THE NORSE AND CELTIC MYTHOLOGICAL ARCHETYPES
SEEN IN THE MYTHICAL CREATURES IN
J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
AZIZAH NURUL LAILY
Student Number: 074214021
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
i
THE NORSE AND CELTIC MYTHOLOGICAL ARCHETYPES
SEEN IN THE MYTHICAL CREATURES IN
J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
AZIZAH NURUL LAILY
Student Number: 074214021
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iv
And why do we fall?
So we can learn to pick ourselves up.
v
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, my deepest gratitude goes to Allah SWT for giving me a chance to
live a wonderful life with awesome people around me. Thanks for Your love,
protection, kindness, blessing, and being with me through everything.
I also would like to give my big gratitude for my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan
Wijanarka, M.Hum., for all the knowledge, time, and valuable suggestions and
corrections. I also thank my co-advisor, Harris H. Setiajid, S.S., M.Hum., for the
corrections and inputs for this thesis.
My thanks go to Bapak and Ibuk for all the patience, support, attention,
and advices. Also, thanks go to my sisters, Mbak Riri and Dek Fahma. Thanks for
sharing Bapak and Ibuk, joy, and laughter with me. I will not forget to mention
my late grandma whom I love very much. Thanks for all, Mbah Uti. I miss you so.
A ton of thanks go to my best friends the Begundals (Ani Kuda, Tombro,
Iyut, Aya, Pibi a.k.a. Nona Ruruk, and Lala), Cica, and Rani. Thanks for the
friendship, support, and being with me at the good times and bad times. Thanks go
to Mas Agathon for the chats about The Lord of the Rings, help, and support, and also Heni for the support and the short course about archetype. My thanks also go
to my friends on English Letters Department, especially the class of 2007, that I
cannot mention one by one. Last but not least, special thanks go to Nicolaus
Gogor Seta Dewa for being my bundle of thrill. Thanks for your time, patience,
understanding, encouragement, and affection during the time we have shared.
viii
ix
B. The Influence of the Norse and Celtic Mythologies on the
Presentation of the Mythical Creatures in The Lord of the Rings…… 36
1. The Influence on Gandalf .……… 36
2. The Influence on Saruman ……….... 40
3. The Influence on Sauron ………….……….. 42
4. The Influence on Shadowfax ……… 44
5. The Influence on Elves ……….……… 45
6. The Influence on Dwarfs …..……… 47
7. The Influence on Galadriel ………... 48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ……… 52
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 56
APPENDICES ... 58
1. Summary of The Fellowship of the Ring………...………….... 58
x ABSTRACT
AZIZAH NURUL LAILY. The Norse and Celtic Mythological Archetypes
Seen in the Mythical Creatures in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Yogyakarta: English Letters Department, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2011.
This undergraduate thesis discusses the Norse and Celtic mythological archetypes seen in the mythical creatures in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron, Shadowfax, the elves, the dwarfs, and Galadriel are the characters used to reveal the existence of the Norse and Celtic mythological archetypes in the story. Therefore, theory on characterization, a brief review on Norse mythology, and a brief review on Celtic mythology are applied in this thesis. The approach used to support the analysis is the archetypal criticism. To make the study develop well, two problems are formulated. Thus, there are two subchapters in the analysis section. They are: (1) how the mythical creatures are presented and (2) how the Norse and Celtic mythological archetypes influence the presentation of the mythical creatures in The Lord of the Rings.
The writer uses library research to collect data. The data consist of primary data and secondary data. The primary data is the novel The Lord of the Rings
itself, while the secondary data is the supporting sources taken from internet, encyclopedia, dictionary, and several other books. There are steps applied in analyzing the novel. First, the writer has a thorough reading of the novels The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King for several times. The second step is getting references related to the study and the theories of literature focused on the characterization, the Norse mythology, and the Celtic mythology. The third step is applying the theories to answer the problem formulations. The last step is drawing a conclusion which covers the statement based on the answers of the formulated problems.
xi ABSTRAK
AZIZAH NURUL LAILY. The Norse and Celtic Mythological Archetypes Seen in the Mythical Creatures in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2011.
Skripsi ini membahas arketip mitologi Norse dan Celtic yang terdapat dalam makhluk-makhluk mitos di The Lord of the Rings karya J.R.R. Tolkien. Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron, Shadowfax, kaum peri, kaum kurcaci, dan Galadriel adalah karakter-karakter yang digunakan untuk menyingkap adanya arketip mitologi Norse dan Celtic di cerita. Oleh karena itu, teori karakterisasi, tinjauan singkat mengenai mitologi Norse, dan tinjauan singkat mengenai mitologi Celtic dipergunakan dalam skripsi ini. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah kritik arketipal.
Agar penelitian berkembang dengan baik, dua pertanyaan dirumuskan. Oleh karena itu, terdapat dua sub-bahasan di bagian analisis: (1) bagaimana makhluk-makhluk mitos digambarkan dan (2) bagaimana arketip mitologi Norse dan Celtic mempengaruhi penggambaran makhluk-makhluk mitos di The Lord of the Rings.
Penulis menggunakan studi pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data. Data terdiri dari data primer dan data sekunder. Data primer adalah novel The Lord of the Rings itu sendiri, sedangkan data sekunder adalah sumber-sumber pendukung yang diambil dari internet, ensiklopedia, kamus, dan beberapa buku lainnya. Terdapat beberapa langkah yang diterapkan dalam menganalisa novel ini. Pertama, penulis membaca secara seksama novel The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, dan The Return of the King beberapa kali. Langkah kedua adalah mendapatkan referensi-referensi yang berhubungan dengan penelitian dan teori-teori literatur yang memfokuskan pada karakterisasi, mitologi Norse, dan mitologi Celtic. Langkah ketiga adalah menerapkan teori-teori tersebut untuk menjawab pokok permasalahan. Langkah terakhir adalah menarik kesimpulan yang meliputi pernyataan berdasarkan pada jawaban pokok permasalahan.
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is one of the most
popular books which is very interesting to discuss. The book, which is intended to
be published as a single volume in fact, is divided in six sections instead of as a
trilogy by its author gives eternal life to the name of Tolkien. It is written as one
complete story, but the publisher decides to split it into three books instead: The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954), and The Return of the King (1955). The making of the work itself takes about fifteen years for Tolkien to finish it.
In Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937), the precursor of The Lord of the Rings,
the story centers on a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who is trapped into a treasure
hunting adventure and finds a ring, the Ring. In The Lord of the Rings, the Ring later passes to his nephew, Frodo Baggins, and becomes the central symbol in the
story. It tells about Frodo’s long journey to bring the Ring to Mount Doom to
destroy it and battle Saruman the evil wizard and Sauron the Dark Lord, a
demonic being, who desire to control all over Middle-earth. Both of the stories
take place in Middle-earth, a medieval fantasy world that is filled with magical
places; creatures; events; and where the forces of good and evil compete for
Tolkien fills Middle-earth with different races: hobbits, elves, dwarfs,
wizards, orcs (goblins), humans, and ents. Each of these races has different
physical and moral traits. For instance, hobbits are short in figure and love a
simple comfortable life. They represent the side of Tolkien‟s nature that loves
tobacco, beer, and companionship. Elves are tall, slim, and beautiful. They stand
for Tolkien‟s religious and aesthetic ideals. Dwarfs are a race of miners. They are
small but powerfully built and value the gold and gems they dig from the earth
highly. Wizards are tall, thin, and possess great magical powers. Some are good
and others are evil. Orcs, or goblins, are hideous monsters which represent the
evil. Men stand for the potential for courage and cowardice, friendship and
betrayal, generosity and selfishness. Ents are tall giant tree-like creatures. They
can walk and talk.
Tolkien, through his works, aims to create a mythology for England, his
nation he believes lacked any coherent mythology comparable to the Germanic or
Finnish mythologies. His knowledge and familiarity with the poems and epics of
Old and Middle English literature affect his works. They extremely give important
effect in Tolkien‟s mythology in his creation of The Lord of the Rings out of the Norse and Celtic mythology.
“Gandalf and Galadriel (and their negative counterparts) are not the
products of Tolkien‟s imagination alone. They owe a good part of their
presentation and behavior to figures—particularly highly ambiguous figures—
drawn from mythology and from earlier literary works before Tolkien‟s time”
instance, has got connection with the Scandinavian god, Odin, in some ways. It
seems a highly unlikely one to compare Gandalf to Odin, the god of battle. Odin
owns several titles or attributes applied to him that indicates the god‟s variable
character. Some of the titles are Traveler, Warrior, Wand-Bearer, Grey-Beard,
Shaggy-Cloak Wearer, Drooping Hat, Wanderer, and Wise. It should already be
evident that those titles are appropriate for Gandalf. “The cloak, the staff, the
wide-brimmed hat, the figure of an old bearded man are Gandalf precisely”
(Burns in Bloom, 2008: 72). While Galadriel resembles Morrigan, one of the
Celtic war goddesses, in some ways.
The writer choses this topic because the writer thinks that Tolkien does not
only use mythical creatures from Norse and Celtic mythology in his works, but
also makes the new ones by himself. It is interesting to see how he blends the
Norse and Celtic mythology with his own „mythology‟. Like the tale of Odin the
Scandinavian god; the epic Beowulf; and the tale of the Celtic‟s goddess, the
Morrigan, his works still live up to now along with them.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to make the study organized, the research questions below are
formulated as the guide and limitation of the subject that will be discussed:
1. How are the mythical creatures presented?
2. How do the Norse and Celtic mythological archetypes influence the
C. Objective of the Study
To make the study develop well organized, the study has two objectives.
The first one is to see the mythical creatures as presented in the story. The second
one is to find out how the Norse and Celtic mythology influence the presentation
of the mythical creatures in the story.
D. Definition of Term
To avoid the misunderstanding about the meaning of the terms that are
used in the study, the definition of terms such as characterization, mythical
creature, and mythological archetype are given.
The first term is characterization. Microsoft Encarta Dictionary 2009
defines characterization as description or portrayal of fictional character. M.H.
Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms says that there are two methods in
characterizing the persons in a narrative. The methods are showing and telling. “In
showing (also called "the dramatic method"), the author simply presents the
characters talking and acting and leaves the reader to infer the motives and
dispositions that lie behind what they say and do. The author may show not only
external speech and actions, but also a character's inner thoughts, feelings, and
responsiveness to event; for a highly developed mode of such inner showing, see
stream of consciousness. In telling, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of the
The second term is mythical creature. Based on Webster’s New World
Dictionary Third College Edition, mythical (1989: 898) means imaginary or fictitious thing that exists only in myth, while creature (1989: 325) means any
living thing whether it is animate or inanimate. Mythical creature here refers to
any living thing that only exists in myth.
The third term is mythological archetype. Mythology is “a system of
hereditary stories of ancient origin which were once believed to be true by a
particular cultural group” (Abrams, 1999: 170). According to Webster’s New
World Dictionary Third College Edition, archetype (1989: 71) is the original pattern, example, prototype, or model from which all other things of the same
kind are made. The mythological archetype here means mythical stuff that
6 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
A number of criticisms towards Tolkien and his works are very important
for the writer to support the analysis of the novel related to the topic.
W.J. Rayment in “Lord of the Rings” saysthat “his [Tolkien] imagination,
backed by his mythological history, produces marvelous creatures, Ring wraiths,
Balrogs, Orcs, Tom Bombadil and more” (Rayment, 2011). Through the epic
Beowulf, Tolkien falls in love with Scandinavian and soon he knows a lot about it. His interest toward Scandinavian mythology and later Celtic mythology as well
give him so much inspiration in creating his own mythology.
According to the nationalgeographic.com in “Creating a Mythological
Identity for England”, “Tolkien created the mythology and history of Middle-earth
to serve as the poetic legend he felt his homeland, England, lacked”
(nationalgeographic.com, 2011). The Anglo Saxons migrate and settle in England
bring with them their myths. Tolkien finds out that those myths, Beowulf for instance, have the tendency of talking about Scandinavia than England. Beowulf, which becomes an object of study Tolkien is expert at, takes Scandinavia as its
setting of place instead of England. He then attempts to create a mythology for
England.
“Some modern writers of fantasy have drawn on Norse stories and
Tolkien, whose Lord of the Rings features many themes from Norse mythology, such as . . . enchanted rings” (mythencyclopedia.com, 2011). Tolkien borrows
Norse‟s Odin, Sleipnir the magic horse, elves, and dwarfs; makes several changes; and puts them in his work.
