The Theology of … The Lord of the Rings

The Theology Of … is a series in which we tell parents about the overt or subtle spiritual worlds of various popular media. Each article will explain the theological landscape of a relevant series, and when appropriate, we’ll provide ways for parents to use said content as a way to teach their child about Christian theology.

Introduction to the Series

Wizards, magical rings and Balrogs? Can a work containing such things really have Christian themes?

Well, yes. I’ve written before for Plugged In on the similarities between J.R.R. Tolkien’s Kingdom of Númenor and the Kingdom of Judah. While not as on the nose as C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, the books, movies and now TV show contain many Christian themes within its spiritual worldview. Tolkien, a devout Catholic, mentions as such in a letter concerning his work sent to a friend:

“The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion’, to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.”

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 142

Of course, it’s easy to miss those elements, as many have before. But a spiritual framework becomes much more apparent in The Lord of the Rings trilogy when paired with Tolkien’s The Silmarillion (for those unfamiliar, a historical prequel to The Lord of the Rings). And within that spiritual framework are many Christian messages, too.

But what is this whole story about? Why does one poor Hobbit get tasked with tossing a shiny piece of jewelry into a volcano anyway? And why does that action destroy the evil being hoping to conquer the world? And what’s a Hobbit, anyway? Well, don’t you worry, reader. We’ve got you covered.

So, without further ado, let’s pack a second breakfast and go on an adventure as we explore the most prominent spiritual messages in The Lord of the Rings.

Overarching Spiritual Worldview

Were you to open up Tolkien’s posthumously published work The Silmarillion to its first pages, you’d find yourself in an “In The Beginning” narrative that Tolkien calls Ainulindalë, or, “Music of the Ainur.” In it, you’d be introduced first to Eru Ilúvatar, who is Tolkien’s version of God. Eru’s first act is to create the “Ainur,” who are angelic beings. These beings are further divided into subcategories known as “Valar” and “Maiar,” who we might classify as archangels and angels, respectively. On this point, there is some debate regarding whether these creations are gods in their own right, but I feel that Tolkien silences this debate in another letter, where he writes that the Ainur are “created spirits—of high angelic order (Valar) we should say, with their attendant lesser angels (Maiar)—reverend, therefore, but not worshipful” (Letter 153).

Eru commanded the Ainur to produce music around a divine theme that would be used to create the world, with each of the Ainur adding their own thoughts to the song.

But the mightiest of the Ainur, one named Melkor, inserted his own discordant theme that went against Eru’s theme in order to glorify his own name, and other Ainur began to sing like Melkor, too. This resulted in a great battle of music until the creation of the world was completed. Then, Eru revealed the world that their songs had made, as well as much of the history that would come to pass within it.

Eru then gave some of the Ainur power over various elements, and he gave them the choice of either staying outside of time and space or entering into the creation and remaining there until the world had run its course. Many of the Ainur entered into the world, including Melkor, who wanted to use creation to glorify himself. That led to many a battle with the rest of the creation-bound Ainur.

Eventually, all that fighting led to the War of Wrath, raged between those faithful to Eru and those who sided with Melkor. The rebellious Melkor was defeated, and his spirit was sent to remain in a timeless void until the end of the world. However, he had inspired many to follow him, including a Maia (that’s an ordinary angel-like being, you’ll remember) named Sauron, who was Melkor’s second-in-command. After Melkor’s defeat, Sauron stepped into Melkor’s role as the Dark Lord, and he sought to conquer the world. And the primary way in which he tried to accomplish this was through the crafting of many Rings of Power as well as the One Ring. He gifted the magical Rings of Power to the elves, men and dwarves, hoping to corrupt them through his commanding One Ring.

His plan didn’t fully come to fruition, as the elves detected his deception and the dwarves were too difficult to corrupt; the rings merely caused the dwarves to become even greedier. The men, however, were turned into “Nazgul,” immortal wraiths completely under Sauron’s control.

Many years later, through battle and providence, this One Ring comes into the possession of a hobbit named Frodo Baggins, and the sorry sap is sent on a quest to travel thousands of miles to drop the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, where it was originally forged and which contains the only fires that can destroy it. In destroying the One Ring, Sauron is reduced to an aimless spirit—not fully destroyed, since the Ainur cannot be fully killed—but so weak that he can no longer influence the world. Destroying the Ring affects Sauron so because the Maia had placed so much of his power into the Ring that destroying it likewise destroyed enormous amounts of Sauron’s power.

With Melkor and Sauron unable to do anything but wait until the end of the world, Tolkien’s world continues through history. We’re told that the magic of the world slowly fades from the land, and this world eventually becomes the world we know and live in today.

