The Fellowship of the Ring

Article written by Michael Chude

B.Sc. degree in parasitology and entomology from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ introduces the reader to Middle-earth where the book was set. It also introduces the small and quiet people known as Hobbits and their village in the Shire. A young Hobbit must take on the immense burden of taking the One Ring into the heart of Sauron’s realm in Mordor to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. He is joined by an unlikely band of companions including his three Hobbit friends, the Heir of Isildur, the Captain of Gondor, the wizard Gandalf, the Elven prince of Mirkwood, and Gimli the Dwarf.

Key Facts about The Fellowship of the Ring

• Title: The Fellowship of the Ring
• Published: 29th July 1954 in the UK
• Literary Period: Modernist
• Genre: High fantasy
• Point-of-View: Third Person, omniscient
• Setting: The end of the Third Age of Middle-earth
• Climax: Boromir tries to seize the Ring from Frodo, causing Frodo to realize that the Ring has the power to corrupt his companions and compelling him to shoulder responsibility for destroying it on his own.
• Antagonist: Sauron

J.R.R. Tolkien and The Fellowship of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien started working on ‘The Lord of the Rings’ series after the success of his first book ‘The Hobbit’, which was first published in 1937 and his publishers demanded for a sequel. The request for a sequel prompted Tolkien to begin what became his most famous work, originally published in three volumes in 1954–1955. He first intended The Lord of the Rings to be a children’s tale in the style of ‘The Hobbit‘, but it quickly grew darker and more serious in the writing. Tolkien drew inspiration from several sources including Christianity, Greek and Norse mythology, and the two World Wars, one of which J.R.R Tolkien experienced first hand. Figures like Gandalf, tailored after Odin who was often depicted as a one-eyed grey-bearded old man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a staff were lifted straight from Norse mythology. Tolkien spent more than ten years writing the primary narrative and appendices for ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ during which time he received the constant support of the Inklings, in particular his closest friend C. S. Lewis, the author of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia.’ Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set against the background of ‘The Silmarillion‘ and draw from the immense backstory of Beleriand, but it was set in a time long after it.

Books Related to The Fellowship of the Ring

‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ is closely related to the other Lord of the Rings books in terms of plot, style, and characters. It is also similar to other books by J.R.R. Tolkien including ‘The Simarillion’ and ‘The Hobbit’ with which it shares similar themes, locations, and characters.

Other books that are similar to ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ include Eragon by Christopher Paolini. The story of ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ is also compared to the Narnia series written by C.S. Lewis. Both Tolkien’s and Lewis’ work features creatures and characters that are similar in many ways, including possessing great magic, which is central to the plots of the books.

Other books that can be considered similar to ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ are ‘Wheel of Time’ by Robert Jordan, ‘The Blade Itself’ from Joe Abercrombie’s ‘The First Law‘ series, and ‘A Clash of Kings’ by George R.R. Martin, as they all tell of great magic which is often turned to evil by those who seek to have dominion over the minds and hearts of other people, and also tells of those who use their magic and strength to oppose evil and protect the world from annihilation.

The Lasting Impact of The Fellowship of the Ring