Mordor inspired by Nazi Germany?
I know Tolkein had flatly refused to link the LOTR with World War II, but who can resist drawing the comparisons between the mighty Dark Lord Sauron, amassing armies to assault Middle Earth, as with Adolph Hitler during his reign in Nazi Germany and his seige on Europe? Their respective ends differ somewhat, but their ambitions in life were tragically similar and malicious. Was this then the inspiration for the settings of Mordor and it's ruler as described in the LOTR?
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There might be something to what you say. Hitler was a manipulator and a deceiver, like Sauron. However, I do not think that this slight similarity was intentional.
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It is interesting that the Last Battle could have been compared with the Great War, and the Third Age reflecting the events of the Second World War. Mordor and Nazi Germany were perhaps too ambitious with their strategy for domination of other countries, leaving themselves exposed to a counterattack of some description. Sauron could have held Mordor, in theory, for eternity if he chose to remain interested in defending Mordor only. I wonder if the same could have been true for Nazi Germany? |
One of the things I love about good, solid literature is the ability to find symbolism where the author hadn't intended to put it. In this way you are free to draw your own conclusion to your life, to history, or to what you will without being right or wrong in your analysis.
Though Tolkien refused the connection to WWII in his works what an author witnesses in their lifetime can and often will come across in their writings, whether directly (as C.S. Lewis often did) or indirectly in Tolkien's case. After taking a class about the military history of WWII I was often drawing connections to LOTR. Obviously Mordor can be seen as playing the role of Nazi Germany. There's a leader who was defeated once and spent time licking his wounds before unleashing himself on the world. Isengard plays a more Italian role. A great threat, but one that proves easier to beat thanks to the strength of an allied cause. In this case the Ents. Gondor can be seen as the British. Gondor fought long and hard against Mordor often times holding it alone, much like Great Britain did after the defeat of France and while Russia and the US were trying to steer clear of trouble. And Rohan can be a more American role. They were fully roused to action after a grievous attack on their native soil (Helm's Deep as a sort of Pearl Harbor attack). In this case it would make Eomer an FDR figure, always pushing his countrymen forward because he understands this looming evil. Quote:
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Yes and no!
Go not to the elves etc. ;)
One thing to remember is that Tolkien was writing LoTR during the Second World War. Quote:
Also, a major influence was Tolkien's own front-line service in the tenches of WWI, which comes across to me in the Dead Marshes and the pits before the Morannon, and in the early Fall of Gondolin. On WWII specifics, I've always had a fancy that the Nazgul's steeds were inspired by Stukas, same nasty wail and terrifying effect no doubt, and continually being shown bombing refugees in the British propaganda films of the time. |
If I may be permitted to take up Burrahobbit's mantle...
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Me. |
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And as for FDR and Eomer both were trying to push their countries toward war for the security of their lands. |
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I am entirely convinced that Tolkien meant what he said with not being inspired by events of WWII for the The Lord of the Rings, indeed I think that you could draw comparisons between any two things if you put your mind to it. It is neat to look at SOME of the similarities between the two. Gandalf for example would probably be the Winston Churchill of Middle Earth: desperately trying to wake people up to the danger that is coming and eventually succeeding. That was a nice point that you made, Kitanna, in post four. :) |
Brevity thy name is wit
Whoops, let's not get into personal attacks here; let's just look at the ideas. :)
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And how would mad Denthor fit into the British situation of the time? Or would that be the king who abdicated rather than give up the woman he loved? Denethor's descent into depression, despair and madness began with his wife's death. Is there something here about men who care too much for their women? No, not really. It is really important to look specifically at what Tolkien said about how a true comparison to WWII would look--it is not a very flattering portrayal of the Allies at all. It would also be very easy to make comparisons between Mordor and Stalinist/communist Russia--both perpetrated unspeakable horrors on people who lived within their territories and both maintained prison camps for people and both persued networks of spies against their own citizens. Generalities can be compared easily but details are what makes a comparison really sustainable. jmho |
Lets have a heated debate!
