by Eucatastrophe | Oct 28, 2020 | Deep with the Balrogs in Khazad-dûm, Submissions, Themes
We had only just managed to get across the bridge when the Balrog attacked. I had followed Boromir across the chasm of Khazad-dûm, but like him, I attempted to head back and aid Gandalf once the halflings were safely across. Had someone told me that fire could be...
by Eucatastrophe | Sep 23, 2020 | Back to School with the Professor, Submissions, Themes
Frodo’s descent into the fallen lands of Mordor evokes a sense of Dante’s infernal descent. He is weary from following a wizened guide on an epic journey, rife with fear, suffering, monstrosities, and an ever-increasing gloom. Frodo’s dangerous...
by Eucatastrophe | Sep 23, 2020 | Back to School with the Professor, Submissions, Themes
Within the expansive Western canon, there is perhaps no more stirring passage than that which concludes Professor J.R.R. Tolkien’s fifth chapter of the fifth book of The Lord of the Rings, entitled “The Ride of the Rohirrim.” To refresh, the Rohirrim—that...
by Eucatastrophe | Aug 12, 2020 | Submissions, The Splendor of Middle-earth, Themes
It’s dark. There’s ash and smoke heavy in the air. My eyes are burning. Lifting my head from the hard, rocky ground and squinting, I see them in the distance. The pivotal battle, the long-awaited conclusion; the destiny of Middle Earth in the literal...
by Eucatastrophe | Jul 22, 2020 | Appreciating Beauty & Wonder, Submissions, Themes
In the very beginning of Tolkien’s world, before the stories of the great heroes came to pass, the Ainur were created by Ilúvatar. They sang the world into existence in the “Great Music” (The Silmarillion, 3). Ilúvatar instructed them to use the gifts and powers he...
by Eucatastrophe | Jun 10, 2020 | Discover Hope!, Submissions, Themes
An exceptionally lovely moment of hope returning unexpectedly is found in The Return of the King, in the chapter “The Land of Shadow.” Frodo and Sam have passed into Mordor, wearily and with great struggle, after a brief respite and replenishment in Ithilien. Sam,...
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