Tolkien and his Atlantis Complex

Tolkien himself famously ascribed his Atlantis Complex to a haunting dream:

I say this about the ‘heart’, for I have what some might call an Atlantis complex. Possibly inherited, though my parents died too young for me to know such things about them, and too young to transfer such things by words. Inherited from me (I suppose) by one only of my children [Michael], though I did not know that about my son until recently, and he did not know it about me. I mean the terrible recurrent dream (beginning with memory) of the Great Wave, towering up, and coming in ineluctably over the trees and green fields. (I bequeathed it to Faramir.) I don’t think I have had it since I wrote the ‘Downfall of Númenor’ as the last of the legends of the First and Second Age.

Letter 163: 7 June, 1955

This legend or myth or dim memory of some ancient history has always troubled me. In sleep I had the dreadful dream of the ineluctable Wave, either coming out of the quiet sea, or coming in towering over the green inlands. It still occurs occasionally, though now exorcized by writing about it. It always ends by surrender, and I awake gasping out of deep water. I used to draw it or write bad poems about it.

Letter 257

Downfall of Númenor

“Downfall of Númenor,” also known as “Akallabêth,” is a story written by J.R.R. Tolkien, featured in “The Silmarillion.” It details the history and eventual downfall of Númenor, a great island kingdom of Men in Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium.

• Númenor: An island gifted to Men by the Valar, the god-like beings of Tolkien’s universe, as a reward for their help against the first Dark Lord, Morgoth.
  
  Rise of Númenor: Númenor, populated by the Dúnedain, becomes a powerful and advanced civilization. Initially, they are faithful to the Valar and friends of the Elves.
• Sauron’s Influence: Over time, pride and the fear of death grow among the Númenóreans. Sauron, Morgoth’s former lieutenant and the new Dark Lord, surrenders to Númenor and subtly corrupts them, turning them against the Valar and the Elves.
• Cult of Darkness: Under Sauron’s influence, the Númenóreans begin to worship Morgoth, engaging in human sacrifices and renouncing the Valar. Their King, Ar-Pharazôn, grows increasingly tyrannical.
• Forbidden Voyage: Sauron convinces Ar-Pharazôn to wage war against the Valar by sailing to the Undying Lands (Aman) to gain immortality. This act is forbidden, as Mortal Men are not allowed in Aman.
• Downfall and Cataclysm: As the Númenórean fleet lands on Aman, the Valar call upon Eru Ilúvatar, the supreme deity. Eru intervenes directly, changing the shape of the world. Númenor is destroyed, sunk beneath the sea, and the world is made round. The Undying Lands are removed from the physical world, accessible only to Elves.
• Aftermath: The few faithful Númenóreans who had opposed Sauron’s influence, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion, escape the destruction. They sail east and establish the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor in Middle-earth, setting the stage for the events in “The Lord of the Rings.“

The Numenoreans

“The Numenoreans of Gondor were proud, peculiar, and archaic, and I think
are best pictured in (say) Egyptian terms. In many ways they resembled
‘Egyptians’ – the love of, and power to construct, the gigantic and massive.
And in their great interest in ancestry and in tombs.”

Letter 211: 14 October 1958

Meneltarma

Meneltarma was a mountain of Númenor. Its name means, in Quenya, Pillar of the Heavens. It was the highest place in Númenor, and it is said that those with better eyesight could see Tol Eressëa from its summit. After the Fall of Númenor, when the island was submerged, the remnants of the Dúnedain believed that the top of Meneltarma still rose above sea level. The mountain is said to rise gently from the ground initially, with five long, low ledges covered in grass. They were the Tarmasundar , the Roots of the Pillar, which extend towards the five peninsulas that form the Island. Then, towards the top, the slopes begin to become much more vertical, making the climb more difficult. The top of Meneltarma was flat and wide, capable of holding many people. It was considered the most sacred site in Númenor, a temple to Eru Ilúvatar , and nothing was built there. Only the Kings of Númenor were allowed to speak about its top, and only during the festivals dedicated to Eru, which will be mentioned below. The other people could climb up, but the sensation was so terrifying that they themselves felt unable to speak. Only Eagles lived there, and the Númenóreans believed it was Manwë who sent them to keep watch. It is said that Queen Tar-Míriel, foreseeing the destruction of the island, tried to climb to the top of Meneltarma to escape the disaster, but the great wave caught her before she could achieve the feat.

