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Lalwendë · 08-17-2005, 10:36 AM

What has been in my mind today is that this is all reminiscent of church architecture as a way of representing divinity in physical form. One of the most notable features of stained glass windows is that they refract and alter (in some cases amplify) the light which shines through them; not only that, the light also reveals the images hidden in pictorial windows. Stained glass emerged as an art form with the great Gothic cathedrals, which also featured high and slender arches, vaulted ceilings and had relatively little wall space compared to the Saxon churches. You could say that some of these cathedrals (such as York Minster) are actually quite reminiscent of groves of trees with their rows of colums supporting soaring arches. The one thing that most people will do in a cathedral is look up, just as most would also look up when they saw a stately tree.

In Middle-earth there are no devotional structures, possibly as there are no religious organisations to provide them, but it is not a world without spirituality and/or divinity. The symbol of the Tree is obviously important in the world Tolkien has created - the White Tree could be seen as a replacement for the Three Lions (for example) in terms of an heraldic emblem, possibly even as the Middle-earth equivalent of a cross if we wish to go further. Light is also a sign of divinity. To combine the two in any way would symbolise and bring to mind the Two Trees of Valinor which must be holy in some way.

So when the combination of Light and Trees is brought up, it must bring to mind for the people of Middle-earth one of their most potent symbols. In the Primary world people have built churches to represent their own spirituality, in Middle-earth there is less need to build structures, as the symbols of their own spirituality are all around them. This would give a little more depth to why cutting down trees is seen as a wrongdoing, and it might also explain a little why Tolkien occasionally wrote of trees sometimes being slightly sinister and unpredictable (religion/faith/spirituality is not always filled with 'light' but is often mysterious and dark).

This idea might also combine a little of both Christian and Pagan ideas - there is the powerful need for physical symbols of faith, but there is also a strong element of earth worship too.

That possibly rambles on a bit, so I'll try and think it through a bit more...

08-17-2005, 10:36 AM	#15
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,814	What has been in my mind today is that this is all reminiscent of church architecture as a way of representing divinity in physical form. One of the most notable features of stained glass windows is that they refract and alter (in some cases amplify) the light which shines through them; not only that, the light also reveals the images hidden in pictorial windows. Stained glass emerged as an art form with the great Gothic cathedrals, which also featured high and slender arches, vaulted ceilings and had relatively little wall space compared to the Saxon churches. You could say that some of these cathedrals (such as York Minster) are actually quite reminiscent of groves of trees with their rows of colums supporting soaring arches. The one thing that most people will do in a cathedral is look up, just as most would also look up when they saw a stately tree. In Middle-earth there are no devotional structures, possibly as there are no religious organisations to provide them, but it is not a world without spirituality and/or divinity. The symbol of the Tree is obviously important in the world Tolkien has created - the White Tree could be seen as a replacement for the Three Lions (for example) in terms of an heraldic emblem, possibly even as the Middle-earth equivalent of a cross if we wish to go further. Light is also a sign of divinity. To combine the two in any way would symbolise and bring to mind the Two Trees of Valinor which must be holy in some way. So when the combination of Light and Trees is brought up, it must bring to mind for the people of Middle-earth one of their most potent symbols. In the Primary world people have built churches to represent their own spirituality, in Middle-earth there is less need to build structures, as the symbols of their own spirituality are all around them. This would give a little more depth to why cutting down trees is seen as a wrongdoing, and it might also explain a little why Tolkien occasionally wrote of trees sometimes being slightly sinister and unpredictable (religion/faith/spirituality is not always filled with 'light' but is often mysterious and dark). This idea might also combine a little of both Christian and Pagan ideas - there is the powerful need for physical symbols of faith, but there is also a strong element of earth worship too. That possibly rambles on a bit, so I'll try and think it through a bit more... __________________ Gordon's alive!