Some have puzzled over the relation between Tolkien's stories and his Christianity, and have found it difficult to understand how a devout Roman Catholic could write with such conviction about a world where God is not worshipped. But there is no mystery.
The Silmarillion is the work of a profoundly religious man. It does not contradict Christianity but complements it. There is in the legends no worship of God, yet God is indeed there, more explicitly in The Silmarillion than in the work that grew out of it, The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien's universe is ruled over by God, 'The One'. Beneath Him in the hierarchy are 'The Valar', the guardians of the world, who are not gods but angelic powers, themselves holy and subject to God; and at one terrible moment in the story they surrender their power into His hands.
Tolkien cast his mythology in this form because he wanted it to be remote and strange, and yet at the same time not to be a lie. He wanted the mythological and legendary stories to express his own moral view of the universe; and as a Christian he could not place his view in a cosmos without the God he worshipped.
At the same time, to set his stories 'realistically' in the known world, where religious beliefs were explicitly Christian, would deprive them of imaginative colour. So while God is present in Tolkien's universe, He remains unseen.
When he wrote The Silmarillion Tolkien believed that in one sense he was writing the truth. He did not suppose that precisely such peoples as he described, elves, dwarves, and malevolent orcs, had walked the earth and done the deeds that he recorded. But he did feel, or hope, that his stories were in some sense an embodiment of a profound truth.
This is not to say that he was writing an allegory: far from it. Time and again he expressed his distaste for that form of literature. 'I dislike allegory wherever I smell it,' he once said, and similiar phrases echo through his letters to readers of his books. So in what sense did he suppose The Silmarillion to be true?
Something of the answer can be found in his essay On Fairy-Stories and in his story Leaf by Niggle, both of which suggest that a man may be given by God the gift of recording 'a sudden glimpse of the underlying reality or truth'. Certainly while writing The Silmarillion Tolkien believed that he was doing more than inventing a story.
He wrote of the tales that make up the book: 'They arose in my mind as "given" things, and as they came, separately, so too the links grew. An absorbing, though continually interrupted labour (especially, even apart from the necessities of life, since the mind would wing to the other pole and spread itself on the linguistics): yet always I had the sense of recording what was already "there", somewhere: not of inventing".'
from pages 91-92 of Tolkien: A Biography
(As evidenced by the last paragraph above, it is my own belief that Mr. Tolkien's mind was used by the Spirit of Truth-- with the gifts of tongues and interpretation-- in order to present to the world The Lord of the Rings, an epic adventure of Three Christ-like main characters richly interwoven with Biblical themes and ideals.
Consider Frodo, called by duty out of his comfortable life in Bag End to deny himself even to the point of death to save the world from the power of darkness.
Also consider Gandalf, Master of lore and ancient wisdom who laid down his life for his friends and received it again in Triumph.
Finally consider Aragorn, lowly king of the wilds with healing hands who braved the paths of the dead to win the throne of his kingdom.
In The Lord of the Rings, people of faith can find parallels to themselves in the elves, hobbits, and even the dwarves, but my favorite portrayal of true
believers is the Ents!
They live far separated from the world, but are stirred to action by their hatred of Saruman and his lust for power in compromise of the Truth.
Leaving it to other folk to overthrow Beast Sauron, they risk their all to thwart False Prophet Saruman in order to renew their beloved land in the regrowth of peace and quiet.
Even the "backslidden" Huorns stir
themselves to rid their pastures of the despicable orcs and pull down the base power of Isengard.
Hopefully that foretells the renewal of many in the worldly church, redeeming their ministry before the End.
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The following transliteration/interpretations are based on Strong's Hebrew Lexicon-- the standard reference work for students of Biblical Hebrew.
These are ~approximate~ translations --not absolutely exact-word-for-word or letter-by-letter-- but they are faithful to reflect the same sounds inherent in Professor Tolkien's written languages.
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Gandalf's theme
In the chapter, A Journey in the Dark, to kindle a fire with which to fight off the Wolves surrounding the company, Gandalf utters these words:
Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!
meaning: Youth where ample splendour builds up truth! Youth judge woe, deliver over, break in upon!
Strong's word numbers: 5271, 575, 155, 539-544, 5271, 1835, 337, 5064, 2050.
The fire kindled against the wolves is paralleled by the whole book's influence among youth to inspire and encourage them towards truth and against all evil. As such, Gandalf's utterance embodies the theme of Professor Tolkien's work.
The Song of Galadriel from "Farewell to Lorien", chapter 8, book two, The Fellowship of the Ring
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Ai! laurie lantar lassi surinen!
Yeni unotime ve ramar aldarion,
yeni ve linte yuldar vanier
mi oromardi lisse-miruvoreva
Andune pella Vardo tellumar
nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni
o maryo airetari-lirinen
Si man i yulma nin enquantuva?
An si Tintalle Varda Oiolosseo
ve fanyar maryat Elentari ortane,
ar sindanoriello caita mornie
i falmalinnar imbe met ar hisie
untupa Calaciryo miri oiale.
Si vanwa na, Romello vanwa, Valimar
Namarie! Nai hiruvalye Valimar.
Nai elye hiruva. Namarie!
Galadriel being somewhat of a representation of the Holy Spirit in Tolkien's work (from a Christian perspective), the interpretation of this song is a strong and timely rebuke to this wicked generation, a warning to youth to stay out of sexual uncleanness:
Ruin! No water for cleansing these degenerate sorcerers!
The proud, sexually unclean and those in wicked nakedness are abhorred by the Most High.
Proud and obstinate, astray and howling generation.
O when these cunning wanderers,
these mockers content beholding drunkeness,
are brought to judgement:
Marvellously brought down!
The enemies' oppression broken!
A dunghill made of the dragon-built city among the oaks!
Yah increase watchful worshippers that they flourish. What excellancy benefits the children whose eye is zealous awe!
With what excellancy the dragon-built is brought down in the gleaning-time storm and the face of the enemy is made bald, the oak grove putrefying as dragon skin.
The enemies of Yah have fear, ruin, and pining sickness for their food; the assembly of men- judges of the altar- hitherto consulting together thus remove lamentation.
Oh, of a truth such a Fire will rain upon the enemies the full measure of woe.
As for thee, mind of man: refrain from boiling up rebellion grieving the Almighty.
By the excellancy of meekness, I beseech you, ascend on high in humility, the Eternal City flows with pleasantness!
Be moved by Yah to conceive good for the Eternal City.
Be moved by the Most High Yah, conceive in accord with the flowing of pleasantness!
Strong's word numbers:
5857,3809,7377,3860,2891,3890/1976,5494,6049
3238,5772,2930,2051,7451,4626,5920,1860,
3238,2051,3885,3213,1755,6063/5289,
4310,6175,716,3887,7207,7302,
1779,6382,3381,2928,1755,
5122,3319,8565,8510,6144,440,
6014,3050,6147,6282,3863,7847,
7863,3984,3276,5209,575,7065,8429.
575,7863,8565,8510,3381,5955,5584,
2051,6440,6145,4803,438,2961,5785,8565,
6145,5512,1835,741,3542,3272,4171,5204,
6422,5135,518/994,4305,1958,5429,
607,6310,3607,5518,4805,188,410,
7863,2057/6037,4994,7315,5927,2057/6037,5769/2057,
5277,7377,5274,2029,3276,3050,5769/2057,
5274,5920/3050,2029,2969,5277,7377.
From the Ents ...and Gondor!
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Book III chapter 4 "Treebeard"
The words of Bregalad (Quickbeam):
O Orofarne, Lassemista, Carnimirie!
interpretation from Hebrew:
"O Watchful Heaven, a feast of speaking in a foreign tongue, a shining pasture!"
Strong's words # 6183,6198,3937,4960,7160,4829
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Book VI chapter 6 "Many Partings"
Words spoken by Treebeard:
A vanimar, vanimalion nostari!
interpretation from Hebrew:
"Ah city of two fountains, two fountains of the Most High, pleasant for purification!"
Strong's words# 6046,5892,6046,5945,4998,2893
(The words of the Ents here can be taken as further confirmation of Tolkien's inspiration and of the edification given to the saints through tongues and interpretation.
The "two fountains" are referring to the pouring out of the Spirit upon all flesh AND the fountain of living water flowing out of the innermost being of those who believe.)
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Gondor in Hebrew means dwelling of majesty, and was the kingdom of the last true men of the West in the LOTR triology.
Osgiliath was the chief city of Gondor, but was besieged, taken, and ruined by the enemy. Thereafter, the men of Gondor fell back to Minas Tirith, which was but an outpost of Osgiliath.
Osgiliath in Hebrew means the place of rejoicing.
Strong's words # 227 & 1525
Minas Tirith means the gate of retreat.
Strong's words # 4498 & 8654
Ever does the enemy seek to make us flee from the place of rejoicing to the place of retreat... Therefore let us rather obey the words of the apostle and rejoice evermore, giving no place to the devil!
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Interpretation of Tongues from The Lord of the Rings!
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Near the end of The Two Towers, when Sam Gamgee is trying to ward off the monstrous spider Shelob, a remarkably Scriptural event takes place: he speaks in tongues!
"And then his tongue was loosed and his voice cried in a language which he did not know:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
o menel palan-diriel,
le nallon si di'nguruthos!
A tiro nin, Fanuilos!"
(chapter 10, ~ paragraph 10, The Two Towers)
I've been curious for awhile as to the sound of the languages used in Professor Tolkien's writings, particularly so as to the frequent occurence of El, a Hebraic term usually used in reference to the Most High. Accordingly, I checked the meaning of the language above with Strong's Hebrew lexicon...
Here is the meaning those words of Sam convey in Hebrew:
Ah the Covenant of the Most High, His Joy and Sorrow.
O His kindred Saints with His Pearl of Liberty,
Wherein abides the completion of excellancy that illuminates His friends' foundation!
The Crown of His Son, the Face of the Most High!
Here are the words as spelled in Hebrew along with the Strong's numbers keyed to their meanings:
El(410) bryth(1285) Glyth(1525) oni(1126/205) El(410)
O myn(4327) El(410) Plwny(6397/6423) - drwr(1859/1865) El(410)
lyn(3885) nlh(5239) sya(7863) dy(176) ngh(5050) rwth(7327) os(787)
atrh(5850) nyn(5209) Phnyal(6439) os(787)
I hold that the remarkable similarity of the languages and edification value of this rudimentary interpretation are further proofs of Professor Tolkien's Source of Inspiration.
May all lovers of Middle Earth take heed and partake of the same Inspiration!
Additionally, the Hebraic meaning of Galadriel [the seeress, gift-giving Elf queen in The Lord of the Rings] is a spring of water/ heap of testimony, PASTURE of the Most High. See Strong's words # 1530/1567, 7471,410: Galade rehee Ale!
As such, for those who can receive it, in the trilogy she is an apparent representation of the Holy Spirit, the Spring of Living Water, witness-bearer, Guide and Giver of gifts, whose Law (of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus) makes us free from the law of sin and death!
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In the previous chapter, "Shelob's Lair", Frodo also speaks in tongues:
"Aiya Earendil Elenion Ancalima! he cried, and knew not what he had spoken; for it seemed that another voice spoke through his, clear, untroubled by the foul air of the pit." ~ paragraph 20
'ay-Yah er-and-al Al-inyan ayin-chel-emah are the equivalent words in Hebrew, meaning
Where Yah is the watchful tie above: the Most High covering, whence is the army of fright!
That is a battle cry equivalent to "Yah is my Salvation, of whom should I be afraid!"
(Strong's words #335, 3050, 6197, 6029, 5921, 5920, 6049, 370, 2426, & 367 respectively)
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The Ring of Power
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Written upon the Ring are these words:
Ash nazg durbatuluk,
ash nazg gimbatul,
ash nazg thrakatuluk
agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!
The translation of these words given in The Fellowship of the Ring is:
One ring to rule them all,
one ring to find them,
one ring to bring them all,
and in the Darkness bind them!
Now see how the Hebrew meaning of these words reflects and enhances Professor Tolkien's translation:
ash(784) nzq(5142) dwr(1754) bdlch(914/916)
fire consuming circle dividing in pieces
ash(784) nzq(5142) gm(1571) bdl(914)
fire consuming gathering division
ash(784) nzq(5142) thrch(8646) tlch(8520)
fire consuming delayer breach
uwg(5746) bwr(952) zmm(2162)-ishi(376) chrm(2764) ptl(6617)
round trying plot - against man shutting in a net entwining
Remember, that though the ring appeared as only a small band of gold, in Frodo's mind as he bore it, it was revealed as a wheel of fire blotting out all else!
Thus, one ring to rule them all = circle of fire dividing men, elves, & dwarves.
One ring to find them = consuming fire gathering those divided.
One ring to bring them all = fire consuming their breach by delay.
And in the Darkness bind them = round fiery trial to ensnare mankind.
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A Prophetic Warning
Book VI, chapter 5, ~2/3 point of chapter
Then Aragorn took the crown and held it up and said: Et Earello Endorenna utulien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta!
And those were the words that Elendil spoke when he came up out of the sea on the wings of the wind: "Out of the Great Sea to Middle Earth I am come. In this place I will abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world."
approximate translation from Hebrew:
The pen over the altar of the Temple, the fountain of dwelling bearing witness:
consent to abide in strength. Though China lash out as an enemy,
judgement shall be far away from the forest-shelter close woven to purify the people.
Strong's numbers (respectively):
5842 739/740 5924 5874 6030 225 193 3885 5515 4754/8112 6145 1973 1780 3293 2935 5971 1429 4291
(This message bears witness with the warnings in Scripture as to the Judgements coming upon earth in days to come. Many witnesses have testified to the Spirit's warnings of China eventually making war upon the West and the need for the meek to separate themselves from the pollutions of the city and live quiet lives in woodlands.)