Andalusia

The name “Andalusia” is derived from the Arabic word Al-Andalus (الأندلس), which in turn may be derived from the Vandals, the Goths or pre-Roman Iberian tribes. The toponym al-Andalus is first attested by inscriptions on coins minted in 716 by the new Muslim government of Iberia.

Downfall of Numenor/Atlantis

The Downfall of Númenor is a morality tale, but at its heart is not the corruption of riches, nor even of Sauron’s black magics. Tolkien’s Númenor is brought down by its people’s inescapable fear of Death. Similar to Mathias de Stefano’s memory: The people of Atlantis knew their time was about to end, but they wanted to extend there time on earth.

Gondor

Númenor has colonies, who inherit some memory of the Old Kingdom. Specifically, Tolkien’s go-to analogy for Gondor was Egypt… and Egypt is a colony of Donnelly’s Atlantis, just as Gondor is a colony of Tolkien’s Númenor.

note: Gon d’or -> Gon of gold

Noah

Tolkien in a 1951 letter refers to Elendil as a Noachian figure. Donnelly argues that the Biblical Flood represents a folk memory of Atlantis, so Donnelly would be taking the comparison the other way, turning Noah into an Elendil.

Elendil was the father of Isildur and Anárion, a survivor of the Downfall of Númenor, and the founder and first High King of the Realms in Exile.

Elendil was also known as Elendil the Tall, as he was the tallest of the Men who escaped the Downfall. Accounts differ as to his exact height, but he was at least seven feet tall.

Past life regression

Christopher, son of J.R.R. Tolkien

S:What happened next?

K:Avalon became their refuge, a place where they could continue their spiritual practices and protect what little knowledge they had left. But the scars of that destruction stayed with them —and with me. It was a time of loss, of survival, and of hope for what could be rebuilt.

K:My father wrote about this. (Suddenly, a different voice, refined and distinctly English, began speaking through Kristy.)

S:What do you mean? Who are you?

C:My name is Christopher. My father, J.R.R. Tolkien, wrote about Avalon and the ancient ages. The information was downloaded to him, you see.

S:Tell me more about your father.

C:His soul, like yours, knew that this knowledge had to be shared, to raise the vibration of the earth during a time when things were turning dark. He disguised it as fiction, but his work was much more than just stories. It was a way to preserve truths that the world had long forgotten.

S:Where is this book that he wrote?

C:The book is called The Silmarillion. Some of the translations aren’t quite accurate, but it’s the closest text you’ll find to the true history of Avalon and Atlantis. My father received this knowledge during the Great War —World War I, that is. When Father died, I published his work, though it wasn’t as clear as the visions in his mind. It’s why the story seems fragmented —his original notes were scattered, because even he struggled to fully translate it all. But now, I’m here to help you. This information needs to come forward.

S:Tell me more. How did he receive this information?

C:The horrors of the war opened his mind to the deeper truths of our world and beyond. War does this and many truths are discovered during war. After my father’s passing, I published The Silmarillion, but it was still not the full vision he had. His true goal was to reawaken the ancient language and information of Avalon, but people dismissed it as fantasy. He was a serious professor, but they never took him seriously when it came to the deeper meaning behind his work. S:Is this language and important information in the book?

C:Yes. Father wove it into his writing. The ancient Avalon language is older than man remembers. I saw the importance of his work and dedicated myself to preserving his legacy. There were moments when he seemed mad —mad with the weight of what he was trying to express —but now, having crossed over, I see how much of it was more real than anyone realized. S:What should we understand about your father’s work?

