海角大神

Until recently, 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� seemed as unassailable as the fortress of Minas Tirith.

In the 70 years since J.R.R. Tolkien published the first volume in the summer of 1954, the series has sold more than 150 million copies. It鈥檚 been translated into 80 languages. (Though not, alas, Elvish.) It鈥檚 influenced everything from 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� to 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� to Led Zeppelin lyrics. Peter Jackson鈥檚 movie adaptations netted 17 Academy Awards and a billion dollars. The second season of Amazon Prime prequel 鈥淭he Rings of Power鈥� arrives Thursday 鈥� and new film iterations are expected both this year and next.

Of late, though, Tolkien鈥檚 lore has gotten mired in controversy. Politicians in Europe (populist) and the United States (MAGA) including Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, have said that 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� reflects their ideology.

Concurrently, the story has become a culture war battleground. When 鈥淭he Rings of Power鈥� cast people of color in 2022, it sparked a vitriolic response. A loud online faction claimed that a fictional country populated by Hobbits, Orcs, and Elves should be totally white. In Britain, a counterterrorism program called Prevent flagged 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� as a key text for white nationalists. Some commentators on the left aren鈥檛 surprised. They claim to detect racist subtext in Tolkien鈥檚 works.聽

So much for 鈥渙ne ring to rule them all.鈥�

Then again, even the rancor between Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, and 鈥渢he race of Men鈥� was supplanted by a fellowship. Tolkien鈥檚 stories make an argument for setting aside differences. Many fans and scholars say that the author, who fought in World War I, was aware of the dangers of nationalism. Yet 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� avoids political messaging. Its mythology endures because it鈥檚 rooted in humane qualities. Tolkien invites us to see our better selves in the modest Hobbit heroes, Frodo and Sam.

鈥淗is stories speak about the light, about friendship, about hope, about loyalty,鈥� says fantasy author Kellie Rice, who uses the pen name K.M. Rice for her 鈥淎fterworld鈥� series. 鈥淎 lot of the other postmodern or modernist writers that came out of World War I were very misanthropic and very malistic, after what they鈥檇 been through. ... [He] still saw a message of hope and a message of, 鈥楴o matter how dark it gets, you will find the light.鈥欌��

A history of interpretation about Hobbits and Ents

When 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� broke out as a cultural phenomenon in the 1960s, it resisted political capture. It was beloved by conservatives at National Review and liberals at The New Republic. Counterculture hippies felt an affinity for Hobbits, far-out 鈥渉alfling鈥� creatures who didn鈥檛 wear shoes. Environmentalists loved the stories, too. The plight of the Ents in Fangorn Forest might tempt even a logger to become a tree hugger.聽

Now, decades later, 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� has become enmeshed in culture wars. Some political leaders have claimed the series as a cultural touchstone. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for example, has said, 鈥淭olkien could say better than us what conservatives believe in.鈥� (Long before she developed a taste for elegant pantsuits, Ms. Meloni liked to dress up as Tolkien characters and also attended a far-right 鈥淗obbit Camp.鈥�) As she sees it, Tolkien鈥檚 mythological world represents cultural homogeneity and an ethnocentric order. Some have gone even further. They imagine Middle-earth as a mythological representation of white supremacy.聽That fueled some of the fuss over multiracial casting in 鈥淭he Rings of Power.鈥� Some conservatives objected because they believed the casting choices were driven by 鈥渨oke鈥� social justice messaging.聽

鈥淚f you are not bothered by dragons whose wings could biologically not carry that level of weight, if you are not bothered by the conceit of an evil ring that twists the spirits of everyone around you, and you are in fact bothered by an Elf that has melanin, I simply think you must go take a long walk and reconnect with the trees that Tolkien himself so loved,鈥� says Tolkien superfan Anna Mar铆a.聽

The young millennial, who dropped her last name due to safety concerns during her work as a community organizer, helped online fan forums navigate the 鈥渘asty, racist discourse鈥� in 2022 and beyond by fostering productive conversations.

