I am unsure how much the Christmas season lends itself to
confession, but I have a confession to make - I love J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of
the Rings trilogy and everything that goes with it. I can’t help myself!
I have watched the Lord of the Rings movies more times than
I would like to admit (same with the Hobbit), including the extended versions
(well worth your time, by the way). I have, of course, also watched the cartoon
version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They were a lot scarier when I was a
little girl than when I watched them 20 years ago with my then future husband,
but Gollum still creeped me out!
We now own a very nice slipcase-covered copy of the Hobbit,
as well as the graphic novel, the trilogy, an atlas of Middle-earth and the Silmarillion
- although, I must admit I have had a very difficult time of warming up to the Silmarillion.
I will of course try again some day, just because.
And yet, after all this exposure to Middle-earth I can’t
answer whether or not hobbits celebrate Christmas. I’m thinking the answer is
no. While fellow lovers of Tolkien’s world all know how much hobbits like a
good party, Tolkien was very good about avoiding religious holidays. Come to
think of it, he was very good at avoiding religion in general or otherwise. Interesting…
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| "Bag End" from © cdca beckoetter on Fotolia |
Well, I guess that’s one of the many ways Tolkien and I
differ – I think hobbits would love Christmas! At least, I know they
would love the feasting and gift-giving parts. I also think it would be perfectly
fun to gather with Bilbo and Frodo’s family and friends at Bag End. The food
would be tasty and the conversation merry (and Merry might even be there, too).
Of course, there would be singing and story telling after we eat, and I imagine
a hobbit or two would find a nap in another room, just like we humans often do.
If Christmas was celebrated in Middle-earth, do you think
there would be hobbit versions of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus? Or elf versions
(and I don’t mean Santa’s elves either)? Or dwarf versions? Dwarves kind of
look like miniature versions of Santa Claus, maybe they would take to that
legend easier than their need of a Savior; they are pretty independent and
stubborn, but so are people for that matter.
I think the nativity would still be of Joseph, Mary and
Jesus as humans, but perhaps there would be elves and dwarves among the wise
men, hobbits among the shepherds and maybe even a hobbit singing while
accompanied by the little drummer boy. Initially it may be difficult to differentiate
between the boy and the hobbit, of course, but ultimately the furry feet would
serve as the tell-tale sign of which is which.
No matter how real Middle-earth can seem to readers, we all
know it’s still a fiction. However, Jesus is not and perhaps that’s part of the
reason why Tolkien didn’t include His existence in his stories; it would just
be too confusing.
I am no Tolkien, and I will never claim to be. Thankfully
God didn’t make me to be either. It is my hope that I, too, can produce fantasy
stories that capture a reader’s imagination, but I further hope that while the reader
knows it's fiction, she will find the courage to believe God isn’t. That somehow
she will know God is real and His love for her is also real.
Nice Post! Cool topic..If Narnia had animals and human varieties in the story, this would be no different. It can all work together :)
ReplyDeleteGood post! Finally got around to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI've read one book (I forget the title) which mentioned Christians adapting Narnia and the Ring Trilogy to faith. The author stated that Lewis's Christianity did influence his series, but not that Tolkien -- while reflecting a Christian world-view -- was more secular in his writing. There are good illustrations from the series, though -- my favorites was Gandolf telling Frodo that there's a purpose to Gollum survivng and Sam telling Frodo, "I can't carry the ring but I can carry you." Also, I heard a home-schooler give a speech on the four types of love C.S. Lewis mentioned and giving an example of each through literature, and the example of friendship was Sam and Frodo, the place where they were talking about the story they'd tell and who they considered the hero.
And a comment on a negative extreme -- I read a J.T.Chick tract where he said Christians should burn anything connected to the occult such as role playing games, and he had a footnote saying that would include the works of Lewis and Tolkien because occultists like them as well. I shook my head at that.