C:My father’s work contains the very keys to humanity’s forgotten history, the hidden truths of our connection to other realms and beings beyond our world. My father also drew detailed maps of the middle earth. These were accurate maps of other realms within this one. Avalon lies at the heart of this knowledge, it holds the ancient wisdom of how this vast experiment, the intertwining of worlds, first began. There are many landmasses that are hidden from your maps and even the faery folk, who are very real are hidden from sight. For ages, this truth has been concealed from humanity, veiled in secrecy and distortion. Even the very fabric of time itself has been manipulated, reshaped to keep people blind.

S:What else has been hidden from us?

C:Your number thirteen. Thirteen is a powerful and sacred number, bound to the essence of the divine feminine. Thirteen mirrors the cycles of a woman’s year, a rhythm suppressed and forgotten in this modern age. The cycles of a women mimic the cycles of time. To connect with the physical body brings a deeper connection to the earth. The Druids understood this ancient balance, this sacred harmony, but such knowledge has been systematically erased, buried beneath the weight of time.

S:Tell me more about the Druids.

C:Many Druids were descended from elves mixed with humans and were connected to Avalon. Some were born with this wisdom. They weren’t warriors, as history portrays them, but keepers of peace, like the elves before them, honoring the old ways and nature’s balance. As their lineage merged with humans, they became known as the Druids. When the age of star children ended, Avalon’s beings either ascended or withdrew, beginning humanity’s age.

S:What were the ancient ways?

C:Living in harmony with the earth, drawing wisdom from nature. Trees, for instance, weren’t just life-giving; they extended life and healed those who respected them. Even when survival led to hunting animals, early cultures, like the Druids, blessed the life they took, honoring the balance of nature.

S:What else should we know?

C:Healing through the earth is an ancient gift long forgotten. Great kingdoms once had herb gardens for both sustenance and healing, but now humanity relies on chemicals. Yet, people are returning to the old ways. Energy lines still run through the land, and portals to other realms remain open. The gods still communicate through these paths. Ancient portals to middle Earth still exist.

S:Where are these portals?

C:There are many and the more one attunes themselves to the old ways they will begin to find them.

S:How do we begin?

C:Start with your diet and belief system. Eat less meat, because it carries the energy of suffering. Bless your food to shift its energy. Allow more magic into your life. The new souls coming into the world are already attuned and they require lighter, natural diets —foods aligned with the elements.

S:What do you mean?

C:Avalon’s souls are reincarnating, carrying its DNA within them and those who had a past life in Avalon are starting to activate their ancient memories.

S:How can we recognize these new children?

C:These souls are drawn to ancient practices, magic and can perceive the Faye creatures. They vibrate at a higher frequency, reconnecting with Avalon’s legacy. Since 2013, their numbers have grown —thirteen, a sacred number, signals their arrival. To awaken, they must be born into homes where the veil between worlds is thinnest. If at least one parent believes in the Faye, they will rediscover their ancestral gifts and help mend the divide between the human and the unseen worlds.

S:How can parents help these children reconnect to their gifts?

C:Create an environment where the unseen is honored, where the magic of nature is celebrated. Teach them to respect the land, to listen to the whispers of the wind and the songs of the rivers. Allow them to roam freely, to connect with the earth as they naturally will. Encourage them to nurture plants, to understand the rhythms of the moon and stars, and to feel the spirit in all things. This will awaken their innate memories. They will be the reincarnated teachers in the coming times.

S:What about education? How can we guide them within the modern world?

C:Education must become a bridge, not a cage. The minds of these children do not fit neatly into boxes, nor do they respond to rigid structures. They need freedom to explore their creativity and curiosity, to learn through experience. Teach them to read and to reason, yes, but also to wonder, to feel, to imagine. Introduce them to the ancient myths —not as tales, but as truths disguised in stories. Let them understand that knowledge is vast, and many truths lie beyond what can be seen or proven.

A hypnotist’s journey to Avalon