“A Elbereth!" — Tolkien's Psalms

In Letter 142, Tolkien says “For the religious element is absorbed into the story and its symbolism.” Here he is, of course, referring to the elements of his own Catholic theology embedded in the Lord of the Rings. One of these elements that stands out particularly to me is the poems/verse that are scattered throughout the tale, as they often bring to mind psalms and prayers found in the Bible and in liturgy, especially those that mention and/or are praises to Elbereth. The similarities between the songs/invocations of Elbereth and psalms I think display not only Tolkien’s views about how religion should be practiced, but also I think the importance of religion in our lives as a grounding and life-giving practice.

The reverence that the elves have for Elbereth (Varda) is clear in the hobbits’ first encounter with them outside of the Shire and the elves are singing of Elbereth. One stanza in particular is heavily reminiscent of a hymn:

Snow-White! Snow-White! O Lady Clear!

O Queen beyond the Western Seas!

O Light to us that wander here

Amid the world of woven trees!...

O stars that in the Sunless Year

With shining hand by her were sown

In windy fields now bright and clear

We see your silver blossom blown! (Tolkien 88)

"Varda of the Stars" by Kip Rasmussen

The psalms, of course, are filled with poetry and verse that have a similar...vibe, so to speak, as the elves’ song to Elbereth. The elves’ song can very easily be mapped onto a psalm, as both  do many of the same things: naming the object of their praise as a ruler over the land (or in this case, the seas), praising the works of their hands, calling them a light for the people, etc.

In his letter to his son, Christopher, Tolkien talks about ways to find comfort when he can’t attend Mass: “If you don’t do so already, make a habit of the ‘praises,’” after which he lists several hymns/psalms that he himself uses to worship. Pairing this letter with the The Ancrene Riwle, it is pretty clear to see that praise in the forms of psalms and hymns are extremely important elements of worship to Tolkien, and he relays this through the text in the form of hymns to Elbereth.

Another ‘psalm’ to Elbereth that is of particular note is in chapter ten of book four of The Lord of the Rings, when Sam is defending Frodo from Shelob. Just as he falls to the ground, a ‘swoon upon him,’ Sam pulls out the Phial of Galadriel and cries out:

A Elbereth Gilthoniel

o menel palan-diriel

le nallon sí di’nguruthos!

A tiro nin, Fanuilos!

In his letter to Rhona Beare, Tolkien says that this ‘hymn-fragment’ translates to “O Elbereth Starkindler from heaven gazing-afar, to thee I cry now in the shadow (the fear of) death. O look towards me, Everwhite!” This verse has a reference, intentional or otherwise, that I recognized near instantly: “Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me” (Psalm 23). The stark similarity between Sam’s outburst and the well-known Psalm 23 I think lends itself to further conveying Tolkien’s point here, that in moments of darkness, faith and worship can be lights to carry us through. He mentions this in his letter to his son, saying “How these old words smite one out of the dark antiquity!” in reference to a poem from the Exeter book, and in Sam’s case, the hymn to Elbereth quite literally smites the enemy about to attack him.

Several times throughout The Lord of the Rings, we see one of the characters crying out to Elbereth in times of dire need: Frodo on Weathertop, Legolas before firing his bow at the flying creature in chapter nine of book two, etc. Similarly, many psalms cry out to God, asking for protection, for forgiveness, for deliverance, and the list goes on. Needless to say, Tolkien’s use of characters crying out to Elbereth very much keeps with the religious overtones of the hymns to Elbereth elsewhere in the text. In Tolkien’s letter to Michael Tolkien, Letter 250, he says “In the last resort faith is an act of will, inspired by love.” I think this line is very much applicable to these moments where the characters cry out to Elbereth, especially Sam when he’s fighting off Shelob. While I think that perhaps Tolkien’s words in the letter refer to a love of God, Sam holding up the Phial and crying out to Elbereth is an act of will, an act of faith, inspired by his love and devotion for Frodo. In his last resort, Sam reached out to a higher power and made an act of worship in order to save his friend (and also the quest, but I think it’s pretty obvious the quest is secondary to Frodo in Sam’s mind).

While Tolkien’s use of hymn and psalm in The Lord of the Rings is partially a product of his own faith and life experiences, I also think that it’s a deliberate move to subtly impress upon the readers (us) the importance of faith, especially in dark times. In demonstrating the necessity of worshipful acts like praise and singing hymns/saying the psalms, Tolkien also demonstrates how faith can lead us through life’s tribulations and ground us when things are difficult. And these lessons stretch across the bounds of time, as faith can be a source of peace and light for us as well in the turbulent times we inhabit today.

- CR