Greg Wright in “The Mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien: A Spiritual Analysis of
Tolkien‟s Fiction” says that “it is arguable that what Tolkien's mythology represents, by way of analogy, is what I shall refer to as the T-mythology. That is,
Tolkien's work was not just intended to portray a convincing mythology of
Middle-earth; rather, it attempts to represent the now-nonexistent text from which
all the major western mythologies were derived” (Wright, 2005). Tolkien does not merely borrow the parts from those mythologies and combine them into one in his
own mythology because he makes several changes also. He makes his own
mythology, T-mythology, to be something that has a link with the other
mythologies including the Norse and Celtic mythologies. The similarities found
are just normal because he provides us the Norse and Celtic mythologies as a
bridge connecting his world or his mythology to ours.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theories of Characterization
Theory of characterization is applied to support the writer‟s analysis in
(Murphy, 1977: 161-173) states that there are nine methods for the author to
present or describe the characters in a story:
a. Personal description
The authors can describe a character‟s appearance and clothes. The readers will get only a visible look of a character.
b. Characters as seen by another
The author can describe a character through the eyes and opinions of other
characters. The readers get, as it were, a reflected image.
c. Speech
The author describes a character by giving readers an insight into the
characteristics through what he says. Here the readers are able to analyze a
character from the sentence he uses.
d. Past life
By letting the reader learn something about a person‟s life the author can give
us a clue to events that have helped to shape a person‟s character (by direct
comment by the author, through the person‟s thoughts, through his
conversation or through the medium of another person).
e. Conversation of others
The authors can give us clues to a person‟s character through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him. Readers will
learn that what others say about a character may reveal some of his
f. Reactions
The author can describe a person‟s characteristics by showing how a character responds to various situations and events. The reaction may give a clue to
what characteristics a character has.
g. Direct Comment
The author can describe a comment on a person‟s character directly. This is
somehow the best way for the readers to find out any characteristics because
they know what exactly the author wants to reveal.
h. Thought
The author gives us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. Here
the author is able to do what people cannot do in a real life. He can tell the
readers what different people are thinking of. It is acceptable in literary works.
The readers then are in privileged position as they have a secret listening
device plugged in to in most important thoughts of a character in a novel.
i. Mannerism
The author can describe a person‟s mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies which may also tell us something about his characteristics.
Almost the same with Murphy, M.H. Abrams said that
to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositional qualities of the characters (Abrams, 1999: 33 - 35).
It is important for the readers to understand the qualities of the characters
in the story. By paying attention to the description of the physical appearance and
other attributes, as well as the behavior and the way of speaking of the characters,
the readers can understand the whole story better.
2. A Brief Review on Norse Mythology
A brief review on Norse mythological is applied to support the writer‟s analysis in seeing the Norse mythological archetype in the mythical creatures in
Tolkien‟s The Lord of the Rings.
The Norse (people of the north) are known as the Scandinavians. They are
the people of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. “No written sources describe early Norse culture, but surviving works in metal and
stone depict gods and goddesses and provide glimpses of ancient myths and
rituals” (Daly, 2010: vii).
In her book Norse Mythology A to Z, Kathleen N. Daly says that “in many cases, including that of the Norse, people believed in a set of attendant gods and
goddesses, as well as villains such as demons, dragons, and other monsters; giants
and dwarfs; and supernatural forces” (Daly, 2010: vii). The example of the existence of monster and dragon is in Beowulf. Besides the creatures that have been mentioned above, elves is the product of the Norse mythology as well.
In Norse mythology, the world sets on a big World Tree named Yggdrasil.
the place of the light-elves. At the middle part are earth or Midgard
(Middle-earth), where the human lives; Jotunheim, where the Jotun or giants dwell; and
Svartalfheim, the home of the dark-elves and dwarfs. The bottom level is
Niflheim, the underworld.
Elves are distinguished into two: light-elves and dark-elves. Light-elves
live in Alfheim, while the dark ones dwell in a land deep below the earth named
Svartalfheim. “While the light-elves were fairer than the sun, the dark-elves were pitch black” (Daly, 2010: 26). Dark-elves are like dwarfs as both of those types dwell underground.
Norse mythology also invents dwarfs. Dwarfs are defined as small, ugly,
misshapen, selfish, and greedy creatures.
They were given the realm of Svartalfheim (land of the dark elves) in
which to live. The gods put them in charge of Earth‟s underground
treasures: precious metals and gems. They were master craftsmen and fashioned many treasures for the gods (Daly, 2010: 22).
Aside from those mythical creatures, there are many gods in Norse
mythology. The most powerful of them is Odin, or Woden, or Woten, from which
we get Wednesday or Woden‟s day. Not only becomes the god of war and death, Odin is also a sky god and the god of wisdom. As the god of war, Odin holds
court in Valhalla, where all brave warriors go after they die in battle. Odin is
known as a wizard as well. He knows the secrets of the runes, the earliest alphabet
used by the Norse.
He pets two ravens, two wolves, and an eight-legged horse. “His ravens, Hugin and Munin, brought Odin news. He gave his food to his wolves, Geri and
eight-legged steed was called Sleipnir” (Daly, 2010: 76). Hugin means „thought‟,
while Munin means „memory‟. They flow daily to gather tidings of events all over the world and report everything to Odin at night. Sleipnir, with its eight hooves, is
the fleetest creature in the world. “Sleipnir was no ordinary horse. He could gallop
over the sea and through the air as well as on land” (Daly, 2010: 94).
When he is not sitting in Valhalla, a hall where he holds battle for heroes,
Odin often wanders on earth disguise as a simple traveller. “When he wandered peacefully on Earth (as he often did), Odin wore a sky-blue cape and a
broadbrimmed hat” (Daly, 2010: 76).
Odin has a lot of different names and attributes. „One-Eyed‟,„Truthfinder‟,
„Glad in Battle‟, „Fiery-Eyed‟, „Bale-Worker‟, „Wise in Lore‟, „The Much Experienced‟, „Long-Hood‟, „Long-Beard‟, „Victory Father‟, „Greybeard‟, „The Wise‟, „Traveler‟, „Warrior‟, „Lore-Master‟, „Deceitful‟, „Broad-Hat‟, „ Broad-Beard‟, „Wand-Bearer‟, „Sage‟, „Unraveler‟, „Wanderer‟, „Deceiver‟, „ Battle-Wolf‟, „Raven God‟, „Shaggy-Cloak Wearer‟, „Truth-Getter‟, „Drooping Hat‟,
„Treachery-Ruler‟, and „Terrible‟ are some of them.
3. A Brief Review on Celtic Mythology
A brief review on Celtic mythological is applied to support the writer‟s analysis in seeing the Celtic mythological archetype in the mythical creatures in
Tolkien‟s The Lord of the Rings.
The Celts are a large but diverse group of people who dominate much of
Jeremy Roberts in their book Celtic Mythology A to Z say that “the Celtic people did share certain religious beliefs and traditions. And like the Egyptians, Greeks,
and other group of people, they crafted stories to honor those beliefs” (Matson and Roberts, 2010: xi).
