Magic in Tolkien Mythology

The fictional world that J. R. R. Tolkien created is a world full of mystery and wonder. It is a world where the supernatural, paranormal, and mystical activity abounds, where magical creatures interact with non-magical folk. A world where high adventure is not an impossibility but an eventuality. A world where quests are mulled over hearty drinks of ale. A world where a young Hobbit is unwittingly lured into an adventure by a wizard named Gandalf. Along with the others in the Fellowship, they must travel to Mordor and throw the One Ring into Mount Doom to destroy it. Welcome to the magical world [1] known as Middle-earth.

There are laws of nature that Tolkien created for storytelling. Middle-earth follows these laws. One example is the Unseen World or wraith-world that the Ringwraiths live. These creatures have a different presence in their world from the other character's perception of them in the real world. It is explained in Frodo Baggin's description of the instance when he wore the One Ring. Both the High Elf Glorfindel and the Ringwraiths appeared and interacted with him once he put it on. The Dead Men of Dunharrow and the Barrow-wights and some other beings may or may not have an association with that world. Middle-earth has prophecies that further explain these natural laws. The "true dreams" that Faramir and Boromir had about the Halfling and the One Ring. Glorfindel's prediction about the demise of the Witch-king. The "gift of foresight" that Elrond and his ancestor Maia Melian possessed, which allowed them to see the future. About the Prophecy of the North that Mandos told to Noldor. About the oaths that were sworn by Iluvatar. Valar also summoned magic of this kind. Same with Feanor's dreaded oath: "or so sworn, good or evil, an oath may not be broken, and it shall pursue oath keeper and oathbreaker to the world's end." -Quenta Silmarillion. There is a description of "wizardry" in the index in the Return of the King. It implies "magic of kind popularly ascribed to the Wizards (Istari)." The magic also seems to affect the world of Middle-earth. In Eregion the stones tell about the Elves who once lived there (animism).

The Ainur are creatures that are believed as "gods" in Middle-Earth, to the same degree as the gods in Norse and Greek mythology. They possess abilities that are magic. They are supernatural beings on a level similar to angels or any other current monotheistic divinity. These kinds of power are thought of, not like magic, but "divine power." The differences between the two are not explained by Tolkien. The wizard Gandalf, for example, is an incarnation of a primordial spirit called the "Maiar."

An example of a magical structure is the Doors of Durin in Khazad-dum. The door exists in Middle-earth's physical world, yet the ithildin and its answer to a password are supernatural and therefore magical. Elrond found Moon-letters on Thorin's map of the Lonely Mountain. It describes the way on how to open the secret entrance: "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks," read Elrond, "and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole." -The Hobbit. The unusual and almost otherworldly events involving space and time can also be magical. In The Hobbit, Thranduil, the Elvenking of Mirkwood, uses "magic doors" for guarding his palace. This magical structure makes anyone unable to enter or exit against his will.

Another example is the magic involving a large rock blocking a cavern where three trolls live named Tom, Bert, and William. The magic was so strong that even Gandalf (who had great power that could rival Balrog) couldn't open it, despite using many spells. In the Two Towers, the powerful Ents couldn't even damage the tower of Orthanc. It is said to have powerful magic, "older and stronger than Saruman's." Magical artifacts like the sword Sting that glows when Orcs are close by. It is among the Numenorean and Elven swords imbued with magical powers and are also skillfully crafted weapons. Another is the Elven Bread or Lembas that the Elves of Lorien gave to the Fellowship, which is said to keep "a traveler on his feet for a day of long labor."

Another is the hithlain rope that Sam tried to unknot. It is described as soft to the hand yet tough, strong, light, and long. Sam could unknot it after speaking a magical command. Elven-cloaks that the Elves gave to the Fellowship were thought to be magic cloaks by Pippin. The Elves never further expounded on it, they just said that the cloaks are "a great aid in keeping out of the sight unfriendly eyes." This was proven to be true when Gollum couldn't see Sam and Frodo after they covered themselves in it (this is like the cloak of invisibility in other works of fiction). Gifts that Galadriel the Elf gave to the Fellowship, like the box of earth from her garden, or Frodo's Phial. Both also had magical powers. In The Hobbit, Gandalf gifted the Old Took "a pair of magic diamond studs that fastened themselves and never came undone till ordered." The voice of Saruman also possesses magical powers. The Palantir is the same as crystal balls used by fortune tellers. Most of all, the Silmarils and the Rings of Power are also magical.

Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in a simple and childish writing style with children in mind, compared to his other Middle-earth stories. In this story, he deals with magic in a light-handed way. He wrote about shape-shifting creatures, magical fireworks, speaking purses, and animals that were aimed to delight children. This fairy tale-type of magic is uncommon in other genres. However, in the Fellowship of the Ring, he matter-of-factly writes about magic. For instance, Gandalf's spells conjure light and fire into existence. Another one about how he read Frodo's mind after falling at Rivendell's Ford. Yet another about him adding "a few touches" to Elrond's spell in causing the river's waves to take the form of "great white horses with shining white riders."

