The Fellowship of the Ring and its Demonic origins

The Fellowship of the Ring: A Controversial Epic

The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the epics used in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The plot takes place in the fantasy realm of Middle-Earth. However, there has been a lot of debate in this trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. It is said that it is satanic in nature. This paper would expose the demonic origins of The Fellowship of the Ring by explaining the parallels between the main characters, Frodo Baggins and Jesus Christ, as well as the connections between the character, Sauron, and Satan. Reading this piece of literature evokes an immediate and unbelievable sense of a strong, deep, pervasive demonism. A great power of Satanism emanates from the lines. This work of literature is more evil and Satanic in nature that the famous Harry Potter. The storylines of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings is completely syncretized, this is combining two different beliefs. Syncretization is against the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible does not allow the combining or reconciling of Gods methods, doctrines, and beliefs with demonic ideas (2 Corinthians 7:14). In this paper, I will provide evidence that this is a satanically inspired trilogy.

The Mythic World of Middle-Earth

The practice and making of myth, filling the world with goblins, dragons, and elves as well as the creation of own Middle-Earth appears like J.R.R. Tolkien is trying to take up Gods work of creation. In Bones of the Soup, Tolkien claims that he got his characters from pure imagination and creativity, and no outside sources were included (Devan 2). This is a proof of the dwindling faith in God, and only one that can be motivated by Satanism. A sense of lost grandeur and transience characterizes The Fellowship of the Ring, and mostly the region in which J.R.R Tolkien is walking through. The mythic presentation of the novel illustrates the basic conventions of mythologies where the glorious pasts are presented in a manner which gods and men mix freely, this is a delusion and disregards the all-powerful nature of God by placing Him as equals with humanity. Christians believe in one God, the creator of the Universe, but according to Tolkien, his mythical god did not finish his creation, instead, he handed over the work to lesser gods. In this way, it is way, Tolkien, in his own vision has created a new hierarchy of supreme beings which defies the Christian and Gods teaching of idolatry, both real and imagined.

The Representation of Evil and Satanism

The story is characterized by spells, magic charms, wizards and mythical creatures. It demonstrates the use of dark magic and occultism, which pit in its characters and the demonstration of the fight between good and evil. Stefan Ekman states that “fantasy, especially epic fantasy, deals with ultimate evil. The very goal of the epic quest is often to thwart the machinations of the Dark Lord, of evil incarnate, in order to prevent him from becoming ruler of the entire world” (Ekman 1). This is an admission that, the goals and objectives of epic stories is to demonstrate a lot of evil, therefore, Tolkien’s epic narrative, to evoke such characteristics has to be motivated by evil. Christians believe in one God who is supreme, a creator of all things in the universe and beyond, both the living and the dead. The story advocates for the use of dark magic, and other creatures which are ungodly. This representation is an indication of the Satanism that is expressed in the book.

Frodo Baggins: A Christ Figure

The book has also shown a complementary relationship between Frodo Baggins and Jesus Christ. The book portrays some characteristics which resemble that of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ had the burden of carrying the sins of his people, he had disciples who followed him wherever he went, in support of his mission, of delivering humanity from sin. The same way, in Apocalyptic Prophecies by E.A Bucchianeri, Frodo declares that he will take the Ring since he feels it is his burden, he refuses to relinquish it to another person. And just like Jesus Christ, he had followers, he was followed by other hobbits who agreed to accompany him in his quest (Bucchianeri 19). As described by Haley Bedel, in Frodo Baggins: The Modern Parallel to Christ in Literature, ”traditionally a Christ Figure is described as a literary character who resembles Christ in key ways, usually, someone who ultimately sacrifices himself for the overall good of others or the world” (Bedell 1). Frodo sacrificed himself to carry the burden himself for the sake of others. In this way, Frodo Baggins has demonstrated some characteristics that qualifies him to be referred to as a Christ figure. According to Pearce, he only believes that Frodo can be portrayed as a Christ figure basing on the fact that he is the Ring-bearer, he symbolizes the ring sin (Pearce 98). In the same way, the Christians believe that Jesus Christ was crucified as a result of our sins, he was the bearer of the burdens of the Christians.

