Conservatives and Tolkien
I don’t know if you have noticed that there are quite a lot of companies that have names taken from Tolkien’s Legendarium. At first glance, this seems innocuous enough. Tolkien’s writings grew in popularity over the seventies and eighties but since the release of the film trilogy at the start of the twenty-first century, his work has become more well known and been assimilated into our wider pop culture. Hence, it seems quite logical that a startup tech company, for example, would choose a name from his writings. No doubt the founders grew up reading The Lord of the Rings and are fans. That all seems plausible. However if you take a further look, it gets somewhat more complex. Here are four companies that have Tolkien based names.
I don’t know if you have noticed that there are quite a lot of companies that have names taken from Tolkien’s Legendarium. At first glance, this seems innocuous enough. Tolkien’s writings grew in popularity over the seventies and eighties but since the release of the film trilogy at the start of the twenty-first century, his work has become more well known and been assimilated into our wider pop culture. Hence, it seems quite logical that a startup tech company, for example, would choose a name from his writings. No doubt the founders grew up reading The Lord of the Rings and are fans. That all seems plausible. However if you take a further look, it gets somewhat more complex. Here are four companies that have Tolkien based names.
Palantir Technologies is a private American software and services company, specializing in data analysis. Named after the “seeing stones” from Tolkien's legendarium, Palantir's original clients were federal agencies of the United States Intelligence Community like CIA and NSA.
Lembas Capital is a San Francisco-based investment firm named after the Elven waybread that appears in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. The company invests in both public equity and private equity.
Valar Ventures, named after the Valar, is a US-based venture capital fund founded by Andrew McCormack.
Anduril Industries, named after Aragorn' sword, is an American defence technology company that specializes in autonomous systems.
I don’t consider banks, armaments suppliers and intelligence gatherers to be benign. Yes there are other companies with Tolkieneque names that are doing benevolent things but there are enough doing the opposite for me to consider that there’s something else going on. In this case, the common thread is that political conservatism embraces and feels an affinity to the writings of Professor Tolkien. In fact conservatives from both the US and Europe often cite The Lord of the Rings as a source of inspiration.
Why is this you may ask? Mainly because right-wing politicians are drawn to Tolkien's themes of the heroic struggle against corrupt systems, the return of a legitimate ruler to restore social order and a conservatively hierarchical worldview that reflects medieval Catholic ideas. There is also a suspicion of social modernity. The appeal lies in the narrative of a righteous hero or group challenging a “moribund establishment” to build a “brave new world that reflects a former past glory”. Such ideas resonate with right-wing figures who see themselves as fighting for traditional values against societal collapse. Politicians such as US Vice President J.D. Vance, former Member of theEuropean Parliament Lord Hannan and the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Here are some of the key themes and interpretations that appeal to conservatives.
Heroic Mission and World-Making: Politicians see a parallel between their own political aspirations and Tolkien's heroes, who feel a "duty to save the world" and build a better future.
"Return of the King" and Feudal Order: The core narrative of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings involves the re-establishment of a rightful monarch and the restoration of a pre-existing feudal social structure after a period of chaos. This narrative strongly appeals to conservative viewpoints.
Conservative Values and Hierarchy: Tolkien's work is seen by some as aligning with conservative principles due to its depiction of a divinely ordained natural hierarchy, echoing medieval Catholic notions of the "Great Chain of Being" and a worldview that favors traditional social orders over modernity.
Critique of Modernity: Influenced by his experiences and his devout, pre-Vatican II Catholic faith, Tolkien harbored a deep suspicion of modernity, a sentiment that resonates with many on the right who view modern trends as destructive.
Anti-Totalitarianism: While some interpretations of Tolkien focus on conservative themes, others emphasise his opposition to totalitarian systems. This could also appeal to those who view themselves as fighting against oppressive governments or ideologies.
Like many things political, there is an inherent contradiction to much of the above. The drive to build a better world usually means a better world for that specific political class. The restoration of a prior status quo seldom means it is an equitable one. Critiques of modernity are usually against changes in social attitudes, though not technology as that is a useful tool. As for opposing totalitarianism, this usually means circumnavigating legitimate opposing views or institutions that don’t allow conservatives a free hand. But such is the nature of politics and its use of semantics. As for the question of whether these specific interpretations of Tolkien’s work are actually there in the source text, that is highly subjective.
It helps us understand things much better if we can actually determine what were Tolkien’s own personal politics? Well he most certainly was a conservative both politically and socially but within the context of the times he grew up in. Hence despite the sharing of the term, I don’t really think there is a great similarity between Tolkien’s form of Catholic conservatism and his post WWI social sensibilities and a modern American neocon. Tolkien by his own admission disliked political organisations and institutions, claiming an affinity to non-violent anarchism. He was also anti-fascist and sceptical of industrial capitalism, albeit from a romantic perspective. He was also an ardent environmentalist.
Perhaps Tolkien’s biggest appeal to conservatives is his passion for mythology. Myths are a lens through which we explore the mysteries of the world around us and then use to codify and quantify it. Change the myth and you can change the world, as JRR Tolkien well knew. Which is why he spent his life creating new myths to help us better understand the modern world. An understanding tempered by his own world views. It is this that attracts many politicians on the right, who see mythology as means to frame their populist ideas. Political narrative and mythology have many similarities and are rife with archetypes and heroes.
I’m sure we’re now at the point where some readers may argue “so what if the right finds inspiration in Tolkien’s work” as well as “many fans will interpret things in that which they hold dear, irrespective of whether it is truly there or not”. All of which is true. We all see things through the prism or our own passions, or bias if you prefer. However we live in a world where nuance is in decline. The claiming of aspects of pop culture by specific groups can sometimes have negative consequences, mainly for that which is being claimed. Already because conservatives have stated an affinity for Tolkien’s work, some on the left are already seeking to find content connecting it to the right. Hence there have been claims, unsubstantiated in my view, that The Lord of the Rings is inherently racist and therefore by extension, so was the author and those who read it. There is a risk that the failings of the right may inadvertently blight the cultural standing of Tolkien work, simply by an act of non consensual association.
Which is why I feel the need to push back against the risk of such a thing. I do not believe that Tolkien’s work should just be surrendered to the politically and socially conservative. I’d also prefer not to see certain types of companies usurping Tolkien’s work for their own agendas and chronically misinterpreting his work. Or worse still, doing so just to be associated with something that is “cool”. Perhaps Robert T. Tally Jr. professor of English at Texas State University, said it best “In 2024, a number of prominent right-wingers embrace Tolkien’s work as the inspiration for their own ultraconservative worldview. While some Marxists may look upon this scene with bemusement, fantasy as a mode and a genre is far too important to allow the right-wingers to take for themselves, and that includes the works of Tolkien”.
