5 Facts about Eru Ilúvatar: The God of the Lord of the Rings

 

Introduction

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973) was a Catholic* and, as such, his Christian world view touched everything he created including his epic, The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). 

Tolkien was not keen on obvious allegory, however. In their insightful book, Finding God in the Lord of the Rings, Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware write:

“The Lord of the Rings is not, as some have suggested, a covert allegory of the gospel. Tolkien clearly denied that idea.”

However, Bruner goes on to explain, “…Tolkien described his fantasy as a fundamentally religious work growing out of his own faith journey.” (referencing Carpenter, Letters, 172)*

Have you ever wondered, then, if there is a creator or God-like being in the Lord of the Rings? 

There is. Let’s look at 5 facts about “Eru Ilúvatar”. 

J.R.R. Tolkien

Who is Eru Ilúvatar? 

The name Eru in Quenya (an Elvish language created by Tolkien) means “He that is alone”. Ilúvatar means "Father of All" in the same tongue.

The website, Tolkien Gateway tells us that, “Eru Ilúvatar, also known as the One, is the single omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent creator. He has been existing eternally in the Timeless Halls and possesses the Flame Imperishable in his spirit which kindles existence from nothingness.” 

Creation

Eru is not exactly like the God of the Bible. He does not seem to be Trinitarian and he does much of his creating though angelic beings called the Ainur (each of whom he made). However, Scholar Kevin R. Hensler, writes:

“First, and most significant, is the very direct parallel between God in the Bible and Eru/ Ilúvatar in the works of Tolkien.  I believe Ilúvatar is obviously not just an invention of Tolkien’s Legendarium, but is actually a presentation, relying heavily on metaphor, of the God in whom Tolkien actually believes.”

And creation of life is only accomplished by Eru. He created Elves and Men. When an Ainur formed the Dwarves, only Eru could breathe life into them.  And, “Eru said "eä" ("let it be") and thus Eä, the universe, was created.” (Tolkien Gateway)

Presence in LOTR

While not directly referenced very often in The Hobbit or LOTR, Eru was nevertheless always present according to Tolkien. He wrote:

“The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), 'that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named”.  (Tolkien in Letter 192)

In the Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf tells Frodo:

"Behind that there was something else at work, beyond any design of [Sauron]. [...] Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by [Sauron]. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought" 

Gandalf

Another noteworthy act of Eru Ilúvatar, is his resurrection of Gandalf the Grey after the wizard (actually a being created directly by Eru) was killed by the demonic Balrog while the rest of the Fellowship escaped. Gandalf eventually emerges as “Gandalf the White” in a gripping scene in the movie trilogy. 

As we discussed earlier, Tolkien was no fan of obvious allegory but I believe he subtly wove in some teachings, actions and characteristics of Jesus into his LOTR characters.  

Gollum and the One Ring

Spoiler alert! At the climax of this epic story, we find Frodo being too weak to actually destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom. But while he hesitates, Gollum sweeps in, bites off the ring-bearing finger of Frodo, then accidently slips into the fire himself thus destroying the ring. 

What I didn’t realize is that Tolkien later wrote in a letter that Gollum’s fall was a direct result of Eru Ilúvatar’s intervention. At the culmination of LOTR we see the sovereignty and mercy of the God of the Lord of the Rings in stepping in where the Fellowship could not triumph on their own. 

Conclusion

While Eru Ilúvatar is a fictional character inspired by Tolkien’s faith, Yahweh (the Christian God) is the direct object of Tolkien’s faith. John believed that a story could often speak to us in deeper ways than cold facts. 

“As a Christian, Tolkien understood that our lives are part of a grand drama that both transcends and explains our experiences… the Lord of the Rings is a tale of redemption…”

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Sources and Further Reading:

Finding God in the Lord of the Rings:  by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware © 2001 Living Books

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Il%C3%BAvatar

https://signumuniversity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Mythmoot2_Hensler_GodIluvatar.pdf

https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Eru_Il%C3%BAvatar

* As a Protestant myself, I do have disagreements with some Catholic teachings, however we both believe in the essentials of Jesus Christ. 

* Even so, some have been reluctant to pick up and read LOTR.  

 “In, fact, many hard-line believers have been hesitant to embrace a creative work that includes mythic figures, magic rings, and supernatural themes. This is unfortunate because the transcendent truths of Christianity bubble up throughout this story, baptizing our imaginations with realities better experienced than studied.”

