to retrieve the Ring. His intervention seems to prevent an ultimate
catastrophe, but one must realize that Gollum would?ve attempted to
retrieve the Ring from Frodo whether or not Frodo had accepted it as his
own. Therefore, it is irrelevant to wonder what would have happened if
Frodo had not failed in his individual quest. At first, it seems as though
this ending to such a complicated ordeal is too incomplete, leaving too
much to chance. However, it is this ending which further develops the
concept of evil explained earlier. Evil is a destructive force, and it
carries within it the formula for its own destruction. Therefore, because
the Ring is the embodiment of Evil, it had the potential for
self-destruction. This idea, of the self-destructive nature of Evil, is
the most important issue concerning the destruction of the Ring. There is
a major flaw in the mind of Sauron, and in turn the mind of Evil, which is
that Sauron never considered the possibility that anyone would desire to
destroy the Ring. Similarly, the Ring itself, in its desire to return to
its master Sauron, never considered the possibility that the level of
corruption that it had performed against Gollum would turn against it.
Indeed, Gollum was so obsessed with the Ring that when he finally gets it
back, he is so ecstatic that he missteps. In both cases, Evil has deceived
itself, which in turn has brought about its destruction. The Ring, the
symbol of Evil and evil power, has been defeated, not by the will of
goodness, but rather by its own doing.
The next section of this essay will make comparisons between LotR and Norse
Mythology, specifically the myths of the Rhinegold Ring and Otter?s Ransom.
Also, comparisons will be made between LotR and Christianity, specifically
the possible presence of one or more Christ-figures in the trilogy.
Through these comparisons, a greater understanding of the universality of
the Ring?s symbolic significance will be reached.
The Myth of Otter?s Ransom is a retelling of a myth contained in the
Volsunga Saga of Norse Mythology. In this account, three gods, Loki, Odin,
and Honir, are in a predicament over the accidental killing of Otter,
brother of the giants Fafnir and Regin. The gods are trapped by the
brothers, and held to avenge Otter?s death. In order to save them, Odin
makes an offer to repay the family for the death. The ransom price set by
the family is a horde of red gold, enough to entirely cover the body of
Otter. In order to accomplish this, Loki leaves while Odin and Honir
remain. Loki borrows a net from another god, and proceeds to capture the
dwarf Andvari from the bottom of a pool inside a cavern. Loki demands that
Andvari give him his horde of gold that he controls within the pool.
Andvari reluctantly agrees, and gives Loki the gold. After this, Loki
notices a ring on Andvari?s finger, and demands it as well. A conflict
emerges from this demand, and eventually Loki gets the ring, along with
Andvari?s curse upon it and the gold. Loki returns, and they give the gold
to the family and cover Otter?s body with it. As they leave, they tell the
family of the curse. The important thing to realize about this story is
that the ring is actually the Rhinegold Ring of Norse Mythology. The
bearer of this Ring is the one who controls the massive horde of Rhinegold.
A case can be made for the horde as a symbol of power, in which case there
is direct relevance to the One Ring in LotR. Whoever bears the ring has
power, the power to command. This possibility in itself has the power to
corrupt those who desire possession of the ring. Another account of the
Rhinegold Ring is portrayed in Stephan Grundy?s novel, "Rhinegold". In
this account, the power of the ring is shown more clearly than in the first
account. After the father of Otter, Hraithmar, puts on the ring, he is
overcome by his desire for the gold. As soon as he comes upon the pile
covering Otter?s body, he is drawn to it. "The longer Hraithmar gazed at
the gold, the hotter its light seemed to burn in his body, shaking him with
a sudden fear of desire." (Grundy 35) In a shocking similarity to LotR,
the Ring, once used, has a tremendous power to corrupt and overpower.
These are two examples of the many parallels that exist between Tolkien?s
fantasy and that of Norse Myth.