Sauron: A Representation of Evil

The story illustrates the presence of Christ especially during the date in which the Ring was destroyed, 25th March, the date of commemoration of the Ring-bearers deeds and the downfall of Sauron (Bedell 12). This is an eventful day in the Christian calendar. It reflects the day when Jesus Christ was crucified. There are many different ways in which Christianity is represented in the Tolkien’s trilogy. It states clearly that Christ is presented in the character of Frodo Baggins, this Christ figure, according to Tolkien’s narrative, has been presented in ways that clearly resemble the Jesus Christ, as known by the Christian faith. The two Christ figures share some characteristics, first, they both went through suffering, death and eventually they were able to resurrect. The second similarity between these two Christ figures is that, they are all considered as saviors; through his sacrifice, and taking the ring, Frodo sacrificed himself to deliver the Middle-Earth from destruction from the demonic ways of Sauron. On the other hand, Jesus Christ sacrificed his own life, to be crucified to deliver humanity from sin (Bedell 5-6). These are highly distinguishable characteristics from any other character in Tolkien’s story, in my view, it is certainly beyond coincidence. Tolkien took the knowledge of the Bibles Christ, and created his own version of a savior, this role is taken by Frodo, who appears to be taking up every role that Jesus Christ did.

The Parallel between Sauron and Satan

There is a close comparison of Sauron to the Biblical Satan. According to the Christians, Satan is the immediate and primary opponent to God, he is known as the source of all evil and temptations, he is a very good deceiver, and normally leads humans astray. Sometimes he is referred to as the serpent, the form in which he appeared to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and deceived them into eating the forbidden fruit. The two characters can be compared regarding to their roles. Satan and Sauron, as compared from the Christian Bible, and Tolkien’s narrative respectively is that, they are both a representation of evil (Ekman 2). They are not the source of evil, but the embodiment. Just like in the Bible, where Satan has a responsibility, in Tolkien’s narrative, the Sauron also has a role to play. Satan is given the role to deceive humanity to test their faith in God.

In a general perspective, these two characters, Satan and Sauron, are mostly associated with two most common aspects, darkness and fire (Ekman 2). According to the book of Colossians in the Christian Bible, it states that Satan possesses dark power, he is also related to fire, hell is the dwelling place of Satan, and this is the eternal fire where Christians believe sinners will end up. These, however, are the same characteristics as of Sauron, as depicted by the Galadriel’s Mirror. It states that Sauron is burning in darkness, just like the mountain of doom (Tolkien 176). The comparison is very clear, Sauron runs the mountain of doom, while Satan has a role in hell, and both these places are associated with fires and dark power. Sauron and Satan both tried to overthrow a sitting deity, according to the book, Sauron had gathered all the Rings of Power that he needed with the intention of ruling over the Middle earth, (Tolkien 78). It is therefore clear that Sauron in Tolkien’s epic is a true representation of Satan.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is undoubtedly that the epic, The Fellowship of the Ring is characterized by a lot of demonic simulations. From the characters and their roles, it is clear that the author intended to evoke a certain kind of demonic perspective. The creation of his own imaginary world, the Middle-Earth, and other creatures which do not in any way resemble the creation of God is a way of challenging Gods authority, according to the Christian teachings. This, however, amounts to blasphemy.

Works Cited

Bedell, Haley. ”Frodo Baggins: The Modern Parallel to Christ in Literature.” Humanities Capstone Projects, 2015, Paper 24.

Bierbrauer, Devan. Bones of Soup: An Exploration of J.R.R Tolkien’s Methodology. Bemidji State University, www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/honors/wp-content/uploads/sites/73/2017/03/Bones-of-the-Soup-An-Exploration-of-J.R.R.-Tolkiens-Methodology-Bierbrauer.pdf.

Bucchianeri, Elizabeth A. Lord of the Rings: Apocalyptic Prophesis. Scribd.com, 2014.

Ekman, Stefan. Satan, Sauron, and Sundry Dark Lords: Evil Incarnate in Fantasy. University of Gotheburg – Academia.edu, www.academia.edu/1283783/Satan_Sauron_and_Sundry_Dark_Lords_Evil_Incarnate_in_Fantasy

Tolkien, J. R. R. Fellowship Of The Ring. HarperCollins Publishers Limited, 2015. Print.