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A Wind from the West: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Tolkien's Middle-Earth

2012; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 62; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/014833311206200106

2056-5666

Gregory Hartley,

Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

Explorations of Tolkien's latent theology abound, but very little focused scholarship proposes to discuss how Tolkien's legendarium portrays an understanding of the Holy Spirit, especially in light of Tolkien's Roman Catholicism. This essay explores three major features of Tolkien's work that provide insight into this ghostly person of the Trinity. The Silmarillion provides detailed insight as to the exact identity of the “Flame Imperishable,” while its characters demonstrate the indwelling of this Flame. St. Paul explains the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his first letter to the Corinthians and Tolkien seems to mimic many of these gifts in the characters of the nine members of the Fellowship. Lastly, the Great Eagles represent the workings of the Holy Spirit, both as servants of Manwë and as agents of eucatastrophe.