Fantasy - Page 6 of 10 - Voyage Comics

The surprising virtues of ‘The Princess Bride,’ a film appreciated by St. John Paul II

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 settings, mythological beasts, and the storming of castles. Not least among these was The Princess Bride, which happened to be one of the few films […]

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Tolkien was trying to be a good dad when he created Middle-Earth

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

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 greatest legacies he left was his devotion and love of his children. In fact, nearly his entire world of Middle-Earth came from this love of

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How can beauty save the world? A lesson from Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

“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 began to attend to them. Almost it seemed that the words took shape, and visions of far lands and bright things that he had never

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Lessons of hope from Helm’s Deep

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

“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. How long will the day tarry?’ ‘Dawn is not far off,’ said Gamling, who had now climbed up beside him. ‘But dawn will not help

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Lessons from Denethor’s fall into despair

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

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 companion Samwise Gamgee, for example, serves as an image both of St. John the Beloved Disciple and Simon of Cyrene. Conversely, one figure from salvation

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Need a laugh? Watch Leonard Nimoy sing “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

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 appealing to all people, no matter their belief system. In one of the most obscure (and hilarious..though also embarrassing) moments of pop-culture, actor Leonard Nimoy, most well-known

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Watch Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee) read the Gospel of Matthew

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

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 John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), both well-known for their roles in the Lord of the Rings series. Astin narrates the Gospel of Matthew and John Rhys-Davies introduces the

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What Samwise Gamgee teaches us about courage, friendship and endurance

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

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 supporter of Frodo Baggins, aiding him in the vocation of the Ring’s destruction. Upon deeper examination of the characters and their functions in the Tolkien

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Why do we fear death? Here are Tolkien’s thoughts

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

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 that be? Tolkien explains in a Genesis-type narrative (later published as the Silmarillion) how death is a gift, when compared to the earthly immortality that

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How Tolkien nearly translated the entire Jerusalem Bible

Fantasy / Philip Kosloski

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 be given in its entirety. The principal collaborators in translation and literary revision were…” Fr. Jones then lists a relatively short list, mentioning “J.R.R. Tolkien”

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