Darryl Friesen’s Reviews > Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of the Lord of the Rings > Status Update

“Many great tales have a major character who is a Christ-figure…The Lord of the Rings has many: Tom Bombadil, who breaks down the walls of the Barrel to set the captives free; Gandalf, who dies and rises again; Aragorn, who descends to the dead and emerges as a king with the power to heal; Frodo, who takes sin upon himself and casts it into the fire; and Sam, the servant of all…”

Love is the goal and object of every other virtue. It consists, at the most basic level, simply in knowing another person, place or thing, in rejoicing in their existence, in attempting to know them fully and intimately, with no thought of possession but rather of an immersion that borders on self-forgetting. In its highest form, love of other supersedes love of self, and sacrifice thereby becomes possible.

None of us, neither human being nor Hobbit, can in good conscience take it upon ourselves to pronounce doom where God has chosen to show mercy.

The lords of the free wish freedom for all, just as the lords of the slaves desire slavery for all.

Sam only wore the Ring a short time, but that is enough to offer him a glimpse into Gollum‘s tortured soul, and that glimpse is enough to stir a pity in his heart…

Celebration involves singing and dancing, eating and drinking, but at its heart it is about remembrance…At its best, celebration is a vision of eternity glimpsed through the cloud-wrack of our sorrows… If friends are needed in the dangerous quest, they are all the more necessary for the celebration. We may occasionally be able to accomplish perilous deeds alone, but it is a cold celebration that is lonely.

“Discipline needs to be exercised. It is not a virtue that comes full-formed; it requires focus and attention. In the most desperate ventures, when all hope fails, there is still a choice to be made between stubborn perseverance and the despair that guarantees failure… The greatest weapon in the struggle to not give up and die is cheerfulness.”

Is there any such foolishness that the Lord cannot redeem—He who chose fishermen to be his disciples, who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, who let himself be betrayed by one of his chosen, who thought it would be a good idea to die on a cross in order to destroy death? All of this has been so dwelt upon, so reasoned out, so studied and analyzed, memorized and categorized, that at times it no longer seems strange.

“There is something sacred and mysterious about mirth that cannot be fully experienced in a fallen world…This mirth, this secret joy, is what awaits us in heaven…In this world of night, the morning has not yet fully arrived. Evil is grievous, and loss cannot be laughed at, and God shares our grief, and our loss is his own, but his mirth is nonetheless eternal and undiminished.”

“To face the unknown even while flinching, unsteady or downright terrified: this is courage.”

“Courage seems to be made up of equal parts pity, wonder, love and faithfulness, occasionally mixed with a liberal dollop of wrath.”

“Healing is not entirely about physical well-being. The influence of evil is the greatest hurt…”

“Others have gone before, and others will come after, and the actions we take right now will resonate in both directions, redeeming the sacrifices of those who came before and paving the way for those who come after, maybe making their road just a little bit easier.”