Hand-made objects and supernatural power in the European tradition

Krisztina Demes-Kőfalusi (Karoli University of the Reformed Church, Budapest)

Email: kofalusi.krisztina@kre.hu

 

ABSTRACT:

In the European and Jewish-Christian cultures the hand-made objects possessing knowledge, force and supernatural power (for example: Niebelung-ring, Ark of the Covenant, the Roman Lance, Philosopher's Stone) have special tradition. Before Christianity, in the more ancient European cultures the supernatural power belonged to a person or a function: in the Hungarian witchcraft the knowledge and power was not represented as an object because it could have been taken away or lost, as it was shown in the story of the LOTR. In almost every case the knowledge of the witch was in connection with health: hex or cure. Tolkien drew a lot on the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon sources and divided the functions of the person with the supernatural power: the woman knew the future (Galadriel), and the man knew how to cure (Aragorn). In the LOTR the king is the key figure of cure, but there are also many elements of druid culture (using magic plants) which belong mainly to Aragorn. It is important to reveal that all special plants are connected to male characters: for example: athelas to Aragorn, Mallor-tree to Sam, tobacco to Gandalf, hobbits and Saruman, elanor to the Rohan's kings. Important and special characters are the ents in the LOTR who possess the special power of flora. These plants help the heroes in using the nature-centered power of the ancient Celtic traditions as opposed to the artificial, „human”/hand-made force, the Ring.