originally part of the Maiar of the west the same race that Gandalf and the other Istari belong to. Sauron became corrupt and came to Middle Earth. It is easy to see how this parallels the story of the expulsion of Lucifer from heaven. Gandalf and the other wizards are like angels helping the humans and the other good races to fight against the forces of evil. Tolkien even stated in an
interview that "Gandalf is an angel".

A strong theme in the book is that of temptation, the ring represents evil and within it is the power to corrupt; even the wizards are not immune from this. Temptation and the strength or faith needed to resist it is a cornerstone of Christian teaching. Frodo becomes a Christ like figure. Frodo as ring bearer carries the burden for all the people of Middle-Earth, just as Christ bore his cross. Frodo alone by resisting the power of the ring and by finally destroying it can save the world even if this means he might have to sacrifice his life.

The figure of Christ is also hinted at in the character of Gandalf. The wizard falls to his death fighting the Balrog but then returns from the dead as ‘Gandalf the White’ in a wiser, purer form.

Galadriel is also an interesting character. She is the strongest female character in the book and she is described as being surrounded in white light. Frodo is in awe of her and he offers her the ring. She shows great strength in resting this temptation and is pure enough in heart to realise that she would be corrupted by the power. In a way she is a representation of the holy virgin a powerful symbol of the catholic faith. Tolkien was also very close to his mother and might have had her in mind while he was creating the character of Galadriel.

ENVIRONMENTALISM

It is not difficult to see
that when Tolkien writes about ‘The Shire’ were the Hobbits live he is really writing about the rural England which he loved so much as a child.
Tolkien was in some ways commenting on the gradual destruction of an old way of life as symbolized by the rural paradise of 'The Shire'.

Many of the episodes he describes in the book like Frodo being chased from the field by Farmer Maggot are thinly disguised episodes from his own childhood. There is a lot of autobiographical detail in the Hobbits. Tolkien like the Hobbits disliked travel, he had a love of the simple life in the country and was worried about the increasing industrialization of the countryside.
In the sixties when the first paperback version of TLOTR was published in the US it became very popular amongst the youth movement and especially amongst those involved in the anti-bomb, environmental movements. These activists saw the book as a parable of what was actually happening in the world. The ‘One Ring’ could be taken as a symbol of the Hydrogen bomb and Nuclear power that would lead to the eventual destruction of the world. It is clear looking at the divisions between good and evil in the book where Tolkien’s loyalties lie. Mordor is a sort of industrial nightmare with huge workshops and foundries producing weapons for their army of Sauron. Sauraman cuts down the trees to make weapons and he practises genetic engineering to produce a race of super trolls. On the side of good we have the hobbits that are simple rural folk farming the land but not exploiting it, the Ents the guardians of the forest, the elves again living in the forest in perfect harmony with nature. The humans and the Dwarves are less clear cut cases, they built great cities and have developed industry to forge steel and make weapons. Maybe this is why Tolkien makes them vulnerable to corruption by the dark powers, commenting on the dangers of losing a connection with nature.

A
ND FINALLY

So there we have it TLOTR is a far more complex book than meets the eye. Of course you don’t have to know any of the underlying themes or symbols to enjoy it. It is primarily a great read.
In creating Middle–Earth Tolkien’s created an imaginary world that has not been bettered by the countless imitators that have followed him.

In this work Tolkien sets himself the task of not just telling an epic tale but of creating a whole fantasy universe set in a mythical distant past. No other work of fiction before or since manages to be so convincing in its design and so true to its own philosophy.
'The Lord of the Rings' is one of those rare works of literature that transcends its own genre to achieve a wider appeal. The legacy of Tolkien's imaginary world can be felt still today in almost all-modern fantasy literature.

I’m not sure that I would choose it as the book of the century but it certainly deserves to be at least considered for the award.

Thanks for reading and rating this opinion.

© Mauri 2002

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