Christine O’Donnell, communications director at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, led a discussion on the depiction of women in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The discussion focused on Bradley Birzer’s book, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth, published by ISI Books. According to Birzer’s analysis, the religious spirituality informing Tolkien’s books was specifically Roman Catholic. In addition, he suggests that the female characters Galadriel and Elbereth were designed to exemplify traits of the Virgin Mary. Jenna Murry joined Ms. O’Donnell in deconstructing the symbolic roles of the women of Tolkien’s Middle Earth.