Much of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings was inspired by the author’s experiences on the battlefield of the Somme. The dedication of Samwise to Frodo was a reflection of the loyalty of a batman – a military version of a butler- to his officer. And the industry of Saruman’s mines and forges, and the raising of an Orc army to wipe out humankind mirrored the mechanisation of warfare in the First World War.

Tolkien saw, in the irrepressible advance of technology, the destruction of an idyll of England; a ‘magical’ England, so clearly represented by the innocent Hobbits, and their home he called ‘the shire’.

Guillermo Del Toro’s new film, Hellboy 2, inspired by Mike Mignola’s graphic novel character, carries much the same message. It mourns the trading of wonder for reason. The titular hero is an imp with a conscience, a devil with a heart of gold, who has to choose between siding with the humans who reared him and the fairy folk with whom he has so much in common.

Despite the title, it’s a tale steeped not in the occult but in mythology. Del Toro and Mignola have woven into the film’s storyline echoes of European folklore – in particular the Norse legends, which provided so much inspiration for Tolkien. And Del Toro, a director with exceptional vision, brings the miraculous to life with such passion that it’s hard not to sympathise with the Elven Prince, who wishes to teach humanity a lesson for failing to revere the magic and mystery of the earth.

One of the great truths of biblical wisdom is that meditation on God’s Word actually serves to ever deepen our sense of wonder and reverence. The more we understand about God the more we realise we don’t understand; so the more we come to adore the mystery and otherness of ‘the one and only Son, who is himself God’ (John 1:18). The fear of the Lord fine-tunes our sense of scale. So Isaiah’s declaration, ‘Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counsellor?’ (Isaiah 40:13) is not born of frustration at our finite knowledge, but rather is an invitation to surrender to the grandeur of God almighty.

The mythology of Tolkien and Del Toro may whet our appetite for the fantastic, but only focus on God himself will leave us truly ‘lost in wonder, love and praise’ (Charles Wesley).

Links

For more on Tolkien and mythology, click here.

To find out what fans think of Hellboy 2 so far, click here.

Guillermo Del Toro is lined up to direct the film version of Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Read more here.