Modern-day Ethiopia was the primary inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Perth Catholic Michael Muhling asserts in his book The Real Middle-Earth: Discovering the Origin of The Lord of the Rings.
Mr Muhling’s book, which was officially launched in May, examines a number of links between the ancient Abyssinian Empire – the European name given to the land largely represented by today’s Ethiopia – and Tolkien’s masterpiece.
Married with two young children, it took the Mundaring parishioner about seven years to write the book prior to its publication at the beginning of this year.
“The book required a lot of research, and it wasn’t always obvious what the best way forward was,” Mr Muhling explained.
Tolkien’s official biography was written in 1973, and although it explains the inspiration for The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, Mr Muhling said it fails to find the key influences on The Lord of the Rings.
After reviewing the information available about Tolkien’s life and writing, The Real Middle-Earth identifies a significant gap in knowledge of Tolkien’s literary inspiration.
This gap, according to Mr Muhling, can be explained by Tolkien’s interest in Abyssinia.
“The second half [of the book] identifies the many fascinating connections between Abyssinia and The Lord of the Rings,” he said.
“The connections are so detailed and consistent with Abyssinia’s five most significant historical sites that they cannot be regarded as mere coincidences.”
Tolkien, a Catholic whose youngest son became a priest, is widely regarded as one of the greatest authors of the 20th century.
Mr Muhling said Tolkien’s literary works remain ideal reading for today’s Catholics.
“The underlying themes of his books include very worthy themes such as good triumphing over evil, the power of hope and friendship, the need to resist temptation, and even of faith,” he said.
“Nonetheless, Christians can remain idealistically opposed to Tolkien’s writing because it includes magic despite the Bible’s warnings against the use of magic.”
Although Tolkien rarely explicitly shared his faith, Mr Muhling said Catholic imagery could be found in many of his works.
“Tolkien was a devout Catholic who wrote with a desire to share his faith with others,” he said.
“In some ways Tolkien is not subtle in revealing his underlying Christian theme. The quest to destroy the evil ring begins on December 25, the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day, and the quest succeeds on March 25, the day England historically celebrates Good Friday and Jesus’ crucifixion.”
A long-time Tolkien fan, Mr Muhling decided to write The Real Middle-Earth after he and his wife Paige adopted their son Tolla from Ethiopia.
“During that process we began researching about the country,” he said. “As an old fan of Tolkien, I began making connections between the two, and I have been motivated to persist with my research into these connections and writing this book partly because of my love of Tolkien.
“However, my greater motivation has been my desire to do something special for my son, and to make the world aware of his birth country’s fascinating and significant history and culture.
“I think I can serve Ethiopia far more effectively by improving its image then I could through fundraising and other such aid projects.”
Many years later, and with the 230-page book now available from a variety of sources, Mr Muhling can reflect fondly on the exciting but challenging research and investigation he completed.
“I have loved getting back into Tolkien’s work, and I have been passionate about my desire to share Ethiopia’s amazing history and culture with the world,” he said.
“The thing I found most enjoyable and interesting was solving the puzzle. Was Tolkien inspired by Abyssinia, and if so how and why? And how has it remained a secret for so long?
“It all seemed too good to be true, so I kept asking the right questions to test the theory and the facts kept stacking up. It has been a long and difficult journey, but one I have ultimately found to be personally very rewarding.”
Unfortunately for Mr Muhling, who said he “loved” all three Lord of the Rings films, learning so much about Tolkien hindered his recent viewing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
“Having written my own book I have become too close to and familiar with Tolkien’s work,” he said.
“I notice many more deviations from the book, and I am finding them more unbearable. Nonetheless, it was still a great film.”
While Mr Muhling’s priority is promoting The Real Middle-Earth, he has not ruled out the possibility of writing another book in the future.
“Writing takes a long time and consumes a great deal of your life, so for me a book needs to tick several boxes,” he said.
“I must be passionate about it, it must be something people want to read, and it must serve a greater purpose that gives glory to God.”