In This Journey, Always Have Humility: Tolkien Reading Day 2023 (1)

The Cottage of Lost Play, by Armani Warrington

In The Cottage of Lost Play, the first chapter of The Book of Lost Tales part one, we met Eriol, a great mariner who traveled to the Elvish Isle of Tol Eressëa and gathered tales and history of its inhabitants. When he was looking for a lodging, he saw a peculiar house built on a cliffside, a tiny house called Cottage of the Lost Play. When he wondered how he could enter, the house seemed to perceive his mind, and said,

“Small is the dwelling, but smaller still are they that dwell here-for all who enter must be very small indeed, or of their own good wish become as very little folk even as they stand upon the threshold.”

Eriol responded by expressing his wish to experience the kindness of Lindo and Vairë, the hosts of the cottage, and humbly wishing to be small enough to walk past the door. His wish was granted as the house suddenly grew into great spaciousness, and he experienced more joy in the house than in his wanderings around the island (which had been joyful enough on their own). His humility and willingness to make himself smaller, not his physical prowess, were the ones that allowed him to enter this magical cottage.

The test of humility that allowed Eriol to enter the Cottage of Lost Play was reflected in the scene in The Lord of the Rings where the Fellowship members were about to enter Moria and faced with a password-riddle on the Doors of Durin. Gandalf, a being with great wisdom and intelligence, got stuck with a deceptively simple code in the door’s inscription, which he translated as “Speak, friend, and enter”. His mind raced to find every possible combination and words that had possibly eluded his knowledge. Interestingly, it was Merry, a humble Hobbit, who gave him inspiration and made him realize that he had mistranslated the riddle. When Gandalf realized that the true translation was “Say friend and enter”, that was when he understood.

Mellon, the Elvish word for “friend”, was the password he was looking for after all. No more, no less. And it felt more poignant when we realized that the Doors of Durin were constructed in cooperation between the Elves and the Dwarves, which was an incredible feat considering how rare and special the friendship between the Elves and the Dwarves were. Gandalf’s humility showed in the way his mind considered a possibility that Merry’s seemingly innocent question was the key to open the magical door, which had been closed and forgotten for so long.

The theme of humility is one of the things that I kept noticing in Tolkien’s works. The most obvious realization of this theme was the decision to center Hobbits, instead of the grander Elves or Men or the stronger Dwarves, as the central characters of a “story that ended the Stories”. In fact, Bilbo and Frodo had been viewed as strange by their relatives and neighbors in the Shire because they developed a thirst for adventure and knowledge, which included opening their mind for new experience, encounter, and language.

Similar theme can be found in Tolkien’s works outside Middle-earth legendarium. In Smith of Wootton Major, a close-minded and haughty cook called Nokes found a “fairy star” inside an old spice box, but he derisively dismissed it when his apprentice, Alf, pointed it out. He even made a mockery of the cake he was tasked to make for the Feast of the Good Children, and jokingly called the cake topper as a fairy queen. The fairy star (Fay-star) ended up in a slice for Smithson, the son of a blacksmith. He put the star on his forehead without thinking, and over time, the star’s magical properties started to change him. His voice became beautiful, his work as a smith became more notable, and he gained the ability to enter the land of Faery, where he experienced the most wonderful journey. His curiosity and humility made him accepted by the inhabitants of the Faery land, and the same humility made the older Smith willingly return the star to Alf so he could bake it in another cake for the upcoming festival and granting the magic to another lucky child.

In contrast, Tolkien showed the fate that befell an unnamed protagonist who disrespect the realm of Faery in a haunting poem. The Sea-Bell, one of his “fairy poems” that was published in 1934 by The Oxford Magazine, depicted a man who heard the distant sound of harbor from a bell-shaped seashell. A mysterious boat arrived and took him to a magical land, but all the inhabitants fled upon seeing him. He arrogantly climbed onto a mound and declared himself the king of the land, when suddenly darkness descended, turning him “blinded and bent.” He dwelt in the forest “wandering in wit”, growing old and weary. He was there for one year and a day until the same boat returned to take him back to his own land. He ended up wandering the alley and streets in rag, with no one to talk to, and he would never see the Faery land anymore.

