Tolkien Changed My Life.

Looking back into my childhood, there are glints - like shining stones on a path - of Faerie. I've washed my face in the dew of the first May morning, discovered a hidden woodland stream, and played with old coins of unknown origin. These precious moments notwithstanding, I had little overt fantasy in my upbringing, and I didn't truly find Faerie until I found Lord of the Rings.

To say that a book changed one's life is banal, but there it is: Lord of the Rings changed my life.

When The Fellowship of the Ring came out, I was twenty. I had just finished my first British Lit class (on a lark - I was undecided on a major after leaving Biology) and I was in love with it. That was the winter that I became a Tolkien fan, the winter that I found my subculture, the winter that I found - at least in part - myself.

Until that point I had never had much of a solid identity. I liked things - cheerleading, music, science - because I wanted to be like the people who liked them, not because of genuine interest. Tolkien enchanted me entirely. I could see things now, simple things, and see their magic. Wax candles, the stars, woolen blankets, the campus lawn: all became sacred. They were holy in their ordinariness. I was overcome.

To my mind, the most important thing that Tolkien's writing imparted to my views is what C.S. Lewis calls the True myth. As one of those Jesus types, I found myself at last face to face with the fact that I am living the true myth, and that all of the sacredness I first saw is mine to delight in, to keep forever, in a way. My favorite passage in the whole series is the exchange between Aragorn and one of Eomer's riders. The rider scoffs at the notion of halflings, and asks, "Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?" Aragorn replies:

"Not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time. The green earth, say you? That is a mighty matter of legend, though you tread it under the light of day."

These stories have shaped me so much, and have given birth to much that is good in my life, (including Folk and Fairy, though that is a story for another time) that I felt that with Tolkien's birthday coming up (3 January) and all of the fervor from The Hobbit teaser, it was a fitting time to share. If you have read this far, thank you. If you would blog about your own experience with Tolkien (if you have one) link in the comments - I'd love to read it.