Is the Lord of the Rings based on Norse mythology?
One thing I love about stories is how they change and evolve. Tolkien was inspired by Norse mythology and the god Odin when he created the character of Gandalf. That character has inspired many other great characters as well!
He often took the form of a fish and, one day, he swam to the land of the water nymphs, who guarded mounds of gold. When the nymphs laughed at his appearance, Andvari grew infuriated and seized their gold. With it, he crafted himself a special ring. Iseult Gillespie shares the Norse myth of the cursed ring.
Gandalf (Old Norse: Gandálfr [ˈɡɑndˌɑːlvz̠]) is a Dvergr (Norse dwarf) in Norse mythology, appearing in the so-called 'Tally of the Dwarves' within the poem Völuspá from the Poetic Edda, as well as in the Prose Edda.
The Lord of the Rings began as a personal exploration by Tolkien of his interests in philology, religion (particularly Roman Catholicism), fairy tales, as well as Norse and Celtic mythology, but it was also crucially influenced by the effects of his military service during World War I.
The Norse myth that inspired “The Lord of the Rings” - Iseult Gillespie
What religion is Lord of the Rings based on?
J. R. R. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic from boyhood, and he described The Lord of the Rings in particular as a "fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision". While he insisted it was not an allegory, it contains numerous themes from Christian theology.
Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series. However, Kreeft and Jean Chausse have identified reflections of the figure of Jesus Christ in three protagonists of The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf, Frodo and Aragorn.
Aragorn was the son of Arathorn II and his wife Gilraen. Gilraen's mother, Ivorwen, prophesied that if Arathorn II and Gilraen "wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it will not come while this age lasts". Aragorn was the heir to the throne of Gondor and of the lost realm of Arnor.
Considers the influence of Norse mythology on The Hobbit in particular, both in story elements and in “Northern courage.” Asserts that in The Hobbit, Tolkien “bases each of the major elements of the quest on an identifiably Northern mythological source.” Sees the moral choices presented in The Hobbit as characteristic ...
Odin is supposed to be a powerful god-king who dwells in Asgard. He rules, he does not conjure magic tricks. Gandalf is a wizard - he is the typical mentor type figure. He aids the heroes, and does not fight Sauron directly, as a king would be expected to do.
In Norse mythology, Víðópnir (Old Norse pronunciation: [ˈwiːðˌoːpnez̠]) is a mythological bird inhabiting the top of the Norse world tree, Yggdrasil — sometimes positioned on the brow of another cosmic bird.
Is The Lord of the Rings based on Celtic mythology?
Scholars have identified multiple legends, both Irish and Welsh, as likely sources of some of Tolkien's stories and characters; thus for example the Noldorin Elves resemble the Irish Tuatha Dé Danann, while the tale of Beren and Lúthien parallels that of the Welsh Culhwch and Olwen.
Is The Lord of the Rings Inspired by Celtic mythology?
J. R. R. Tolkien derived the characters, stories, places, and languages of Middle-earth from many sources. Among these are the Celtic legends and languages, which for Tolkien were principally Irish and Welsh. He gave multiple conflicting reasons for his liking for Welsh.
The figure of Gandalf is based on the Norse deity Odin in his incarnation as "The Wanderer", an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff. Tolkien wrote in a 1946 letter that he thought of Gandalf as an "Odinic wanderer".
The idea of elves we have today comes from Norse mythology. The elves in Norse mythology were called the Álfar and were believed to cause illness, have strong magic, and be very beautiful.
Tolkien scholars have traced many features of Middle-earth to literary sources such as Beowulf, the Poetic Edda, or the mythical Myrkviðr. They have in addition suggested real-world places such as Venice, Rome, and Constantinople/Byzantium as analogues of places in Middle-earth.
The Hobbit is chock-full of Norse inspiration. The Elves and Dwarves resemble their Norse counterparts, and every Dwarf name can be found throughout the mythology. Even Gandalf is influenced by it, with the character appearing like Odin, who was described as a wanderer with a long white beard, broad hat and spear.
Isildur was Aragorn's remote ancestor. He died at the beginning of the Third Age (TA), in TA 2. Aragorn was born 2929 years later, on March 1, TA 2931. His father was Arathorn II, Chieftain of the Dunedain.
The story was abandoned, but Tolkien reused the characters and events. Isildur features briefly in voiced-over flashback sequences of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War departs from Tolkien's narrative by having Sauron make Isildur into a Nazgûl or ringwraith.
Legolas's real name is “Legolas.” The name Legolas means “Greenleaf,” so sometimes he uses both languages: “Legolas Greenleaf.” But that's just the same name said twice, really.
However, in J.R.R. Tolkien's books, he does not have one representation of Jesus but rather three: Gandalf, Aragorn, and Samwise Gamgee (perhaps representative of the Holy Trinity, the concept of 'God in three persons'). Each of these characters symbolizes a different aspect of Jesus Christ.
Jesus as the prophet can be seen in the character of Gandalf. Gandalf paints an applicable picture of both the biblical prophet and of Jesus the ultimate prophet. The wizard's death, resurrection and transfiguration all point to Christ.
Is it okay for Christians to read Lord of the Rings?
Is it okay for a Christian to read and like "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit"? Definitely. They were written by a staunch Christian. But they don't contain any Christian material themselves; they're set in a time that pre-dates either Christ or Judaism.
The whole of Lord of the Rings is a Catholic Pilgrim's Progress, a 20th century Divine Comedy, a great meditation on the spiritual life, on the spiritual combat, on the pilgrimage that is living on earth while hoping for Heaven. That's why so many Catholics love it so much.
