Just for fun, I’ve decided to read The Lord of the Rings, as I’ve never finished it as a child. And upon reading the first few pages, with its wonderful prose and dialogue (I mean, the word “eleventy-first”? Perfection), one thing stuck out to me. The age of maturity as a Hobbit is 33. Thirty-three. Hmm…

Many medievalists hold JRR Tolkein as one of the greatest medievalists of all time – even though he was a philologist, which is the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages. Nevertheless, I want to look into this number, 33.

Jesus Christ was recorded to have died in the year 33 AD, being born in the year 0 AD. So, he died at the age of 33.

Coincidence that a book written by a man with a great medieval background would write that the age of maturity was reached when a man turned 33? Probably not.

But, this number, this idea, is inherent in comic books.

Let’s take the great and wonderful Superman of DC Comics. People say that medieval ideas aren’t in modern-day writings – but let’s look at this closely.

In many comic books, Clark Kent started to really be his alter ego of Superman when he was 30-ish. They don’t really ever say his age. So, at the age of 30, he started to save the world… Okay.

So, Kal-El (Clark Kent), was sent by his father, Jor-El, to save and lead the planet of Earth to a better future…

Hmm… now, where have I heard this before? Saving Earth and the humans? Sent by the father? Really coming into his own at the age of 30…

I mean, the ideas and principles of Christianity were arguably determined during the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, correct, but its proliferation and spread throughout Western Europe and it lasting effect is all due to what happened during the Middle Ages…

I’m not stating anything but… this number – 33. It’s pretty darn medieval.