The Lord of the Rings – a mythos applicable in unsustainable times?

Abstract

This article explores the relevance of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to environmental education and contemporary concerns about social and environmental injustices. It presents an account of the relationship between Tolkien’s environmental biography and those aspects of the story that highlight the connection between his personal experiential informal environmental education learning journey in the real world and his imaginative ‘sub‐creation’. The Lord of the Rings is also considered a work of ‘fantasy’ or ‘speculative fiction’ that holds the potential to re‐enchant the world by engaging the mythopoetic imagination, through a focus on its treatment of place, character and environmental ethics. In particular, it is argued that the story implicitly promotes, and is grounded in, a ‘Creation‐centred’ ethic of stewardship. The article concludes with a discussion of pedagogical considerations on the continuing importance of the story as an inspirational work of literature, and its potential and limits as a source of inspiration for those engaged in challenging social and environmental injustices.

Keywords:

• ecocriticism
• Tolkien
• The Lord of the Rings
• fantasy literature
• mythopoetic imagination
• creation spirituality
• place‐based education
• environmental education