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The Presence Of Divine Providence In The Absence Of “God”: The Role Of Providence, Fate, And Free Will In Tolkien Mythology, Christin Ivey

The Corinthian

Close examination of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic mythologically driven Faerie literature reveals an implicit allusion to Christian theology, undoubtedly deriving from Tolkien’s devote practice of Roman Catholicism. However, unlike his friend and counterpart C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien insisted on distancing his faerie mythos from any explicit Christian allegorical connotations. Yet theological themes regarding divine providence, fate, chance and free will consistently manifest within Tolkien’s literature, notably in The Silmarillion and his epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. In order to assimilate theology and mythology in a more universal manner, Tolkien turned to Boethius’s philosophy regarding the role of providence, …