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 Have
you read The Lord of the Rings?
What is your take on the Tolkien trilogy?
Commentary
by Greg Wright |
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The
Two Towers, Book III
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In
April, 2004, this web page was annotated to address errors in the
text. Click on highlighted text to review errata.
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The
Departure of Boromir
Little could Boromir have suspected the cost of his failure in the
face of temptation. Even as he speaks with Frodo on Amon Hen, a party
of raiding orcs falls upon his companions below. Boromir dies defending
Pippin and Merry, who are afterward taken captive by the orcs. Is
Boromir a traitor, like Judas?
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The
Tireless Chase, and the Uruk-hai
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli set out on the trail of the orcs, hoping
to rescue Merry and Pippin. While on the trail, Legolas for a second
time spies a fast-flying eagle high above. What does the eagle signify?
Is it just a random detail thrown in by Tolkien? In the Bible, the
eagle is a potent symbol: "They that wait upon the Lord will renew
their strength, rising up on the wings of eagles. They will run and
not be weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
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The
Red Eye versus The White Hand
Loyalties are divided within the band of raiding orcs. Some are loyal
to Mordor, while others are loyal to Saruman at Isengard. What seemed
an evil result of Boromir's betrayal now turns out for the good, for
as Jesus said, "If Satan were to rise up against himself, and be divided,
he could not stand." (Mark 3:26) The orcs quarrel amongst themselves,
and the delay results in their utter defeat on the borders of Fangorn,
bringing Merry and Pippin providentially into the hands of Saruman's
worst possible foe.
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Treebeard
Like Elrond, Galadriel and others of the Elves, Treebeard has the
luxury of the long-range perspective on things. He has seen much come
and much go over the millennia, which produces great wisdom. In discussing
the difference between Ents and trees, he says "Sheep get like shepherd,
and shepherd like sheep, they say." The same is true of the Biblical
Great Shepherd, who left his throne in heaven to become a man, and
his followers (like Peter) who also become shepherds. It's easy to
see that Tolkien might have had a lot more fun building Christ-like
traits into several of his characters, rather than trying to draw
a single allegorical figure.
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Fangorn
Treebeard is Fangorn, and Fangorn is Treebeard. But unlike Treebeard,
much of the forest of Fangorn is dark and foreboding. Gimli and Legolas,
along with Aragorn, enter with much foreboding. But it is here that
they encounter a changed Gandalf. As in much of ancient religion and
myth, a great victory seems to have come through death. But did Gandalf
really die? The most direct statement that he makes is, "I have passed
through fire and deep water." He also states that he was "sent back."
Of course, the portentous eagle Gwaihir seen earlier by Legolas played
a role in Gandalf's rebirth.
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Gandalf's
Return
Despite his victory over the Balrog, and his increased powers in passing
from Grey to White, Gandalf warns the others that "Black is mightier
still" than white. Good news for the Goth crowd, I guess! But Aragorn
rejoins, "We have One, mightier than they: the White Rider. He has
passed through the fire and the abyss, and they shall fear him. We
will go where he leads." Methinks Aragorn must have written Christian
hymns in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries! Tolkien's choice to
capitalize "One" here is telling.
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Rohan
Where Gandalf chooses to lead them, of course, is to Rohan. Earlier,
Aragorn had occasion for words with Éomer, the King's nephew. They
also had spoken of Gandalf's passing, and Aragorn had remarked, "When
the great fall, the less must lead." Spoken like a true Disciple—
or, using Treebeard's analogy, like a sheep becoming a shepherd. Aragorn,
though, has not yet come into his own when it comes to clarity of
vision; he is often beset by doubts, and second-guesses himself. When
others begin second-guessing Gandalf's vision, though, Aragorn asserts
that Gandalf's foreknowledge has taken the cost into account. "There
are some things it is better to begin than refuse, even though the
end may be dark." Jesus had similar advice for his own disciples.
(See Luke 14:26-35.)
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Wormtongue
Gríma, also called "Wormtongue," is advisor to Théoden of Rohan. Why
the nickname? In medieval writing (and likewise in Tolkien's works),
"worm" is not the slimy little night crawler used to bait a fish hook,
but a dragon. (Think of Thrór's map published with The Hobbit.) In
Biblical literature, Satan is frequently depicted as the "dragon"
or "serpent." He is the Deceiver. At one point, Gandalf rebukes Gríma,
"Down, snake!" It is no surprise when he is unmasked as a spy of Saruman.
His deceiving tongue is but a poor imitation of the Voice of Saruman.
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Helm's
Deep
Treebeard tells the tale of Saruman's fall from wisdom. It is a great
irony that Rohan gives Isengard into the keeping of Saruman as a friend,
only to have Isengard become the base of the orcs' and wargs' forays
against Fangorn and, finally, Rohan. The clash takes place at Helm's
Deep, in a vividly described battle. Saruman expected the powers of
Isengard to crush Rohan, for he had fortified his position and "made
it better, he thought, being deceived." So deceit is itself deceived
and comes to ruin, and Saruman learns the same lesson as Simon the
Sorcerer: there are some powers that can't be bought. (See Acts 8.)
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Orthanc
When the victorious host of Rohan visits Saruman at Orthanc, Aragorn
makes a curiously prophetic statement: "One who cannot cast away a
treasure in need is in fetters." Of course, he is talking with Merry
and Pippin about Galadriel's brooch, discarded as a sign along the
trail; but his words not only echo Biblical teaching about greed,
but apply to everything by which Saruman has been motivated. In an
ultimate irony, Wormtongue casts away Saruman's greatest treasure:
the Palantír! Does Wormtongue do this unwittingly?
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The
Palantír
Saruman's greatest treasure, of course, turns out to be his undoing.
Isn't that often true for us, as well? We can plead ignorance,
like Pippin stealing a look into the forbidden globe, saying, "I
didn't know what I was doing!" But our conscience tells us otherwise,
and we simply and willfully choose the wrong course. In spite of
Boromir's failure, and in spite of Pippin's failure, though, Tolkien's
story holds out the promise of hope. What about you? Do you have
the same kind of hope within you? Are you prepared to say why
you have this hope within you?
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So
what gives?
Did
this spiritual imagery find its way into The Lord of the Rings by
design? Or was it simply part of Tolkien's cultural fabric, accidentally
creeping into the text? And what about the magic and wizardry? Is
this really healthy spirituality that Tolkien presents? |
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