If yes, tell why...
If no, tell why
2006-12-04 10:40:26 · 11 answers · asked by Daniel L 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
give me details from the book, why it could be based off of chrisitinity or not
2006-12-04 10:46:33 · update #1
Both reflect Christianity at the very least--and both authors admitted as much. Narnia should be obvious--Lewis and subtlety are complete strangers to one another. LOTR is less direct, but seen through The Silmarillion, it becomes a bit clearer. Gandalf is actually an angel; Sauron is a servant of the devil (called Morgoth in Silmarillion), the Ring is sinfulness, Saruman represents modern ideas such as industrialism and secularism, and so on.
At the same time, LOTR can be easily enjoyed without noticing the Christian references, something I find hard to believe with Narnia (at least for adults).
2006-12-04 11:34:36 · answer #1 · answered by someone 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Both C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien devout Christians. I'm not sure what denomination Lewis was, but Tolkien was Catholic. Lewis made it very obvious that Narnia is a story about Christian values. Aslan is very obvious. He is the creator of world of Narnia. In the first book (I believe it's a prequel, actually), The Magician's Nephew, it's mentioned that Aslan creates the world of Narnia; the Witch comes from another world, and is probably the closest thing to Satan in the books. In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Aslan sacrifices himself, and is resurrected, making a very obvious comparision to Jesus. Consider, also, the connections between lions and royalty in traditional western symbolism; kings frequently had lions on their heraldry or family crests.
The Lord of the Rings is a bit more subtle, so it's hard to say if it's based on Christianity. Judging from some of his comments regarding his work, Tolkien did not deliberately set out to create a Christian allegory the way Lewis did. Rather, Lord of the Rings is a synthesis of various influences, both Christian, Pagan (Norse and Welsh in particular), and personal experiences. Tolkien had a great interest in mythology, and believed that he was writing Lord of the Rings, and other works to create a mythology for Britons. Furthermore, in his essay "A Secret Vice", he explains his belief that languages and mythology are intrinsically connected, and, since he wrote Lord of the Rings to have a place where his created languages would be spoken, one could say that the greatest influence in his books was philology.
However, I think it would be folly to deny that his Christian beliefs didn't influence his writing; it just wasn't as direct as Lewis' works.
2006-12-04 15:00:12 · answer #2 · answered by desiroka 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
chronicles of Narnia Yes
its fairly obvious that Aslan is a Christ figure , who sacrifices himself and resurrects to save the world
Lord of the rings no
this is mostly based on Tolkiens studies of Finnish, and Scandinavian folktales and mythology..most people believe it is a allegory of the British working class in ww II
2006-12-04 10:50:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I believe the parralels between The Chronicles of Narnia and the basic, fundamental principle of the New Testament (the proof of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah who will overcome death and will forgive the sins of all who follow Him) are very obvious.
The character Edmund plays the role of Mankind.
Edmund succumbs to the temptation of food which is brought forth by the Ice Queen (Satan). Because of this, the Ice Queen now "owns" Edmund (the souls of Mankind). In order for this wrong to be righted, a bargain of sorts needs to be made. In The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion (cannot remember (H)is name) serves (H)imself as the bargaining chip. If Edmund is allowed to go free, the Lion will be sacrificed. This should sound very similar to anyone familiar with the New Testaments:
" God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." -John 3:16
The Lion plays the role of Jesus of Nazareth. The Lion willingly goes to the altar for sacrifice in order to save Edmund (just as Jesus did for Mankind). In the Bible, Mary goes to the tomb of Jesus after three days only to find it empty.... Jesus has risen. If I am not mistaken, the sisters go to the alter after the Lion is slain, only to find (H)e is gone... Mary is female, as are the sisters.
The movie comes to a climax as The Lion triumphantly stands gloriously on a mountain, just as Jesus has been prophecized to do. "Then The Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then The Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him. (Zechariah 14:3-5)
Upon the return of the Lion, the Ice Queen is vanquished.
In early Christian symbolism the lion represented Jesus...
One last thing. Jesus tells Peter, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it," (Matt. 16:18).
Who does the Lion leave "in charge" to battle evil as (H)e goes to face (H)is sacrifice..... a boy named Peter.
2006-12-04 13:38:56 · answer #4 · answered by capt.jeepman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People say so, but I don't like to have my childhood memories crushed by analyzing every aspect of the films. I just like to watch them and accept them at face value. They are much more enjoyable.
2006-12-04 12:51:00 · answer #5 · answered by The Pope 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Narnia - yes
Lord of the Rings - no
Because the authors repeatedly said so.
2006-12-04 10:44:48 · answer #6 · answered by Lisa A 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, both J. R. R. Tolken and C.S. Lewis were both devout Christians. Anyone that doesn't say so is revising history.
2006-12-04 11:11:20 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
No. I did my level best to stay away from it. If you want to get into Christian doctrine, read the Bible. You are never going to exhaust it's contents. On any level. It's like what I tell painters who insist on caligraphy in paintings so to speak? If you want to paint, paint. If you want to write? Write books.
2006-12-04 10:46:17 · answer #8 · answered by vanamont7 7 · 0⤊ 4⤋
No, these are work of fictions not inspired from Christianity of any other religion for that matter.
2006-12-04 10:46:56 · answer #9 · answered by F.G. 5 · 0⤊ 5⤋
No on both accounts. I saw no relationship to LOTR and Christianity.
2006-12-04 10:43:57 · answer #10 · answered by Starla_C 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