Tolkien, J. R. R. (1892–1973)

J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien was a storyteller in the truest sense, generating tales infused with contemporary concerns, classic themes, and ancient traditions. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, arguably his greatest work, certainly exemplified this reality. Yet, for all the grandeur of Tolkien's imagination and careful intertwining of reality, myth, and fiction, it is the complexity of Tolkien's view and utilization of time that truly make his work so masterful.

Pursuing the scholar's life, Tolkien ultimately became an eminent philologist whose academic career included appointments at Oxford, where he guided students and colleagues alike toward a better understanding of and appreciation for languages, both modern and ancient. Aside from his academic efforts, Tolkien was an imaginative writer whose fondness for mythology and Arthurian romances led to his translation of classic works such as “Sir Orfeo” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” as well as creating original fiction, including his Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was within this latter work and associated writings that Tolkien thoroughly developed his concepts of time, particularly the concept of immortality.

Tolkien's elves, ever valiant, graceful, and dignified, anchored his perception of immortality and timelessness. Wherever elves dwelled, they lived eternally. While mortal weapons could slay them, Tolkien's elves remained impervious to the normal ravages of time, including aging and disease. Tolkien treated this conditioning as a blessing and a curse, with elves living endlessly but watching all else fade to memory. Yet, this duality did not diminish or limit Tolkien's conceived notion of time and eternal life.

In addition to the immortality of the elves, Tolkien viewed immortality from the perspective of themes that are timeless, ever cycling through the ethos of societies. Good versus evil and nature versus technology were two of the key themes that surfaced through Tolkien's writings. His works reflect the notion of such themes, continually resurfacing as time passes, making such conflicting viewpoints seem as immortal as the elves themselves. Time, consequently, becomes an echo of the very themes that play out in both Tolkien's Middle-earth and our own reality.

Immortality, as a temporal theme within Tolkien's writings on Middle-earth, was offset by the opposing premise of life being finite, time thereby having an end. Yet, the finality of an individual's life varied considerably among the creatures of Middle-earth. The wizards Gandalf and Saruman were far more ancient than they appeared to be. Notwithstanding the centuries they endured, they must have appeared relatively youthful. Likewise, the Ents, great trees that often walked about the forests of Fangorn, suffered through the encroachment of humanoids for ages, making Treebeard and his brethren early occupants of Middle-earth. Yet, for both the wizards and the Ents, time was not endless. Their time was not relegated to immortality. The Ents, in particular, seem caught in a state of decline as the Entwives were lost, making future procreation questionable; their time was consequently fading.

Humanity itself faced a variety of projected life spans in Tolkien's writings. While most humans lived less than a century, the descendants of Numenor lived for centuries, as did Aragorn, before succumbing to death. Regardless of ancestry, though, all humans were as mortal as the [Page 1372]dwarves and hobbits that shared Middle-earth with them. No matter their ancestry, all humans would ultimately suffer defeat at the hands of time. Collectively, the mortal creatures of Tolkien's Middle-earth brought realism to this fantastic epic. While some, such as the bearers of the Ring of Power, could postpone aging, ultimately they too would surrender to time, effectively balancing those who would witness time's control of life.

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