Journeying in Middle-earth: a Metaphore of Life

The powerful meaning of Tolkien’s characters’ travellings

Photo by Joseph Barrientos on Unsplash

Happy Tolkien’s Birthday!!!
I know, I’ve been missing from this publication for a long time. What better occasion to show back up than our favourite professor’s birthday?
This conveniently happens at the beginning of the year, giving the opportunity to reflect on new beginnings and journeys.

Tolkien is a master of all journeys. Maybe he didn’t invent the quest as a trope in literature, but he certainly made it the fantasy trope it is today.
Yet I think his take on this trope, the journey as a life metaphor, is particularly interesting.

Tolkien’s people travel most of the time in his stories. They bring transformation because of their journeys, but also they travel because a transformation urges them to.
In the First Age, where everything is grander and has a larger scope, we see migrations as well as journeys.
The movement of entire peoples marks the passing of time and the changes in the land and cultures. Tolkien carefully designs the Elves’ movements from Middle-earth to Valinor and back. He follows the changes in their speech because these mark a similar change in culture. The Noldor, who left Middle-earth at the beginning of time as…