Service and Sacrifice, a Somber Reflection: Tolkien Reading Day 2024

The Battle of Sudden Flame, by Alan Lee

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you’ll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

From “Suicide in the Trenches”, by Siegfried Sassoon

Service and self-sacrifice are honorable qualities that many strive to have. Tolkien’s works are full of characters who display such noble traits in various capacities, withstanding storms and tribulations for the sake of higher goals or others. However, the more grounded qualities of his works also reflect the bitter realities: that service and sacrifice sometimes did not lead to fulfilling conclusion.

The bitter honesty in Siegfried Sassoon’s poems, quoted in various academic works related to Tolkien, seems to reflect a meaningful term that Tolkien put in his wartime letter to one of his friends, G. B. Smith, about the death of their best friend Robert Gilson in the World War One front: “…something has gone crack.” (Letter 5, 12 August 1916). An interesting choice of phrase, which sounds like a mixture of uncertainty and faint understanding at the same time.

This was also the time when the soldiers of the Great War started to criticize, scoff at, and even demonize “war-time propaganda and its consumers.” (Garth, 2003). The soldiers, many of them young and eager to defend their country in the spirit of heroism, service, and sacrifice, were hit by the realities of it all: horrifying deaths, merciless destructions of human bodies and spirits, the realities of the trenches, the false promises of propaganda, and the fact that their friends died while those who profited from the war (or celebrated it in jingoist spirit) got to live in comfort and safety.

The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings are not lacking of characters showing admirable acts of sacrifice and heroism. Frodo dan Sam are often cited as fine examples of these ideas, with Sam showing an extra layer of humility in his demonstration of humble service and sacrifice that ask no praises. However, as fantasy works created during an uncertain, dispirited age, we could see the way Tolkien inserted elements of nuance that showed the realities behind what it means to “serve”, “sacrifice”, and “become a hero” in these stories.

Interestingly, similar ideas emerged from another side of the globe during similar timeframe. As an Indonesian, hearing the words “sacrifice” and “service” immediately brought me to two notable works of literature and cinema created during similarly precarious age: Bukan Pasar Malam (It’s Not an All Night Fair, 1951) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and Lewat Djam Malam (After the Curfew, 1954) by Usmar Ismail. Two works that forced the audience at that time to reexamine their imagination of nationalism and heroism, and what many of the country’s youths experienced after the battles and the effects on their psyche.

Queen of Earth, Giver of Fruits: from Middle-earth to Merapi

Mount Merapi by Ryan Gustiawan Putra. Source

She is the lover of all things that grow in the earth, and all their countless forms she holds in her mind, from the trees like towers in the forests long ago to the moss upon stones or the small and secret things in the mould.

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Silmarillion: Valaquenta

When I read Tolkien’s depiction of Yavanna in The Silmarillion for the first time, her image as the Fruit Giver and “the lover of all things that grow in the earth” stayed for a long time. There is something reverent about a figure whose power is related to plants and vegetations, for they rule the very things that both represent and provide nourishments for all lives on earth. Sure, the term ‘Mother Nature’ has probably become overly ubiquitous at this point, but the powerful image behind what this figure represents endure.

Interestingly, the first time I read The Silmarillion was during the early semesters of my study, which I did in the province of Yogyakarta, in the central region of Java. If you think this is irrelevant, it is only because I realized who she resembled as I read Yavanna’s further depiction as a tall, green-clad woman: a spiritual figure revered by the culture around Mount Merapi, the volcano not far from where I resided. The one who was responsible for all the things that grow and flourish despite having a close proximity with the source of fiery destruction.

The revered lady Nyi Gadung Melati.

Sorrowful Love, Hopeful Love (Tolkien Reading Day 2022)

Source

“For long years he (Amroth) had loved her, and taken no wife, since she would not wed with him. She loved him indeed, for he was beautiful even for one of the Eldar, and valiant and wise; but she was of the Silvan elves, and regretted the incoming of the Elves from the West, who (as she said) brought wars and destroyed the peace of old. She would speak only the Silvan tongue, even after it had fallen into disuse among the folk of Lorien; and she dwelt alone beside the falls of the river Nimrodel to which she gave her name.”

Unfinished Tales Part 2, Ch. 4: The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and of Amroth King of Lorien

Great love stories are tinged with sorrow. That’s one thing to notice when you read about the stories of lovers in Middle-earth legendarium. Even the legendary love tales, like between Beren and Lúthien, have this bittersweet quality that seeps into your heart, long after the story is supposed to end at the blissful “happily ever after”. Dig deeper into Tolkien’s “love stories”, and you will see characters languishing because of the lack of love, displaying the twisted form of “love”, or losing their loved ones. Many couples had their love unrequited, nipped at the bud, turned sour, or doomed.

Niphredil, Snowdrops: the Blooms of Courage and Hope

Source

The grass was studded with small golden flowers…. Among them, nodding on slender stalks, were other flowers, white and palest green: they glimmered as a mist amid the rich hue of the grass…. “Behold! You are come to Cerin Amroth…. Here ever bloom the winter flowers in the unfading grass: the yellow elanor, and the pale niphredil.”