Celtic mythology is full of tales of fierce and deadly battles. It involves
many gods and goddesses of war such as Neit, Aerion, Nemain, Agrona,
Andraste, and Buanann. Some of them are like prophets as they can predict the
result of the battles and know who will die in the fight. They are associated with
raven. However, “the most ominous of the battle gods and goddesses was the
frightful trio of goddesses known as the Morrigna” (Matson and Roberts, 2010: 9). The Morrigna is the the name for the three war goddesses named Badb,
Macha, and Morrigan. Morrigan can shift herself into a black crow, an old hag, or
a beautiful maiden. “In the guise of a raven or a crow is able to foretell the outcome of battle” (Jordan, 2004: 204).
Morrigan does not only manifest negative attribute, but she has the
positive ones as well. She has the knowledge of the future and the ability in
shape-shifting. Surely she is not a simple personality. Morrigan mates with Dagda, the
Good God. It means that the she plays a fertility role along with her battle role.
4. Theories of Archetype
Carl Jung is said to be one of the most important persons giving
contribution in the development of the archetypal studies. Wilfred L. Guerin,
book A Handbook of Critical Approach to Literature say that “Jung expanded Freud's theories of the personal unconscious, asserting that beneath this is a
primeval, collective unconscious shared in the psychic inheritance of all members
of the human family” (Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman, and Willingham, 2005: 202). Personal unconscious is the suppressed feelings and thoughts which every
person develops during his life or her life, while the collective unconscious is the
structure of the tendency to respond in similar ways to certain provocations. In
short, personal unconscious is unique for every individual, while collective
unconscious is the inherited forms. The archetypes are within the collective
unconscious. Jung uses the term archetype to something that he calls primordial
images. The primordial images are the psychic residue of repeated experience in
human‟s ancestors live. The repeated patterns itself is not only lasts in the human race‟s collective unconscious, but it also gives effects and is seen in myths and works of literature. Sexual desire, which is one of the examples of the collective
unconscious, takes form as marriage in myths and any works of literature.
There are many complex mental tendency inherited by human from their
ancestors. “Just as certain instincts are inherited by the lower animals (for example, the instinct of the baby chicken to run from a hawk's shadow), so more
complex psychic predispositions are inherited by human beings” (Guerin et.al., 2005: 202).
Archetypes are common to all individuals. “They represent inherited forms
of psychic behavior” (Jung in Guerin et.al., 2005: 203). Further, in the book
historical man, . . . have been ingrained in him from earliest times, and, eternally
living, outlasting all generations, still make up the groundwork of the human
psyche” (Jung in Guerin et.al., 2005: 203).
Meanwhile, Abrams states that “archetype denotes recurrent narrative designs, patterns of action, character-types, themes, and images which are
identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature, as well as in myths” (Abrams, 1993: 12). Works of literature and myths are the projections, media, or means of
the human‟s unconsciousnessso that it can be obvious to human‟s consciousness.
Almost the same as Abrams‟ statement, Jane Garry and Hasan El-Shamy in their book Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and Literature a Handbook state
that “an archetype is a pattern of primary significance with deep psychic resonance that also occurs in various literary genres” (Garry and El-Shamy: 2004, xv). It can be said that archetype is the image, representation, ideal, pattern,
stereotype, or prototype that has been considered a universal model. It gives effect
in the aspects of life. The archetypes, maybe without the writers‟ consciousness, affect their elements of works.
Not so different from Abrams, Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with Thousand Facessays that “an archetype is a representation of the irrepresentable” (Campbell, 2004: vi). As we know, a symbol is something that represents
something else or anything that be a sign of something. Symbols become
archetypes when they reveal universal qualities. It is now obvious that archetype,
the universal model, deals with symbol. There are so many symbols in literary
deals with symbols. Although every mythology grows according to its cultural
environments, it shares similar themes or motifs with the other mythologies. Such
shared themes and motifs are the archetypes. Those themes and motifs are
repeatedly used in any mythology. “Myths are the symbolic projections of a people's hopes, values, fears, and aspirations” (Guerin et.al., 2005: 183). The hopes, values, fears, and aspirations found on myths are projected through the
same symbols. Mythology, in short, is universal and simply archetype is universal
symbol. In mythology, the ravens, for instance, are linked with evil because of its
habit as a scavenger.
“The Wise Old Man (savior, redeemer, guru): personification of the spiritual principle, representing „knowledge, reflection, insight, wisdom, cleverness, and intuition on the one hand, and on the other, moral qualities such as
goodwill and readiness to help, which make his 'spiritual' character sufficiently
plain. . . . Apart from his cleverness, wisdom, and insight, the old man . . . is also
notable for his moral qualities; what is more, he even tests the moral qualities of
others and makes gifts dependent on this test” (Jung in Guerin et.al., 2005: 188).
Another example of the archetype is water. It has meaning as “the mystery of
creation; birth-death-resurrection, purification and redemption; fertility and
growth” (Guerin et.al., 185).
The example of archetypes in motifs or patterns can be seen in the creation
C. Theoretical Framework
The four theories above will be used in analyzing the topic of the study.
Those theories will be the base in analyzing the problems formulated in the first
chapter.
The first theory, theory of characterization, will be used in answering the
first question in the problem formulation. The use of the theory of characterization
is needed in revealing how the mythical creatures in Tolkien‟s The Lord of The Rings are portrayed. The brief review on both Norse and Celtic mythological and theory of archetype as well will be used in answering the second question in the
problem formulation. This theory is necessary in revealing the Norse and Celtic
18 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a one of the most successful fantasy series of all
time entitled The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The writer will use all of the three books: The Fellowship of the Ring, which is published in London by George Allen and Unwin, Ltd in 1976; the second book, The Two Towers, which is published in London by Collins Modern Classic in 2001; and the third book,
The Return of the King, which is published in New York by Ballantine Books in 1973.
The novel has been translated into at least 38 other languages including
Indonesian, Japanese, Swedish, France, Bulgarian, Dutch, and Spanish. It is an
indication that the novel itself is not only popular in the English-speaking
countries, but also in the non-English-speaking ones. Moreover, there are many
sites and forums on the internet that discuss about Tolkien’s works, especially The Lord of the Rings, so that the people from all around the world are able to share and discuss about their interest in it. Because of its popularity, Tolkien and his
The Lord of the Rings win the 1957 International Fantasy Award at the 15th World Science Fiction Convention and the Gandalf Grand Master Award on 1974 World
Science Fiction Convention. Besides those two awards, he is also conferred with
literature. He also has been honored with both an asteroid, named Asteroid 2675
Tolkien, and a street in East Sussex named Tolkien Road for him.
About forty five years after the first publication of the novel, The Lord of the Rings is adapted into film. Like the novel which is published separately in three parts, the film is also made into three parts with Peter Jackson as the
director. The first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, is released in 2001; the second one, The Two Towers, is released in 2002; while the third one, The Return of the King, is released in 2003.
