Tolkien & The Apocalypse - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Lalwendë · 03-14-2006, 03:50 PM

I was reading the other day about how the year 2012 is said by some to be when the world will end, based on the end of the 'long count' of the Mayan calendar. Of course, there have been many such claims that the world will end on 'such-and-such a date', and they always end up not to be true (thankfully). Still, even though I am not alone in finding a bit of dark humour in such claims, they also give me a little thrill of fear, thinking 'what if they are right?!'.

So I decided to look into what was said on the 'net about the year 2012. Strangely enough, there are a few cultural references aside from the esoteric ones. 2012 according to X Files mythology is when the aliens take over the planet. It is also when the lone Dalek is found - as seen in the last series of Doctor Who. But to get to my point, Tolkien too makes a reference to this year, as it is when The Notion Club Papers are found!

I have no knowledge of whether Tolkien would have known of the Mayan prophecies and I suspect he would not have given them that much serious thought if he had, so I found this information merely diverting. Yet, in the Notion Club papers, written at the time he wrote LotR, there is also the strange coincidence that a great storm hits England in 1987, which did indeed happen!

Is there a case for a hidden 'Tolkien Code'? What kinds of conspiracy theory could lurk at the heart of Tolkien's work? I'm sure there are some mad theories out there on the 'net!

Is this all just for fun, or not?

03-14-2006, 03:50 PM	#1
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Tolkien & The Apocalypse I was reading the other day about how the year 2012 is said by some to be when the world will end, based on the end of the 'long count' of the Mayan calendar. Of course, there have been many such claims that the world will end on 'such-and-such a date', and they always end up not to be true (thankfully). Still, even though I am not alone in finding a bit of dark humour in such claims, they also give me a little thrill of fear, thinking 'what if they are right?!'. So I decided to look into what was said on the 'net about the year 2012. Strangely enough, there are a few cultural references aside from the esoteric ones. 2012 according to X Files mythology is when the aliens take over the planet. It is also when the lone Dalek is found - as seen in the last series of Doctor Who. But to get to my point, Tolkien too makes a reference to this year, as it is when The Notion Club Papers are found! I have no knowledge of whether Tolkien would have known of the Mayan prophecies and I suspect he would not have given them that much serious thought if he had, so I found this information merely diverting. Yet, in the Notion Club papers, written at the time he wrote LotR, there is also the strange coincidence that a great storm hits England in 1987, which did indeed happen! Is there a case for a hidden 'Tolkien Code'? What kinds of conspiracy theory could lurk at the heart of Tolkien's work? I'm sure there are some mad theories out there on the 'net! Is this all just for fun, or not? __________________ Gordon's alive!