Home » Reading & Literature » J.R.R. Tolkien » Trampling the Legacy, Remaking the Myth

Trampling the Legacy, Remaking the Myth

© Michael Martinez

If there is any one element of modern fantasy entertainment which has done harm to the reputation of Tolkien's Middle-earth, I would have to say it was Dungeons and Dragons. The fault is not entirely with the people who designed the original game, unless it be that they dared touch upon the works of Tolkien at all. Rather, given that they were forced to make changes to the game to avoid infringing upon trademarks and copyrights, the Dungeons and Dragons designers produced a hybrid vision of Middle-earth's creatures which wasn't really intended to be a statement about Tolkien. That is, they moved on, but took with them elements of Middle-earth which seemed universal, or were adaptable to a different model of creativity. And then Dungeons and Dragons became a big phenomenon. Perhaps many people in today's gaming community don't think much of DnD because it was more what Mom and Dad were into. But Dungeons and Dragons brought fantasy alive for many people. We moved beyond the books and into the worlds of imagination we thought no one could share with us. Unfortunately, Dungeons and Dragons became popular enough to impose some stereotypes which have persisted until today among the fannish community. That is, Elves are seen as creatures of habit, not as creatures of imagination and art. Dwarves are seen as creatures of temperament and not as creatures of judgement. A typical DnD adventuring party would usually include a Dwarven fighter and an Elven Ranger. Half-elf Rangers also abounded. Men fought or served as Clerics, too. The presumption of Class and Profession permeated the popular imagination and took readers away from the universal optimism which Tolkien advanced. In Tolkien's world, a well-to-do Hobbit can be dragooned into masquerading as a common burglar (not a pocket-picking thief, although he tried a little of that to poor effect). Tolkien allows a common gardener (essentially an NPC henchman in gaming terms, a non-player character who tags along with the player character) to rise to become Master of Bag End, founder of a prominent Shire family, and Mayor of the Shire (perhaps with the longest ever tenure in that office). Sam wasn't just a gardener. He was an individual with feelings and priorities and desires. He just managed to focus so well on what he was doing that people are often surprised to learn Sam had a girlfriend. Middle-earth allows kings to be bards, warriors, healers, scholars, and smiths. Barbarians transcend cultural boundaries and become civilized peoples. Ancient lore is not treated as something that only a special group of people can understand. Anyone may learn a little something of each race's special lore. Dungeons and Dragons removed these potentials, these aptitudes, from the imagination of fantasy readers and writers alike. Too many fantasy novels now emphasize a pseudo-medievalistic guild structure in their societies. I don't mean that they are unnecessarily pseudo-medieval. I mean that the professions we became used to through gaming have permeated popular fantasy fiction.

The copyright of the article Trampling the Legacy, Remaking the Myth in J.R.R. Tolkien is owned by Michael Martinez. Permission to republish Trampling the Legacy, Remaking the Myth in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.