Theology, Religion, and Middle Earth

Edited by Scott Donahue-Martens, Ph.D., and Brandon Simonson, Ph.D.

Few works have made such a lasting impact on the fantasy genre or captured the imagination as those of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien’s fiction, essays, letters, and more are widely read and loved. His works, and his high fantasy setting known as “Middle Earth,” are also widely adapted and adopted by other authors, artists, and creators. Whether it is through role-playing, reading, watching movies and television, playing video games, or building LEGO sets, Tolkien’s Middle Earth setting is immensely popular. The continued proliferation of new content set in Middle Earth attests to its ongoing generativity. This enduring generativity now extends well beyond the intentions of Tolkien and the works he personally created.

As Middle Earth is a rich backdrop for the academic disciplines of theology and religious studies, this present volume seeks to foreground Middle Earth as a generative setting. While we expect some chapters to discuss Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, and the wider legendarium, we hope the volume will provide sustained treatment on Middle Earth beyond the life and imagination of Tolkien. Such appearances of Middle Earth include, but are not limited to, places like Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson’s tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, Led Zepplin’s folk ballad The Battle of Evermore, or even George Lucas’ original script to Star Wars. By foregrounding Middle Earth, the volume opens the way for discussion on works which engage the setting, and even sometimes core ideas from Tolkien, but whose stories and engagement are not canonical. We hope to see proposals on works like The Rings of Power and The War of the Rohirrim.

Is another book on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings necessary? The editors of this volume think so for a variety of reasons, but there are three significant reasons: first, Tolkien’s profound depth means his works contain a surplus of meaning that can never be exhausted and call for continual exploration, especially in light of new and emerging trends in methodological analysis; second, new adventures in Middle Earth call forth renewed consideration of the works and the existing material (for example, The War of the Rohirrim and The Rings of Power have yet to receive sustained treatment); and third, while works on Tolkien and Middle Earth are expanding in theological writing, the same treatment has yet to be taken up in the academic discipline of Religious Studies. At the same time, because of the proliferation of works concerning theology and Tolkien, potential contributors should be prepared to do considerable background research before submitting their proposals. Proposals should show awareness, understanding, and integration of the existing literature in Tolkien studies when appropriate.

The call for chapters ends September 30, 2025. Authors will be notified of accepted proposals by October 31, 2025. Authors will submit their accepted chapters by February 28, 2026. Chapters with revisions will be due by May 31, 2026 for peer review. Final drafts following peer review will be due by December 31, 2026.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• The dignity of orcs, and their children, in The Rings of Power.
• Heroic violence and the nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.
• Portrayals of Tolkien/Middle Earth in secondary popular culture works such as Ready Player Two.
• Comparative work on a particular scene, topic, or character between the animated films (1977, 1978), the Soviet television adaptation Khraniteli (1991), and Jackson’s trilogies.
• The evangelical embrace and The Lord of the Bean.
• Players vs. Monster Player instead of Player vs. Combat in The Lord of the Rings Online
• An analysis of Tolkien’s drawings/illustrations.
• Post-colonial theory and Numenorean colonialism.
• Delving too deep? Capitalism’s cannibalization of Middle Earth.
• Middle Earth’s influence on tabletop role-playing games (Dungeons & Dragons) and customizable card games (Magic: The Gathering; Spellfire).
• Fair use or copyright infringement in works like the fan made The Hunt For Gollum (2009).
• A sample chapter of scholarship suitable for this volume explores the concept of Tolkien’s sub-creation in Dungeons & Dragons is by Scott Donahue-Martens, titled “Tolkien’s Shadow: The Sub-Creating Influence of Middle Earth on Dungeons & Dragons.” (In Theology, Religion, and Dungeons & Dragons: Explorations of the Sacred through Fantasy Worlds, edited by Scott Donahue-Martens and Brandon Simonson, 165-87. Lanham, MD: Fortress Academic, 2025.)

The editors gladly invite submissions on, but not limited to, these topics for a volume on theology, religion, and Middle Earth, to be published in the Theology, Religion, and Popular Culture book series. Interested authors should send chapter abstracts of 300-700 words, along with a CV or resume to theologyreligionandmiddleearth@gmail.com by September 30, 2025.

Drs. Donahue-Martens and Simonson co-edited the books Theology, Religion, and Dystopia (2022), and Theology, Religion, and Dungeons & Dragons: Explorations of the Sacred through Fantasy Worlds (2025), which were also published in the Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture series by Bloomsbury Academic.