“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” J.R.R. Tolkien

"Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule."

   These are the words that Gandalf the Wise says to Frodo the hobbit in the book The Return of the King, the third title in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Gandalf is a wizard of great age who knows the ways of the world. He encourages his little friend to focus on present duties and local good rather than trying to control vast, uncontrollable world events. It highlights that we should combat evil where we find it in our own lives and surroundings. I truly believe that these local doings of good will, in their own quiet way, ripple out to the wide world beyond. 

   The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and the other books written by J.R.R. Tolkien, are full of words of wisdom and beautifully written passages that make a reader's heart sing. His writings are a gift that will last the test of time and so, on this day, his birthday, many of his readers celebrate. The Tolkien Society came up with the idea whereby Tolkien fans across the world can celebrate this extraordinary writer's birthday with a simple toast-drinking ceremony. At nine o'clock this evening, wherever you are, simply raise a glass and toast the birthday of this much loved author. The toast is simply:

The Professor!

All you need to do is stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words, "The Professor," before taking a sip (or swig, if that's more appropriate), then resume your seat and give thanks.

                                                                                ~

  I have a very close relationship with The Hobbit. When I was around eight years old my mother had to go to Amman, in Jordan, for work, and she took me with her. To keep me occupied while she attended a meeting, she bought me a copy of The Hobbit in the hotel bookshop. This was the first fantasy novel that I read and it completely captivated me. I read it in one sitting, and then read it again. I had no idea that stories like this existed, and it was a revelation. My mother had a hard time pulling me out my Middle Earth reverie when she was free to take me out to explore the city. To this day I love tales that take me to worlds where magic, dragons, orcs, trolls, giants, dwarves, elves, and halflings exist. 

   Many years later I was in Oxford. I got to the town before term started so that I could get my bearings, become at least a little familiar with my new home, and acquire the items that I would need for my college room; bedding, artwork for the walls, a toaster, an electric kettle, and other sundry items

   After visiting Blackwells, the massive bookshop where we students got our textbooks, and where I also bought a fair number of books for my entertainment, I went to pay homage at a pub called The Eagle and Child. I knew that this was the place where Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other writers - who called themselves The Inklings - met regularly to discuss their work, theology, mythology and many other subjects. I was even able to sit in the alcove where they sat, and as I sipped a half pint of cider, I thought of Bilbo Baggins and his hobbit companions. I felt that they would have approved of the pub, especially if the owners served second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, supper, and dinner. I gave a silent toast to Master Tolkien in thanks for his stories. 

                                                                              ~

   John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a scholar and professor at Oxford University and author of the now widely popular The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, works that have enormously shaped modern fantasy literature. In academic circles, Tolkien is recognized for his contributions to the study of language in literature. In particular, his lecture "Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics," published in 1936, is a major critical work about that important Old English poem. His other writings include poems and short stories.

   Born in South Africa and a few years later taken to England for his health, Tolkien entered Exeter College, Oxford, in 1911 and in 1915 took a First in English Language and Literature. In 1916, after a period of forced separation of several years, Tolkien married Edith Bratt, with whom he eventually had four children. Tolkien served with the Lancashire Fusiliers from 1915-18, fought in the Battle of the Somme, and, contracting an illness, returned to England to recover. While convalescing he began what was to be his life-long literary work The Silmarillion. Tolkien became Reader in English Language at the University of Leeds in 1920, Professor of English Language at Leeds in 1924, and Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford in 1925. During these years, he worked with E.V. Gordon on a critical edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and continued work on The Silmarillion. Early in the 1930s he began writing The Hobbit, which was published in 1937. That same year, at the suggestion of his publisher, he began work on The Lord of the Rings, the first two volumes being published in 1954 and the third in 1955. In 1945, Tolkien was awarded the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford, a position he held until his retirement in 1959. After his retirement, Tolkien wrote Smith of Wootton Major, Tree and Leaf, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and set about revising The Silmarillion, which was eventually completed by his son Christopher and published in 1977. Tolkien died at the age of 81 in September 1973.
   Tolkien was a devout and life-long Roman Catholic whose understanding of Christ's sacrifice and divinity, and of the spiritual truth embedded within human mythology, helped persuade C.S. Lewis to become a Christian. Tolkien's adherence to the Catholic view of the relationship between the physical and spiritual worlds, and his belief in the inherent truth of mythology were the foundation for many of his works.

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