My heart breaks for Tolkien’s Denethor, whose life ended unnecessarily, as bitterness, anger, and hopelessness in the face of evil consumed him. Let our prayer be that, even as we observe the darkness at the doorstep of Western Civilization, we imaginative conservatives stand at our posts and look to the Heavenly Father as our protector.
Conservatives cannot believe the West is lost. It is deplorable. We believe in the Good, True, and Beautiful and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Despair is out of the question. In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Denethor, the last steward of Gondor, manifests despair and his life ends tragically. We should, instead, admire the qualities of the common Gondorian soldiers and the Christ-like wizard, Gandalf, that are projected in tandem with the end of Denethor’s life.
Denethor was the last ruling steward of Gondor, the greatest realm of Men in the Third Age of Middle-Earth. A noble line of kings ruled Gondor until its governance passed into the hands of the stewards after decades of internal conflict and wars against the Dark Lord, Sauron, and the black land of Mordor. As Gandalf observed, “The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men.” During the War of the Ring, Sauron’s armies arrived at Gondor’s capital, Minas Tirith, and Denethor believed his defeat was inevitable. His wife died young, his heir died terribly, and his youngest son, Faramir, was returned to him near death. Denethor’s stewardship and bloodline hung on a knife’s edge.
The Fortress of Mont Saint-Michel in northern France inspired Minas Tirith’s design in Peter Jackson’s film edition. J.R.R. Tolkien’s description of Minas Tirith reads, “For the fashion of Minas Tirith was such that it was built on seven levels, each delved into the hill, and about each was set a wall, and in each wall was a gate.” The roads rounded their way to the citadel at its peak. The city itself was but a sliver of Men’s greatness that once existed in Middle-Earth. Its grandness embodied a time unknown to the Third Age, almost something closer to lore than history. As beautiful and awe-inspiring as the city was, carved majestically into the mountainside, Mordor’s shadow grew stronger, and the race of Men became weaker.
Denethor’s demise began when he secretly used a Palantir (seeing stone) to investigate Sauron’s strength as it grew. Think of a Palantir as a crystal ball: an object used to see the future. Sauron controlled the Palantir and flamed the fire of despair growing in Denethor. Mordor’s strength outmatched Gondor’s, at least that is how Denethor perceived it. Sauron omitted specific details and deceived Denethor. (This is your friendly conservative’s reminder to leave the future in God’s hands and put your faith and trust in His divine plan, else you risk meddling with knowledge you are not meant to understand, exposing yourself to forces out of your control.)
In the film, Denethor saw the Enemy’s armies approaching Minas Tirith and shouted to the Gondorian soldiers, “Abandon your posts! Flee, flee for your lives!” He turned around and Gandalf knocked him unconscious and lead the city’s defenses. It is a comedic moment that quickly shifts to scenes of stoic, courageous men preparing for the oncoming siege.
Sauron the Deceiver and his armies wielded death, decay, and destruction with all cruelty and malice. The soldiers of Gondor were outnumbered, evidently, yet they stood to their posts. The battle of Minas Tirth began, and Gandalf shouted, “Send these foul beasts to the abyss!” Volleys descended on the intruders. Brave soldiers rushed to the outer wall. Tolkien described the Gondorians as “tall, pale-skinned, with dark hair, shining grey eyes, and proud faces. They were a proud and noble people, valiant in the face of hardship.” Denethor, however, awoke and retreated into the citadel high atop the city.
Minas Tirith’s gate was breached as Denethor stood on a funeral pyre dumping oil over himself and Faramir. With the gates broken and Denethor’s stewardship nearly finished, he prepared to end his life and Faramir’s. The pyre was lit, but Gandalf charged up to it and saved Faramir as the fire engulfed Denethor. Reinforcements arrived and saved Minas Tirith before the city was overrun.
My heart breaks for Denethor; here was a man that nearly lost his whole family. Every man has his breaking point, truly, and Denethor reached his standing on that pyre. Loss is unbearable at times, and Denethor felt that Gondor and the race of Men were doomed. But Gandalf had zero tolerance for such defeatism.
Prior to the battle of Minas Tirith, Gandalf arrived, hailing Denethor and bringing ill news of the oncoming attack. Denethor’s role and title required recognition, and Gandalf offered it to him, but the Enemy was on Gondor’s doorstep. Action was critical. Denethor had already provisioned Gondor for a siege and sent the women and children away. He even sent for aid from the nearby kingdom of Rohan. Denethor, however, was so overcome with grief at the death of his heir and overwhelmed by the strength of Mordor that he accepted his doom. Gandalf understood Denethor’s lament and offered his grace and sympathies. But grief would not stop Mordor’s advancing armies. Denethor needed to stand and fight. The race of Men would play a major part in the restoration of the world.
But Denethor’s spirit was broken. His path was madness. Neither reason nor honor would restore his sanity. Gandalf would have referred to him as a pusillanimous man or a man without a chest. Gondor’s rule was in the hands of the least of lesser men. Any shred of magnanimity ceased. It was, perhaps, due to divine intervention that Gandalf was present. Inaction was unacceptable. Minas Tirith was under attack. Chests swelled as Gandalf rode gallantly to the main gate. The city was besieged, but it was not lost, and despair left only a tragic legacy.
Even as we grieve the losses of our own loved ones, observe the might of the darkness at our doorstep, and decry the assaults upon Western Civilization, we cannot give in to despair. If Denethor’s life did not end as it did, he would have witnessed the reestablishment of Gondor’s throne, his son healed and married, and evil vanquished against innumerable odds. Instead, Denethor’s life ended unnecessarily, as bitterness, anger, and hopelessness consumed him. Our hope, and prayer, is that we imaginative conservatives will stand at our posts and look to the Heavenly Father as our protector.
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The featured image, uploaded by HortSens, is an oil painting portrait of Denethor as from the books, Lord of the Rings. This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.