Tolkienists.org

Political climate in ‘The Fall of Númenor’

— Gaëlle Abaléa, independent scholar

Paper given 9 July 2021 at Medieval climates, cosmologies, & ecosystems in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien I

Númenor was not only submerged by water, it was also drowned in the fear of the shadow of Death. The great tale of the doomed city, inspired by the myth of Atlantis and Tolkien’s recurrent dream is less the depiction of a natural catastrophe than the long and insidious manipulation of an ancestral fear. Indeed Sauron’s ill advice to the King of Númenor is a transformative force that touches every aspect of the island’s life: political, linguistic, and religious leading eventually to its demise. The opposition of the two factions and their attitudes is at the heart of Tolkien’s reflections on death.

Authoritative information may be found here.

permalink 🔗︁ https://sam.tolkienists.org/005v/
source URL 🌐Institute for Medieval Studies - Faculty of Arts - University of Leeds
date recorded 📅2021-07-26
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