The films are successfully gain the attention of the public since the three of
them, circa 2001 until 2003, have been nominated and win some awards. Some of
them are British Academy Award for Best Film, Academy Award for Best Visual
Effects, Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Academy Award for Best
Original Score, Academy Award for Best Makeup, Academy Award for Best
Sound Editing, Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Academy
Award for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Academy
Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or
Published, Golden Globes Award for Best Motion Picture, Golden Globes Award
for Best Original Score, and Golden Globes Award for Best Original Song.
Besides films, there are several video games which are developed based on
Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In addition, a great number of artworks, songs,
literary criticisms, t shirts, jewelries, memorial stamps, coins, and fan conventions
This novel focuses on the perilous quest of Frodo Baggins to destroy the
Ring, which was forged by Sauron the Dark Lord in the fires of Mount Doom
thousand years ago to wield his power over the leaders of Middle-earth. Unluckily
the Ring can only be destroyed if it is thrown into the pit of fire where it was
forged, in Mount Doom, Mordor. A company of eight, made up of three hobbits,
two men, a dwarf, an elf and a wizard, go with him. Together with Frodo, they
become known as the fellowship of the Ring. Their journey is not easy and
dangerous as Sauron’s and Saruman’s dark forces try to take the Ring and stop
them.
B. Approach of the Study
As the topic of the study is about relating the Norse and Celtic
mythological archetypes with the mythical creatures in the story, the archetypal
criticism will be used in analyzing the novel.
The word ‘archetype’ itself is closely related universal image, so it can be
said that archetypal criticism is a study of certain patterns of action, character
types, themes, and or images in any work of literature which has the tendency to
emphasize the occurrence of certain mythical patterns in literature (Abrams, 2005:
12-13).
C. Method of the Study
The writer uses library research to collect data in this study. The data
The Lord of the Rings written by J.R.R. Tolkien, while the secondary data are taken from the other sources such as internet, encyclopedia, dictionary, and
several books. The encyclopedia that the writer uses is Microsoft Encarta 2009,
while the dictionary used is Webster’s New World Dictionary Third College
Edition by Victoria Neufeldt. The reference books used are Bloom’s Modern
Critical Interpretations: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings by Harold Bloom,
A Glossary of Literary Terms by M.H. Abrams, Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students by M.J. Murphy, Norse Mythology A to Z by Kathleen N. Daly, Celtic Mythology A to Z by Gienna Matson and Jeremy Roberts, A Handbook of Critical Approach to Literature by Wilfred L. Guerin; Earle Labor; Lee Morgan; Jeanne C. Reesman; and John R. Willingham, Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and Literature a Handbook by Jane Garry and Hasan El-Shamy, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
by Joseph Campbell, Mythology Greek Roman Norse Babylonian Indian by Julia Wolfe Loomis, From Asgard to Valhalla: The Remarkable History of the Norse Myths by Heather O’Donoghue, and Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses by Michael Jordan.
There were steps applied in analyzing the novel, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The first step was having a thorough reading of the novels The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King for several times. Its aim was to get the fully understanding of the story and the subject that
was going to be studied and analyzed further. In addition it could also help the
supporting data. From having a thorough reading of those novels, the writer found
that there are Norse and Celtic mythological archetypes in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings especially in its mythical creatures.
The second step was getting references related to the study and the
theories of literature focused on the characterization, the Norse mythology, and
the Celtic mythologies. Those data were needed to understand the novel better and
made ease the analysis of the characterization and the influence of the Norse and
Celtic mythological archetypes in the story. The references here were taken from
internet, encyclopedia, dictionary, and other books.
The third step was applying the theories to answer the problem
formulations in this study of the Norse and Celtic mythological archetypes seen in
the mythical creatures in the story. To answer the first problem formulation, the
theories on characterization were used to focus on how the characters are
described, in this case is how the mythical creatures characterized. To answer the
second problem formulation, the brief reviews on Norse and Celtic mythologies
together with the archetypal criticism were used to analyze the Norse and Celtic
mythological archetypes seen in the mythical creatures in the story.
The last step was drawing a conclusion which covers the statement based
23 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer will analyze the problems that have been
formulated in the 1st chapter. The analysis will be divided into two parts. The first
part is the analysis on presentation of the mythical creatures in The Lord of the Rings because the writer wants to introduce both the characters and the characteristics they have. How the Norse and Celtic mythologies influence the
presentation of the mythical creatures in The Lord of the Rings will be analyzed in the second part as the writer will draw a line between several characters in Norse
and Celtic mythologies and the mythical creatures in The Lord of the Rings. Because the object of the study is published in three books and each book
contains two sections with some chapters in them, the writing system of the book
source of quotations will include the book number and the page number.
A. The Presentation of the Mythical Creatures in The Lord of the Rings
1. Gandalf
Gandalf is an old wizard. “He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey
cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck
out beyond the brim of his hat” (I: 48), “wide-brimmed hat” (II: 482). In that
appearance the titles „Gandalf the Grey‟ and „Gandalf Greyhame‟ are applied to
him. However, later he becomes „Gandalf the White‟ with a greater power after
in the Mines of Moria. Like wizards in mythologies who have magic wand or
staff, “Gandalf bore his staff, but girt at his side was the elven-sword Glamdring”
(I: 366). He uses both his sword and his magic staff in standing against his
enemies‟ Orcs, evil ugly creatures; wargs; and wolves.
Gandalf has a good relationship with a giant eagle named Gwaihir.
Gwaihir helps him three times. The first time is when he rescues Gandalf from the
roof of Orthanc tower in Isengard and he puts Gandalf down in Rohan, the second
one is when that giant eagle rescues Gandalf from the peak of Zirak-zigil after
Gandalf has a fight with Balrog in the Mines of Moria, and the last one is when
Gwaihir the Windlord helps Gandalf to save Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom.
“Twice you have borne me, Gwaihir my friend,” said Gandalf. “Thrice shall pay for all, if you are willing” . . .
“I would bear you,” answered Gwaihir, “whither you will, even were you made of stone.” (III: 200).
Gwaihir puts Gandalf down in Rohan. Afterward, Gandalf goes to
Theoden, king of Rohan, to borrow a horse. Gandalf sees Shadowfax, the horse
that is considered as the treasure of Rohan, and tames it. Since then it only allows
Gandalf as its rider. Later King Theoden gives it to him.
