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On Tolkien Reading Day

ByKelly Keller

Today, March 25, is known as “Tolkien Reading Day” by those who observe the tiny literary holidays. In the timeline of The Lord of the Rings, today is the day that the ring was cast into the fires of Mt. Doom, bringing the destruction of Barad-Dûr, the fortress of evil. Frodo, the ringbearer, bore his burden to the mountain and, with the help of his noble Samwise Gamgee, as well as a twist of ironic fate from the villainous Gollum, completed his quest.

By way of reminder, Tolkien was adamant that his masterwork was not an allegory; he rejected any attempts to make Frodo, the burden bearer, or Aragorn, the rightful king, into a Christ figure, for example. In this way, his work would be very different from that of his contemporary, C. S. Lewis. Tolkien soundly refused the idea of such blatant Biblical or historical parallels inside his story. Instead, he said that the characters in his epic lived in a world of “natural theology,” but prior to the Christian era.

However, he admitted that the choice of certain dates was not an accident. The Fellowship sets out from Rivendell on December 25, Christmas Day, and so the salvation of Middle-earth was set underway. Months later, after a harrowing journey, the ring arrives at its doom. The task is completed and Middle-earth is saved.

In reality, in the church world, March 25 traditionally marks the Feast of the Annunciation (literally, “the announcement”), or “Lady Day,” the day on which the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she would bear the Savior. (Do the quick math—it’s nine months to Christmas Day.)

Then the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

Luke 1: 30-33

The Annunciation
Henry Ossawa Tanner

And so, the salvation of the world was set in motion.

During the Middle Ages, March 25 was also the traditional date of the crucifixion of Jesus: Good Friday. Tradition held that a prophet died on the day of his conception, so the Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday were linked on the calendar. And so, the sin of the world met its doom. The quest met an end; the world was saved.

Though he didn’t wish for the story of Middle-earth to be an allegory, Tolkien’s imagination was so connected with and bathed in his faith that he set up the pillars of his imagined world with markers from the Christian world. Good news about the end of evil’s reign would arrive on the same day in Middle-earth as it did here on earth. When we see news of a miraculous conception come to a young woman in Galilee, we can imagine a crumbling stronghold. Evil’s end is sure.

This is what we mean when we at Story Warren refer to “a kindled imagination.” It shows a mind and heart marked by remembrance of the sacred: thoughts of sin, need, and salvation provided. It shows anticipation of Kingdom Come: the “eucatastrophe” of the incarnation and resurrection. What is broken will be mended. What is lost will be found—filled up and spilling over, greater than it was at first. If you’ve spent any time with The Lord of the Rings, you know the sensation of this story echoing truth.

“The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man’s history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy.” – J. R. R. Tolkien, On Fairy-Stories

(Featured image is a portion of Alan Lee’s depiction of Barad-Dûr.)

Kelly Keller
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