4 ms·
As a counterpoint: Saruman the White and his horde of orcs were about as evil as they come, there were evil humans of both light and dark skin, and that applies
by bitwalker 12y ago
As a counterpoint: Saruman the White and his horde of orcs were about as evil as they come, there were evil humans of both light and dark skin, and that applies to many of the "good" races. That said, yes, the evil parties tended to be of dark complexion, but I think of that as less a racial undertone, and more likely a literal illustration of the classic good == light, evil == dark parallel (for instance, Sauron being called the "Dark Lord", many references to "the darkness", etc.). Who knows though, perhaps Tolkein was racist, I just never felt that his writings came across that way.
- JoshTriplett 12y agoI always assumed that those fantasy light/dark associations came from much older (as in, pre-language and pre-sentience) human feelings of "day/light/warm/safe/good/life" and "dark/night/cold/fear/bad/death".
- bitwalker 12y agoI'd agree, it seems like an almost primal comparison, rather than something deliberately conceived. The way some places in the books are described take that quite literally: Rivendell, the bastion of good, is described in terms of safety and light (even at night, with the moonlight), and Mordor, the bastion of evil, is described in terms of danger and darkness.
- simonh 12y agoLight meaning illumination and dark meaning darkness are universal proxies for good and evil or life and death around the world, including many and quite possibly all African mythologies. It's there in Voodoo in spades. It's got nothing to do with skin colour. Personaly I think the idea of shining cities holding out (and some falling) against the forces of evil is an echo of Byzantium succumbing to the Turkish invasion and subsequently Vienna standing against further Turkish encroachment. However the Haradrim are not really Turks, and it's not as if discovering that LoTR is largely inspired by European history is a shocking revelation. Plently of 'white guys' are seduced by evil as well and Tolkien never suggests there's anything fundamental about Haradrim or other 'furriners' that make them any more susceptible to corruption.