Gandalf is not only associated with a giant eagle and a horse, but also with
wolves. When he escapes from Orthanc tower with Gwaihir, he is chased by the
wolves of Saruman. Gandalf “was far from Isengard, ere the wolves and Orcs
issued from the gate to pursue” (I: 343) him. Besides that, there is a moment in the
story when Gandalf and the other fellowship members are attacked by Sauron‟s
With his supernatural power, Gandalf tries to protect his companions and fight
against the “Hound of Sauron” (I: 389).
“Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!” he [Gandalf] cried. There was a roar and a crackle, and the tree above him burst into a leaf and bloom of blinding flame (I: 390).
It is mentioned that the image of the wise old man represents some things,
including knowledge and cleverness. Those representations are applied to
Gandalf. As an old man and a high-skilled wizard, he knows many things that
others do not know. He knows Middle-earth and its ancient time well. He also
knows a lot about the Ring better than most of the creatures in Middle-earth.
“How long have you known all this?” asked Frodo again.
“Known?” said Gandalf. “I have known much that only the Wise know, Frodo.” (I: 77).
Besides having greater knowledge, he also has many mysterious things to
do. “He would not discuss his own business and journeys” (I: 75). Gandalf travels
a lot, especially in his attempt to find the answers and information about the Ring,
so that he is also known as Mithrandir which means „grey pilgrim‟ or „grey
wanderer‟. From the quotation below it can be seen how busy Gandalf is in
discovering the mysterious power the Ring owns. He starts it by going to the
doors of Necromancer in Dol Guldur and ends his discovery in the place of
Saruman in Isengard.
Gandalf is not only known as Mithrandir, but also known as the Istari.
Istari means the „wise one‟. That name suits him because he is, without any doubt,
wise. In addition, he is a member of the Council of the Wise. One of the evidences
that he is wise is when Frodo offers him the Ring. Gandalf knows very well that
by possessing the Ring the greater power will be in him, even it will lead him to
be the greatest among all. He does not lie that he is tempted by the Ring.
However, his wisdom has greater control over him and beats the desire to keep it
for him. In the most fully-tempting time, Gandalf remembers that his task is not to
fall for and be corrupted by the Ring, but to keep it safe until he finds the way to
destroy it.
“With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly . . . Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not tempt me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. The wish to wield it would be too great, for my strength. I shall have such need of it. Great perils lie before me.” (I: 95).
He is also a war-goer or a knight. He joins the war three times. The first
war is the war in Helm‟s Deep to defend Rohan from the attack of Saruman‟s
Orcs army, the second war is in Minas Tirith to defend Gondor from Sauron‟s
Orcs and evil men armies, and the last one is in Pellenor Fields where the army of
men gather to strike Sauron back. Furthermore, he is also involved in making the
war strategy. In Helm‟s Deep, for instance, he acts like a general. He gives order
and helps Theoden to prepare for the battle.
that you have in the mountains . . . Do not delay, Theoden, when we are gone. Lead your people swiftly to the Hold of Dunharrow in the hills! . . . But your people must not be both unarmed and shepherdless.” (II: 507).
However, those who get the wrong impression toward Gandalf mention
him with negative names. Grima Wormtongue, Theoden‟s counselor, calls
Gandalf as “the herald of strange events: a bringer of evil” (II: 425), “Master
Stormcrow” (II: 502), and “ill news” (II: 502).
2. Saruman
Saruman is a fallen wizard who tries to compete with Sauron the Dark
Lord. He used to be a good one like Gandalf before he chooses to walk the dark
side. He is said to be greater than Gandalf as he wears a white cloak instead of a
grey one, which means having the higher level of power. As a wizard whose
power is greater, he possesses greater knowledge too. He used to be the member
of the Wise also.
“Yet he is great among the Wise. He is the chief of my order and the head of the Council. His knowledge is deep, but his pride has grown with it, and he takes ill any meddling.” (I: 78).
He sits in Orthanc tower in Isengard where he controls all of the villainous
things and builds his Orcs army. His appearance is like Gandalf somehow. He is
depicted as “an old man, swathed in a great cloak, the colour of which was not
easy to tell, for it changed if they moved their eyes or if he stirred . . . His hair and
beard were white” (II: 564). When he is out of his tower, his appearance is a bit
simpler. “He walks here and there . . . as an old man hooded and cloaked, very
not have any of Gandalf‟s good traits. Saruman owns ruthlessness and lust for
powers and control.
“The time of the Elves is over, but our time is at hand: the world of Men, which we must rule. But we must have power, power to order all things as we will, for that good which only the Wise can see . . . Why not? The Ruling Ring? If we could command that, then the Power would pass to
us.” (I: 339-340).
In addition, “he is a wizard both cunning and dwimmer-crafty” (II: 426).
Instead of battling against Sauron, in the end he betrays the Wise and wants to
conquer the Ring for himself. He is also “an old liar with honey on his forked
league” (II: 565). This wizard is said to be a good friend of Rohan, but actually he
only deceives them. All is for his own purpose to possess the Ring.
“Once I do not doubt that he [Saruman] was the friend of Rohan; and even when his heart grew colder, he found you useful still. But for long now he has plotted your ruin, wearing the mask of Friendship, until he was ready.” (II: 510).
In making his way to conquer the Ring, Saruman takes wolves, “Orcs into
his service, and Wolf-riders and evil-Men” (II: 426). “But great though his lore
may be, it must have a source” (I: 330). The wizard keeps Grima Wormtongue,
king Theoden of Rohan‟s counselor, and his crows in his service in spying roles.
“His spies slip through every net, and his birds of ill omen are abroad in the sky”
(II: 426). Definitely Saruman has many eyes in his service.
3. Sauron
Sauron is the chief spirit of evil in Middle-earth who creates the one Ring
possessed by Dwarf-kings, and nine rings left are given to the kings of men which
later become the Nazguls. The Nazguls are the wraith servants of Sauron.
Those nineteen lesser rings are associated with the one Ring. Sauron
betrays the elves and the dwarfs by playing pretend he can be a friend who helps
them.
For in that time he was not yet evil to behold, and they received his aid and grew mighty in craft, whereas he learned all their secrets, and betrayed them, and forged secretly in the Mountain of Fire the One Ring to be their master (I: 318).
He puts a great part of him into the one Ring “so that he could rule all the
others” (I: 82). By paying attention to his motif in creating the rings, which is to
have a total dominance in Middle-earth, it can be seen that he is, like Saruman, a
deceiver and owns the lust for powers and controls either.
“Sauron was vanquished and his spirit fled and was hidden for long years,
until his shadow took shape again in Mirkwood” (I: 83) after the army of men and
elves gather and defeat him in the Battle of Dagorland before the The Black Gate
of Mordor. He then dwells in Barad-dur in Mordor, works himself a new guise
which is as a fiery eye searching his Ring over Middle-earth. He is known as „Red
Eye‟, „Great Eye‟, „the Eye of Barad-dur‟, „the Evil Eye‟, „the Nameless Eye‟,
„dreadful Eye‟, and „Lidless Eye‟.
