Pre-orders are now open for Luna's latest Call for Papers! Follow Me: Religion in Fantasy and Science Fiction. Pre-order yours here! Ebook also available on the usual retailers' sites.
Our Award Winning series, welcomes essays from academics, independent researchers, fans and creative writers, appealing to both the casual reader and a more research-oriented one. We consider this cross-disciplinary collaboration a strength, and the beginning of many more journeys.
The book will be released on the 20th of June, so we have plenty of time to introduce you to our contributors.
Today we'll introduce you to Ivano Sassanelli - Italy - presenting the paper, “Who Is Eru?” Literary, ethical, and theological reflections about God and Religion in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Abstract:
Who is Eru/Ilúvatar? Where is God in The Lord of the Rings? What kind of relationship is there in Tolkien’s works between Fate and Free Will or Doom and Providence? This essay tries to answer to these questions highlighting Tolkien’s philological studies on Beowulf and his letters. This kind of analysis is essential to understand the Eru’s narrative presence in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, particularly in the last part of Tolkien’s masterpiece in which Mount Doom is the real protagonist.
About the Author:
Ivano Sassanelli (Bari-Italy 1986) is Adjunct Professor of Canon Law at the Apulian Theological Faculty of Bari. He was awered Bachelor’s Degree in Theology at the Apulian
Theological Faculty of Bari (2010), Licence in Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas of Rome (2013), Doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontificial Lateran
University of Rome (2015), Master Degree in Law at the LUM University of Casamassima-Bari (2017) and now is Ph.D. student in Bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum of Rome. He is Director of the academic and interdisciplinary series of fantastic studies and contemporary culture “Eucatastrophe” by Dots Edizioni of Bari and Codirector of the series “Diritto canonico, comparazione giuridica e multiculturalità” at the Cacucci Editor of Bari.
In the Tolkien’s context he studies the relationship between ethics, religion, communication and fantastic literature and is a member of the Scientific Committee of the International
Exhibition “The Tree of Tales”. He has published several scientific articles and essays that have appeared in academic series and journals and monographs, including: Il Professore
e il Poeta. Viaggio nel desiderio umano con Tolkien e Dante (Dots, Bari 2023), Tolkien e il vangelo di Gollum (Cacucci, Bari 2020). He is also the Co-editor of the book: “Vive in fondo alle cose la freschezza più cara.” Percorsi umani, letterari e filosofici nella Terra di Mezzo di Tolkien (Aracne, Roma 2021).