Glossary of Important Characters/Topics

Frodo – Frodo Baggins is a Hobbit tasked with destroying the One Ring. He accomplishes this task with the help of many companions, collectively known as the Fellowship of the Ring. He is often seen as a Christ figure in Tolkien’s work, carrying the burden of sin on himself. Interestingly, Frodo and the Fellowship begin the journey on December 25^th (Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ) and destroy the Ring on March 25^th (the day, according to Catholic tradition, that Christ was crucified). He was certainly not a perfect avatar for Jesus; Frodo did have flaws, unlike Christ. Still, in Tolkien’s 246^th Letter, he describes Frodo as “an instrument of Providence,” implying that it was the will of God for Frodo to destroy the Ring.

Gandalf – Gandalf appears as an elderly wizard to those who live in Middle Earth. In actuality, he (along with four other wizards) are Maiar—lesser angels—sent to aid in the fight against Sauron. As a Maia, Gandalf’s true name is Olórin, and he is the only one of the five wizards that we know actually succeeded in his task of opposing Sauron. Gandalf leads the Fellowship initially. He is also seen as a Christ figure in that he defeats an evil Maia called a Balrog (lit. “Demon of Might”), dies and rises again into glory.

Aragorn – Aragorn is sometimes called Strider or Elessar. He is the rightful king of the kingdom of Gondor who does battle against Sauron and eventually reclaims his throne. He is another Christ figure depicted in Tolkien’s work and prominently showcases Christ as King of All. Like Jesus, Aragorn voluntarily does not reveal his true identity and sets aside his rightful claim until the appointed time, and then he takes his place as king.

We could also note that other characters in The Silmarillion also seem to imitate Christ who we do not have time to get into, such as Eärendil (extra credit for those who want to research more).

Sauron – Sauron is a Maia who was influenced by Melkor. Along with Melkor, Sauron stands as Tolkien’s Satan character. He is defeated following the destruction of the Ring, and, unable to influence the world any longer, awaits ultimate judgment at the end of the world.

Melkor – Melkor is the mightiest of the Ainur, and he desires to glorify himself over Eru. He, like Sauron, is a Satan character in Tolkien’s work. Following his trickery of a prominent elf named Fëanor, Melkor (“He who arises in Might”) is given the name Morgoth (“Dark Enemy”). He, along with Sauron, are incapable of creating anything unique. They can only change or twist what Eru has created. Therefore, the wicked creatures they breed are merely distorted images of their proper selves, as, for instance, orcs are merely corruptions of elves, and wargs are corruptions of wolves.

Perhaps most interesting element here is that Melkor’s schemes are only possible under the authority and allowance of Eru. As it reads in the opening pages of The Silmarillion, following Melkor’s attempts to overpower the Music of the Ainur, Eru says the following:

“Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Ilúvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.”

The Silmarillion, emphasis mine

Eru Ilúvatar – Eru is the supreme deity in Tolkien’s world and is representative of God the Father. He exists outside of the world but still chooses to interact with his creation. Tolkien writes in a letter that Eru ultimately caused the Ring to fall into the fires of Mount Doom through divine intervention when Frodo had gone as far as he possibly could.

“Frodo deserved all honour because he spent every drop of his power of will and body, and that was just sufficient to bring him to the destined point, and no further. Few others, possibly no others of his time, would have got so far. The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), ‘that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named’ (as one critic has said).”

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 192, emphasis mine

In a similar vein, Gandalf admits that both Frodo and his uncle Bilbo were meant by Eru to find the Ring in the second chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring:

“When its master was awake once more and sending out his dark thought from Mirkwood, it abandoned Gollum. Only to be picked up by the most unlikely person imaginable: Bilbo from the Shire! Behind that there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.”

Fellowship, pg. 61, emphasis mine

Additionally, it is said that, at the end of days, the “Children of Ilúvatar” (meaning elves and men) will join with the Ainur to sing a heavenly song greater than the one that was at creation, reminiscent of how Christians will join with the angels to sing praises to God forevermore.

Middle Earth – Middle Earth is a continent in Tolkien’s world where much of his stories take place. It is one of two “important” continents within Tolkien’s lore, the other being Aman.

Aman/Valinor – Aman is a continent west of Middle Earth. It is inhabited by the Valar who entered into creation in a region of Aman called Valinor. It is also referred to as “The Undying Lands.” The elves at one point lived there along with the Valar, and they eventually pass over the sea once more to head there. Because men are mortal, they are not allowed to travel to Aman.

Ainur – The Ainur are angelic beings created by Eru before the beginning of the world. They are further divided into two categories: Valar and Maiar, the Valar being the stronger group and the Maiar being lesser. Both Valar and Maiar play key roles throughout Tolkien’s work, such as in the Vala Manwë sending his eagles to save Frodo or when the five Maiar take the form of elderly wizards to assist men against Sauron—including Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast.

The One Ring – The One Ring is a ring that Sauron originally crafted in an attempt to control the elves, men and dwarves who wore other magical rings, and he placed much of his power in the Ring in order to do so. The Ring is often seen as symbolic of sin: when man comes across it, they both “love it and hate it.” It causes them grief, and yet they are physically unable and unwilling to give it up without supernatural intervention. And despite most people understanding the corrupting power of the Ring, Tolkien often says that all people will eventually succumb to its allure, even if they resist it initially.

