Imagine no religion

[blantyr]

Originally Posted by TheMisfortuneTeller

More importantly, as opposed to the "one enormous and prodigiously strong animal" school of animism, rather than the "multitude of invisible animals" school -- sometimes referred to as Monotheistic Animism vs Polytheistic Animism -- Professor Tolkien opted -- in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings -- for the creation of a "Magical" world instead of an Animist or "religious" one. According to Frazer's monumental study, both the magician and the priest claim to believe in unseen animal -- or animated -- spirits (One or several) who they claim make the observable world work as it does. Both claim to believe that the magician and the priest can sway these animal spirits -- or spooks -- to make things turn out the way the magician or the priest want. They differ, however, in that the magician believes that he can compel, or coerce, the Spook-or-spooks to do what he commands through spells and enchantments, while the priest believes that only his ritual groveling and begging can convince the Spook-or-spooks to look favorably upon him and his tribe instead of some other priest or tribe. Therein lies the distinction between "Magic" and "Religion" -- both forms of Animism, but differing in their advertised ways of dealing with the unseen Big-Animal or host-of-little-unseen-animals -- none of which exist outside the fanciful human imagination. I leave it to the interested reader of The Hobbit and/or The Lord of the Rings to determine which form of animist behavior best describes Tolkien's Middle-earth: Magical or Religious.

Is 'all of the above' a valid answer? We have Eru. We have Fangorn and trees with souls. Animals speak and can be spoken to. Legolas reports the rocks of Hollin remember elves of ages past. Even if part of the spirit of Eru doesn't echo in everything, arguably a part of the spirit of Morgoth might. Simply saying 'everything has a soul' might easily start a discussion as to the nature of souls in Tolkien's world. Such a discussion would be inconclusive I expect. Anyway, one might argue that elements of monotheism, pantheism and animalism are present.

I would also suggest that both forms of magic exist. If one has a potent enough fea, one can draw on one's own strength and do stuff. Gandalf, as a maia, has such strength. Aragorn, in his healing and his prophecy, has such strength as well though how he manifests it is limited. There are times when various characters speak the names of the Valar in supplication.

The word I might use to describe Tolkien's world with respect to magic and religion would be 'complicated.'