Volume 10 Number 4 Article 2 1984 The Feminine Principle in Tolkien Melanie Rawls Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Rawls, Melanie (1984) "The Feminine Principle in Tolkien," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 10 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol10/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Explores the interaction of Masculine and Feminine principles (gender as opposed to sex) in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, showing how the balance of the principles in a character is an important factor in his or her place in the struggle of good and evil, evil resulting in many cases from an imbalance of these principles. Additional Keywords Feminine principle in J.R.R. Tolkien; Gender in J.R.R. Tolkien; Jungian analysis of Irish mythology; Masculine and feminine in J.R.R. Tolkien; Masculine principle in J.R.R. Tolkien; Sex roles in J.R.R. Tolkien This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol10/iss4/2 MYTHLORE 38: Spring 1984 Page 5 The Feminine Principle in Tolkien Melanie Rawls One cannot acquire much insight into kien's tale which is, after all, a tale of Tolkien's view of women from The Hobbit or the struggle between Good and Evil. The Lord of the Rings--too few women appear in these books, and none are pivotal charac­ Tolkien makes an explicit statement on ters. Of the women who appear in LotR, only gender on page 21 of The Silmarillion. He Eowyn of Rohan is depicted in any detail of writes: "But when they clothe themselves the character, desire, motivation and activity. Valar take upon them forms as of male and Arwen, Elrond's daughter, is a half-glimpsed some as of female; for that difference of dream. Galadriel is a mighty elven ruler, temper they had even from the beginning, and and we learn something of her thought and it is but bodied forth in the choice of each, powers; but she is peripheral to the action not made by the choice..." and we learn little of her history and rela­ tionships. There are no female counterparts According to Tolkien, Feminine and Mas­ for Gandalf or Sauron, Aragorn or Saruman, culine possess different characteristics Frodo or Gollum. which are meant to complement and augment one another. Attributes of the gender are not But open The Silmarillion. The feminine necessarily confined to the sex of the same presence abounds and in such a manner as gender, i.e. feminine attributes are not should satisfy any inquirer into the nature confined to females nor masculine attributes of the Feminine Principle as presented by to males. The Macho Man, with his paucity of J .R . R . Tolkien. finer feeling and his neglect of thought in favor of action, is not admired in Middle- From the opening pages of The Silmaril­ earth or Valinor. Neither is the Total Wo­ lion , it is clear that Tolkien b.elieves that man, with her wiles and dependence on males. gender apd sex are not one and the same; and Those beings in Arda who are able to achieve that gender, or Masculine and Feminine, is a good either embody both Feminine and Mascu­ condition of the universe which goes deeper, line within themselves or have access to the higher and wider than sex, mere male and nature of the other gender, usually in the female and the necessities of reproduction. form of a spouse, a sibling, or a mentor. Through The Silmarillion runs this theme: in Arda and in the Heavens, the Feminine and the And it is an intricate dance, this com­ Masculine are present; when they are in equi­ plementarity—in the words of Mark M. Hennel- librium and in harmony, there is Good, but ly, Jr., a "rhythmic modulation of polar Evil is the result of an insufficiency or a extremes, each of which,..can realize itself disharmony of the attributes of one or the only through interaction with its comple­ other of the genders. Concepts of Feminine ment." (p. 4 "The Road and the Ring: Solid and Masculine and their attributes and roles Geometry in Tolkien's Middle-earth" Mythlore, are thus tied to concepts of Good and Evil, Autumn 1982, Vol. 9, No. 3.) This interac­ and are therefore near the center of Tol­ tion is often simply stated, as in Tolkien's Page 6 MYTHLORE 38: Spring 1984 description of the relationship between the The answer lie s in a difference of modes Valar spouses Manwe and Varda: " . i f Varda of activity or influence, derived from the [demiurge of ligh t, the medium of sight] is feminine attribute of understanding and the beside him he sees further than all other masculine tendency to action. This differ­ eyes...And if Manwe [the lord of air, the ence leads feminines to influence history in medium of sound] is with her, Varda hears one manner while masculines influence history more clearly than all other ears the sound of in another. voices that cry from east to w est..." (p. 26, The Silmarillion.) Or this interaction As Paul Kocher observes in his book is stated more subtly, as it is in the Master of Middle-earth, Sauron and Shelob are development of Aragorn. In order to prove both ev il, yet are not a llie s but competi­ his fitness to reign, Aragorn must display tors. Observe the difference in their meth­ characteristics feminine and masculine—the ods . feminine power of healing, the masculine Shelob is totally self-in volved . She skill of wise and just rule. has no interest in what happens outside her cave. Her goal in lif e is to devour all What are these Feminine and Masculine light and life that have the misfortune to traits or characteristics? Though, as I said wander into her la ir . Unlike Sauron, she earlier, characteristics of the gender are waits for her victims to come to her; she not necessarily confined to the sex of that does not weave webs up and down the country­ gender, for the most part males display side or cast spells to lure travellers from a masculine traits and females display feminine distance. She takes as l i t t l e action as is traits. Careful attention to the personali­ possible. Gollum seems to be the only bait ties and activities of the inhabitants of she ever uses, presumably because he is such Valinor and Middle-earth reveal a list of an unappetizing meal himself and because he complementary masculine and feminine charac­ promises to bring her a better dish. Shelob teristics . is what happens when the feminine concern with the individual and with the inner life In Arda, the prime feminine characteris­ is taken to its extreme. tic is understanding; the prime masculine characteristic is power. Out of their Sauron, on the other hand, is completely understanding of the nature of the universe outer-directed. With a disastrous lack of and its beings and things, feminines give self-understanding or respect for the natures counsel; out of their power, masculines act. of other beings, he seeks to make the world Action without understanding is rashness; over in his own image. Consequently, he is understanding without action is impotence. very active in the world, affecting many lives; all of history. Sauron is what hap­ FEMININE MASCULINE pens when the masculine prediliction toward outer-directed activity is taken to the ex­ (understanding) (power) treme . Positive Shelob is utterly private. Sauron is utterly public. love law counsel action Thus the difference. The concerns of intuition (insight reason the Feminine Principle tend to derive from and foresight)* intuition: they are personal, specific and mercy and compassion justice inner directed. The effect in history tends to be subtle, discernible in the variations Forms of Creativity of personality in individuals and not in the kind of action which is written in history song, dance, healing, fine arts, books. weaving crafts, tech­ nology The Masculine Principle, being active and outer-directed, tends to be general and Negative public, affecting the affairs of groups rather than individuals. Certainly this is impotence rashness what is written up in history books. passivity aggression consumptive or s e lf- Another, more subtle, example of this devouring aggrandizing difference in modes of action and effect can be seen in the fates of the brothers Boromir The various positive traits derive, in and Faramir in LotR. Boromir, the favorite general, from the prime characteristic. If of their father, is overbalanced on the mas­ understanding often results in mercy and culine side: "Rather, he was a man after the compassion, the proper use of power results sort of King Eanur of old, taking no wife and in justice.