Frodos Quest: Living the Myth in The Lord of the Rings [Paperback]

Robert Ellwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

Robert Ellwood, a scholar of world religions, finds ancient wisdom in this twentieth-century bestseller concerning the quests we are all called to go on. "Like Frodo," he says, "we each experience challenges that propel us on our own adventure-finally that of exploring the inner worlds and the meaning of our lives." Revisiting Middle-earth as a realm for personal discovery, Ellwood presents Tolkien's story as a tale of every reader's higher consciousness, death and rebirth, and triumph over evil. He teaches us to recognize the characters as archetypes we can meet in ourselves: a spritual guide like Gandalf, a friend like Sam, or, heaven forbid, shadows like Orcs or Ringwraiths. He also provides meditational exercises to help us overcome the trials we face as we make our lives into great journeys instead of dull routine. So be it! Let the Quest begin!

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Quest Books (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0835608239
• ISBN-13: 978-0835608237
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,163,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joseph Campbell would have enjoyed Frodo's Quest, December 25, 2002

By 

brant jackson (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frodos Quest: Living the Myth in The Lord of the Rings (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading Frodo's Quest, and I am, in fact, re-reading it again to get a deeper appreciation of the depth of Tolkien's insight in Lord of the Rings (Lord). I have (only) read Lord three times. I first read Lord in college, next some years later and again last year before the first movie came out. At each of these times, at different stages in my life, Tolkien never failed to catch me up in the story and depth of his characters. I know that I am not alone in this, for its not unusual to meet someone who confesses that he or she has read it many more times than that. But I have often wondered why the book appealed to me so much.
Dr. Robert Ellwood who, according to his web page, is both a priest, retired college professor, and a teacher / scholar of world religions, helped me understand just why Tolkien's Lord moves its loyal readers so. Ellwood, with insightful extracts from Tolkien's other works, shows that Tolkien wove into his story the universal themes of mankind's spiritual quest. After reading Frodo's Quest, one can never again see Lord as a mere fantasy story, for Ellwood demonstrates its appeal is that, at its core, it is about our own personal spiritual search. Frodo's Quest makes use of references and quotes from psychological and religious sources to establish that Lord is a quest story in the highest spiritual meaning of that term. In this sense, Frodo's Quest will ring true to readers familiar with the works and viewpoints of Joseph Campbell or Carl Jung. The reader of Frodo's Quest, like Frodo himself, will come to realize, like we all must sooner or later, that we all live in a world that is much more than just that which can be seen or touched. More importantly, we all have a role in the eternal drama of life
But Frodo's Quest is not for everyone. It unabashedly presumes that its audience both knows the Lord books and also has a the insight / spiritual discernment to understand exactly what a universal myth is, and what it does, so it is going to put off some people of a more rigid religious outlook. But if that is the price of such insights, so be it. Frankly, I don't find the exercises at the end of chapters especially useful to most people, but they don't detract from the main message of the book. Frodo's Quest has shown us Tolkien's grand vision of mankind and revealed that Lord of the Rings' appeal is that it speaks to the Frodo within each of us, ala Campbell or Jung. Frodo's Quest is a book well worth reading over and over again.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frodo's Quest, December 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Frodos Quest: Living the Myth in The Lord of the Rings (Paperback)

Frodo's Quest takes the reader deep into the world of Middle Earth. It explores themes in The Lord of the Rings such as faithfulness and betrayal, hope and despair, and this world and other worlds, with great depth and provocative insight. For example, it examines the characters of Merry and Pippin, Frodo, and Bilbo as providing insight into the human stages of youth, middle-age, and old-age. Yet in so doing, it also asks the reader to compare aspects of the story with the various stages of his or her own life.
Robert Ellwood does not present an allegorical interpretation of The Lord of the Rings, but stays true to Tolkien's vision: Tolkien protested against his stories being taken strictly as allegories, but rather wanted them to be appreciated as stories in their own right. He preferred to say that they could have applicability to our lives. Ellwood guides the reader in doing just that. As a Christian, I found Frodo's Quest to be educational and inspiring, but it has been written with sensitivity to anyone on a spiritual quest, and is respectful of all faiths. Frodo's Quest is a refreshing gift for Tolkien enthusiasts, as well as anyone open to spiritual growth.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A quest to the heart, December 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Frodos Quest: Living the Myth in The Lord of the Rings (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful book for those wanting to understand how to relate to the hero's journey and incorporate this journey in their own life. Lord of the Rings, by itself, is a great story and the fact that Ellwood and his wife were great admirers of Tolkien adds interest to this book. Their own love for the creator of the masterpiece brought him into their lives in a roundabout way, so one gets the feeling that this is almost Ellwood's way of saying thank you. In turn, we are gifted with a book that helps us not only understand the intimacies of the story but also how to apply the journey of Frodo to our own lives.