Hi all,
I find myself in good agreement with Bethberry's points (especially the first :D). Where is the renowned Burra these days anyway? Who indeed gets to be Stalin? These sort of major details do not match up well between LoTR and WWII. The overall sort of thing - defeat of an aggressive 'evil empire' does, but not if you dig much deeper. I think that there must be an argument, however, for Tolkien's writing process being affected by current affairs. The jouney started in 1936, and many have commented oh the lighter, 'fairie' feel of the first chapters, if I remember 'It feels diferent near the Shire' was one such thread. By 1940, however, the story is getting darker, and 'greater' if you know what I mean. Certainly I think that living through the most terrible and dramatic events of the 20th century, both WWI and WWII, must have affected the tone and broad themes of the book. I am willing to be proved wrong! Rather OT, but Juno should never be forgotten, my Dad was there with the Canadians that day. |
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Anyway. I don't think you can say any of the events in the Lord of the Rings, or indeed any of Tolkien's work, is directly based on any events in the real world. Except perhaps Dinner. Dinner is a nice event that we don't take enough time with anymore. That being said, the physical descriptions of Mordor are very clearly based on "no man's land" in WW1 which Tolkien experienced firsthand. So not Nazi Germany, and not politically any kind of Germany, but geographically related to German activities in some abstract way. |
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But the political climate of Middle-earth does not reflect WWI Europe anymore than it does WWII. One could just as well equate Sauron to Kaiser Wilhelm's bloody imperialism and compare the Haradrim to the Turks, and the Hobbits as wild-eyed and innocent English boys naively marching towards the blood-strewn fields of Flanders. But one would be just as wrong. |
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I suggest you refrain from character judgements. |
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Waltheof's Fighters Bitten with weapons, There lay dead Deep in the Marshes, So that the war-keen Northmen could Cross over there On Corpses only. |
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I'm with Formendacil here. It's very easy to accept that Tolkien was not writing about our world. You can see anything in The Lord of the Rings if you want to. It's just like Nietzsche and Adam Smith being 'claimed' by diametrically opposed thinkers. Tolkien's writing relates to stories and traditions far older than a 20th century dictator.
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Personally, I'm inclined to give karma as much of a chance on the shooting range as I would allegory, but I'm also inclined to think, Mansun, that you wouldn't post that if you didn't have something in mind. So I must ask... is there karma in Middle-earth? Obviously, not under that name... but still... ? |
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Karma Chamaeleon
Hello all,
nice to see Burra striding the Downs as of old :) Formendacil, I was thinking about Middle Earth Karma, and who should come up with a possibly relevant quote but good old Theoden Quote:
I'm still wondering about the WWII thing. Must say I'm with Burra on the allegoricalness. However, did the state of the War affect Tolkien's mood, and the 'vibe' of the book, while he was in the process of writing? Considering that he wrote nothing during the darkest days of 1940-41, can anyone further entertain the possibility? |
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As Morthoron posted: Quote:
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I don't think that Mordor was necessarily inspired by the Nazi state. I don't really buy into the notion that Tolkien's work was inspired by Nazi Germany.
In any case, Mordor was driven by the will of Sauron alone. Whereas the Nazi's had a whole system of thought, they weren't brainless savages like the Orcs. No, the scary thing is that many Nazi's were well educated and yet still lowered themselves to such barbarism. |
It isn't that Mordor was "not necessarily" inspired by Germany, it's that it was "necessarily not" inspired by it. Explicitly, empiracally so.
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Sauron a patriot?
burrahobbit is right.
And, as per the trend of Bethberry's inquest into details in the comparison of Mordor with Nazi Germany, I have one thought: was Sauron a patriot? I might push more than a few buttons here, but Hitler was, perhaps only at the beginning, a patriot. Perhaps insanity and power drove it from his mind in the later years (1935-45), but following the collapse of Germany after WWI, Hitler was deeply moved by the plight of his fellow Germans, and it was his patriotism, not necessarily insanity, that began his struggle to bring Germany back into the "Successful Nations" list. I concede and agree that most of his actions were misguided, cruel, foolish, insane, diabolical, etc., but his beginning motives were rather noble. Did Sauron have such motives? I think not... |
bilbo, your comparison of patriotic motives is not applicable on both counts. The word "patriot" denotes a loyalty to the country of one's father. Sauron was a Maia - for whom/which country would he have had patriotic feelings? And Hitler was born an Austrian; any patriotic feelings he might have had for Germany were opportunistic at best.
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I think the only aspect of LotR that you could argue was influenced directly by WWII was the creation of the Fell Beasts (good call, Rumil). I believe there is something in one of the letters about this, about how Tolkien was horrified by airborne warfare - and I understand he was not wholly happy about Christopher being an RAF man, either.
