The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

This post was originally published November 16, 2013.

Hah! Gotcha! This post has nothing to do with The Hobbit movie!

Now that I have your attention…

The Silmarillion begins with a letter by Tolkien to his editor. It is a beautiful letter, outlining the origins of Tolkien’s cosmogonical myth that became the Lord of the Rings. Along with a high level explanation of the plot, he includes some anthropology of his ideas, but primarily the beautiful philosophy surrounding his purpose in creating cosmogonical myth. (If you do not know this word, look it up — I did so only a week ago!). The following quotes struck me the most.

“But an equally basic passion of mine ab initio was for myth (not allegory!) and for fairy-story, and above all for heroic legend on the brink of fairy-tale and history, of which there is far too little in the world (accessible to me) for my appetite.”

Bravo! Precisely the reason why I am drawn to tales such as the Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia. Heroism, valor, honor, integrity. These are utterly lacking in modern art, thought or behavior.

To clarify the next quote, the Light of Valinor is symbolically as light in the Bible, in essence the glory of God:

“The Light of Valinor (derived from light before the fall) is the light of art divorced from reason that see things both scientifically (or philosophically) and imaginatively (or sub-creatively) and ‘says that they are good’ — as beautiful.”

CS Lewis would have been proud. I believe the only fruitful and valuable art, and also reason, is that which combines science/philosophy and vision. Alone, the former would be dry and the latter toying with evil, if not outrightly so.

Referring to the Elves, and drawing from the previous mention of Valinor:

“Sauron found their weak point in suggesting that, helping one another, they could make Western Middle-earth as beautiful as Valinor, It was really a veiled attack on the gods, a incitement to try and make a separate independent paradise.”

The greatest folly of man is to glimpse the perfection of God and believe that such glory is of ourselves. We see the effect of this worldview in the welfare state, Obamacare, communism, fascism, eugenics, Keynesian economics, among an infinite list. Where do you see this selfishness today?