Important Races – There are many races of creatures within Tolkien’s world.

• Men – Men are the predominant race of people in Middle-Earth. They were the second-born of the Children of Ilúvatar since they were awakened after the elves. Humans eventually die and pass beyond the world to a place that even the Ainur do not know. Within humankind, there are additionally Númenóreans, a subset blessed with longer lifespans for their help in fighting against Melkor (of which Aragorn is a descendant).

• Elves – Elves are called the “Firstborn” of the Children of Ilúvatar since they were the first race to be awakened. Though they can die from injury, they cannot die from old age. When an elf does die, his or her soul passes into the Halls of Mandos, a location in Valinor overseen by a Valar. The location acts as a sort-of Purgatory (remember, Tolkien was Catholic), where elves remain to serve out a sentence proportional to the good and evil they’ve done in their life. Afterwards, they are reimbodied and rejoin their fellow elves in Aman. For elves who don’t die, they eventually sail west for Aman, too, feeling called back to the land. Because they do not leave the world upon death, their ultimate fate is tied to the end of the world.

• Dwarves – Dwarves were created not by Eru but by Aulë, a Valar with authority over the ground. When Aulë created the beings, he was rebuked by Eru since they were not part of the Music of the Ainur, but Eru allowed the dwarves to live after Aulë submitted the dwarves to Eru, and Eru imbued each dwarf with a spirit. It is never explicitly stated what happens to dwarves when they die. However, the dwarves believe that Aulë gathers them in a separate part of the Halls of Mandos to wait until the end of the world, where they will help Aulë create a new world after the last battle.

• Hobbits – Hobbits are technically part of the race of men. However, they are very short and have hairy, padded feet. They also are in touch with nature, and they are, for the most part, “free from ambition or greed of wealth” (Letter 131). Four of the members of the Fellowship, including Frodo, are Hobbits.

• Wicked Creatures – Many wicked creatures spawned by Melkor exist, including races of orcs, spiders, dragons, trolls and Balrogs. Generally speaking, orcs, spiders, dragons and trolls are merely distorted copies of other races or creatures tortured into what they are. Balrogs are the equivalent of fallen angels, as they are a group of Maiar who followed after Melkor.

Connecting, and Contrasting, the Gospel

There’s certainly a lot we could connect to the gospel. Still, here’s three topics to get you started:

1. Divine Providence – Even though most of the events in Tolkien’s world appear to be random, readers are occasionally provided with statements that reveal Eru’s sovereignty in all that is happening. We’re told that Frodo was “meant” to find the Ring, and when he takes it to “his destined point” at Mount Doom, we’re told that Eru ultimately causes the Ring’s destruction. And Eru tells Melkor that nothing Melkor has done is outside of his will. Likewise, Christianity teaches that our God is utterly sovereign (Proverbs 16:33, Isaiah 45:7-9, Ephesians 1:11). We’re told that God is in charge even when things appear to be going against God’s promises. This is especially evident in the crucifixion of Christ, which occurred according to God’s plan (Luke 22:41-42 as well as Acts 2:23 and 4:27-28). Christians can fulfill Jesus’ command to be anxious over nothing, then, since God truly is in control of all things and cares for His people. What may seem like evil prevailing should not cause a Christian to despair, as God has already, in His sovereign plan, won the victory.

2. Eternal Creatures – The Children of Ilúvatar—at least, elves and men—have souls and are therefore eternal creatures. In particular, we’re told that when men die, they depart the world, and only Eru and the Valar Manwë know to where they go. Christianity does teach that men are eternal beings (Matthew 25:46, for instance), but unlike The Lord of the Rings, we’re told of the ultimate destinations for our souls. Because God is a just God, He must punish evil (Isaiah 3:11 and 13:11, Romans 6:23). And because all men have done evil (Romans 3:9-12 and 23), we deserve nothing but the just wrath of God against us. However, God has provided the perfect and holy Christ as our Savior, that those who believe in His perfect sacrifice will receive mercy and be ushered into heaven to dwell with God forever (Ephesians 2:1-10). But for those who do not want Christ to bear the punishment for their sins, they shall bear the punishment themselves and be found guilty, to be righteously punished in hell (Matthew 25:31-46).

3. The Day of the Lord – Even after the Ring is destroyed, we see that men still do evil in Middle-Earth. In fact, when Frodo returns to his home, he must fight against wicked people trying to take over! Even though Melkor and Sauron have lost, this loss has not been fully realized, and it won’t be until the last battle at the end of days. We, as Christians, likewise live in an “already-but-not-yet” state. Though Jesus was victorious and conquered the grave, saving all those who are His (John 10:24-30), sin and death still exist in our world. But on the Day of the Lord, Christ will return, not to deal with the forgiveness of sins but to ultimately destroy the enemies of God (Hebrews 9:24-28 and 10:11-13).

Conclusion

We hope that this serves as a helpful primer for parents looking to understand the spirituality presented in The Lord of the Rings—whether as a way to inject a gospel conversation or decide whether the series is for them.