WK7 Material culture: The Hollywood Sign

 J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is so rich with myths and archetypes, to mention and analyze them all would take a lot more words than those I will write here. However, I will try to look at the most important ones and try to use them to explain why after almost 20 years since the movies released (70 years for the books), it still resonates with audiences today. 

Concerning the myths found in the series, the two most notable and obvious ones are the myth of Good vs. Evil, and The Hero's Journey. The first one is rather straightforward. Most stories, especially fantasy, depict one side which is good and one side which is bad. In LOTR the good is represented by Humans (with various races among them), Elves, Hobbits, and evil by those serving under the rule of Sauron in Mordor (aside from some original creatures, we have orcs, wraiths and other archetypally evil creatures). At the beginning of the story we are introduced to our main characters who will play the part of battling the evil and making sure good triumphs, as it usually is with these kinds of stories. With the introduction of our protagonist Frodo Baggins so is the Hero's journey myth introduced. Frodo is living a modest life in the Shire when one day he gets a call to adventure when Gandalf entrusts the task of delivering the One Ring to Mordor. Initially, Frodo refuses the call stating that a mere Hobbit could never complete such a task, but later accepts. Accompanied by his friend Sam (who represents the foolish but diligent and ever-loyal companion), they cross the threshold and embark on the adventure once they leave the Shire. Along the way they meet various people and create alliances which will help them in their journey. Gandalf being the most prominent, as he embodies the role of the wise old mentor archetype. During the journey the One Ring eats at Frodo's psyche and poisons him, as he is being tested during the journey. He is further pushed into the abyss by Gollum, a Hobbit-turned-creature who was also once in possession of the ring. Turning Frodo against his companion Sam, who has been giving his all to be Frodo's backbone during all these trials, Gollum plans on killing Frodo and taking the ring for himself. Gollum himself stands as a character representing both good and evil due to his split personality. Now usually during the Hero's journey, Frodo would start to undergo a transformation of character near the third act of the story, however, the One Ring is a particular plot device which prevents this development all the way up until Frodo eventually destroys by throwing it into the volcano. Only once he gets rid of it, does his mind return to normal and everything he has experienced will fully take effect to transform him. Just as the adventure began with a call from Gandalf, so it ends with Frodo leaving with Gandalf (and others) to set off on a new adventure.

In this short description of the main mythos found in LOTR, it is hard to realise just why these stories have become so popular. We know Tolkien wasn't the first, and certainly isn't the last, to write about the hero's journey and the battle between good and evil. But it is the way in which he executes these myths that give them life. He meticulously created his own world in which to tell these stories, enriching them every step of the way by creating unique languages with their own alphabets to drawing maps of geographical locations. Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, well versed in English literature (especially Anglo-Saxon) which served as a huge inspiration for his world. Of course, the success of the movies is not only due to the source material, but also to the amazing production team, actors, and everyone behind to scenes who gave it their all to bring this epic to the big screen. However, was it not for Tolkien, a talented, devoted individual, this could have easily been a rather forgettable tale. The myths could have failed to resonate with a wider audience and the fantasy genre maybe never would have been revolutionised.