Behind The Lord of the Rings epic trilogy is The Silmarillion, another of Tolkien's works, which explains the formation of Middle Earth and depicts another struggle between good and evil.

In The Silmarillion, Iluvator (God) created the world through music. One angel, Melkor, was "jealous of the power of creation" and struck a note of disharmony. Instead of destroying his creation, Iluvator gave his creatures the freedom to make choices between darkness and light, between goodness and mercy.

It is the conflict between the peace-loving Hobbits and ruthless Orcs that resonates with us today. As Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings, said, "You sort of get the impression—which can be depressing—that Tolkien's themes really resonate today and that they're probably going to resonate in 50 years and then in 100 years. I don't think humans are capable of actually pulling themselves out of these basic ruts."