THE IMAGE OF THE TREE AS THE EMBODIMENT OF COSMOLOGICAL AND SOLAR ASPECTS IN J. R. R. TOLKIEN’S WORKS

Abstract

English scientist J. Tolkien became world-famous as the creator of the fantasy genre and the author of the epic novel «The Lord of the Rings» which has overgrown the measures of a novel having become a cultural phenomena and causing cultural movement. His works – «The Lord of the Rings» and «The Hobbit» have already been analyzed in the light of the genre novelty. The purpose of this paper is to enlighten the ways of the embodiment of philosophical concepts of the image of the world tree in J. Tolkien’s creative work. The methodology includes literature review related to the topic; methods of analysis, classification and comparative analysis. The image of the tree is analyzed as one of the universal symbols of the spiritual culture. It unites the Earth with the heaven, defines the human’s way to oneself, to spiritual summits. In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien the tree isn’t just a detail but also a character, the symbol of the eternal life circulation. Symbolizing the synthesis of heaven, earth and water, the dynamics of life, combining the worlds, the tree in the creation of J. Tolkien is a complex archetypal derivative that accumulates feminine as a source of life, male as a defender of the genus. The Trees of Valinor, lone tree-pastors, the creations of Niggl are characterized by the synthesis of cosmogonic and solar aspects. The depth of the perception of the artist («The Leaf by Niggle») the writer transforms into world creation. Niggle works much on details, but dreams of drawing the whole tree. The artist is inspired by a picture of a living tree, the embodiment of the mythological universe. It is concluded that the close relationship between the creator and creation is a reflection of the ancient beliefs about man and the tree as indivisible unity, that the tree could become a friend, a «twin brother» of a man, the incarnation of his soul.