And providence can’t be escaped, avoided or thwarted. Philosopher Peter Kreeft writes of Tolkien’s work, “The Lord of the Rings is chock-full of divine providences.” “In fact,” he continues, “if there is any one particular religious doctrine that is as large as a continent in ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ this is it.” The hundreds of uncontrived, natural, convincing providential events of the novel reveal one of Tolkien’s main philosophical commitments: divine providence orders all things for the good.įor Tolkien, there is no destiny or fate, only providence. Nothing in life is beyond his marvelous order. What’s more, for Christians, every journey is overseen by God and his Divine Providence. Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” Rather than being an anthem to aimless wandering, the poem concludes by praising roots - that is, the foundation, the beginning. The old that is strong does not wither. The poem concludes thus: “All that is gold does not glitter / Not all who wander are lost.
#Lost to time destiny full
The full final verses of the poem from which the famous wandering line has been extracted reveal this. And even Tolkien’s longest leisurely strolls led him back home. From 1218-19 alone, he walked more than 3,380 miles! Today, thousands of pilgrims walk the great Spanish pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, popularly called the Camino.īut every pilgrimage has a destination. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans), walked from town to town on his preaching mission. Walking features prominently in the Catholic tradition. He dawdles and then stops completely when he has something interesting to say.” By the recollection of his friends and his own penchant for a slow pace, Tolkien seems to be more like his beloved Ent, Treebeard, than any of his other characters. He doesn’t seem able to talk and walk at the same time. However, Lewis once described Tolkien saying: “He’s a great man, but not our sort of walker. Lewis, he was known for loving long walks. So was Tolkien a wanderer? Like his friend C.S. Wanderers, in this romantic view, seek spontaneity and abandon. Those who adopt the motto probably think that the line harkens to mountain climbing, backpacking and similar impulses to cast off the predictability and responsibility of life. The phrase doesn’t mean what many people think it means.
The line, which was taken from the poem “The Riddle of Strider” in the fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings,” is now a ubiquitous slogan for seekers of all sorts.Īnd that’s the rub. An Oxford don - who was a daily communicant - specializing in philology has penned something of an anthem for today’s would-be bohemian itinerants. Emblazoned on woodcuts, watercolors and leather stamps, Etsy artists have given the phrase every imaginable home.īut why? It’s delightfully improbable when you think of it.
It’s been widely adopted as something of a motto for all those who love taking to trails. I’ve seen this phrase on camp mugs, water bottle stickers and even a spare tire cover on a Jeep Wrangler. Tolkien song: “Not all who wander are lost.” “This Wandering Day,” sung by Poppy Proudfellow (a Harfoot hobbit), concludes with a famous line from another well-loved J.R.R. Episode 5 of Amazon’s new series, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” opens with a haunting melody composed for the show.
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