Tolkien, Christian author?

J.R.R. Tolkien, the father of modern fantasy literature, was a practicing Catholic Christian from childhood throughout his life. Religion therefore played an important role in Tolkien’s life. It therefore seems surprising at first glance that religion does not appear at all in Tolkien’s best-known works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – there are no priests, no churches, no temples and no religious rituals or ceremonies. On closer inspection, however, a somewhat different picture emerges, especially when The Silmarillion and other posthumously published texts by Tolkien and his letters are taken into account.

In this lecture, the importance of the Christian faith in Tolkien’s life, especially in his younger years, will first be shown on the basis of some biographical data. It will then examine the extent to which this faith was reflected in his literary works and where Christian motifs can be found in them.