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.

Ode to the Horses: Tolkien Reading Day 2023 (2)

A single soldier on his horse, during a cavalry patrol in World War I. From The Atlantic, courtesy of the National Library of Scotland

Horses and ponies appeared frequently in Middle-earth legendarium, and just like in any fantasy world or real world, characters could not achieve their goals without their presence. However, despite the fact that they were among the most important native animals of Middle-earth, horses here were mostly mentioned as means for the characters to reach their destinations. Even with the frequent mentions of notable horses and their deeds inform us that Tolkien had great appreciation toward these creatures beyond seeing them as beasts to ride.

The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: Inspirasi Middle-earth di Dunia Nyata (Ulasan Buku)

The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places That Inspired Middle-earth (Princeton University Press, 2020). Koleksi pribadi. Gambar sampul oleh Flo Snook

“Banyak pembaca sepertinya mengira Middle-earth berada di planet lain!”

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, surat nomor 11, 14 Oktober 1958

John Garth mengawali bab pembuka The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien dengan kutipan surat Tolkien untuk Rhona Beare, tertanggal 14 Oktober 1958. Kutipan tersebut hanya awal dari penjelasan panjang tentang asal-usul kata Middle-earth; versi modern atau perubahan dari kata dalam bahasa kuno yang merujuk ke dunia yang dihuni Manusia. Menurutnya, kata middle (“tengah”) merujuk pada pemikiran bahwa dunia tersebut dikelilingi oleh Lautan, diapit negeri es di Utara dan api di Selatan. Dalam surat tersebut, Tolkien juga menambahkan kata Inggris Kuno dan Abad Pertengahan (middan-geard dan midden-erd), menegaskan bahwa Middle-earth terinspirasi oleh dunia nyata.

The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: Explore the Real Places That Inspired Middle-earth (Review)

The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places That Inspired Middle-earth (Princeton University Press, 2020). Cover art by Flo Snook

“Many reviewers seem to assume that Middle-earth is another planet!”

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Letter 211, 14 October 1958

John Garth aptly started the Introduction chapter of The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien with a quote from Tolkien’s letter to Rhona Beare, written on 14 October 1958. This line followed Tolkien’s explanation about the origin of Middle-earth; a modernization or alteration of an old word for the inhabited world of Men. The world “middle”, according to the same letter, is because the world is thought of vaguely as set amidst the encircling Seas between ice of the North and the fire of the South. Tolkien also added the Old English and Medieval English versions of the word “middle” (middan-geard, midden-erd), further emphasizing his notion that Middle-earth is based on his own world.

On Tolkien’s Quaint Poem about a Sleeping Cat

Source

“I fear that to me Siamese cats belong to the fauna of Mordor….”

Tolkien’s letter to Allen & Unwin, 16 October 1959 (Letter 219)

The above quote from Tolkien’s reply to a cat breeder, who was looking for a name for her Siamese cat, seems to indicate Tolkien’s general attitude toward cats. While he never explicitly stated an actual disdain against cats, the way he treated felines in Middle-earth legendarium seems to indicate otherwise. One can only look at his early version of Sauron, who he dubbed “Tevildo, the Prince of Cats.” Described as an evil fay with a gold collar that becomes the source of his power, his name is said to be derived from tefe, a Quenya root which means “hate/hatred.” In The Tale of Tinúviel, one of the early versions of the story of Beren and Lúthien, Beren was forced to work in Tevildo’s kitchen by Melkor. Tevildo is also assisted by several other evil cats: Oikeroi, Umuiyan, and Miaulë. Queen Berúthiel and her cats are also depicted in sinister way, associated with winter, shapeless eerie statues, bleakness, and fear.

Pagebluk Middle-earth: Gambaran Wabah Besar dalam Legendarium Tolkien

Gambaran realistis tentang peradaban dalam legendarium Middle-earth mencakup berbagai aspek yang bisa kita temukan dalam sejarah dunia nyata, termasuk peristiwa penyebaran wabah. J. R. R. Tolkien menulis tentang Wabah Besar Middle-earth (The Great Plague of Middle-earth) sebagai catatan sejarah dalam apendiks di The Lord of the Rings, namun dengan dampak yang cukup besar dalam sejarah Manusia dan Hobbit, dua kaum yang paling terdampak peristiwa ini.

Walau berdampak besar, Tolkien tidak terlalu banyak menyuguhkan detail dalam catatan sejarah yang (seharusnya) penting ini. Akan tetapi, kita bisa menarik paralelnya dengan beberapa aspek dalam Wabah Maut Hitam (Black Death) Eropa yang terjadi pada Abad Pertengahan, serta pengaruh sosial, filosofis, dan artistik yang menjadi dampaknya.

Ada Apa di Rawa Kematian (Dead Marshes)?

The Passage of the Marshes, oleh Anna Kulisz

Rawa Kematian (Dead Marshes) menghadirkan horor yang lebih dalam ketimbang namanya. Ketika Frodo, Sam, dan Gollum menyeberangi rawa tersebut dalam The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, cahaya aneh mirip lilin muncul seolah memikat mereka, dan wajah-wajah mayat dari pertempuran berabad-abad silam mengapung ke permukaan. Manusia dan Elf yang digambarkan secara agung dalam kisah-kisah pertempuran masa lalu menjelma menjadi wajah-wajah kematian pucat di rawa tersebut, dikelilingi air pekat dan lumpur berbau busuk.

Mengenal Tolkien lebih Dekat lewat “J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography” (1977)

J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography, edisi cetak ulang tahun 2000 oleh Houghton Mifflin (terbitan Amerika). Koleksi pribadi.

“Aku tidak suka menyajikan ‘fakta’ terkait diriku, kecuali informasi umum yang ‘kering’…. Bukan hanya soal pilihan pribadi, tapi juga karena aku menolak tren kontemporer kritik sastra, yang memberi terlalu banyak perhatian pada kehidupan penulis. Hal itu hanya akan mengalihkan perhatian dari karya si penulis (jika karyanya memang berkualitas), dan akhirnya malah menjadi fokus utama, sesuatu yang sudah sering terjadi.”

Surat J. R. R. Tolkien untuk Deborah Webster, 25 Oktober 1958

Lepas dari kritikan Tolkien terhadap karya biografi penulis atau seniman, menyelami suatu karya lewat kehidupan pembuatnya bukan hal baru. Karya biografi telah mengalami perkembangan sebagai genre tulisan tersendiri, tidak lagi menjadi bagian kecil dari cabang studi sejarah. Anda bisa menikmati karya biografi sebagai buah karya literatur tersendiri. Biografi Tolkien mungkin tidak menjawab semua pertanyaan tentang karya-karyanya, namun bisa sedikit memberi petunjuk tentang proses penciptaan mereka dari sudut yang lebih personal.

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

Tolkien, Walrus, dan Kamus Oxford

Gambar: Pixabay

“Bekerja di sana selama dua tahun memberiku lebih banyak ilmu dibanding periode lain dalam hidupku”, ujar J. R. R. Tolkien suatu ketika, menggambarkan pengalamannya bekerja sebagai asisten Henry Bradley, editor penyusun Oxford English Dictionary selama tahun 1919 dan 1920. Kesan positif ini tidak berlebihan, mengingat Tolkien adalah seorang peminat bahasa. Pekerjaan menyusun kamus Oxford ini pun diperolehnya segera setelah dirinya ditarik dari medan Perang Dunia Pertama, sehingga wajar jika dirinya merasa sangat bahagia bisa kembali ke bahasa dan buku-buku setelah menghadapi kengerian medan perang.