By Patriot Academy Alunus, Ethan Nunn
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s greatest work The Lord of the Rings, there are many object lessons we can learn, like how absolute power corrupts absolutely, the meaning of friendship, and what patriotism looks like. But the greatest lesson I think that Tolkien offers us is a call for action.
In The Lord of the Rings, the name of a sword can tell you a lot about the owner of the sword and his future. One of the most well-known swords is Aragorn’s Anduril, otherwise known as The Flame of the West. Now there is a bit of history you have to understand before we go forward.
A History Lesson
Anduril was once called Narsil and was used to cut the One Ring off of Sauron’s hand in the battle of Barradorn, providing a victory for the last alliance of the West. Narsil was destroyed when cutting the ring and left in shards but it remained a symbol of victory for good and freedom. It was the sword of Kings and even while in shards, Narsil was passed down from generation to generation for over 3,000 years until it finally came to our hero Aragorn.
Towards the beginning of the book Narsil gets reforged, and is given a new name… Anduril or The Flame of the West.
You see all that was good and pure was left in the west, sound familiar? You see, this is how I view America. A powerful symbol of freedom that was damaged while fighting for what is good and pure. But even in shards it is still respected, feared and sharp. Now is the time of reforging for America and the West. It is time for us, as Americans to stand up, take our torches of flame and hold them higher then ever.
Dying Embers?
I don’t want America to be the dying embers of the west, or, God forbid, the extinguished fire of the west. I pray that we will continue to be the flame of the west.
Because if we don’t, in the words of Ronald Reagan,
I cannot and will not watch the torch of freedom that lady liberty holds so high, fall into oblivion. These days I look around and see the world in flames… but not liberty’s.
I see Venezuela in chaos, the Middle East at war, and Europe teetering on the brink of destruction. And that’s only a few examples. Then I see America, even in its damaged state, still the one light in our dark, dark world. I see a new generation rising up like a phoenix out of the ashes, and taking the world by storm. I am thrilled and honored to be a part of that generation.
But sadly, there are those in my generation who have missed the truth of this tragedy. The truth that freedom is only ever one generation from being lost and freedom is being torn from us each and every day. There is a reason that a sword is so fitting for this time in history because now more then ever we are in a culture war, and my generation is at the pinnacle of that metaphorical war. We’re preparing for the fight of our lives in a hostile world.
At one point in The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is asked to part with his blade – but is reluctant to do so. In his shoes, I would have been reluctant as well. Not only was Anduril his weapon but his heritage, his inheritance, and a sign of family tradition.
It defined who he was, who is, and who he is about to become.
We have are own Anduril, our own Flame of the West.
We have freedom.
Freedom that forged this nation, it is our heritage, our inheritance, and our tradition. It has defined who we were, who we are, and who we will become. Like Aragorn, who found himself at the pinnacle of the battle and was willing to take the charge to lead his people to an epic victory, we must be willing to step out and take the charge to lead America back to Reagan’s “last best hope of man on earth”.
Will you draw your metaphorical sword for the sake of freedom?
Let’s defend it with all that we have.
Will you carry the torch?
Learn how at Patriot Academy.