Another is a spell to open the door to Moria. Another to "bless" Bill, Sam's pony with "words of guard and guiding." Another, a spell to break in half the Bridge of Khazad-dum. Last, a spell to hold the door open in the Chamber of Mazarbul (the Balrog had a counter-spell to oppose it). Gandalf can also read minds and once told Frodo, "it has not been hard for me to read your mind and memory." Glorfindel and Aragorn could know without asking the extent of Frodo's injury and had the power to heal him by touching. In The Two Towers, Gandalf continues to show the extent of his powers. Gandalf first displayed magic in Fangorn Forest in disarming Gimli and Aragorn. Then he disintegrates the arrow fired at him by Legolas without touching it.

Later, causing "a flash as if lightning had cloven the roof" and struck Wormtongue to the ground. When he is unconscious in Rohan, he performs a spell to stop Saruman from retreating to Orthanc by breaking his staff. This action set him on a path towards supremacy in the order of the Five Wizards. Gandalf told Gimli that Saruman could "look like me in your eyes if it suited his purpose with you." This suggested that Saruman could produce magical illusions. In The Return of the King, Gandalf the White was in his most powerful state. He conjures "a shaft of white light" that chases away the Nazgul that had attacked him. A dark sorcerer called the Witch-king of Angmar conjures a "blasting spell" to forcefully open the gates of Minas Tirith, a force as powerful as a battering ram. But Gandalf was leery of the Witch-king's power and wasn't sure if he could defeat him. In Tolkien's stories, Elves are immortal beings but could die through murder or other harmful means. They possess more powers than any other human, like spiritual powers and the ability to sense shadow creatures.

The Nazgul, especially the Noldor, are considered more powerful than the Elves because they possess the light of Valinor. Legolas has more acute senses than humans and other non-elves. He can hear better and see farther than anyone could and capable of sleeping while physically active. Glorfindel could lessen Frodo's cursed injury through mere touch. He could also magically urge his elf-horse to incredible speed by chanting in Elf-tongue, "Noro lim, noro lim, Asfalof!" There are many more occurrences of great magic among the Elf-kind. In the Second Age, the High King Gil-galad's powers had increased and could harness it to protect his kingdom, including lands as far as Greenwood. His power still grew and forced Sauron to remain in Mordor out of fear from Gil-galad's knowledge of his survival from his fall in Numenor. In Lothlorien, Galadriel imbued magic to her mirror to see in the past, present, and future.

She also used it to see scenes in places as far as the borders of her kingdom. Elrond didn't show magic as much as the other Elves and used it sparingly. However, he is known as "a master of healing" and could heal any near-fatal injuries by touch. An instance when he used magic by commanding the river to repel the Nine Raiders. About this, Gandalf said, "Elrond commanded it. The river of this valley is under his power, and it will rise in anger when he has a great need to bar the Ford." Every sentient being in Middle-earth has a particular power called sanwe-latya, meaning "thought-opening." It is like telepathy, where two minds connect and converse without talking. It is possible to block an invasive thought and close the mind by applying "Unwill."

This power was mostly forgotten in Middle-earth but a few still practiced it. An example is when Gandalf read Frodo's mind in Rivendell and conversed with Galadriel and Elrond from afar by talking aloud. Magic in Middle-earth is considered an everyday occurrence, yet not recognized in Tolkien's stories. The magic is plentiful. Some are hard to combine and all don't come from the same source. In Lord of the Rings, Galadriel explains to Sam its difference: "And you?" She said, turning to Sam. "For this is what you folk would call magic, I believe; though I do not understand what they mean; and they seem to use the same word for the deceits of the Enemy. But this, if you will, is the magic of Galadriel. Did you say that you wished to see Elf-magic?"

There are many occurrences of magic in the stories in The Silmarillion. Finrod uses magic to change the appearance of Beren and his followers to spy on Angband. He also sings spells to hide from Sauron, then fights with him. Luthien uses magic to put Melkor, Carcharoth, and everyone in Melkor's fortress to sleep. Melian uses magic to create a shield around her kingdom of Doriath which for a time was impenetrable. Yet Silmaril and destiny could penetrate it. Sauron uses magic to make a ghost of Eilinel to deceive Gorlim. Beorn is a shape-shifter and described in The Hobbit as, "a skin-changer. Sometimes he had the hame of a huge black bear, other times a great strong black-haired man with huge arms and a great beard." The Dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf cast "many spells" over gold stored and buried by trolls. Sauron is the main figure in Tolkien's stories that employs sorcery. It refers to magic used by Evil beings. In the First Age, Sauron manifested powers of anthropomorphism as mentioned in the story of Beren and Luthien. There he turned into a werewolf and vampire on two different occasions. Radagast, a learned Istari foretold in a future time of The Hobbit two Ages later that, "… a human could not summon such evil," referring to the sorcery of the inhuman Necromancer within Sauron's stronghold Dol Guldur. In The Return of the King, Sauron's herald and messenger, the Mouth of Sauron was taught sorcery by Sauron himself. He was a former human man, which turned evil because of Sauron's influence in black magic.

In the LOTR movies, including The Hobbit and the two sequels, there is a great deal of supernatural, mystical, and magical elements involved, even more than the books. The whole franchise is director Peter Jackson's love letter to Tolkien's stories about fantasy and magic. It showcases his flair for grand visuals where the portrayal of magic is fantastic and memorable. The term "movie magic" is very apt for this series of movies. These are movies about magic with the best movie-making tools to create screen magic.

1. ^Principles of Tolkien's Magic.