Animism as an Approach to Arda

Here we examine qualities of what would be thought of as inanimate beings that lend evidence to the position that J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional universe1 is animistic. Arda is full of life, and natural things in it, such as mountains and rivers, are in often alive or conscious. A close look at the qualities of the stars in particular yields further evidence in favor of animism as a foundational ontology of Arda.