From the late seventies on into the nineties, the fantasy epic experienced somewhat of a heyday both on the silver screen and on TV. Many of these productions involved medieval […]
The surprising virtues of ‘The Princess Bride,’ a film appreciated by St. John Paul II Read More »
J.R.R. Tolkien married Edith Bratt on March 22, 1916 and they would bring into the world four children: three boys and one girl. As many can attest, one of the
Tolkien was trying to be a good dad when he created Middle-Earth Read More »
“At first the beauty of the melodies and of the interwoven words in elven-tongues, even though he understood them little, held him in a spell, as soon as as he
How can beauty save the world? A lesson from Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Read More »
“Aragorn looked at the pale stars, and at the moon, now sloping behind the western hills that enclosed the valley. ‘This is a night as long as years,’ he said.
Lessons of hope from Helm’s Deep Read More »
Based on the principles of Christian typology found in Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings saga, unlike a direct allegory, one character can be a type of multiple Biblical figures. Frodo’s loyal
Lessons from Denethor’s fall into despair Read More »
J.R.R. Tolkien’s influence on pop-culture has had an enduring legacy ever since The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were published. The universal (Catholic) messages found in Tolkien’s stories make them
Need a laugh? Watch Leonard Nimoy sing “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” Read More »
Several years ago, a fantastic audio recording of the New Testament was released that featured an entire cast of talented actors. It included Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee) as well as
Watch Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee) read the Gospel of Matthew Read More »
Perhaps the most pivotal yet unsung hero of The Lord of the Rings is a little fellow by the name of Samwise Gamgee. He is the fast friend, follower, and
What Samwise Gamgee teaches us about courage, friendship and endurance Read More »
Death can be a scary reality and for most of us, we fear it with all our might. Yet Tolkien describes death in his mythology as a “gift.” How can
Why do we fear death? Here are Tolkien’s thoughts Read More »
When opening a copy of the Jerusalem Bible, Fr. Alexander Jones writes, “The list of all those who have helped in the preparation of the Bible is too long to
How Tolkien nearly translated the entire Jerusalem Bible Read More »
