Peter Unrein
At the end of the first creation story God tells man to “fill the earth and subdue it” (gen 1-28). In Lord of the rings nature has a will of it’s own and takes an active role in the story, for example chapter five features the Old Forest which shifts to ensnare the hobbits in Old Man Willow’s trap. In the Lord of the Rings nature is not under man’s dominion therefore the Bible and the Lord of the Rings take opposing views on the relationship of man and nature. In the bible’s creation stories man is commanded to “conquer” the earth by God. (Davis 59) However in Lord of the Rings “The mission of people dwelling the world is to acknowledge the goodness of the earth, fulfill its purpose and assist in its restoration from evil.” (Dickerson 24) The biblical Earth is meant the serve humans, In Lord of the Rings Middle Earth and its inhabitants are meant to serve each other. Sustainability requires that humans recognize a responsibility to the earth.
Upon making humans God commands them to subdue the earth and the creatures on it and gives to farmable plants of the earth to sustain them. The Biblical vision of nature is of a gift to mankind from God. God also gives wild vegetation to the animals of the earth that would self-sustain by eating wild plants.(Gen 29-30) In a way God sets up a hierarchy; God finishes creation by making the original food chain. God clearly and explicitly places human beings at the helm of creation. This role however is not purely hierarchical. Ellen F Davis notes “Life created in God’s image is meant to conform, with other forms of life, into a single harmonious order.”(Davis 57) The Bible’s creation story gives man a role of dominion over nature. However this role is one that comes with responsibility to sustain the efficiency and function of creation as a king would sustain his people.
The relationship between Middle Earth and it’s inhabitants is much more even than the one described in the Bible. In the Lord of the Rings people have an obligation to sustain creation, but creation has an obligation to sustain people as well. This relationship is markedly different then the one set forth in the bible because it is a contract between two equal parties, not a constitution between a subject (nature) and their king (man). In the Lord of the Rings nature is shown to have a terrible but benevolent power. The ancient forest that the hobbits of Buckland have offended represents the wrath that nature can unleash; indeed Frodo’s quest almost ends quite abruptly at the hands (or boughs if preferred) of the Old Man Willow. (Tolkien 107-114) Nature in Lord of the rings is not however, an inherently wrathful force. Tom Bombadil is “an incarnation… of environment itself.” (Dickerson 19) This understanding of Tom’s role reveals that nature is incredibly powerful and well intended. Tom saves Frodo and his companions from The Old Forest and barrow wights, arms them, clothes and shelters them, and demonstrates complete control over the ring even making it disappear and reappear, all with complete ease. Tom as well as the Old forest represent the power and will that Middle Earth has and shows that nature in Lord of the Rings plays an active role in how the story unfolds.
Man’s relationship with nature in the Bible is that of a monarch to his subject therefore it is an entirely different relationship than the contract that exists between Middle Earth and it’s inhabitants. Both views provide an outlook favorable to sustainability. If one views man’s role towards nature as that of a king then one can understand why it’s important to be a caring King obligated to care for his subject in part so that his subject can continue to serve him. One can also understand sustainability from the view that Man and nature are in a marriage and must nurture the other’s needs.
Work Cited
Davis, Ellen F. Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture. New York. Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print.
Dickerson, Matthew. Evans, Jonathan. Ents, Elves, and Eriador. Lexington. The University Press of Kentucky, 2006. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. New York. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1994. Print.