Lord of the Rings: Insights

It also shows one of the clearest images of what the Otherworld is like, to those who have no conscious recall of having visited it. In our discussions, this reference is invaluable.

In the important book, Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards, by Michael N. Stanton, many themes are explored. For the purpose of this article, let's focus on Stanton's observation that--in Tolkien's world--"good" is closest to Nature, and "evil" is most removed from it, or that which most alters it.

It's helpful to watch this new movie examining what most closely blends with Nature--for example, the earth-sheltered homes of some hobbits such as Bilbo--and contrast that with the artifice of the world of the Orcs, Balrog, and what exists past the entry to the Mines of Moria.

Reflecting on J. R. R. Tolkien's biography, it's easy to say, "Oh, this is all autobiographical. The Hobbit's world is like the rural setting in which Tolkien grew up. The darker lands to which the nine journey are a comment on the progressive industrialization of his childhood home."

As we move away from Nature, in time and location, we move away from the reality of faeries and the Otherworld. But which comes first, the move away from Nature, or the loss of beauty, power, and magick that is inherent in loss of contact with Nature?

A logical question might be, was Merlin--as the Green Man--actually mad, or was he perceived as "mad" because he lived close to Nature with the Otherworldly contacts it offers? And, how do Merlin, the Green Man, and Tolkien's leaf-covered Ents correlate?

Tolkien's books, as well as this first new movie of the Trilogy, show us shades of grey as we examine where our world leaves off and the Otherworld--or Middle Earth--begins.

Likewise, Tolkien's Otherworldly reality is one that includes humans, taking us back to the mythological histories and traditions of earliest times.

As we use Tolkien for a foundation of study, we return to the earliest question posed in this Suite 101 topic: At what point do we draw a line between ghosts, faeries, the Otherworld, and this world?

Are ghosts merely beings who are trapped--or choose to remain--between the world of man and the Otherworld? And, how wide and defined is that "between worlds" realm?

Is the Banshee (Bean Sidhe) another form such as Galadriel, the Lady of the Tree-People (again, a possible reference to the Green Man), able to see--and show to others--the past as well as what may yet happen?

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