“Sauron had many servants” (II: 637). He has both his Orcs army and
Nazguls army, also known as Ringwraiths; Black Riders; Dark Riders, the Nine
Riders; or the Nine. In addition, he keeps wolves and wargs, evil wolf-like
creatures, in his service. The “Hound of Sauron” (I: 389) attack the fellowship
4. Shadowfax
Shadowfax is Gandalf‟s horse which can run very fast. He is “tireless,
swift as the flowing wind . . . Light is his footfall!” (I: 344). He is said to be the
“chief of Mearas, which only the Lord of the Mark may ride. For the sire of their
race was the great horse of Eorl that knew the speech of Men” (II: 425). The Mark
refers to the riders of Rohan, while Eorl is the first king of Rohan. “Were the
breath of the West Wind to take a body visible, even so would it [Shadowfax]
appear” (II: 513). It is described that “his coat glistens like silver, and by night it
is like a shade, he passes unseen” (I: 344). The color of his coat, which is like
silver at day and like a shade at night, shows that he runs so fast so that his arrival
is almost unseen.
Although he cannot literally fly, he is depicted as possessing a „flying‟
step. In addition, he is associated with the wind as he runs so fast.
Three riders swept up and passed like flying ghosts in the moon and vanished into the West. Then Shadowfax gathered himself together and sprang away, and the night flowed over him like a roaring wind (III: 16).
He is resistant from the terror and well-suited to the world of death. On the
last great battle in Pellenor Fields, Shadowfax carries Gandalf. When the Lord of
Nazgul comes to the battle arena, all of the horses and their riders run away as
they are afraid of him. It is only Gandalf and his stallion waiting and standing still
on their place.
5. Elves
Tolkien‟s elves are depicted as very beautiful and special creatures among
the others. Most of them have golden hair and a white light seems shining from
their skin. “Starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes” (I: 118).
They dwell on the beautiful places also. Tolkien‟s elves live in places
named Rivendell and Lothlorien. Rivendell is ruled by the elf lord named Elrond.
The elves living in Rivendell occupy a beautiful big building.
Unlike the ones in Rivendell who dwell together in a big house, they live
in a pretty unique way as they inhabit the big trees. They make mallorn trees as
their houses. Wooden platforms, called flets or talans, are built in the large branches near the top of the trees. There is a round hole on each of the platforms
where the ladder is placed.
Near the top the main stem divided into a crown of many boughs, and among these they found that there had been built a wooden platform, or
flet as such things were called in those days: the Elves called it a talan. It was reached by a round hole in the centre through which the ladder passed (I: 444).
Although they live in a different way, both of the clans are relatives and
share similarity in loving the beautiful surroundings as their place to dwell. Some
elves, such as Glorfindel, Elrond, Legolas, and Lady Galadriel are said to have
special abilities. Elrond and Glorfindel are able to heal wounds. Elrond is also a
warrior as he joins the Battle of Dagorlad; Legolas, one of the fellowship
members, is very good in archery; while Lady Galadriel with her mirror can
foretell the future. The elves are also good in making armors, jewelries, and tools.
The elves do not always marry the ones from their race. Although it is very
rarely, crossbreeding between elves and humans are likely to happen in The Lord of the Rings. Elrond is the descendant of an elf, Earendil, and a human, Elwing. Arwen, Elrond‟s daughter, is married to Aragorn, a human.
Tolkien describes that the relationship between the elves and dwarfs are
bad. It is due to the betrayal of Sauron toward the elves and the dwarfs in the older
days so that the friendship they once had is now gone. The elves and the dwarfs
blame each other for the terrible Ring Sauron makes. As the result, they hate each
other. It can be seen on book I when the fellowship are going to pass the Mines of
Moria. There is a little quarrel between Legolas the elf and Gimli the dwarf. They
squabble about who are the ones to blame about the broken friendship between the
elves and the dwarfs.
“Those were happier days, when there was still close friendship at times between folk of different race, even between Dwarves and Elves.”
“It was not the fault of the Dwarves that the friendship waned,” said Gimli. “I have not heard that it was the fault of the Elves,” said Legolas.
“I have heard both,” said Gandalf; “and I will not give judgement now.” (I: 395).
However, through the friendship that Legolas and Gimli make during their
long journey, the good relationship between those two races comes back in the
end of the story.
6. Dwarfs
The dwarfs, or dwarves as Tokien calls them, are described as short
creatures with “long beards and deep hoods” (I: 48). They “make good armour
Precious metals and gems will be something valuable after pass their skillful
hands. “Stone-hard are the Dwarves in labour or journey” (II: 418).
They live in caves or mines. There they do not only make weapons and
beautiful jewelries, but also build their dwelling place as beauty as possible.
Through the chanting of Gimli the dwarf when he and the other fellowship
members are passing the Mines of Moria, we can see how marvelous their skill
and great taste in decorating their dwellings are. In their halls of stone, the roof is
made from golden and the floor is silver. The symbols of their power and skill
become the ornaments on the door. The beautiful crystal lamps shine so bright.
The lamps always radiate the sun, star, and also moon. There the dwarfs also
work. They forge armors such as blades; bucklers; breastplates; axes; swords; and
spears, not to mention they wrought the beryl; pearl; opal; and many more.
With golden roof and silver floor, And runes of power upon the door. The light of sun and star and moon In shining lamps of crystal hewn Undimmed by cloud or shade of night There shone for ever fair and bright. There hammer on the anvil smote, There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt; The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale, And metal wrought like fishes' mail, Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard (I: 412).
Surely they love any kinds of metals, silver, gold, gems, but they are just
it can be beaten like copper and be buffed up like glass. Besides that, its beauty
will not dim through the times.
“The wealth of Moria was not in gold and jewels, the toys of the Dwarves . . . For here alone in the world was found Moria-silver, or true-silver as some have called it: mithril is the Elvish name . . . Its worth was ten times that of gold . . . mithril was the foundation of their wealth.” (I: 413).
The dwarfs also said to be greedy. Although they already have had
valuable jewelries, armors, and beautiful dwelling place, “they delved too greedily
and too deep” (I: 366) and never feel they have gotten enough.
