Tag Archives: hobbits

Nietzsche, Tom Bombadil and the Stronger Song.

Friedrich Nietzsche famously said of the church: “They would have to sing better songs to make me believe in their Redeemer.” Although wrong about much, Nietzsche is right about framing belief and salvation as contest of songs. J.R.R. Tolkien also … Continue reading

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“Pajamas!”–A Hobbit Battle Cry

Of course, the actual battle cry of hobbits was “The Shire!” This cry, like “pajamas,” does not summon visions of military or urban grandeur. The memory of fat cabbages in well-tended gardens and fat hobbits in cozy holes are what … Continue reading

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Bilbo, Gandalf, the Holy Spirit, and My Green Door

Every couple years I re-read The Hobbit for the course on Tolkien I teach. This year, I once again am grateful that Tolkien made Bilbo fifty when he began his great adventure. We are more accustomed to the adventures of … Continue reading

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Ordinary Virtues in Ordinary Places

Many have written eloquently about how Tolkien celebrates the triumph of ordinary virtues over extraordinary evil. Indeed, this explains why hobbits are at the center of his tales. Their loyalty, perseverance, pity, sense of duty and humble tastes are what … Continue reading

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Say “Friend” and Enter

I have always been amused and challenged by the passage in Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Rings where Gandalf and his pilgrims are stymied by the door into the mines of Moria. They discovered the door and even the instructions, “Speak, … Continue reading

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