Language and words are the starting point of J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythical world. His work is written in the many languages ​​he mastered and invented, lending historical depth and making it especially enjoyable to read aloud. And if it’s around a fire, enjoying good company and food, all the better.  Friends  are the encouragement and companionship that rescue each other from so much suffering, just like in real life… That’s why, at the Gates of Moria:  “Speak, friend, and enter…”  Enter Tolkien’s legendary world.

An existential journey and a Company

Because of the Ring of Power, which seeks to dominate wills and engulf hearts, Frodo must undertake an extraordinary journey to Mordor, “where the shadows lie,” to the Cracks of Doom. Destroying the Ring of Power, where it was forged, is the only solution. But the Dark Lord is lurking and has many creatures at his service…

A journey fraught with danger, darkness, and uncertainty, and he must overcome countless difficulties, terrors, and suffering. A daunting and exhausting task, especially for such a small being, a Hogwart of the Shire, burdened by the weight and malevolence of the Ring… which he feels more and more intensely. Can he do it alone? Does he have anything else to rely on? Is there any hope?

Bearing the Ring of Power is his mission, Gandalf tells him, and he will need all his strength, courage, and intelligence. But  he has the loyal friendship of other hobbits,  especially Sam, of some men, like Aragorn, with his past that he must restore, of Boromir, captain of Gondor, Faramir and his nobility of heart, a dwarf, Gimli, who is drawn to beauty, an elf, Legolas, a creative artist, immortal, and even an Istari or sage: Gandalf, the “Grey Pilgrim,” or Mithrandir to the elves, a good counselor and friend, who encourages and warms hearts.

Friendship and loyalty  are paramount in Tolkien’s work. As Dr. E. Segura points out, they are based on the  affinity between characters who share a common mission.  Each must choose between being  faithful to this mission and  aiding in the destruction of the Ring, or being disloyal and betraying others, and thus the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. There are those who wish  to preserve light and hope,  and those who only crave power and control over others. This dynamic shapes the entire plot and the ever-increasing epic tone of The Lord of the Rings. In this sense, each character’s loyalty and freedom are intertwined, all in service of a mission of great importance.  

The one who helps him most is  Gandalf , the good friend, wise—that’s what “wizard” means in Middle-earth. He encourages each one in what he needs to use freedom in his own quest…

He possesses the Ring  Narya , one of the Elven Rings, a gift from an Elf, and with it he  kindles hearts . He advises on performing heroic deeds beyond what they could achieve on their own. As told in the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, he is closely associated with  fire  in its various forms: as a game for simple hobbits, or when he asserts his authority before the Balrog and rebukes it: “You shall not pass!”… It is a fire that opposes destruction,  “that encourages and succores in despair and affliction .”

And  Strider , that Ranger of the North whom he meets at the inn in Bree, loyal unto death. The blood of the ancient Númenórean Kings flows in his veins, and he will be faithful to the end.  Elessar  has called him Elrond the Knight since he was a young boy, which means  hope , and he will prove his nobility, his valor, and his kingship. He will repair the damage of Isildur, heal the affliction, and restore glory to Gondor.

Another figure, Lady  Galadriel , who encourages him from within, considers him wise and allows him to glimpse the Looking-Glass. She makes him realize the importance of his mission… and that, whether he succeeds or fails, the end of the beautiful things the Elves have created in Middle-earth may be near. And she gives him a gift: the Light of Eärendil, the most precious Star, which will aid him in dreadful places, when other lights have been extinguished.

And he has  Sam , who accompanies him and lends his aid against so many dangers, thinking not of himself, but of Lord Frodo, with admirable loyalty, all the way to the Dead Marshes, the terrible darkness of Shelob, and Mount Doom itself. He will see a Star twinkle, he will gain strength and hope, and he will face the Orcs of the tower of Cirith Ungol. He will become Samwise.

At the end of the journey, when Frodo can barely walk because of the pain, the tiredness, the suffering and the weight of the Ring, he encourages him and says: if I cannot carry the Ring, I will carry you.

I leave you with a beautiful excerpt from “The Return of the King,” Mount Doom, published by Minotauro: “He bent over Frodo and woke him. Frodo groaned, but with a great effort he managed to stand up; he faltered, and then fell to his knees. He raised his eyes to the dark flanks of Mount Doom, and pushing himself up on his hands he began to crawl.”

Sam, who was watching him, cried inside, but not a single tear appeared in his dry, ravaged eyes.

“I said I’d carry him even if it broke my back,” he muttered, “and I will! Come on, Mr. Frodo!” he called. “I can’t carry him for you, but I can carry you along with him. Come on, dear Mr. Frodo! Sam will carry you in slippers. You tell him which way, and he’ll go.”

Frodo clung to him on his back, throwing his arms around his neck and squeezing his legs tightly; and Sam straightened up, staggering; and then he was surprised to find that the load was light.”…

How much tenderness, generosity, and affection one can feel!

There’s another moment when Sam, to encourage him, tells him about his adventure, about the great stories recorded in songs and traditions that future generations will remember. About how the brave Mr. Frodo fought to carry out that immense and grand mission… And Frodo replies that  he wouldn’t have gotten so far without Sam . To which Sam responds simply and humbly: “Don’t laugh, Mr. Frodo, I was serious…” I’ll tell you about it in “The Great Stories.”

Indeed, the friendship between the characters in this work is rooted in  their shared response to the shadow  looming over the people, threatening to destroy their peace, their daily lives, and above all,  their hope.  It lies in the understanding that  light and beauty  are more luminous and hopeful than the shadows that loom and attempt to devour everything. Moreover, “darkness” cannot create anything new, only destroy or corrupt what is good, the Professor will say. Light and the Stars, the first things the Elves saw at birth, like Lady Galadriel, hold profound significance in the Legendary.

“Speak, friend, and come in…”