" History became legend , legend became myth. " This is a quote from the beginning of the "Lord of the Rings" series, and 20 years later, it is still fresh in my memory.
The first time I watched "The Lord of the Rings", it was a pirated VCD that I rented. In the process of racking my brains to straighten out the logical relationship, I accidentally practiced my English listening. At that time, I only remembered beautiful things: the elf prince was so handsome, the elf princess was so beautiful, the elf queen was so immortal, and Gandalf was so touching. All that is left is a visual impression.
Watching the rerun of "The Lord of the Rings" this time, I'm not what I was 20 years ago.
In 2021, I began to study the Bible, began to substitute the experience of the past 20 years in the secular world, and began to have a more personal experience of the individual metaphors in the film.
In J.J. Tolkien's pen, it's a myth, and it's an embellished history, both past and present.
1. Follow your heart, and most of all follow your destin
Knowing your destiny, and following and fulfilling it, is one of the biggest themes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Aragorn's destiny is to lead the end-time campaign. Arwen's destiny is to become Aragorn's spiritual support and help. Gandalf's destiny was to clear the way for the Lord of the Rings expedition. Bilbo's destiny was to find the Ring. Frodo's destiny was to destroy the Lord of the Rings. Everyone in the film clearly knows their destiny.
But to fulfill their destiny, everyone has to pay a huge price: Aragorn wandered abroad for 30 years; Arwen gave up the right to immortality for the elves; Gandalf fell into the abyss in battle; Bilbo and Frodo both for the devil Ji undergoes various trials, as well as mental and physical torture.
But the destined end is the garment of glory. The sacrifices they made for their destiny were given double grace: Aragorn and Arwen were finally crowned emperor and queen; Gandalf was resurrected from the dead and advanced to white robe wizards; Frodo and his companions accepted the emperor's orders Bye, finally with Bilbo to the immortal world of the West.
If you sow, you will reap. On the way of destiny, God has prepared it. But Gollum is a character that I remember for a long time. In a state of unconsciousness, he completed the destiny of God to use him.
Gollum is the kind of being that makes one want to eradicate from life, dirty, ugly, bad intentions. But since such people have become part of destiny, they naturally have their uses. On Hellfire, Frodo wouldn't have thrown the Ring if it wasn't for Gollum. He bit off Frodo's finger in one bite, and even helped Frodo cut off the limb that caused him to sin. Gollum is an integral part of The Lord of the Rings' doom.
I used to hate the villains in all kinds of stories, and it's easy to dislike some people or things in my life. But seeing this, I suddenly realized that God will use these people and things to carry out judgment and its own plan. If you want to understand this, and then go back to your daily life, you will have more patience for many unfair, ugly, and filthy things. These things must perish, but until then they may become instruments of judgment from heaven.
2. The Lord of the Rings, the endless desires of the world
Worldly desires are like a black hole from which it is difficult to break free. The desire to look and touch the Ring is an addiction to the pleasures of sin: some desires are obvious at a glance, such as tongue, lust, pride, money, gambling, beauty. There are also some desires to decorate themselves very positively, such as the "lifelong growth" that pushes people to make progress.
It's good to keep learning new things. But I see too many people who study for the sake of study, or to fill the void, to find girls online, to ease anxiety, to find a sense of belonging... A lot of time, money and energy are often without any results, so The small reward that you get is like a pity to abandon after a while.
But it is very difficult for people to throw away the ring in their hands, how good it is to do whatever they want! But what it brings is not a rich life, but a withered body and mind. Just look at Gollum.
What you really want and need in your life is often very clear when you are dying. It's like the conversation between Sam and Frodo lying on a volcanic rock waiting to die after destroying the Lord of the Rings. Frodo said he had always wanted to go on an adventure like Uncle Bilbo did. But he had come so far, and now he only wanted to go back to the Shire, and feel the grass under his feet, the water in the brook, and watch Gandalf's fireworks. And Sam said that Rosie was dancing, she had a headband on her head, and if he was going to get married, his wife would definitely be Rosie.
There is no need for those desires released by the Lord of the Rings in life. We should close our eyes and listen to the true longing in our hearts. It can be simple, but still beautiful and timeless. In the last scene of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sam sees Frodo home, and when he walks to the door, his daughter and wife run out to greet him. The love of the family is filled. This is the best life in the world, and it is what the world should look like after the destruction of the Lord of the Rings.
Behind the closed door is a beautiful new world.
3. The starlight in the dark is the honor of the covenant
At the end of the world, Sauron's dark power has risen sharply. The countries of Middle-earth were originally independent, but at a critical juncture, the elves came to help the Rohan Kingdom, and the Rohan Kingdom helped Gondor from afar, in order to honor the covenant with each other.
In the last days, the world is full of selfish desires, it is easy to betray your promise, and you will have to pay a heavy price to keep your oath. Because of his short-sightedness, Saruman only saw Sauron's current strength, and betrayed the morality of the wizard. In the war of the last days, the tree people are not concerned with themselves, and they are reluctant to join the war at first. Death warriors, because they escaped from battle in ancient times, will never rest in peace after death.
Abandoning and trampling on the oath is one of the biggest reasons for the fall of Middle-earth. But human beings are weak animals, and often choose to turn their backs when keeping promises pays the price. On the contrary, the Hobbit, who looked like a child, became the main force of the Lord of the Rings expedition and the ultimate savior of mankind.
Although they are small in size, they are strong in heart, and this strength comes from their kindness, loyalty, bravery and faithfulness. They went forward for the sake of their companions, and dared to go to the Mountain of Fire and Sword in order to keep their promises.
The middle earth is eroded by darkness, but the power of light can be outnumbered, like a spider who dare not approach the faint light of Erendil.
This light is the reverence and glory of the people to the oath. Aragorn had sworn to protect Frodo and create an opportunity for him to destroy the Ring, so even if the human legion was besieged by orcs, he ordered his soldiers to stand firm and fight to the end. Therefore they deserve the world after Sauron is destroyed.
There are two passages in the Bible that I like very much: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." "The rainbow will appear in the cloud, and when I see it, I will remember what I established with every living creature on the earth. the eternal covenant."
We all fervently long for something that is eternal, and how fascinated it is to be eternal. When you are in prison, when you are drowning and struggling, someone will always give you a hand and pull you up from the bottom. How can such an image not make people hopeful.
And hope, like a light, tears apart the darkness shrouded in despair.
Believe, you can see hope!
Epilogue
The history of Middle-earth has been reduced to legends and myths, which in today's restless world seem lengthy. Three movies, 10 hours, and many young people rated such a huge production with one star.
But I like it, not because of the gorgeous special effects (the special effects made 20 years ago are so realistic to this day), not because of the beautiful actors, but because Tolkien's Middle-earth is like a leaf, a grain of sand , giving me a glimpse of the eternity, the law and covenant that has been in operation since the creation of the world.
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