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> The journey in the Lord of the Rings is almost as much a journey back through deeper and deeper legend as it is through space - the hobbits travel from a Napo
by richardfontana 2y ago
> The journey in the Lord of the Rings is almost as much a journey back through deeper and deeper legend as it is through space - the hobbits travel from a Napoleonic era Shire, through Renaissance Rivendell, back to a medieval Rohan then classical Gondor, and then into the strictly mythological Mordor.
Very insightful comment. I have read (and thought deeply about) the books countless times over many years but never realized this before.
- jameshart 2y agoI think it’s connected to how Tolkien always connects his ‘fantastical’ elements with the ‘ancient’. The balrog is a primal evil the dwarves released by digging too deep; Tom Bombadil has been alive forever; Fangorn and Mirkwood forest are remnants of the ancient forest that once covered the world; Gollum has been granted long life by the ring making him a remnant of the past that has survived; The elves’ long lives make them a living connection to the past. His mythology is all about people touching and being touched by something primally ancient, so to confront that world requires that kind journey through time.
- wjnc 2y agoHow do you know this (and can explain it so well)? Next level insights these. Thank you.
- jameshart 2y agoThat’s kind of you to say. I wouldn’t claim any special insight. Like a lot of people I read LotR at a very formative age and as a result I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about it.