LOTR & Spirituality

[rohirrim TR]

its not surprising, tolkien was a devout catholic from what i've heard and read

[Spock]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

Google it. There's tons of stuff. Incidentally, what was the date this year of Good Friday? March 25.

Ok, so this year it's 25Mar05, but another important date has been moved:
the Annunciation is being transferred to April 4th this year, more than a week after its usual date of March 25 (nine months before Christmas). So it would seem the date is a bit arbitrary; somewhat like Christmas celebrating the birth that took place in the spring.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

The answer is a definite and profound Yes. I have always my life considered the Lord of the Rings to be a deeply spiritual work, "true" on some gloriously fundamental level, and even more concretely, it helped me to come to have a greater respect for Catholicism, which was a contributing factor in my conversion from nondenominational Protestantism to Catholicism.

I actually have know some people who considered Tolkien's mythos to be true in an astounding literal sense; I seem to remember that they called themselves "Tolkienists".

I am referring to the Book (singular!), in conjunction with Tolkien's mythos as a whole.

Originally Posted by Lil_Roo

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I am doing some reasearch on LOTR for my 3rd yr dissertation and I would love people's input. If you could take a moment to answer the following question:

Has LOTR has any deep impact on your spiritual journey and if so in what way? (Either films or books but please state which or both)

If you don't feel comfortable posting here, please send me a message or email. By the way, this is any kind of spirituality, you don't have to be of a particular religion or belief but if you follow a particualr religion, please let me know if you answer!

Thank you very much

-Emily

[Arien the Maia]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

Whoops I think I used the wrong term...not allegory, but "suspicious similarities". For example, March 25 (the day the Ring was destroyed) coincides with the traditional date of the Crucifixion. Was it really a coincedence?

I also remember reading something about MArch 25th being the date of the Conception of Jesus and how this had in fact influenced Tolkien to set the date for the destruction of the Ring...as his birthday is celebrated Dec 25th...so 9 mths previouslly would be March..

LotR has helped me I think appreciate my faith more. I'm Catholic so I understand alot of the similarites in Tolkines work...mainly the ones in the Silmarillion

[Forkbeard]

Originally Posted by Arien the Maia

I also remember reading something about MArch 25th being the date of the Conception of Jesus and how this had in fact influenced Tolkien to set the date for the destruction of the Ring...as his birthday is celebrated Dec 25th...so 9 mths previouslly would be March..

If I may folks.....the short form, and I can provide primary evidence, is this:
in medieval thought Adam and Eve were created on March 25 and sinned on that day; the Annunciation took place on March 25, as did the Crucifixion, Jesus was hung on a tree which of course was either a descendant of the tree, or the very tree itself from which Adam and Eve ate and by the way, Adam was buried on Golgotha.

The Tolkien associations are many: the Fellowship begins its journey from the "inn" at Rivendell on Dec. 25. The whole thing is over on March 25. I think Tolkien is using medieval typology....an event or person who remains and always is itself, but is also a type or signifies something or someone else: Moses is always Moses, but he also signifies Christ in this kind of thinking. It isn't allegorical in which the thing really has no identity of its own independent of what it signifies: Everyman in the play has no real identity in the story apart from signifying what Everyman faces if that makes sense.

[Arien the Maia]

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

If I may folks.....the short form, and I can provide primary evidence, is this:
in medieval thought Adam and Eve were created on March 25 and sinned on that day; the Annunciation took place on March 25, as did the Crucifixion, Jesus was hung on a tree which of course was either a descendant of the tree, or the very tree itself from which Adam and Eve ate and by the way, Adam was buried on Golgotha.

The Tolkien associations are many: the Fellowship begins its journey from the "inn" at Rivendell on Dec. 25. The whole thing is over on March 25. I think Tolkien is using medieval typology....an event or person who remains and always is itself, but is also a type or signifies something or someone else: Moses is always Moses, but he also signifies Christ in this kind of thinking. It isn't allegorical in which the thing really has no identity of its own independent of what it signifies: Everyman in the play has no real identity in the story apart from signifying what Everyman faces if that makes sense.

this is an interesting take on it...I had no idea about the whole thing/belief about Jesus' cross being descended from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil...