Email this article 
Hide
Show all
In search of the Holy Presence of the Blessed Mary in Tolkien’s Middle-earth
Abstract
The presence of the Catholic framework in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium has long been the subject of debate. Various Tolkien scholars and literary critics have already written different critical interpretations to consider whether to assign The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion to Christian Mythology or not; numerous attempts have been made to clarify this statement. Therefore, the reasons, why it should be included in this category are many and various. There are several examples in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings that can be studied in relation to Christian themes and motives. Consequently, the aims of this paper are to study the possible similarities of Varda, Queen of the Stars, and Galadriel, the Lady of Light, to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Christian contexts. Moreover, to study the influence of Tolkien’s strong faith, which shaped his Catholic imagination, all through his legendarium, and subsequently leads us to observe Tolkien’s complete obedience to Catholicism, and especially, his profound devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Birzer, B. (2003). J. R. R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth. Wilmington: Isi Books.
Birzer, B. (2001). The Christian Gifts of J.R.R. Tolkien, New Oxford Review 68, no. 10 , 25–29.
Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2000). J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (Modern Critical Interpretations). Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publications.
Boyd, I., & Stratford, C. (2003). A Hidden Presence: The Catholic Imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien. New Jersey: Chesterton Press.
Burns, M. J. (2005). Perilous Realms: Celtic and Norse in Tolkien's Middle-earth. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Caldecott, S. (2005). The Power of the Ring: The Spiritual Vision Behind “The Lord of the Rings”. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company.
Caldecott, S. ( 2003). Secret Fire: The Spiritual Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien. London: Darton, Longman, and Todd.
Carpenter, H. (1977). The Authorized Biography of J.R.R. Tolkien. London: Allen & Unwin.
Carpenter, H. (1979). The Inklings: C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Carpenter, H. (1981). The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. London: Allen & Unwin.
Chance, J. (2001). Tolkien’s Art: A Mythology for England. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.
Chance, J. (Ed.). (2003). Tolkien the Medievalist. London; New York: Routledge.
Drout, M. D. C. (Ed.). (2006). J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York City: Routledge.
Eliot, T. S. (1967). The Complete Poems and Plays. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Flieger, V. (2002). Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press.
Flieger, V. (1999). Fantasy and Reality: J. R. R. Tolkien’s World and the Fairy Story Essay. Mythlore: A Journal of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature. 22, no. 3.
Kerry, P. E. (2011). The Ring and the Cross Christianity and the Writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. UK: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.
Kocher P. H. (1985). Ilúvatar and the Secret Fire. Mythlore: A Journal of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature. 12.1, 36–37.
Kocher, P. H. (1972). Master of Middle-earth: The Achievement of J.R.R. Tolkien. London: Thames & Hudson.
Montgomery, J.W. (1974). Myth, Allegory, and Gospel: An Interpretation of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, Chas Williams. Bloomington, Minnesota: Bethany House.
Plath, S. (2000). The unabridged journals. K. V. Kukil (Ed.). New York: Anchor.
Shippey, T. (2001). J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Shippey, T. (1992). The Road to Middle-earth. London: Grafton.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (2004). The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1965). The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1977). The Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (2007). The Children of Húrin. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1987). The Lost Road and Other Writings. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). London: Allen & Unwin.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1996). The Book of Lost Tales. Two Parts. The History of Middle-earth 1–2. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). London: Allen & Unwin.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1996). The Lays of Beleriand. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). London: Allen & Unwin.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1986). The Shaping of Middle-earth. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). London: Allen & Unwin.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (2002). The Return of the Shadow. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). London: Harper Collins.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (2001). The Treason of Isengard. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). London: Harper Collins.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1990). The War of the Ring. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (2002). Sauron Defeated. Christopher Tolkien (Ed.). London: Harper Collins.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.2n.4p.200
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2012-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.
International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature
To make sure that you can receive messages from us, please add the journal emails into your e-mail 'safe list'. If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox', check your 'bulk mail' or 'junk mail' folders.