Today marks the last great achievement of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings
trilogy: the release of the Return Of The King Extended Cut. New Line's epic
trilogy stretched over the last four years (plus more if you count
production), and now we can finally see it all. But if you are just watching
the movies, you've totally been missing out. J.R.R. Tolkien's epic book is
the original and best version of the story, giving much more detail and
meaning to the story you see in the movies. This week cMusicWeb.com talks
all about The Lord of the Rings, mainly through the conclusion of our
revealing series, Meanderings. This five-part look at the world beyond Peter
Jackson's award-winning movie trilogy delves deeper into the world of
Tolkien and his Christian faith. Below we feature only the last part of the
series - check out the earlier parts if you have not yet!

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MEANDERINGS #5: FANGORN AND THE CHURCH
by Josh M. Shepherd

"I dislike Allegory, the conscious and intentional allegory," J.R.R. Tolkien
wrote in an oft-quoted 1951 letter. What media pundits never do is let the
British author finish his thought: "Yet any attempt to explain the purport
of myth or fairy tale must use allegorical language" (The Letters of J.R.R.
Tolkien, Letter #145).

There is a distinction between the obvious parallels of an allegory and the
symbolism of a type (i.e. a myth), defined as "a person or thing believed to
foreshadow another." For example, if one saw the "Rings" saga as a metaphor
for World War II, the One Ring might play the part of nuclear energy. Or, as
other popular interpretation goes, Middle-earth's neighboring countries of
Rohan and Gondor could represent the on-and-off relationship of rural
Scotland and imperial England, ever unsure of whether to lend aid to each
other.

All this makes for stimulating thought, but where would Tolkien have readers
of his epic fiction look for types? Another selection from his "Letters"
holds the answer. "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally
religious and Catholic work... [wherein] the religious element is absorbed
into the story and its symbolism" (Tolkien, Letter #172).

So it is — like an Elf, a Man and a Dwarf tracking two hobbits — we come
across Fangorn Forest. Venturing into the dim, stuffy canopy, an intricate
picture of God's relation to man becomes obvious.

Tolkien used vivid language to describe this place, and Peter Jackson did a
phenomenal job visualizing Fangorn on the big screen. But why the mystery
surrounding a bunch of old, run-down trees? I believe it's because Tolkien
hid some startling truths among the towering greenery, observations about
the worldwide Body of Christ.

Three elements are at play in this Scripture-inspired metaphor: Treebeard
himself (a tree-like Ent), the Entmoot to which he calls his brethren and
their decision stemming from that meeting. Follow the story to its end, and
one will reveal a very applicable moral.

TREEBEARD. "Do not be hasty, that is my motto," says the 14-foot-tall Ent
when he first meets Merry and Pippin. To the hobbits and Tolkien's readers,
Treebeard seems too discouraged, too traditional to be anything but a slow
diversion. Yet this oldest of the Ents (sometimes called simply "Fangorn"
because of his close connection to the aging forest) has simply seen enough
years to know Man's nature. Underneath his "rough exterior" is a certain
care and discernment.

Comparing Treebeard to a priest or pastor gets easier as one examines his
occupation. As Merry and Pippin ride on his branches, the ancient Ent
explains his calling. "We keep off strangers and the foolhardy; and we train
and we teach, we walk and we weed. We are tree-herders," he says, much like
congregations have their "shepherds."

THE ENTMOOT. Traveling deep within Fangorn Forest, they arrive at
Treebeard's ent-house — an organic, open air "sanctuary" of trees glowing
with color and a brisk stream running through it. (A comment could be made
on how many churches lack "color" in their presentation or message, and are
instead stagnant; but that certainly reads into the text.)

A great gathering of Ents, to occur the following day, originates in
conversation with the hobbits. The talk begins lightly but soon becomes
serious. The topic turns to Saruman, the wizard who wages a war in which
Treebeard's race has refused to choose sides. "I do not like worrying about
the future," Treebeard says. Yet, in a testament to friends who don't evade
issues, a simple question from Pippin incites the old Ent to righteous
wrath.

"I have been idle. I have let things slip. It must stop!" Treebeard
exclaims. The next morning, he organizes all his kindred in a massive
assembly, sure to last a while considering the Ents' long-winded language.
Call it a church committee to the "Enth" degree.

THE MARCH TO ISENGARD. Merry and Pippin wait in anticipation. What they saw
in the Entmoot were creatures overly patient and pensive. Treebeard had
warned that "Many are growing sleepy, growing tree-ish, as you might say."
Yet they hope beyond hope that the Ents can be "roused." Days later the
hobbits hear a rumbling in the distance.

"Then with a crash came a great ringing shout," to quote Tolkien's
incomparable text of The Two Towers. "The Ents cried in many voices, 'Though
Isengard be strong and hard, as cold as stone and bare as bone / We go to
war!'" The resulting siege of the enemy's stronghold — seen in all its
special-effects splendor in the Extended DVD Edition — is history.

THE POINT. Within the very bark, or fabric, of the Church is a potency to
wreak havoc on our enemy's devices. He is real, "false and tricksy" as
Gollum might say. One key for effective combat is holy, genuine anger, as
Amos 5:15 exhorts: "Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate."
The Ents had to understand how Saruman threatened their very existence.
Because evil had crept in slowly, they resigned themselves to the fact that
hundreds of their own brothers and sisters has been axed and burned!

Tolkien once wrote, "I am a Christian (which can be deduced from my
stories)..." (Letter #288). Writing from his framework of faith, he brought
into being the fantastic race of Ents. Lethargy and tradition held back
their passions for a season, yet in time Treebeard and his living forest
proved the truth of Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry, and do not sin."

Read more Meanderings at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/features/meanderings


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THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING EXTENDED EDITION DVD
Yeah, there is no new music this week (or this month, really), but this is
the biggest movie release of the season. The theatrical cut won eleven
Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Some, though, will definitely say
this extended cut is too long, for very few, if any, movies are over four
hours like this one. Fans of the book will like new character development
scenes as well as hate more perversions of Tolkien's original story, but
such is life from Hollywood. Still, this PICK OF THE WEEK is worth a look!
If not, get yourself a book version of the trilogy instead.


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