Oxonmoot 2024

Debates about the nature of Sam and Frodo’s relationship have been varied and contentious. Is their relationship romantic or one of deep friendship? Can it be interpreted as sexual, or it is merely platonic? Is it strictly akin to relationships between batmen and officers during the First World War, or is that paradigm itself complicated by the nature of ambiguous affection in the trenches? These questions cannot be answered simply, and this paper aims to look at their relationship from a different perspective. By reading Sam and Frodo’s relationship through the eight forms of love known as the “Greek Loves”, we can perhaps gain a deeper understanding of their relationship. By reading Sam and Frodo through the Greek Loves we can see how, throughout the Lord of the Rings, they exhibit flavours of all eight forms of love, not as distinct from one another, but as an overlapping and continuous spectrum of love.

"The love between Éowyn and Faramir is one of the most engaging love stories in The Lord of the Rings as the reader is witness to their first encounter, and observes them growing closer. Nonetheless, the relationship is sometimes misunderstood as a rushed taming of Éowyn, and not all readers are able to appreciate the deep beauty behind Tolkien’s description of this budding love.
Key to unlocking the depth and beauty of their encounter is Tolkien’s usage of “looking”. Tolkien’s text had almost always positioned Éowyn as the unilateral object of others’ gazes. With Faramir, she is set free to look for herself. Inviting her gaze to stray where it longs, and eventually joining her, Faramir learns to look at the world together with Éowyn. With him, for the first time in the text, Éowyn is free to look where her heart longs, and her heart begins to long for the experience of looking out at the world together, as she emerges from under the shadow."

In Tolkien's Middle Earth, intimacy extends beyond romantic love to encompass friendship, familial bonds, camaraderie and much more. This presentation delves into the intricacies of these intimate interactions, exploring how Tolkien's masterful crafting of relationships enriches his secondary world and dives into the complex art of connection.