Humility as a key to enter a new place or realm and earn new experiences has always been reflected in Tolkien’s philosophy on the concept of Faery and fairy-stories. Going against common opinion in his era that declared fairy tales and fantasy stories as juvenile or not worthy or being considered a form of literature, Tolkien delivered his defense for fairy tales in a 1939 lecture that later became an essay, On Fairy Stories. The most poignant part in the essay that reflects Tolkien’s defense for fairy tales was this:

“Fantasy is a natural human activity. It does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity…. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make.”

For Tolkien, the realm of Faery is a land where beauty and peril exist together, just like Joy and Sorrow “sharp as swords” are inseparable. It is the world where the author basically becomes the “Sub-creator”. Their task was challenging and deserving respect, since it demands the creation of elaborate, immersive world from scratch, with its own internal logic. A task that requires labor and thought, which Tolkien compared with “Elvish craft.” Viewing the Faery and fairy stories requires us, the travelers, to shed the internal logic of our Primary World and see (or read) that new world as it is. The Faery becomes a way for us to gain fresh perspectives and expands our view toward our own world, using humility as the key.

I found a similar concept of “humility as a key” in the concept of hutan larangan in various regions in Indonesia, including Java. While its common translation in English is “sacred grove”, its literal translation is “forbidden forest”. Hutan larangan is basically a forest that must not be disturbed due to its cultural and religious importance for local communities. One of them is Hutan Larangan Kampung Kuta in Ciamis, West Java, which is believed as a forest that appeared in local folklore. When one is about to enter the forest, they have to follow many rules, such as not wearing shoes, not taking out wood from the forest (even the one from old, fallen trees), not wearing any jewelry, not wearing any uniforms that show ranks, not making loud noises, and not leaving any waste, especially in the river.

Logically, you can say that all these rules were made to keep the forest pristine and clean. However, there is additional weight in enforcing these rules. When talking about sacred groves or other sacred sites, you are most likely to hear words like pamali (Sundanese) or kualat (Javanese). Pamali means a set of ancient taboo or rules that must be followed to avoid disasters, while kualat means experiencing misfortunes due to the act of disrespect. There were many stories about misfortunes that befell people who refused to show humility before entering the forest or any other sacred sites by violating the taboo; from students getting lost in the forest to government officials being stripped off their ranks.

Maman, the local guardian (kuncen) of Hutan Larangan Kampung Kuta, posing in the forest. Photo by Donny Iqbal for Mongabay Indonesia

Many people have dismissed the concepts of kualat and pamali, considering them as relics or a form of illogical thinking. However, I personally see these concepts as basically the cultural test of humility, just like how Eriol was tested before entering the magical Cottage of Lost Play by accepting the term of making himself “smaller”, which you can perceive literally or figuratively. When you are willing to embrace humility and open your mind, a whole new wonder awaits.

Tolkien’s tales are full of characters embarking in a journey, but those who were willing to shed their arrogance, haughtiness, and close-mindedness were the ones who successfully gained entry into the realm of the Faery. In other words, the one who showed humility at the entrance was the one who could savor the wonder of the world, just like how Finrod, the first Elf who encountered Men, decided to stay so they could know each other better, teaching them his people’s language and learning their language in return. This humility and sense of wonder from both parties would result in long, rich, intertwined history between the Elves and Men in Middle-earth legendarium.

Tolkien himself was a person who was always curious, always let his mind wander to many different directions regarding of interests; a form of acknowledgment to his limits, which encouraged him to never stop learning. Just like his characters, from Eriol to Finrod, Gandalf, Bilbo, Frodo, and Smith, you could discover magic and wonder by always wearing your humility.

In this journey, always have humility.

Happy Tolkien Reading Day!

For my next Tolkien Reading Day 2023 post, click here.