Tolkien, holy names and the spiritual power of language

In the Catholic Church there are two feasts about “names.” On January 2/3 the Church celebrates the Most Holy Name of Jesus, while September 12 is dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary. Both feasts reminds us all of the importance and power that is in a name. Indeed, it also brings up the importance of words and language in general, for what we say or write is at the very fabric of our existence. It is our language that is one of the primary features that puts us above the beasts of the earth.

Author J.R.R. Tolkien loved words, especially names. In his world of Middle-Earth he could not resist giving multiple names to many if not most of his characters. Even more so, it was the names that preceded the great races of his mythology and from their names grew their history. Tolkien states that, “As usually with me they grew rather out of their name, than the other way about” (Letters, no. 157, p. 208).

In a certain sense this is also true with Our Lord. His name was prophesied by Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The name “Immanuel” means “God is with us” and reveals to us the beautiful reality that God would dwell amongst us, taking on human flesh.  The name of “Jesus” also has great meaning, for it comes from the Hebrew “Yehoshua” meaning “God Saves” and refers to Jesus’ mission to save all humanity.

To dig deeper, Jesus is often referred to as the “Word” of God and is featured in the first chapter of the Gospel of John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God;  all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)

Jesus is the definitive and last “Word” spoken by God and all of Divine Revelation is summed up in Him.

Words then have great meaning, but they also have great power. Gandalf shows this reality when he speaks the words that are on the Ring of Power in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
The change in the wizards’ voice was astounding. Suddenly it became menacing, powerful, harsh as stone. A shadow seemed to pass over the high sun, and the porch for a moment drew dark. All trembled, and the Elves stopped their ears.
“Never before has any voice dared to utter words of that tongue in Imladris, Gandalf the Grey,” said Elrond.

This also points to the reality that there are right words and wrong words; good names and bad names. In his book The Philosophy of Tolkien, Peter Kreeft quotes from Martin Heidegger on this topic:

For words and language are not wrappings in which things are packed for the commerce of those who write and speak. It is in words and language that things first come into being and are. For this reason the misuse of language, in idle talk, in slogans and phrases, destroys our authentic relation to things. (Martin Heidegger, An introduction to Metaphysics, p. 11)

Another example of this topic can be found in The Fellowship of the Ring, where the name of “Tom Bombadil” has great power. When Frodo is in great trouble he uses that name and help is not far behind.

In a small desperate voice he began: Ho! Tom Bombadil! and with that name his voice seemed to grow strong: it had a full and lively sound, and the dark chamber echoed as if to drum and trumpet.

This is reminiscent of the words of Jesus, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13). Even more so, it is said by many exorcists that if you want to chase away demons that are tormenting you, one of the primary ways to rid yourself of them is to call upon the name of “Jesus” or even “Mary,” for they cannot bear hearing their names.

Not surprisingly in Tolkien’s world Frodo calls upon the name of Elbereth on multiple occasions (a character with similarities to the Virgin Mary) when confronted with evil and he is strengthened to confront the darkness before him. After an encounter with the Black Riders, Aragorn explains to Frodo that “all blades perish that pierce that dreadful King. More deadly to him was the name of Elbereth.”

Even on a natural level we can recognize the power of names, for it is a special thing when someone calls us by our name. If we hear someone say our name it stops us in our tracks and we feel a desire to respond. Unfortunately we have wandered away from addressing other people by their name and instead use “Hey there!” much too often.

In the end, we can see both from Tolkien and the Bible how names are very important and hold significant meaning as well as great spiritual power.