A six-part exploration of the metaphors in J.R.R. Tolkien's mythical tale, The Lord of the Rings. The exploration covers not only events and physical features, but also the meaning of names and their background in history and in the politics of our modern world, including some of the most controversial elements of it. Since the ring saga was written during the worst years of Hitler's empire and the early years of the Cold War, many of the metaphors are related to the survival of civilization in the face of war, and the threat of nuclear war. The metaphors also take us beyond all of that and raise our concerns into the sphere of individual spiritual self-development as in the case of Arwen, Aragorn, and Eowyn. While Tolkien presents a tale of ancient history from a fictional world, he presents us with critical choices for our present world and for ourselves in relating to one another. The study of the imperatives that Tolkien has put on the table has been a fascinating adventure with numerous different dimensions and astonishing aspects coming to light. This book has been created to share the adventure. It is a rare thing in literature that one finds a tale written a long time ago, that is reflected in the present to such an extent, that it seems the writer had created a script for the future and the future has obeyed.