Mordor is certainly run on totalitarian lines, but totalitarianism is not limited to Hitler. It existed before him, it will exist after him. |
Off topic comment here, but I can't let this stand as it is.
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Thank you Estelyn, for pointing out Hitler's Austrian backgrounds. However my point was that Sauron couldn't be patriotic to Mordor, since he was a Maia, whereas, Hitler at least had some vague idea of a "greater German empire" to which he belonged... but he wasn't German, it's true. :)
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But on the other hand, don't many people have radical (and ignorant) ideas about how to improve their country? As you have easily proven, his patriotism cannot be separated from his desire to kill Jews, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a patriot. And Sauron as a patriot for Mordor is inconceivable - this difference between Sauron and Hitler was really the only point I wanted to make. My tangents were groundless... :( |
Better Historical parallels than WWII?
Hi Folks
This is probably old hat to all old-time Tolkein fans, but I've never understood all the WWII allegory stuff. Tolkein was a professor of medieval languages, steeped in the history of Dark Age England. From that, can we identify a corresponding point in time in English history where LOTR 'takes place'? I think that the whole ethos and historical sensibility of the book does point to one period in particular - the lowest point of Saxon fortunes during the Viking invasions in the late 9th century, specifically after the battle of Chippenham (878) where Alfred of Wessex was defeated and his army scattered. Take or leave these 'parallels' The Misty Mountains: North-South mountain chain = the Pennines The White Mountains: East-West mountain chain to the south = The Wessex Downs (OK they've grown a bit in Tolkein's imagination) The Elves: previous great civilisation now effectively banished to the far western fringes = The Roman-British (Celtic) civilisation defeated by the Anglo-Saxons and confined to Wales etc. Rivendell/Lothlorien: Enclaves of Elvish civilisation surviving in or near the Misty Mountains. = Celtic Kingdom of Elmet in the West Riding of Yorkshire (OK gone by the time of Alfred but artistic licence here) The Humans: formerly great kingdoms of men. Northern Kingdom (Arnor) previously pre-eminent, now destroyed = Kingdom of Northumbria, destroyed by the Danes Southern Kingdom (Gondor) remaining in the south and west of Middle Earth, army fights mainly on foot = Wessex and the traditional Saxon shieldwall Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor at eastern end of White Mountains close to threat from Mordor = Winchester, capital of Wessex Aragorn: King of Gondor but in exile and waiting to reassume power when the forces of Mordor are defeated = King Alfred himself, hiding in the Somerset levels until he can rally forces for the Battle of Ashdown. The Rohirrim: The 'new humans', rather barbarian, who fight on horseback = The Normans with their mounted knights - an anachronism here but remember these parallels are not meant to be exact. The humans (Gondor) are the 'good, white' civilisation in the sense of being Christian. The Baddies: Dark destructive power based in the south and east, determined to destroy the power of Gondor and apparently invincible. = the Danish Vikings who've already destroyed Northumbria and look set to complete the job against Wessex. Utterly evil (i.e. pagan, non-Christian). Centre of power is Mordor =London (note the similarity of the words). Nothing changes, I'm from Yorkshire and I still think of London as the root of all evil. Colour is black = Vikings are commonly associated with this colour, from the black raven standard to the normal dress of Guthrum, the Viking commander at Chippenham. Of course these are not all exact parallels, but the point is that this was the history that Tolkein knew and loved deeply, and his imagination was surely fired by the desperation and heroism of Alfred's Wessex, even if his greatest sympathy always remained with the Celts (the Elves). All the modern charges of Racism against Tolkein rather miss the point if we regard his epic as being rooted firmly in the past, The fear and horror that the Vikings inspired in Saxon England is very well caught in LOTR, as is the sense of the end of all things and the potential death of christian civilisation. Saxons had very good reason to be racist against the Vikings, although after Alfred's victory the two races integrated rather well eventually, before the Normans finally turned up and wiped the floor with the true flower of English civilisation. It was a historical accident that WWII occured during the writing of LOTR, and I've always assumed that Tolkein would have written a very similar story even if he'd been born in the Victorian era, say. He always was a man out of tune with his times. Just my opinion of course, but I'd be fascinated to know what others feel about this. |
Those are much better comparisons. Places and people etc. started out much more "based on" things in Tolkien's earlier drafts/works, and I think you have at least a lot of that pretty spot on, so far as it goes.
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