Due to their great ability in crafting, they dress richly and tend to show off
their jewelries and beauty-forged armors they make. The evidence is seen in book
I. When the delegations of men, elves, and dwarfs are called to the council of
Elrond in Rivendell to discuss about Ring, “next to Frodo on his right sat a dwarf
of important appearance, richly dressed . . . He wore a silver belt, and round his
neck hung a chain of silver and diamonds” (I: 300). Moreover, the appearance of
Gimli the dwarf when he and the other fellowship members are going to leave
Rivendell and start their journey reveals this. “Gimli the dwarf alone wore openly
a short shirt of steel-rings” (I: 366).
Dwarfs, as it has been explained, have bad relationship with the elves due
to Sauron‟s betrayal on the older days. Nevertheless the friendship between them
comes back after Legolas the elf and Gimli the dwarf make friendship during their
7. Galadriel
Galadriel is the elf lady of Lothlorien. She rules it with Celeborn, her elf
husband, as her co-ruler. She wears the Elven Ring, Nenya, which is the Elven
Ring of water. Basically her appearance is just like the other elves. She is “tall,
and white, and fair” (I: 467), “grave and beautiful . . . clad wholly in white; and
the hair of the Lady is deep gold” (I: 459).
Galadriel‟s name is associated with fear. Those who have not met her
before have the tendency to consider her very dangerous or even worse. They
mention her as “sorceress of the Golden Wood” (II: 502) or “the Mistress of
Magic who dwells in Golden Wood” (II: 652). The rumor says that anyone who
dares to enter Lorien or Golden Wood (named so because of the golden color of
the leaves of trees in Lorien) will not come out of it safe and sound because there
is an evil power of the forest‟s mistress in it.
“If Men have dealings with the Mistress of magic who dwells in Golden Wood, then they may look for the strange things to follow. For it is perilous for mortal men to walk out of the world of this Sun, and few of old came thence unchanged.” (II: 652).
At a glimpse, she seems “wise and fearless” (I: 473), owns “love and
understanding” (I: 461), and is the most saintly one among the elves. Like
Gandalf, she knows that she will gain greater power by having the Ring. She
honestly speaks her hidden desire about the Ring when Frodo offers her the Ring.
Also, it has been a long time she ponders what she will do if she has the Ring. For
a while she turns into someone else hideous that is really not saintly Galadriel, but
She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad.
“I pass the test,” she said. (I: 473-474).
Through her mirror, named Mirror of Galadriel, she can foretell the future.
“It shows things that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be” (I:
468). She, for instance, has foretold that in the future the hobbit Sam Gamgee,
who is Frodo Baggin‟s gardener, will step his feet on the Shire again and there
will be a little disturbance there which gives result in trees cutting down. She
knows that Sam is going to be very sad to see that condition. That is why when
she gives each of the fellowship members a gift, she gives Sam “grey dust, soft
and fine, in the middle of which was a seed, like a small nut with a silver shale”
(III: 267) inside a little box when it comes to the day the fellowship will continue
their journey after they spend their time quite a while in Lorien.
“In this box there is earth from my orchard, and such blessing as Galadriel has still to bestow is upon it . . . if you keep it and see your home again at last, then perhaps it may reward you. Though you should find all barren and laid waste, there will be few gardens in Middle-earth that will bloom like your garden, if you sprinkle this earth there.” (I: 486).
B. The Influence of the Norse and Celtic Mythologies on the Presentation of
the Mythical Creatures in The Lord of the Rings
1. The Influence on Gandalf
It seems a highly unlikely one, but Odin, the god of battle in Norse
are several similarities they both share despite the fact that Odin is known for his
function as a god of battle, while Gandalf is known for his peace-loving acts.
First of all, Gandalf is a wizard and Odin is too. Odin is thought of as a
wizard or magician because he knows the magic charms or spells and also the
secrets of the runes, the ancient alphabet used by the Norse. Gandalf can cast
magic spells and read the runes. He casts a spell over Sauron‟s wolves army when
the fellowship members are crossing a mountainous area called Caradhras.
“Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!” he cried.
There was a roar and a crackle, and the tree above him burst into a leaf and bloom of blinding flame (I: 390).
When finally the fellowship reach the door of Moria, they see that the door
is engraved with runes and Gandalf is the one who can read it.
“What does the writing say?” asked Frodo, who was trying to decipher the inscription on the arch. “I thought I knew the elf-letters but I cannot read these.”
“The words are in the elven-tongue of the West of Middle-earth in the Elder Days,” answered Gandalf (I: 398).
Odin often leaves his place and travels on Midgard (Middle-earth),
disguising as a bearded old man wearing “a sky-blue cape and a broad-brimmed
hat” (Daly, 2010: 76) and carries his staff too. Because of that appearance, he gets
these appropriate titles are applied to him: „Long-Hood‟, „Long-Beard‟, „Bearer of
the (Magic) Wand‟, „Greybeard‟, „Traveler‟, „Broad-Hat‟, „Broad-Beard‟, „Wand
-Bearer‟, „Unraveler‟, „Wanderer‟, and „Shaggy-Cloak Wearer‟. Those description
and titles are clearly suitable for Gandalf as Tolkien portrays Gandalf as an
Furthermore, Gandalf‟s title „Mithrandir‟ which means „grey pilgrim‟ or „grey
wanderer‟ is applicable for Odin.
Moreover, in a saga entitled Volsunga it is told that Odin carries a sword with a marvelous brightness when he travels on earth in disguise. It is noticeable
that Gandalf brings his Glamdring sword with him besides his staff.
It has already been mentioned before that Gandalf is associated with
several animals: eagle, horse, and wolves. He deals with a giant eagle named
Gwaihir, a horse named Shadowfax, and wolves of both Saruman‟s and Sauron‟s.
This kind of dealing also happens to Odin. Odin is frequently portrayed with
eagle. “Odin is often pictured with an eagle. He occasionally took on the form of
an eagle” (Daly, 2010: 23). In the story titled Mead of Poetry, Odin turns himself
into an eagle when he flees back to Asgard, the realm of the Aesir gods or the
gods of war, from Jotunheim, the lands of giant. Besides being closely connected
with eagle, Odin is also connected with a magical horse. He has an eight-legged
steed named Sleipnir. Dealing with wolves, Odin pets two wolves he called Freki
and Geri. Also, in disastrous battle of Ragnarok “he attacked the wolf, Fenrir, and
was swallowed hole” (Loomis, 1965: 135). Because of this event, Odin gets the
title „Battle-Wolf‟ which fits to Gandalf.
However, Tolkien seems to change the result of Gandalf-chasing done by
the wolves if it is compared to the outcome of the Ragnarok. “Odin was the first to
perish in the titanic battle” (Loomis, 1965: 135), while Gandalf makes it until the
end. This is emphasized by Samwise Gamgee‟s statement. He says that “whatever
