Medical Theory and Middle Earth Part 3: The Final Episode

        In this final episode of this series, though perhaps a bit on the nose let's take a look at the Great Plague of Middle Earth and how the bubonic plague (technically bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plagues) of the Middle Age and the Spanish Flu of 1918 may have inspired Tolkien to add this major event in his work. What Great Plague you may ask? Well, during research for the analytic paper (which I never ended up using...) I found that in the Appendices of the Lord of the Rings as well as in the Unfinished Tales, there are details of a Great Plague that came from the East, laying waste to Rhun, Rhovanian, Gondor and lands to the north and west. Though it killed friend and foe alike, it is highly suggested that this was instigated by Sauron, who could afford to kill a few of his pawns if it meant weakening his enemies.

        Now, the first theory one could posit as to Tolkien's inspiration for using this event in his story would be the plague caused by Yersinia pestis, spread by fleas upon black rats in the Middle Age, and indeed a lot of details check out. Tolkien writes that this plague wiped out half of the population of Rhovanion, and this mortality rate is similar to many villages that the plague touched in real life. In addition, the historical plague is theorized to have come from the east, being transported to Europe via Genoese ships before spreading to the north and west. This coincidentally is the same direction that the Great Plague of the Third Age spread. However, another possibility is that Tolkien could have been inspired by the Spanish Flu of 1918. Though it killed at a lower rate than the plague, the flu is estimated to have killed 50-100 million people, far greater than the number killed during World War I. However, regardless of which theory is correct (probably both), it is interesting to think that many events in history find a way into the literature those who lived it, whether war or disease. This only makes me wonder: what sort of stories will arise from the times we are currently living in, and what themes or messages will they try to convey?