J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2, Chapter 6: Lothlórien

Following the theme of Courage and Hope in Tolkien Reading Day 2021, I found myself reverting from the grand ideas, preferring to peer at the smaller, humbler things that are also parts of Middle-earth legendarium. Just like how the home-loving Hobbits turned into unexpected heroes in Tolkien’s stories, the presence of small, seemingly insignificant objects like flowers symbolized grander meaning than their humble appearances. One that received meaningful treatments in Middle-earth legendarium is niphredil, a small white flower that first grew in the magically hidden land of Doriath, and could be found among the golden trees of Lothlórien.

Anjing Pemburu dalam Legendarium Tolkien

Anjing adalah hewan yang sering ditemukan dalam legendarium Middle-earth, tetapi anjing pemburu (hound) mendapat tempat istimewa. Gambaran anjing pemburu yang ganas tetapi setia mendampingi beberapa karakter penting dalam legendarium, bahkan memiliki gemanya dalam mitologi di dunia kita. Huan, anjing pemburu yang mendampingi Lúthien dan membantu Beren, adalah contoh paling menyolok. Bertubuh sebesar kuda poni, tidak pernah merasa lelah, dan setia, Huan adalah perwujudan ideal sosok anjing dalam fiksi.

Huan’s Promise, oleh Ebe Kastein

Ulmo dan Maknanya Menjadi Penguasa Air

The Wrath of Ulmo, oleh Ralph Damiani

Dalam artikel sebelumnya, saya membahas laut secara spesifik terkait domain spesifik dari Ossë dan Uinen, makhluk spiritual tingkat rendah (Maiar) yang mewakili dua sifat laut yang saling berlawanan. Akan tetapi, jika dibandingkan dengan Ulmo, keduanya hanya mewakili sebagian kecil dari kekuatan air yang terkandung dalam dunia Tolkien. Melihat keterlibatan Ulmo dalam banyak peristiwa di Middle-earth, bahkan melebihi keterlibatan langsung Valar lain, menarik melihat apa makna sebenarnya menjadi “penguasa air” dalam legendarium Tolkien.

Ossë, Uinen, dan Dualitas Kekuatan Laut

Ossë and Uinen, oleh Kimberly

Mitologi modern ciptaan Tolkien mengusung karakter para Valar, sosok spiritual tinggi yang melaksanakan kehendak Iluvatar (sosok pencipta) di Middle-earth. Setiap Vala memiliki vassal (pengikut) berupa makhluk spiritual berkedudukan lebih rendah yang memiliki deskripsi tugas spesifik. Ulmo, Vala penguasa perairan yang termasuk dalam jajaran Valar terkuat, memiliki pengikut bernama Ossë dan Uinen yang berdomain di laut dan pesisir Middle-earth. Walau hanya disebut sangat sedikit dalam manuskrip Tolkien, kedua makhluk spiritual ini melambangkan sesuatu yang lebih dalam: dualitas dan kontradiksi yang ditunjukkan oleh lautan.

Tentang Berúthiel: Ratu Kucing dan Perwujudan Musim Dingin

Berúthiel mungkin adalah tokoh minor dalam legendarium Tolkien, namun sosoknya yang misterius adalah perwujudan sempurna dari tokoh wanita berkarakter menonjol yang kerap dilabeli “sulit dipahami”. Begitu kuat penggambarannya sehingga namanya menjadi sosok legenda, disebut secara sepintas oleh karakter dalam The Lord of the Rings sebagai referensi kuno, walau namanya telah dihapus dari kitab para raja dan ratu Gondor. “Kucing” dan “musim dingin” adalah dua kata yang terkait erat dengan sosok Berúthiel, dan penggambaran dirinya bahkan bisa ditarik ke inspirasi tokoh wanita unik lainnya dalam mitologi Nordik.

Which Batik Motifs Represent Specific Tolkien Characters?

Batik refers to a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to a fabric. The technique is popular in many countries, but Indonesian batik patterns are famous for their rich motifs. Batik is currently enjoying a revival in Indonesia after years of being considered old-fashioned. The word batik was first recorded in English in Encyclopedia Britannica in 1880 (spelled battik).

Batik has a unique philosophy in each of its motifs. In the past, some motifs were even considered exclusive (batik larangan = “forbidden batik”), and only certain people could wear them. This often makes me wonder: if Tolkien characters wore batik in their daily life, what kind of motif that will suit them? Here’s my simple take on them.

Tentang Legolas

Legolas adalah karakter dengan penggambaran unik dalam legendarium Middle-earth. Dia memiliki peran besar, namun pada saat yang sama, deskripsi eksplisit tentangnya relatif terbatas. Popularitasnya membuat para pembaca dan fans film The Lord of the Rings menciptakan sendiri gambaran tentangnya. Anda harus “membaca makna di balik tulisan” jika ingin mengetahui lebih jauh dimensi karakter Legolas.

Legolas Draws the Bow of Galadriel, oleh Michael Kaluta