The saga of The Lord of the Rings is a tale of elves, dwarves, hobbits, and men, which together represent our humanity with proud names like Arwen Evenstar, Aragorn, Elrond, Eowyn, Frodo Baggins. It is also a tale about wizards that represent the human intellect, from the grandest, like Gandalf, to the worst, like Sauron the mother of all 'pigs.' It can also be seen as a tale of a people boxed in; some into a fortress of stone like Helms Deep; some into a prison created by axioms, believes, and policies of insanity like our nuclear defense doctrine of "Mutually Assured Destruction." Boxed in, can also mean 'privatization,' like the conscience of the king of Rohan became 'privatized' by the corrupted wizard Saruman under the spell of a Grima Wormtongue.

Above all the saga is a tale of a ring of power and corruption, the tale of a Gollum creature that represents the process that causes people to grovel for the glitter of wealth that few ever use, 'singing', "My Precious! My Precious!" even as they perish. It is also a tale of our darkest history in which great men of infamy proudly stand tall with names like Adolf Hitler, Martin Heidegger, Friedrich Nietzsche, Carl Schmitt, Leo Strauss, Joseph Geobbels, Bertrand Russell; and similar names from more distant times, names like Francis Galton, Charles Darwin, Thomas Malthus, Giamaria Ortes, Thomas Hobbes; and names whose ghost may yet destroy us all, like that of Shelburne, Bentham, Napoleon; and of course Aristotle, the 'mother' of all their 'fame.'

The saga of the ring is a tale of war, greed, power, and fear. It is equally a tale of love, sublimity, and immortality; a tale of struggles for survival and for a brighter humanity, that are represented in the real world by such names as Friedrich Schiller, Gottfied Leibnitz, Lyndon LaRouche, and Mary Baker Eddy. The saga is a tale of trials, disappointments, and victories; a tale that presents to us in metaphors our own image and our own hopes, and also our strengths as human beings. Allow me to invite you to an exploration of the rich metaphors of Tolkin's saga, The Lord of the Rings.

Rolf A. F. Witzsche, Sept, 8, 2003