The Trickster in LotR

[davem]

Originally Posted by LMP

On the contrary. Orthodox Christianity has long since adopted the Trickster as one of the primary manifestations of Satan. Think of Christ's 40 days in the desert and the three ritual temptations that followed. Since you've read the book, davem, I would have thought you'd maybe remember Tolstoy's comments about how the Christian "myth" dovetails so amazingly with the myths of Trickster, Three-fold Death, the god dying to himself for the sake of his people, etc.

Its a long time since I read the book. I can't argue with Tolstoy about the way the Church took up various 'Pagan' ideas (& even Pagan sites) & 'Christianised' them - there's a famous letter from Pope Gregory quoted by Bede which advocates the new Archbishop of Canterbury do just that: http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/mellitus.html

What I meant was that the Trickster in his pure formhas not been accepted into Christianity. The Trickster is not a 'moral' being, but he isn't evil per se. Having said that - & here I may be arguing against myself - in the early Church we do find 'The Lord of Misrule': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Misrule but he doesn't seem to have lasted very long, & was declared 'unChristian'