Lord of the Rings

For a while there, it seemed you couldn’t escape the Lord of the Rings, even if you tried. While you might have enjoyed the book during your young and emo years, that doesn’t mean the movies necessarily stacked up to the images in your imagination. Nonetheless, the Lord of the Rings remains a sort of myth for our time, a story that extends through all cultures and generations. All you need to do is look at the story of the hero, the religious overtones, and the idea of magic to see how this story touches everyone.

The Reluctant Hero

In the story of the Lord of the Rings, there are two reluctant heroes – Frodo and Aragorn. Both of then are in positions of wanting to help, but at times they both want to turn around and go home. Who could blame them? With all of the responsibility of the fate of the world on their shoulders, it seems that most people would turn around. But in the Lord of the Rings, the idea that the hero can be afraid and still do what they need to do is timeless. So many other stories speak of this same dilemma. In the end, the hero is the hero they are meant to be, even though they struggle along the way.

The Christian References

J.R.R. Tolkien was known for his Christian background and for weaving references into his stories. The most obvious reference is the idea of the good vs. the evil. Those who are willing to fight for good are going to be rewarded, but those who are not will meet their demise. Those who turn to the dark side (i.e. Sauron) will not win in the end, even if they seem to be stronger for a time. The different races in the story also seem to allude to the different religions in the world, with the darker ones being the ‘bad’ ones.

The Magic in Lord of the Rings

The magic that is used by the elves and by others in the Lord of the Rings is what many children enjoy. The idea that you can change things at will is an exciting one, and it seems to help the main characters of the story get ahead. Even Aragorn was able to do a little magic of his own, though he was a man.

When you read the Lord of the Rings, you might think it’s just a story, but truly it’s become a myth of our time and a story that will continue to be told, long after this generation is gone.