Tolkien's Cosmology: Divine Beings and Middle-earth is a book by Inklings scholar Sam McBride examining the role of supernatural beings in J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology of Arda. It was published in May 2020 by The Kent State University Press.
- "In The Silmarillion, an epic history of the First Age of Middle-earth, Tolkien describes the Ainur, angelic beings under the direction of Eru Ilúvatar, the legendarium’s god, as creators of physical reality. Some of these divine beings, the Valar and the Maiar, enter physical reality to oversee its development and prepare for the appearance of sentient life forms in Middle-earth: Elves and Humans, Dwarves, and eventually Hobbits. In the early stages of this history, the Valar and Maiar interact directly with Elves and Humans, opposing the work of evil beings led by Melkor.
Yet Tolkien appears, at first glance, to have ignored this pantheon in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, set in the Third Age of Middle-earth. Tolkien’s letters, however, suggest the cosmological structure continues. And representatives of the Valar and Maiar can be seen at work, such as Gandalf and Saruman. Tolkien also introduces hints that his divine beings continue to influence events invisibly, as with the prominence of luck in The Hobbit and fortuitous weather conditions in The Lord of the Rings." - —The publisher
External links[]
- Official page
- Barnes & Noble
- Amazon.com
- Review by Alyssa House-Thomas in Tolkien Studies, vol. 18
See also[]
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