Mythical Heroes and Their Doubles in Tolkien's Labyrinths

Abstract

This Research paper examines how Tolkien's novels, "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," incorporate labyrinthine elements into their fictional worlds. In these literary works, events primarily unfold in open landscapes, but there are elements that evoke complex and dangerous mazes, where certain heroes assume roles similar to that of Theseus. Thus, this analysis explores the representations of the Labyrinth myth through Tolkien's writing, highlighting both the similarities and differences between these structures in the two contexts, while emphasizing the symbolism of the subterranean world, akin to a cave, as a site of transformation where heroes emerge metamorphosed, invoking both death and rebirth. The paper suggests the use of mythocriticism to analyze the reiterations and variations of Labyrinth mythemes in these novels.