Tolkien Reading Day
Today is a holiday. A most excellent one, in fact, if I do say so myself.
Now, if you’re a lover of J.R.R. Tolkien’s marvellous The Lord of the Rings, you’ll of course know exactly what I mean. But if you’re not as familiar with the Wonderful World of Middle-Earth, you might be wondering, “do you mean that it is an excellent holiday, or that it a holiday whether I want it or not; or that you feel like it ought to be a holiday, or that it is a holiday on which to be excellent?”
And I say to you—all of them at once! For of course I have just borrowed an admirable quote of Gandalf’s to express your confusion, and of course today is a holiday. A rather remarkable one, in fact.
Today is International Tolkien Reading Day.
Wait, wait! Don’t cheer yet. We haven’t even gotten to the best part! I must first provide a Bit Of History so that we can adequately appreciate this day.
For those of you who are well-versed in your Tolkien Lore, March 25 will be well-known to you as the day of Sauron’s defeat (at the end of the Third Age). This of course is the reason why the day was chosen by the Tolkien Society to commemorate his works. It’s been celebrated in some way, shape, or form (usually by reading Tolkien!) since 2003, when columnist Sean Kirst suggested the holiday. (Mr. Kirst, I am much indebted.)
Aside from the obvious reasons—who wouldn’t want to read Tolkien?—it is, I think, quite important to recognise the truly great works of literature that can tell us so much about our society, humanity, and the way the world works. Now of course you’ll say, “but wait, this is fantasy!” And to that I say, “humbug!” (To quote the esteemed Ebenezer Scrooge.)
Of course this is fantasy. That’s why it can tell us so much. If you’ve read my last post, I discussed the implications and aftermath of Coming Home after bidding farewell to something or someone you love, in the context of The Lord of the Rings. How can you move on when it seems so impossible?
Well, great stories like this one can help us discern the answers to questions such as that. That’s why they’re so important. When we look at flawed characters like Boromir or Thorin, we can see the truth in humanity—that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but we can be redeemed. When we see the quiet strength in characters like Sam, or the grave dignity of Aragorn, we can see what true friendship really means, and what we ought to be like. These stories—they tell us so much about ourselves. And they give us hope! Because in the end, the Good Must Prevail.
These stories, at least for me, can lead us closer to God. By showing us another world, so different and yet so similar to our own, we can see the truth and beauty of creation and what God has intended for us. They are of course not the only thing we ought to rely on, but they can teach us more about our Creator—and more about ourselves.
That’s why Tolkien Reading Day is so important, at least in my humble eyes. And not just this one day, either but every day—every day on which we read a great story and discern greater truth because of it.
Anyway, thanks for “listening” to my little rant. I hope it serves you well somehow—and lothron i elena mír-oiale bo cín lond!*
____
Namarië,
Astrya
*may the stars shine ever on your path!
Ah, but the question is - is it an excellent holiday to blow smoke-rings on?
ReplyDeleteI did know that the 25th was the day of the destruction of the Ring (though OF COURSE I forgot on the day itself), but I wasn't aware it was also Tolkien Reading Day! I quite agree that Tolkien's work can lead us to God...and although I think all good fiction can do that to an extent (whether it is deliberate on the part of the author or no), I think Tolkien intentionally made God the center of his fictional world - and since God is the center of our world, too, that means that Tolkien's world (even though it's fantasy!) will reflect the reality that we experience.
Oh, but THAT is the question! (Once we’ve solved “to be or not to be”, of course!
DeleteThat tends to happen, doesn’t it? Thankfully I’ve got a special Tolkien calendar that tells me all the important days :D
Most certainly that is true. Especially since Tolkien made God the centre of his world—“of course God is in Middle-Earth”, he said!—and because of that we can learn that much more. Of course we ought to keep in mind that these are stories and the Bible holds the whole truth, but even stories—especially stories!—can contain little (or large) nuggets of truth.
On a completely unrelated note, I have a question for you (as one of the more consistent followers of my blog! Thank you so much :D). I’m thinking about changing my layout, but I’m not QUITE sure what I should do yet. Would you rather see one of those formats where the entire post is presented on the main page, or should I keep it like this and only redesign the logo? Thanks so much, Lizzie!
Yes indeed, that is the real question, isn't it?
DeleteOh, that does sound helpful :D
Mm, that's true - since stories are created by faulty human beings, they can portray a distorted view of reality sometimes...but I agree, I think they're still very important ;)
Oh, thank you for asking my advice! (Thank YOU for keeping up the lovely blog! <3) That is actually a complex question for me, heh...you see, I enjoy the format of seeing entire posts on the main page when I'm reading other blogs. However, as a blogger myself, I intentionally DON'T do that, since my stats wouldn't be as informative then (as I would never know which/if any posts people were reading from the main page). So...I wasn't much help. Sorry :P If you are very into knowing what's going on with your stats, I would advise keeping it as is. If not, I'd give the other format a try.
Heh, tis true!
DeleteIt is indeed :P
Aren’t all stories? Even if only to learn what NOT to do.
Thanks for the advice anyhow! As you can see I’ve changed the format (and the logo!) but it’s still a click-to-read thing. Stats aren’t hugely important to me, but they are interesting. Thanks again! :D
Ooh, I LOVE your new header/logo!
DeleteThank you! :D
Delete