It’s a bit hard for me to summarize this one. This book contains many tales written by Tolkien that take place in Middle-earth, the world he created for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien never actually got around to publishing this work. It was edited together by his son Christopher. It reads a bit more like a history book than a novel. it is extremely rich in detail: names of the different races, people, places… at times it’s hard to keep track. And I admit that I got a lot of help from The Complete Guide to Middle-earth by Robert Foster. It is a wonderful reference!
From here on I will be going over some things pertaining to my Middle-earth reading goal. There may be spoilers for those who have never read anything related to Middle-earth.
For those who aren’t familiar with my reading goal, one of the main points is to read these works with an eye on Christian themes. While all Tolkien’s Middle-earth stories have a sense of good versus evil, this one may be the strongest. That comes from the fact that the first section of the book deals with the creation of Middle-earth. We see its beginnings and the beginning of evil as well.
The symmetry to the Judeo-Christian creation story is undeniable. While not a true allegory, there are may similar components. The creator Iluvatar (God) creates the Ainur (angels). Through their music, which is set in motion by Iluvatar, the world is made. However, there is one of the Ainur, named Melkor (Lucifer), who puts his own thoughts and will into the music. He wants to create things from his own thoughts and seeks power of his own. All evil in the world spreads from Melkor’s original desire to rule the newly created world, and it flows all the way down to Sauron, whom is the Dark Lord of The Lord of the Rings.
Aside from the general good versus evil, there were a few places that reminded me of Bible stories. All of them were early on in the book. These are the two that stuck out the most:
Iluvatar created two races to dwell on Middle-earth: Elves and Men. The Elves came first and Men later, but neither came right away. Iluvatar had shown his plans to create his new children to the Ainur. One of the Ainur, named Aule, didn’t want to wait for the Children of Iluvatar. So, he created his own race – the Dwarves. When Iluvatar found out, he was not pleased. He allowed the Dwarves to remain, but put them to sleep in the ground until after the true Children of Iluvatar came. Iluvatar tells Aule “…often strife will arise between thine and mine, the children of my adoption and the children of my choice.”
This reminds me of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah for a child (Isaac). After many years they become impatient and take matters into their own hands. Abraham has a child (Ishmael) with his wife’s servant. God is not pleased by this. He tells Sarah’s servant that her child will live at odds with his brothers.
The other place that reminded me of a particular Bible story is when the Valar, which is what the Elves call the Ainur, want to bring the Elves to Valinor, where they dwell. The journey is very long. Some of the Elves complain and wish to go back where they came from. Some actually do. This reminds me of the exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt. They wandered the wilderness for 40 years. Many complained and express their desires to return to Egypt, even back to slavery.
The book also contains references to the Flame Imperishable, which seems to portray the Holy Spirit. There are two trees that could very well represent the trees of Knowledge and of Good and Evil from the Garden of Eden. There are other elements in the various stories that could be symbols for things from the Bible.
A few parts of the end of this book were used in the first installment of The Hobbit movies, which came out last year. The White Council, which discusses the possible return of Sauron, takes place when Thorin’s company makes it to Rivendell.
To continue my Middle-earth goal I will be re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring, then continuing with the rest of the series. I read Fellowship last year as part of this goal, but got off track with it for many reasons. I want it to be fresh as I finish the series so I will read it again. Once I finish all three books I will review the work as a whole and compare them to the movies.
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Three major cities across the globe are hit with major explosions, killing thousands. Unlike the usual terrorist attacks, no one has stepped forward to claim responsibility. One man, Jack Haines, comes to believe he was protected by God during the explosion in his hometown that claimed the lives of his wife and two of his children. As he tries to move forward he meets others who were involved in the other explosions in Los Angeles and London who also had miraculous experiences. He thinks it’s more than a coincidence, and as he learns what is really happening he is pulled into a centuries-old battle between good and evil.