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Song from The Grey Havens
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In the last chapter of The Return of the King, at the last riding of the High Kindred, this song is sung:
A! Elbereth Gilthoniel!
silivren penna miriel
o menel aglar elenath
Gilthoniel, A! Elbereth!
We still remember, we who dwell
in this far land beneath the trees
The starlight on the Western Seas.
From the clearest Hebrew words equivalent to the first four lines above, here is the translation:
Ah! The Most High Covenant, His joy/sorrow!
the careless' song shall turn to the curse of the Highest.
O His kindred, when the enemy surrounds,
His answer is His joy/sorrow,
Ah! the Covenant of the Most High!
Strong's words #5921,1285,1525,1126/205,5921,
7961,7438,6437,3994,5920,
4327,5920,5696,5920,6067,
1525,1126/205,5920,5920,1285, respectively.
This and the following interpretation are likewise prophetic exhortations for Yah's own to be faithful to the Covenant of the Most High and so find Him faithful to bless His people.
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From ~the last page of chapter one, Book Two of The Fellowship of the Ring
A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
silivren penna miriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-diriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, si nef aeron!
interpretation:
Ah the Most High's Covenant, His joy and sorrow.
Careless song shall turn into the curse of the Highest
Oh, His kindred, when the enemy surrounds, this is His answer:
I beseech you Fear the Holy Arm of the Highest.
O exalt the heap of testimony, the fountain shaken-out,
the Face of the Most High is foundation belonging
to lengthen His curse upon the adulterous city,
that is the measure of the adulterous strong city! (see Revelation 19:2!)
Strong's words # 5920,1285,1525,1126/205,5920,
<
4327,5920,5696,5920,6067,
4994,2729,6397,1872,5920,
1567,7426/7416,5869,5296,
6439,787,3815,3939,8565,
5003,5892,5429,5003,5894,202, respectively
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From Helm's Deep, chapter 7 of book 3 in The Two Towers, Gimli cries:
Baruk Khazad! Khazad ai-menu!
Baruk is word #1263 in Strong's Lexicon meaning "blessed".
Baruk Khazad ai-menu
barook khawsad ahee-min noo (pronounced)
baruwk chacad ay-min nuw (as spelled in Strong's)
blessed to bow ruin-a part to dissuade (definitions)
1263 2616 5857 4481 5106
~could be seen as a reference to the dwarves being bowed down from their work in the mines, the axes working ruin to dissuade their foes~
Thus, Blessed be the dwarves, Axes' ruin to the enemy would be the interpretation of the dwarves' battle cry from Hebrew.
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Kheled-Zaram the Dwarves' name for Mirrormere (in The Fellowship...chapter 6 book two, Lothlorien)is composed of two Hebrew words:
2465 and 2229
cheled (kheh'-led) and zaram (zaw-ram')
cheled means "the fleeting time of life in this transient world", and zaram means "poured out".
Thus the meaning of Kheled-Zaram from Hebrew is the time of this world - poured out, such that Mirrormere Lake is a reflection of the time of this world, in which the crown of Durin is still seen so as yet to be reclaimed by him "when he wakes".
(That brings to mind the final words of Thorin Oakenshield from chapter 18 of The Hobbit: "...I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed.")
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At the Doors of Moria, Gandalf uttered these words in an attempt to get them to open:
Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen! Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!
The Strong's Hebrew word numbers approximating these sentences are 596, 108, 1973, 153, 1958/1931, 544, 6436, 5251, 5050 8593, 3937, 8591, 1004,3926.
The interpretation is:
Lament the mist of antiquity whence force is Truth! By the knives of dawn remove the sail upon the house of deceitful tongues!
This counsel calls us to grieve the fact that history is written by the victors such that the Truth is shrouded, and exhorts us that by prayer (the knives of dawn) we can take away the impetus of historical lies.
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On the doors of Moria, these words were wrought in letters of ithildin:
Ennyn Durin Aran Moria: pedo mellon a minno. Im Narvi hain echant: Celebrimboro Eregion teithant i thiw hin..
Strong's numbers: 581, 1865, 765, 4179, 6299, 4411, 4483, 5973, 5271, 2005, 291, 2459/7213/880, 708, 202, 8410/1881/1781/1835, 339, 8414, 2004.
The Hebraic interpretation:
Those of liberty, shouting for joy are seen of Yah to ransom the Camp as ordained. By youth, Lo, a brotherly well of richness is lifted up weaving power by judgement of Law, inhabiting the wilderness thereby.
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Tolkien site where these interpretations have been discussed
MINAS TIRITH's Lord of the Rings Board