Hope for the Future: Christianity and Linear History

“But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13

As you may know, I really enjoy learning about history; but recently I learned something new (to me) about the study of the past. 

One of the main points of the Biblical narrative is that there is an over-arching story to time and history. A story with a beginning, a climax and an ending. A story whose author is the Creator God. However, this idea of a linear history (with a point to it) did not always exist.  

Historian, Sarah Irving-Stonebraker, explains:

“The Judaeo-Christian conception of time, providentially ordered by God with its beginning in the creation and its end point anticipating the eschaton (the second coming of Christ), inaugurated a new way of understanding writing about the past.”

To be sure, there are cycles in history (that’s one of the reasons we must understand it in order not to make the same mistakes) and there is still debate about the nature of time; however, even the secular “Big Think” website agrees that, 

“The reason why we see time as “linear” is because of Christianity. The idea of Genesis (at the start) and Judgement Day (at the end) gives us a narrative — a linear view of time.”

In fact, Augustine’s famed book, The City of God (wherein he contrasts the Roman Empire with the Kingdom of God), is arguably considered the first use of a linear perspective of history outside the Bible. 

In a world without ultimate historical purpose, the story of Christ broke through and gave us hope for the future. Time was not just an endless cycle of the same old thing, there was now a goal in mind, there was now resurrection, there was now hope. 

Irving-Stonebraker concludes:

“The overarching story of human history from the Christian perspective, despite the darkness and brokenness we see around us, is ultimately a story of hope thanks to Christ’s death and resurrection.”

Because of Jesus, we can have hope in this life and look forward to a time when, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4

Sources:

Priests of History: Stewarding the Past In an Ahistoric Age (by Sarah Irving-Stonebraker)

Big Think Article: https://bigthink.com/thinking/a-brief-history-of-linear-time/

A Mountain Psalm (A Poem about Mount Robson)

 A Mountain Psalm

(by Joseph Harder)

I’ve seen a mighty glory 

Over the rocky range

At once, provokes a story

Of beauty, sometimes strange

I’ve seen the clouds come dancing

On the perilous mountain peak

And drift down the spiral road

To feed the glacial lake

I’ve seen the falls of water

Crash loud on granite floor

And tumble down in turquoise hues

To reach the sea once more

“A giant among giants

And immeasurably supreme”

Many have her tried her peak

Only few have seen its gleam

From everlasting to everlasting

You, the mountains, frame

And perhaps none more glorious

Than that of Robson’s name

Notes:

"Spiral road" refers to the translation of the Simpcw name for Mount Robson - "“Yuh-hai-has-kun”

“A giant among giants,  And immeasurably supreme” is a direct quote from the journal of Milton and Cheadle who wrote it in July, 1863, when they first caught a glimpse of Mount Robson. 

The last stanza is inspired by Psalm 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” 

The “Heights” of Mount Robson

Since the early days of written history, the estimated height of Mount Robson has changed several times. The first mention of Robson’s height is also the first written mention of the mountain that we know of. It is claimed that on August 26th, 1862, John M. Sellar (a member of the Overlanders) wrote:

“At 4 p.m. we passed Snow or Cloud Cap Mountain which is the highest and finest on the whole Leather Pass. It is 9000 feet above the level of the valley at its base, and the guide told us that out of twenty-nine times that he had passed it he had only seen the top once before.”

Real photo postcard, hand coloured by Coast Publishing Company, Vancouver, BC.  Note the height of 13,700 feet – likely dating the postcard before 1912. 

In 1863, British explorers, Milton and Cheadle, estimated Mount Robson to be between 10,000 and 15,000 feet. They described the great mountain: 

“On every side the snowy heads of mighty hills crowded round, whilst, immediately behind us, a giant among giants, and immeasurably supreme, rose Robson’s Peak.”

In 1898, James McEvoy, did a geological survey for Canada of the Robson area. He records:

“The actual height of the peak is 13,700 feet, or 10,750 feet above the valley… it has the distinction of being the highest known peak in the Canadian Rockies.”

A.O. Wheeler surveyed Robson in 1912, and calculated the height to be 13,062 feet.

Later, Wheeler would revise that measurement to 12,972 feet while conducting the Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission.  This is the established height of Mount Robson to this day. 

Note: From the base of Mount Robson in the Fraser River Valley to its peak there is a 3,000 metre (9,843 foot) rise over a distance of only three kilometres… “it is not far below that of Mount Everest and is unrivaled in the Canadian or U.S. Rocky Mountains” (Bill Corbett).