A survivor of the bloody Battle of the Somme, whose children fought in World War II, Tolkien feared nationalism in his own country as well as abroad. It鈥檚 a point Tolkien scholar John Pagano made last year to a political science student, who asked for his thoughts on Ms. Meloni鈥檚 appropriating Tolkien 鈥渢o bolster her particular stance on immigration and nationalism.鈥澛�

鈥淚 pointed to the irony of such a stance referencing Tolkien for support, since the Fellowship he lauds as the only chance to combat Evil is composed of multiple races working in harmonious collaboration,鈥� he says in an email.聽

鈥淚nfluenced by Tolkien鈥�

Years ago, Senator Vance told a podcaster that Tolkien is his favorite author. 鈥淚鈥檓 a big 鈥楲ord of the Rings鈥� guy, and I think, not realizing it at the time, but a lot of my conservative worldview was influenced by Tolkien growing up,鈥� he said. Mr. Vance added that the British author was grappling with big problems, in much the same way as Tolkien friend and fellow author C.S. Lewis.

How, exactly, Tolkien influenced the Ohio senator鈥檚 worldview isn鈥檛 clear. He didn鈥檛 elaborate. Yet, last month, left-wing TV commentator Rachel Maddow caused a firestorm when she asserted there was a Tolkien-related meaning in a name that Mr. Vance chose for his venture capital firm.

鈥淗e called it Narya, N-A-R-Y-A, which you can remember because it鈥檚 鈥楢ryan鈥� but you move the 鈥楴鈥� to the front,鈥� Ms. Maddow told MSNBC viewers. That鈥檚 despite the fact that Mr. Vance鈥檚 wife, Usha, is Indian American and they have multiracial children.

Narya is the name Tolkien gave one of the rings of power.聽

In fact, Tolkien聽rejected 鈥渨holly pernicious and unscientific race-doctrine.鈥� In 1938, a German publisher expressed interest in translating 鈥淭he Hobbit鈥� into German. But, first, the publisher wanted to verify that the author was of Aryan stock.聽

鈥淚n the letter of publication he had to give his ancestry, his genealogy, and note that he had no Jewish blood,鈥� says Bradley Birzer, author of 鈥淛.R.R. Tolkien鈥檚 Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth.鈥� 鈥淗e wrote back a scathing letter in which he said it鈥檚 terribly tragic that I don鈥檛 have that noble blood in my ancestry. And he refused to have them publish it because of that. It鈥檚 just a beautiful anti-racist letter.鈥澛犅�

What did Tolkien really want to convey?

While his books are interpreted in many ways, Tolkien found allegorical interpretations as distasteful as Gollum鈥檚 appetite for raw, wriggling fish. Scholars say his stories aren鈥檛 pedantic. They eschew doctrine. The lines between good and evil aren鈥檛 simplistic. Numerous characters succumb to greed and the temptation of power. For example, Sauron wasn鈥檛 evil to begin with. Even Frodo has shortcomings 鈥� he ultimately fails to relinquish the corrupting ring of power. It鈥檚 Frodo鈥檚 unassuming best friend Sam 鈥� a character inspired by the salt-of-the-Earth soldiers that Tolkien fought alongside in the trenches 鈥� who emerges as perhaps the most heroic figure.聽

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of unanswered questions and I think that鈥檚 a great strength of the book,鈥� says Nick Groom, author of 鈥淭olkien in the Twenty-First Century: The Meaning of Middle-Earth Today.鈥� 鈥淭here鈥檚 no single theory for making sense of the world as we experience it. There are lots of different day-to-day theories, and that鈥檚 really what the book shows. Different people make sense of Middle-earth in different ways and they鈥檙e not always compatible.鈥�

It鈥檚 that complexity that draws Anna Mar铆a in. She first read 鈥淭he Hobbit鈥� at 7. When a prominent character died, she recalls handing the book to her father to read aloud because she was sobbing. By 12, she鈥檇 devoured 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� and 鈥淭he Silmarillion,鈥� using flash cards, highlighters, and a glossary to keep track of Tolkien鈥檚 dense lore. She still rereads all the books annually.聽

She says that her peers, who grew up online, are prone to thinking that they鈥檙e experiencing the end times in ways previous generations have not. Nonetheless, Anna Mar铆a says, her online generation doesn鈥檛 have much of a filter against darkness in the world. The weight of the world can feel as heavy as the ring at the end of Frodo鈥檚 quest. That鈥檚 why Tolkien鈥檚 themes speak to her. His beautiful and poetic stories don鈥檛 shy away from horror. But they never lose sight of hope.

鈥淭he story he created [is] grounded on themes of love and fellowship across nations and races,鈥� says Anna Mar铆a, who recently attended the red carpet premiere for the second season of 鈥淭he Rings of Power鈥� in London. 鈥淲e still have each other and that is literally all we have. That is literally what we must fight for. You can鈥檛 get more timeless than that.鈥