This post is part of a guide that will take us through the four Sundays of Advent following along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy (don’t worry I have a plan for week 4). If you missed part I, you can find it here.
When push comes to shove, The Two Towers wins my vote for the best of the LOTR films. I love them all and I love them dearly, but on rewatches I find myself getting impatient with all the necessary ‘set-up’ in The Fellowship and the absurd amount of Gollum in Return of the King (and the hundred endings… There’s only so many musical swells my heart can take). I say these slightly snarky things knowing that you know I love each of these movies and think they are near perfection.
Now onto what makes The Two Towers so amazing. Well there are many reasons (and we’ll discuss them a lot in our questions this week), but really it’s Helm’s Deep. This battle, more ‘accessible’ in scale than the mega fight for the soul of Middle Earth in the last movie, is the perfect Eucatrasophic moment. If you don’t know the term Eucatastrophe, it really deserves it’s own post (soon!) but Tolkien coined the term when grappling with the power of story and myth. What made a good fairy tale not just enjoyable or aesthetically stimulating, but deeply moving? What did all good stories have in common?
Eucatastrophe “is a sudden and miraculous grace [...] It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies… universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”1
So when King Theoden and Aragorn look out at Dawn full believing this will be their death day - there are too many, they cannot win - and then, they realize that Gandalf has found help after all - This is the Eucatastrophe - the sudden joyous turn.
And Eucatastrophe is all tied up with Faith, which is this week’s theme. Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It’s a radical idea. To face a grim and dying and so-often incredibly sad world and know, trust, that a Eucatastrophe is around the corner. It’s heroic. In the same way Theoden had to choose to be a hero that day and fight what he *thought* was a losing battle.
“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
WEEK TWO: (DEC 10-16):
THE TWO TOWERS
The Two Towers begins quite literally in the pits of Hell, with Gandalf wrestling the demonic Balrog through the fiery dungeons of Moria. Frodo and Sam are journeying ever-closer to Mordor, and are now being closely followed by Smeagol/Gollum, one of the Ring’s most tragic victims. Despite Sam’s protestations, Frodo invites Gollum to be their guide to Mount Doom. Battles ensue - Pippin and Merry are separated from Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli - and Gandalf returns as Gandalf the White. King Theoden of Rohan has been manipulated and cursed into a sick stupor, much to the horror of his family. In a truly Christ-like display, Gandalf casts out Sarumon and restores the King to health.
Think of how Aragorn convinces Theoden to take a stand at Helm’s Deep, despite certain defeat. Where does Aragorn’s Faith come from? Is it merely foolhardiness, or a deeper conviction that prompts him to such a noble stand? Think of how Aragorn and Theoden arrive at sunrise, not knowing if help will arrive in time. Think of how their Faith is rewarded.
Think of how strange it must have seemed to Joseph to hear his betrothed was pregnant with the Son of God (“strange” being a bit of an understatement.) Think of his Faith as he brought his family into Egypt, a land where his people had been persecuted and enslaved.
Think of Gandalf’s Battle with the Balrog, literally surviving Hell and Back. Think of the Jewish People’s journey through the Desert, the centuries and centuries of defeat, of waiting, of Hoping. Think of Gandalf’s Return as Gandalf the White, and what that means. Think of Frodo’s protectiveness of Gollum - a creature so hideous, inside and out, that no one else can see his humanity. Think of how Gollum, too, has a role to play in the destruction of the Ring.
Journal / Discussion Questions
The second Advent candle, also purple, represents Faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. How do the themes of Faith and Trust come up throughout The Two Towers? How can we journey toward Christmas filled with Faith?
A constant theme throughout The Two Towers is sacrifice and resurrection - Gandalf the Grey becomes Gandalf the White - Aragorn is presumed Dead when a Wharg-riding Orc carries him over a cliff, but he too, returns from the brink of Death. What do these near-death moments teach us about sacrifice and rebirth? How can we incorporate those themes into our preparations for Advent and the literal birth of Christ?
Why does Frodo insist on trusting Gollum, despite Sam’s protests? Was Frodo right to save him from Faramir and his men? Why do you think Frodo is so insistent on protecting Gollum when no one else is?
How does Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog represent the internal battles between the soul and sin, between good and evil? What does it mean that Gandalf is resurrected, ‘made new’ - Gandalf the White?
What powers are at work in King Theoden when he is possessed by the power of Sarumon and the influence of Wormtongue? How does the passivity of Theoden represent the crippling effects of sin?
Bonus: Listen to Born of Wonder episode: Advent, The Battle of Helm’s Deep, and Light in the Darkness
See you next week, when we’ll be especially discussing the virtue of Joy in the context of The Return of the King.
Cheers x
Katie
Tolkien, “Tree and Leaf”
Going to save all these thoughts and questions for my first viewing on New Year’s Eve day. I read the books when I was too young so hardly remember them but the way you, Rachel Sherlock and others go on about the movies you’ve convinced me I have to see them. I went to the movies to watch episode one when it first came out but I was just a tad hungover and fell asleep. 🤡
I am adoring this series. The movies are what finally made me read the book, so, despite their flaws in comparison to the source material, I love them and owe them a debt of gratitude. One place I see a lot of faith/trust and self-sacrifice is in the storyline of the Ents too. Treebeard marching on to attack Orthanc, knowing this could very well be the end of his dwindling people, is such a beautiful example of the self-sacrifice practiced by characters like Theoden and Aragorn, and is an act of faith too-that his people’s commitment to doing what is right and uprooting evil will make a difference even if they don’t live/thrive to enjoy it. And man is that an advent hope-that our good deeds will bear fruit even if we don’t reap it, and even if it costs us.