Sources & Further Reading:

https://www.spiralroad.com/robson/#:~:text=Great%20mountains%20are%20on%20every,10%2C750%20feet%20above%20the%20valley.

https://historynstuff.blogspot.com/2020/02/mount-robson-historic-timeline.html

Ansel Adams at Mount Robson

In the summer of 1928, the Sierra Club’s annual “High Trip” was an expedition to the Canadian Rockies. The members of the expedition left Oakland, California by train and arrived later in Jasper, Alberta before then taking the rail to Mount Robson Provincial Park in BC.

A young photographer by the name of Ansel Adams was invited to come along. He would be one of the official photographers and his expenses would be paid although he would not be. It was on this trip to Canada that “Ansel began to find his voice as a photographer.” 

Mount Robson Peak by Ansel Adams (eBay)

The leader of the expedition, William Colby, wrote about Ansel that he, "…uncomplainingly carried his equipment, weighing unspeakable pounds. His only regret was that the pace required to keep up with the climbing parties did not afford opportunities to photograph all the wonders about him.”  

Ansel himself later said, “The Canadian Rockies have a wonderful mood, but it's one of the most infested areas you can possibly imagine — mosquitoes, horseflies; bad trails and very erratic weather.”  He wrote that he would, “… unload exposed film and load fresh film with my film holders in a changing bag at dusk, while a friend kept the mosquitoes at bay."

But Mount Robson and the other Rockies he visited on that trip left a lasting impression on him as he wrote to his wife:

“These mountains are breathtaking — utterly different than anything we have seen. The peaks and forests and “tone” fulfill almost every ideal I have had of what ‘my’ mountains could be. The cold ice crashes down tremendous cliffs to the very edge of deep, somber forests. No dust here — all is snow, ice, clean black rock and mossy earth covered with thick vegetation — all cool and calm and very strong in the primal aspect. These are great mountains we dream about.”

Ansel Adams is considered one of the greatest photographers of our time, and he began his remarkable career with the great peak of Mount Robson. 

Mount Resplendent by Ansel Adams (eBay)

“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.”  Ansel Adams

Sources & Further Reading:

Ansel Adams in the Canadian Rockies, Little Brown and Company (October 29, 2013)

https://sheldonkirshner.com/ansel-adams-in-the-canadian-rockies/

https://www.sierraclub.org/library/1928-high-trip-photo-album

https://archive.org/details/convanseladams00adamrich/page/279/mode/1up

The Okanagan and Mission Valley Wagon Road

Long after the well-worn trails of the Indigenous Peoples and the Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail were established, there arose a need for a wider and more stable roadway throughout the Okanagan.  Thus, the work of the ““Okanagan and Mission Valley Wagon Road” was undertaken in 1875. 

Okanagan historian, F.M. Buckland, recalls in his book “Ogopogo’s Vigil”:

“The contract to construct a wagon road from O’Keefe’s by way of Priest’s Valley, ‘Vernon’, to Okanagan Mission was let in 1875. It was called “Okanagan and Mission Valley Wagon Road”… The road was built in two sections. Section 1 was designated as “from Mission Valley (Kelowna) to ‘the railway’* on Long Lake” … Section 2 was designated as “from the ‘railway’ to O’Keefe’s Ranch at the head of Okanagan Lake.”

Cattle Drive blocks the stagecoach on the Vernon to Mission road at 

“the Railroad” ca. 1900. Lake Country Museum

 

The Okanagan Historical Society also reports:

"In those early years there were practically no roads, only narrow trails, in most parts of the valley, so late in 1875 the provincial government called for tenders to build a wagon road from the Catholic Mission in the south to O'Keefe's Ranch at the northern end of Okanagan lake. Philip Parke was the successful bidder, for a price of $23,000, and by the fall of 1876 the entire road for a length of thirty-eight miles was completed.” OHSR 23:116

The building of the road was no easy feat as described by the 23rd Okanagan Historical Society Report:

“There were no power driven tools or machines in use at that time and the task of constructing the road was accomplished by men with hand tools and horse drawn wagons and scrapers. Altogether there were eleven fourteen foot wide wooden bridges to build, with a combined length of 543 feet, as well as considerable rock had to be hand drilled. 

Eighteen miles of forest had to be cleared to a width of thirty feet and over 300 feet of corduroy laid. A considerable amount of cribbing and walling was necessary, while the entire length of thirty eight miles was graded to a width of eighteen feet and ditched on both sides."

