Ryan Abell
Tolkien / Lewis Seminar Paper
9/27/17
Frodo Baggins and St. Maximus the Confessor’s Cosmology
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is a text that is world renowned as arguably the most recognizable and influential fantasy series of all time. It is lined with iconic characters such as Gandalf the Wizard, Sauron the Enemy, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, and the Hobbits of the Shire. One of these famous characters, Frodo Baggins, is only a small Hobbit from Bag End, yet he is the most important character in the entirety of the epic series. Frodo is a quintessential example of someone who has greatness thrust upon them and has plenty of opportunities throughout his journeying to succumb to the power of his situation as bearer of the incredibly powerful One Ring, yet every time the reader feels as if Frodo may give in, he proves them wrong. Frodo wrestles with good and evil like all
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To examine his role as a mediator, it is first important to provide details as to the exact things that threaten to jeopardize his holding of this role. The big factor here is the Ring, the powerful and magical object that Sauron is after, that Gandalf is fearful of using, and has driven many others mad with jealousy, rage, and other negative emotions. One of the first examples we see of this is when Frodo arrives at Rivendell and meets up with his uncle Bilbo, who he loves dearly. Bilbo asks Frodo to see the ring, and immediately transforms into a clawing ugly black creature before his eyes, and Frodo feels the urge to protect the ring and strike his own kin – in this instance he does not but we can still clearly see the power of the ring. Frodo therefore, is clearly influenced by the temptations of free will that inherently contradict his logoi, but he manages to not give in to the