TOLKIEN, AUGUSTINIAN THEODICY, AND 'LOVECRAFTIAN' EVIL

For many of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, the setting's level of detail is one of its most appealing elements. Tolkien afficionados revel in the unity of his invented world and find joy in exploring the often multi-layered explanations for the world's details. With an invented world containing an abundance of answers, it seems fitting that some of the ripest topics for conversation come from the figures that leave audiences with questions. One figure that often leaves readers with more questions than answers is the Spider of Night, Ungoliant. While Tolkien gives several possible explanations for Ungoliant's origins in his writings, the author does not present any of these answers as definitive. Moreover, the language that Tolkien uses in these explanations makes it explicitly clear that none of the characters within his subcreation know for certain the Spider's beginnings. The "unknown" that lies at the core of Ungoliant's character, in turn, leads to an uncertainty regarding the nature of her evil. This uncertainty complicates the Augustinian view of evil that permeates the legendarium and instead echoes the kind of evil emphasized by one of Tolkien's contemporaries--American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.