August 4, 2002

Reply To Legolas
Aiglos

There are definitely a lot of parallels between LotR and Christianity. Take for instance the title of the third book in the series, 'Return of the King.' This is definitely similar to the return of Jesus at the end of the world; here Aragorn symbolizes Jesus, I suppose. However, as you said, Frodo is also similar to Jesus because he must complete a Quest, coming through great pain and peril to accomplish his goal and save all free people in Middle-Earth. It is also notable that although at first the West won against Sauron's forces, they would be unable to have a complete victory unless Sauron's Ring of Power was destroyed. Frodo, therefore, had to make a great sacrifice, which in the end he was unable to do without the help of Gollum, to accomplish his task. Finally, Gandalf is also similar to Jesus in that he 'died' and came back to life after his battle with the Balrog. There are certainly many more parallels, especially in The Silmarillion.