Eucatastrophe

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Eucatastrophe

What is it?
A eucatastrophe is a sudden, hopeful turn in a story that prevents the main character from facing certain doom. It’s a “good catastrophe” that changes the course of events for the better, often in a surprising but believable way.

Origin
The term was coined by J. R. R. Tolkien. He combined the Greek eu- meaning good with catastrophe (a turning point) to describe a key moment in myth and fairy-tale fiction. Tolkien discussed eucatastrophe in On Fairy-Stories (based on a 1939 talk) as part of his broader idea of myth-making. For him, such moments connect to faith and meaning—he even called the Incarnation the eucatastrophe of human history and the Resurrection the eucatastrophe of the Incarnation.

How it differs from deus ex machina
Both ideas involve unexpected solutions, but eucatastrophe is earned from the story’s own world and logic, not a sudden divine intervention or a contrived ending. It preserves a hopeful view of how events unfold within the narrative world.

Examples
- The Lord of the Rings: the destruction of the One Ring comes about through a chain of events that saves the world, including Gollum’s role at Mount Doom.
- The Hobbit: the eagles’ appearance helps rescue characters at crucial moments.
- Other works and discussions: Star Wars has been described as containing eucatastrophic moments (like dramatic reversals); fair-tale moments such as a kiss saving Snow White are cited as turning points.
- Beyond fiction: some modern thinkers use the idea to describe hopeful future turning points that avert existential doom for humanity, imagining a flourishing to come rather than disaster.

Why it matters
Eucatastrophe offers a way to talk about moments when hope returns just when things look darkest. It highlights how a story can end on a positive, meaningful note without feeling contrived.

See also
- Happy ending
- Peripeteia