J.R.R. Tolkien is an English author most famous for writing the most loved series Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. But have you ever wondered how Middle Earth came into being? I'm not talking about how Tolkien came up with the story though that can be considered "a creation." But I'm talking about how Middle Earth came into existence. This story can be found in Tolkien's Silmarillion which contains stories pertaining to Middle Earth.
Because Tolkien was a Christian, Christianity played a great part in influencing his writing. For example in his creation of Middle Earth, Eru, who symbolizes God, spoke Middle Earth into existence. These words were used in the form of music. Tolkien used this as a way to relate people back to Genesis 1 where God created the earth through words. John 1:1 states: "In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God."
Creation both for Tolkien and God's creation were good. But then things changed. The theme of destruction can be seen in the destruction of Numenor. Numenor was a city on an island that was given to men by Valar. Mankind lived in peace with one another and with the elves but then sin came into the world. One ruler became greedy with the desire to reach the Undying Lands which was forbidden. Because of this, Numenor was destroyed in a great flood. This is very similar to the Biblical story of Noah and the Flood. This is also Tolkien's version of Atlantis, a mythical place and another one of my examples.
No comments:
Post a Comment