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Mother-less Heroes

© Douglas Charles Rapier

As this is the first article I've written for this topic, I suppose I should begin by introducing myself. (No, that is not my photo. That's himself - Tolkien as a young myth-smith.)

If there is any decency in this world, details of my checkered past shall forever be hidden - locked up tighter than Feanor's jewels. Those interested in my own 'water-color' version of pertinent personal 'better-side' factoids can link on over to my profile later. Otherwise, the only thing I have to say is that I first entered the Shire when I was eighteen and have never truly left. Nor has it ever truly left me.

Middle-Earth, the world created and populated by Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, C.B.E, has colored and tempered my life in a way that exceedingly few pieces of literature have. That does not make me extraordinary. In fact, perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the writings of JRR Tolkien is that there are so many people of all ages, cultures and nationalities who might make a similar testimonial to the influence of Middle-Earth on their lives.

With that in mind, my humble intention in writing this series of articles is to honor, albeit in a small way, Professor Tolkien, his literary creations and those who have been enchanted or simply entertained by them.

I also intend to have some fun doing it.

Should we begin with a comparison of heroes within Tolkien's opus? It seems a sensible place to dive into this immense subject. Even a finer point of entry needs to be made, of course, as Tolkien created heroes and heroines in large number to populate his world. I, for one, have never settled long on a 'favorite' character as they are all marvelous. So, rather than focus tightly an individual hero, I would like to discuss is what I'll term 'the mother-less hero' commonality of Tolkien's heroes.

This discussion will not immediately plunge into Tolkien's personal life. As important as that topic is for the understanding of the man and author, it is tangential, I feel, to the heart of this discussion. For, while the seeds of Tolkien's art lie in his personal experiences - he and his brother were orphaned, after all - the fruit-bearing tree of his literature, as with all Art and Literature, transcends its origins. Each heroic character might contain an idealized germ of Tolkien personality, but each have their own ego-consciousness and functionality within the myth which is not dictated by the author's personal history.