The Nature Of Things
Imagery In Tolkien's Ring Trilogy
by Karen L. Oberst

  The Lord Of The Rings is one of the greatest fantasies ever written. It is a story of the clash of good and evil, of beings both great and small, of growth, of destiny, of courage, of suffering and of triumph. But it is also filled with vivid, startling images, particularly of nature and natural phenomena. "The Lord of the Rings...is filled with vivid, startling images..."

  "Nature was very important to Tolkien..." Nature was very important to Tolkien, and it shows in his work. Compare, for instance, the description of Celeborn and Galadriel, the Elf rulers of Lothlorien with the description of their land. All the quotes of this article are taken from The Fellowship Of The Ring, and the paging is from the hardcover edition.

"Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful. They were clad wholly in white; and the hair of the Lady was of deep gold, and the hair of the Lord Celeborn was of silver long and bright; but no sign of age was upon them, unless it were in the depths of their eyes; for these were keen as lances in the starlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory." (p. 369)

"Frodo stood awhile still lost in wonder. It seemed to him that he had stepped through a high window that looked on a vanished world. A light was upon it for which his language had no name. All that he saw was shapely, but the shapes seemed at once clear cut, as if they had been first conceived and drawn at the uncovering of his eyes, and ancient as if they had endured for ever. He saw no colour but those he knew, gold and white and blue and green, but they were fresh and poignant, as if he had at that moment first perceived them and made for them names new and wonderful. In winter here no heart could mourn for summer or for spring. No blemish or sickness or deformity could be seen in anything that grew upon the earth. On the land of Lorien there was no stain." (p. 365)

Not only does the length of the two passages tell you which was more important to him, but also the description of the elves only comes alive towards the end where he begins to bring nature metaphors in to describe them.

  Nature can be a powerful generator of metaphors and description, and can add much color and depth to your writing. Tolkien used nature for similes and metaphors, as you saw above, as well as for simply beautiful, lyric writing. But his most startling use of nature was when he anthropomorphized it. For Tolkien, things don't happen to nature, nature takes action. This creates fresh images, which make readers sit up and take notice. Here are a few examples.

"They had packs to carry and the bushes and brambles were reluctant to let them through." (p. 98) Notice how a simple trudge through a forest becomes a contest between Hobbit and trees by the anthropomorphism.

"White mists began to rise and curl on the surface of the river and stray about the roots of the trees upon its borders. Out of the very ground at their feet a shadowy steam rose and mingled with the swiftly falling dusk." (p. 133) By the simple act of attributing consciousness to the mist, Tolkien has changed a normal evening happening at a river into a creepy scene.

"Nature can be a powerful generator of metaphors and description..."

  Different ways of describing Rivers "The river, now small and swift, was leaping merrily down to meet them, glinting here and there in the light of the stars, which were already shining in the sky." (p. 133) Here is a scene only a page later. It is now full night, but the creepy feeling of the dusk is gone. This is a cheerful scene, full of joy, with no hint of evil, and again achieved by attributing purpose to a natural phenomenon, here the river.

Contrast the previous description with this one, also a river, but with entirely different feeling. "At the day's end they came to a stream that wandered down from the hills to lose itself in the stagnant marshland…" (p. 196). The river is still alive, but is a very different body of water. Instead of leaping merrily, this one wanders and loses itself.

In the next example, a river has been invaded by an evil creature, and the description changes accordingly. "[The creek] was green and stagnant, thrust out like a slimy arm towards the enclosing hills." (p. 315) Tolkien was never subtle, but his imagery is quite effective!

Here is yet another river, this one very active indeed. "Dimly Frodo saw the river below him rise, and down along its course there came a plumed cavalry of waves." (p. 227) Notice how effectively Tolkien here compares two very different parts of nature, a river and animals, specifically warhorses. This is not a merry river, or an old tired one. This river is angry.

  Here is a description of a mountain as angry as the river in the previous example. "And indeed with that last stroke the malice of the mountain seemed to be expended, as if Caradhras was satisfied that the invaders had been beaten off and would not dare to return." (p. 307) Tolkien obviously is not as fond of mountains as he is of rivers. Later he says, "The mountains frowned…" (p. 314)

In this passage Tolkien describes the reeds that run along the side of a river. "Their withered plumes bent and tossed in the light cold airs, hissing softly and sadly." (p. 396) He often used adverbs to convey the mood of his anthropomorphized phenomena. Another example is this description of a misty morning: "When the day came the mood of the world about them had become soft and sad." Another example was above, "The river ... was leaping merrily ..."

Tolkien's use of Adverbs

  Use vivid pictures of nature to catch your readers' attention Tolkien's use of nature as a character in his novels is worth your study. It can give you not only a new feeling for nature itself, but ideas for doing something different to catch readers' attention in your own work. Read the trilogy again, or better, listen to it on tape. The images are even more striking when heard. Find new ways to describe day to day things, and give your readers a treat.


Copyright © 1999 by Karen L. Oberst

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