The possibility of a Christ-figure in LotR is a difficult issue for several
reasons. First, Tolkien himself denied any such allegorical meaning behind
the trilogy and in fact denied nearly any allegorical meaning at all in his
works. Also, it seems as though many of the characters bear some
similarity to Christ at times, but none are completely representative of
Him. There is almost always some area in which the character in LotR is
lacking with respect to his Christ-like status. For example, The character
of Tom Bombadil, discussed earlier with respect to the Ring?s power, seems
to be extremely Christ-like in that he is considered by those who know him
to be, "The Master of wood, water, and hill." (Grundy 35) Also, he is
truly the master of himself, and he knows his limitations as a man. Like
all men, he is limited; like Christ, he limits himself. At this point, it
would seem that Tom is a good representation of Christ. However, there are
two distinct differences that separate Christ from Tom. The first is the
fact that Tom knows of the miserable existence of the Barrow-Wights, yet is
unmoved by the thought of them in misery. This lack of human compassion is
a key difference between Tom and the Christ of faith. Also, while Tom has
limited himself like Christ, he has never suffered to gain his humility.
He has never been ambitious, and is not tempted. To create another
symbolic reference to the One Ring, Tom would never feel the temptation for
the Ring, in the same way he would never be tempted by a source of power
such as the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. This is an aspect of
Tom that would suggest that he is less human than he would appear to be.
Perhaps he is a "joyful savior" rather than the type of savior that the
faith Christ was portrayed to have been. Tom is one example of a
Christ-figure in the trilogy. Others include Gandalf, whose remarkable
return to life after the battle with the Balrog could be symbolic of
Christ?s resurrection. Also, Gandalf?s ability to be tempted yet resist
temptation, his ordeal after his resurrection in which his friends did not
at first recognize him, and his transformation from Gandalf the Grey to
Gandalf the White are all areas in which parallels can be drawn to Christ.
The only problem with the theory of Gandalf is that he is ultimately unable
to save Middle-Earth. Although he guides Frodo in his mission, he can
hardly receive credit when the mission fails. He is not strong enough to
save middle-earth, and this is because he was too strong in his successful
attempt to resist the temptation of the Ring.
In order to summarize the essence of this study on the symbolism of the One
Ring, it can be said that the Ring itself can be explained separately from
an explanation of the Evil nature of the Ring. The Ring itself is the
reality of Evil in the physical world. In every way, it is the nature of
evil which must be either accepted or rejected outright. Its mere presence
is a personification of the opportunity for people to have and execute free
will and make morally correct or incorrect decisions. Also, the ring is a
symbol of power, evil power. It is the part of nature that continually
strives to destroy a person?s ability to exercise free will. The exercise
of Evil, and in essence the power of the Ring, is the exact opposite of
freedom. As for the nature of evil, it has been shown that no good can
possibly come from evil means, but evil results can be averted if one can
acquire the evil object while resisting the evil nature of it. Also, the
Ring is both real and symbolic. While the physical nature of the Ring is
behavioral, and can be physically observed, the essence or power of the
Ring is also a concept, a concept which opposes morality. Because of this,
the Ring may be destroyed physically, and with it the power of its creator,
but its essence, Evil, will remain present in some form until the end of time.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon, 1980.
Ellwood, Gracia Fay. Good News From Tolkien?s Middle Earth. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970.
Grundy, Stephan. Rhinegold. New York: Bantam, 1994.
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. New York:
Ballantine,
I–1954, II–1955, III–1956.
(References to The Lord of the Rings (LotR) are by volume, book
number, chapter
number and chapter title.)
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. The Silmarillion. New York: Ballantine, 1995.
(References to The Silmarillion are by chapter name)
Works Consulted
Carter, Lin. Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings. New York:
Ballantine, 1969.
Kocher, Paul H. Master of Middle Earth. New York: Ballantine, 1972.
Petty, Anne C. One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien?s Mythology. Mobile:
Univ. of
Alabama Press, 1979
Ready, William. The Tolkien Relation. Chicago: Henry Regenery Co., 1968.
Schlauch, Margaret. The Saga of the Volsungs. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1978