Christianity and Tolkien - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 11-25-2012, 08:20 PM

As to Christ-figures, one may run the risk of spreading one's net so wide that many things one does not want, gets caught in it. For example, though Superman may be seen as a Christ-figure, he makes a better figure of "the hero with a thousand faces".

I do understand that a Christ figure need not die and be raised and ascend to the heavens to be one, but there may be other types that Gandalf fits better, such as an incarnate angel ... which Tolkien indeed says he is.

I do agree that there are clearly Christian themes and aspects in LotR which separate it from other modern myths aka Star Trek and Star Wars. I think it might be apt to point out that Harry Potter is more of a Christ-figure than any character in LotR or any of the Tolkien mythos.

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11-25-2012, 08:20 PM	#20
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	As to Christ-figures, one may run the risk of spreading one's net so wide that many things one does not want, gets caught in it. For example, though Superman may be seen as a Christ-figure, he makes a better figure of "the hero with a thousand faces". I do understand that a Christ figure need not die and be raised and ascend to the heavens to be one, but there may be other types that Gandalf fits better, such as an incarnate angel ... which Tolkien indeed says he is. I do agree that there are clearly Christian themes and aspects in LotR which separate it from other modern myths aka Star Trek and Star Wars. I think it might be apt to point out that Harry Potter is more of a Christ-figure than any character in LotR or any of the Tolkien mythos.