Prophecy

What role does prophecy play in this text? At this point in the text, we have uncovered prophecies from a select few regarding one important individual. Find evidence of the prophecies, who speaks them, and what they suggest for the rest of the novel. What do the prophecies suggest about their speaker? (Go Wide). What other popular young adult series involves a prophecy ? Make the connection.

Answer:
A prophecy is a prediction of what will happen in the future. Through the use of ancient songs and poems, the novel The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, uses prophecies to foreshadow the end of the journey of Frodo Baggins and his companions and the fate of Middle Earth to show the true identity of characters and that everyone has a predestined path to achieve a purpose greater than him or herself.

Throughout the book, only certain characters foreshadow the fading of Middle Earth as a result of the corruption from evil. Gandalf, a wizard, is one of the characters that warn Frodo of the future. In a letter, he writes to Frodo, "All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light form the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king." (p. 167). Gandalf refers to Aragorn, the last heir of Isildur, King of the Men. Gandalf foreshadows the end of the battle and who will rise after the battle has been won, which he believes Aragorn will rise to power. Because Gandalf knows the outcome of the brutal war, he knows his own fate as well. Because he cannot control his own destiny, that means he does not have control of the whole war itself. In the beginning, it seemed as if Gandalf was aware of every path that Frodo and his friends took to Rivendel, but now the audience realizes that Gandalf is not all as he is thought to be. Who is really in control of the war for power, or is fate steering the whole story?

Another powerful character that J.R.R. Tolkien uses to predict the future is Elrond, the King of Elves of Rivendel. He gives a message to Frodo, Gandalf, and their companions that says he can "foresee very little of [their] road; and how [thier] task is to be achieved [he] doesn't know. The Shadow has crept now to the  feet of the Mountains, and draws nigh even to the borders of the Greyflood; and under the Shadow all is dark to [him]. [They] will meet many foes, some open, ad some disguised; and [they] may find friends upon [their] way when [they] least look for it ... but so perilous are the lands now become that some may well miscarry, or come no quicker than [them themselves]" (p. 268). Elrond foreshadows the perils that the Ring Bearer and his crew will encounter, and the evil that is coming into power. Still, he cannot see "under the Shadow" of the dark lord, not matter the power he possesses. What does that foreshadow for the future of Elrond and his kingdom if he does not have power over darkness? Is Gandalf's prophecy of evil being overcome and Aragorn coming into power accurate? As J.R.R. Tolkien says, "For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

The series of Harry Potter by J.K. Rolling is a popular young adult series that parallels with The Fellowship of the Ring through the wise characters and the prophecies they tell. Dumbledore and Elrond, Hagrid and Gandalf, Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins, and Sauron and Lord Voldemort are the similar characters in the two novels. Dumbledore and Elrond are similar because both lived through and remember the past and hold the secrets of the future. They are the king-like figures in the stories that holds the most wisdom and trust from the people. Hagrid and Gandalf parallel because they are the insightful guides of their companions and lead them to complete their mission to save their world. Harry Potter and Frodo are alike because they are the chosen heroes to complete the perilous mission to save their world, no matter the physical and mental pain they have to endure when they meet the evil villains and come to the end of their battle. Finally, Lord Voldemort and Sauron are both the arch villians of Middle Earth and The Wizard World that want to become the demonic dictator and enslave everything and rid of anything good. All of these characters are involved in the prophecies told by the wise guides and kingly figures, but all of them forebode the fate of hero and their world. Even though the prophetic characters hold extreme power and knowledge, they will never be able to control fate and outcome of the war. Their power in nothing compared to the ultimate divinity controlling every action, but without them, the story would be completely different.

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