Happy Birthday, Professor Tolkien

Today is the birthday of JRR Tolkien, one of the significant influences on my life. I wrote a blog a few years back, but I have learned much more since then about this great author, father, Catholic, and teacher.  I am reading The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien and recently finished Tolkien’s Faith, bringing new insights about my favorite author.

I saw the movie Tolkien a few years back and highly recommend it to everyone! The film documented the fundamental moments of Tolkien’s formation behind his masterpieces The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. As I relived his early life through early adulthood, I thought about how much Tolkien and his works were instrumental in my own growth. Here are the eight key moments when Tolkien’s works formed and changed me.

My First Book Purchase – LOTR by JRR Tolkien.

The first book I bought with my own money (you can read about how I earned that money here: A Penny A Minute) was the Lord of the Rings box set.  I have posted a picture of the Two Towers to show you how much value I got for the few dollars I spent. 

I remember buying them like yesterday at Quakerbridge Mall and using the money I earned from my first job.  I raced home, put my name on the cover in case someone tried to take it, and devoured the books like I did the Quarter Pounder that I had bought with the remaining change.

 I have now read those same books with pages falling out at least once a year.  The first time I read them all in a weekend.   I remember cowering in the bed as I read about the Black Riders for the first time and adding Frodo and Sam to my evening prayers.

Bonding with My Best Friend Over Tolkien

My best friend from elementary through middle school was Paul. He loved the Lord of the Rings as much as or more than me, and we discussed it endlessly. He also introduced me to the Lord of the Rings allusions in Led Zeppelin songs, such as Misty Mountain Hop and some Galadriel references in Stairway to Heaven. 

He also had pictures from the Lord of the Rings calendars decorating his room.  We parted ways in high school as our lives took different turns (The Road Goes Ever On!).  But I will never forget the joy I had in discussing the latest calendar and references to LOTR by Led Zeppelin!

Love of Family

My Dad was a Steelworker, a no-nonsense Blue-Collar man.  He did not care for fantasy, elves, or hobbits.  In contrast, I was like Frasier to my Dad’s Marty Crane.  

Throughout 1978, I looked for every news item on Ralph Bashki’s upcoming rendition of The Lord of the Rings. My dad got tickets for the opening day for the whole family because he knew how much I loved it. He also got me the LP soundtrack for Christmas. 

The movie was not good, but my whole family sat through it.  They sat through it and tried to cheer me up, as I was disappointed.   I never felt more loved since my family showed kindness and support for something I cared about.

My Senior High School Thesis on Tolkien

 I love to write and get as much joy from it as I do from reading LOTR. I feel exhilarated after writing each of my blogs, and unlike most, I love writing essays for school. 

My senior thesis for High School was one of my favorites – Christ Imagery in the Lord of the Rings!  I learned so much from studying this subject. 

Unlike Lewis, who is allegorical in the Narnia series, Tolkien is more subtle but profound.  Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf all represent elements of Christ.  Frodo is the clearest as he carries the heavy burden to Mount Doom.  Aragorn, as a disguised king, leads to a new kingdom.  Gandalf is perhaps the least subtle as he arises from the dead in white after battling the Balrog. 

Tolkien did not like allegory, but he understood the fundamental truth that our highest calling is to sacrifice.  I still remember the exhilaration of getting an A on the paper, but more so the feeling that the LOTR revealed a more profound truth!  I have learned from reading Tolkien’s Faith by Holly Ordway that Tolkien’s faith infused everything he did.

Falling for the Fellowship

I waited 23 years for the next movie version of The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring. My wife and I had four kids waiting for its arrival! 

My oldest daughter Kate was old enough to stay up late to catch the movie with me on the first day. It came out the day before I had to lead an Oral presentation for the biggest deal in my career. Nevertheless, I got the only two last tickets available for the midnight showing on the first day. 

My daughter and I waited anxiously in the last two seats behind a bar that partially obstructed my view.  I was praying that it would not be like the earlier movie.  I will not lie to you.  When the Shire and Gandalf scene came on the screen, I wept tears of joy. 

Peter Jackson had captured the essence of the books that defined my life: the decency of the Hobbits, the goodness of Gandalf, and the evil of the Dark Riders, which used to shake me in my bed so many years ago. 

This will sound like the ultimate geek, but I count that first viewing of the Fellowship as one of the top 10 moments in my life. (By the way, it inspired me to win the most important job of my career the next day!).

Dancing in the Glade

I thought nothing would match the scene of the Shire, but a scene from the Tolkien movie did it.  My favorite story from Tolkien is not LOTR but one chapter from the Silmarillion – Of “Beren and Luthien.”  I love it for three reasons. 

It examines the love between people of two cultures (Elves and Man). Beren and Luthien fight against all odds to defeat evil. Last and most important, it shows the never-ending love between a man and his wife. 

For the uninitiated, Beren and Luthien Tinuviel represent J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith.  They were married for over 50 years.  Edith was Tolkien’s muse and the anchor to his life.  The image took my breath away as I sat beside my wife of 38+ years and thought of her in that glade.   In the movie, they show Edith dancing in the woods in England, the image Tolkien explains in his poem below. 

“The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade, a light was seen.
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinuviel was dancing there.
To the music of a pipe unseen,
And the light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering.” (Read more here – https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/luthien).

Faith Lessons from Tolkien and St John Henry Newman

 I knew Tolkien was a Catholic like me, but I realized further connections after reading Tolkien’s Faith.  Tolkien’s mother took JRR and his brother Hillary to England.  After her husband’s passing, his mother became Catholic in the Birmingham Oratory, where St. John Henry Newman resided.  More than that, Father Francis Morgan, an aide of the Saint, was JRR Tolkien’s guardian when his mother passed.

This connection deeply moved me since the prayers and writings of St. John Henry Newman have been crucial to my faith formation.  I discovered his prayers on a pilgrimage when we said one of his prayers each night during our return on our bus.   

Written Words of a Loving Father.

I am now reading The Letters of JRR Tolkien, which contains 500 pages of Tolkien’s letters. The letters give insight into his books, college life, relationship with Inklings, and, most importantly, family.  

Professor Tolkien’s most touching and instructive letters were to his son Christopher during WW II. To keep Cristopher’s spirits up, he shared his WW I experience.  He also discussed the Lord of the Rings and had Christopher edit and develop maps for the book.  He also wrote letters before WW I to his wife.  His final letter before his passing was to his daughter Priscilla about his arrival at a friend’s house.  In all, we see how Tolkien loved and instructed his family.

Eight events that shaped a life!  Thank you, J.R.R. Tolkien and the makers of this film, for making this film that explains the life of this man who shaped me and so many others!