The High Hallow: Tolkien's Liturgical Imagination

by Ben Reinhard

J. R. R. Tolkien famously described The Lord of the Rings as “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.” But while these words have been widely and enthusiastically quoted in Catholic studies of Tolkien’s legendarium, readers have not always paid sufficient attention to what Catholic and religious would have meant to Tolkien himself. To do so is to misunderstand the full import of the phrase.

From his childhood as an altar server and “junior inmate” of the Birmingham Oratory to daily Mass with his children as an adult, Tolkien’s Catholic religion was, at its heart, a liturgical affair. To be religious and Catholic in the Tolkienian sense is to be rooted in the prayer of the Church.

The High Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination takes this claim The Lord of the Rings (and Tolkien’s myth as a whole) is the product of an imagination seeped in liturgical prayer. In the course of its argument, the Ben Reinhard examines the liturgical pieties that governed Tolkien’s life from childhood to old age, the ways in which the liturgy colored Tolkien’s theory of myth and fantasy, and the alleged absence of religion in Middle-earth. Most importantly, he shows how the plots, themes, and characters of Tolkien’s beloved works can be traced to the patterns of the Church’s liturgical year.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Literature

184 pages, Hardcover

Published January 24, 2025

Reviews

[Jacob Schmiesing · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellently researched and presented work of Tolkien scholarship. This book is balanced and readable, certainly understandable to someone with minimal familiarity with Catholicism, but far more fruitful and nuanced for those with a strong sense of and appreciation for the same liturgical movements and practices as Tolkien would have known. Dr. Reinhard presents a fine piece that can serve as a jumping-off point for further reflection and research.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combined two of my great interests! It was a new perspective on Tolkien's works in general and LOTR specifically. His analysis of the way that liturgy (the calendar specifically) plays a role in LOTR was fairly convincing, especially in line with his portrayal of how much this was a part of who Tolkien was and how he thought about everything.

[Katie H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tolkien was very clearly shaped by the Mass and his great love of the natural world—and how the cycle of the liturgical year matches the rhythm of that world. Reinhard gives an explanation for how and why Tolkien helps to spark the imagination for homey things like bread, wine, and for bigger majestic things like the sea.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful analysis of the impact of the liturgy(ies) of the Catholic faith on Tolkien's fiction. I enjoyed this a great deal. Having just completed my fourth (or fifth?) reading of The Lord of the Rings, and my third reading of The Silmarillion, much of what the author was discussing was fresh in my mind. I was struck during my most recent visit to Middle Earth by the author's command of language (hardly a unique insight!) Some parts read like poetry, especially in The Return of the King. Anglo-Saxon poetry, specifically, and some Biblical language that resonates deeply with the The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims Version that Tolkien would have been most familiar with. The author is this book connects the liturgies of both Advent and Easter to Tolkien's story, and positis--compellingly, I think--that the language and rhythms of liturgy informed Tolkien's writing. Considering that the man went to church nearly every day of his life, it seems a safe bet.

There are two books that I have never reached the bottom of: the Bible, and The Lord of the Rings.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many fans of Tolkien wonder where all his stories came from. What kind of imagination could have produced the sweeping epic, The Silmarillion, or the delightful adventure that is The Hobbit? This book answers that question.

Highly readable and brimming with new insight, Reinhard's study introduces us not only to the man who was Tolkien, but to the high and holy mysteries which colored his imagination, and which flooded into his stories. As this book masterfully shows, Tolkien's works could not have been produced by someone who was not steeped in the prayer of the Church. (I might add that The High Hallow could only have been written by an author who was also rooted in the liturgy and love for the Lord!)

Go read The High Hallow! Then go cultivate your own imagination with all that is true, good, and beautiful.

[Emily Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main content is about 150 pages, well worded and researched. I wish the chapters on the text itself were longer and more expansive, but that’s a good problem to have. The author’s love and care for Tolkien and his works shine throughout.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this 10 stars if I could. The best non-fiction book I've read in a long time. This book grew my perspective on Tolkien and my whole world.