The Lost Road, the Athrabeth, and the Space Trilogy: Tolkien and Lewis

[Sophia the Thunder Mistress]

I am not sure of the authenticity of the story that suggests that Lewis and Tolkien intended to write companion stories about space and time travel: Lewis' becoming the Space Trilogy (space travel) and Tolkien's the never-completed Lost Road (time travel). It seems like I got the idea from a respectable source, though I can't quite find it on second look.

It seems, however, like Tolkien's and Lewis's stories converge more than one would think on first glance. For the first, "Numenore" is referenced numerous times in That Hideous Strength as a place from which wisdom and knowlege come. The connection, which Tolkien intentionally drew, between Numenor and Atlantis is barely referenced at all, Lewis skips directly over it and references Numenor itself. He connects Numenor with the knowledge of Merlin, specifically, and I believe there are hints of Tol Eressea there as well, in the links between the Arthur legends, Avalon, Avallone, and Eressea (another parallel drawn intentionaly by Tolkien and borrowed by Lewis).

For the second, the prophecy of the coming of Eru as an incarnate to Middle-Earth in the Athrabeth seems to echo in the story of Maleldil's coming to Thulcandra told in Perelandra. Both are clearly Christ-pictures, almost allegorical (though I hate to use that word in reference to Tolkien, knowing what fires it can start ). Lewis's is certainly just a "different language" reference to Christ, since his stories are set in "this world, this time" just farther out in the solar system. Tolkien's is a little more difficult to place, as Middle Earth is supposed to be this world, but in a far more legendary sense. For instance, in ME there is no planet Venus--the morning star is Earendil. Makes it thorny to say that the Lost Road and Perelandra are set in the same world, since Perelandra is set on Venus.

I also suspect that the indwelling eldil of the various planets are comparable, and perhaps meant to be compared to, the Valar and Maiar occupying Tolkien's world. The description of their physical forms is interesting, the Eldil cannot be seen in this world, but can be seen by those who know how to look for them as flickers of white or gold light, or sometimes as pillars of light. The Valar when unclothed walk as white flames and are visible on the "other side" as radiant beings.

The question, and maybe one more for research than discussion: did Tolkien know about and endorse or even reciprocate these back and forth references? Or did Lewis act more or less on his own? Or am I simply overanalyzing the links between the two works?

Sophia

[Neurion]

Interesting. I'd been wondering about the references to "Numenore".

[Estelyn Telcontar]

You might be interested in this past discussion of one of those similarities: Maiar=Eldila? Enjoy!

[Findegil]

The conversation between Tolkien and Lewis with the result that Lewis began to write space travel-storys and Tolkien time-travel storys (The Notion-Club Pappers was a second attemp on the same motive as the Lost Road) is recorded by Tolkien in his Letters. Tolkien does also say that Lewis heard the name Numenore and Eldalie in a reading by Tolkien to the Inclings and missspelt them (especially Numenore).

Respectfully
Findegil

[Nuranar]

It's also referenced in the preface to Of This and Other Worlds, although that's not a primary source. Nevertheless, it's a fascinating collection of Lewis essays and, incidentally, my source for the two Lewis quotes that have debuted on my blog recently.

I'll try to edit in more particular information, and possibly more thought, when I get out of the comp sci lab and back home.