In March 1898, a family by the name of Clement decided to move from the Vernon area to Kelowna (then known as Mission Valley). One of the sons, Percy, recalls part of the trip:

“The road climbed steadily for the first four miles through a district which several years before had been reserved for the residents of Vernon to pasture their cows, and was called the Commonage…After reaching the highest point, the road descended for some distance by many crooks and bends until it reached the shore of Long Lake, now named Kalamalka.”

A Lake Country Museum article states: “The prerailway economy developed within the context of this horse and buggy transportation system.”

The Caribou Wagon Road had been completed in 1865 from Barkerville and connected the north to Kamloops via steamers on the Thomson and Spallumcheen Rivers. Now the Okanagan and Mission Valley wagon road connected Kamloops to the rest of the Okanagan Valley. It became a great asset to the Okanagan furthering trade and transportation. 

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*“The Railway” or "Railroad" is the former name of the isthmus between Wood and Kalamalka lakes in Oyama. For more information on it read the Lake Country Museum’s article. 

Sources & Further Reading:

Ogopogo's Vigil by F.M. Buckland

The History of Lake Country 

Kelowna Daily Courier

A Brief History of the Iconic Prince George Railway Bridge

 

The railway bridge spanning the Fraser River has been a icon in the Prince George landscape for over 100 years.  Here is a brief history of this Grand Trunk Pacific built bridge. 

The GTP Railway

From Winnipeg, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway began building west in 1905.  The Eastern portion of this railway, from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, ON,  was known as the National Transcontinental Railway.  

By July 1912, the railway had reached Tete Jaune Cache where a bustling centre for building and trading was established. From here, the line to Prince George was built where it finally reached the east bank of the Fraser River on January 12, 1914. 

There was first a wooden bridge built across the expanse shortly after which brought the first train over to Prince George. But it was not to be permanent.  A stronger bridge would be needed. 

An article in British Columbia History tells us that “The railway also built eastward from Prince Rupert (Mile 1746 from Winnipeg), starting in May 1908. The last spike, in a very low-key ceremony, was driven on April 7,1914 about a mile east of Fort Fraser (Mile 1372), 150 kilometres west of Prince George.” (Vol. 43, No. 1, P.13)

Later on, the GTPR would be incorporated into the Canadian National Railway. 

The Bridge Design

Our iconic bridge across the Fraser was designed by a French engineer named Joseph Legrand who had joined the GTP in 1906.  His design consisted of twelve 200-foot-long spans across the mighty river. From its opening until 1987 it also allowed cars to pass over. 

Jeff Elder, in his PG Citizen article, tells us that:

“Originally the GTPR bridge was to be built in two sections - the eastern half, over the Fraser River channel would be steel, and the western half over the Nechako River channel would be made of wood, which was less expensive.” Due to ice jams though this plan was changed to include steel throughout."

Building the Bridge

The contract to build the bridge was awarded to a Chicago based company known as Bates and Rogers Construction. The steel was shipped from what is now Windsor, ON and then floated up the Fraser from Tete Jaune on sternwheelers and wooden scows. Jeff Elder describes the building atmosphere:

"Imagine the scene in 1913 when 600 men lived on Goat Island, working day and night six days a week to complete the bridge. Sternwheelers docked on the Island, delivering barrels of cement and construction supplies, most of it transported from Tete Jaune down the Fraser on wooden scows and sternwheelers. The island (known as Railroad Island at the time) used to be located under the bridge, until erosion reduced its size and location to further downstream.” 

The project too 15 months from September 1913 to January 1915. It cost 1.6 million dollars at the time and, at a mile and half long, is the lengthiest train bridge in B.C. 

"First bridge across the Fraser River for GTP Rlway (sic) - 1913. - after breaking".
Northern BC Archives 2002.7.1.63

The Lift Span

Joseph Strauss designed the famous lift span on the bridge. This was the only span on the GTP railway and is the only “direct lift” span remaining in Canada.   Joseph Strauss would later become famous for being the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. 

The lift span has reportedly not been used since 1920 although it was not actually fixed in place until 1954. “Ironically, completion of the bridges and railway construction through the Fort George area in 1914 hastened the demise of sternwheeler traffic on the Upper Fraser." (Morrow). 

Sources & Further Reading

Prince George Citizen article by Jeff Elder

Historic Bridges article