However, much like Middle-earth, the answer is complicated. While Tolkien's influences span across both mythology and Christianity, with Beowulf being a notable inspiration, he also drew upon his own life experiences from his childhood, profession in philology and his time serving in World War I.
Beowulf. Beowulf's eotenas [ond] ylfe [ond] orcneas, "ogres [and] elves [and] devil-corpses" helped to inspire Tolkien to create orcs, Elves, and other races. Tolkien was an expert on Old English literature, especially the epic poem Beowulf, and made many uses of it in The Lord of the Rings.
It's a creation myth/literal flat earth myth that encompasses multiple entire continents. The inspirations that went into it include Saxon, Norse, Byzantine, Roman, Greek and Egyptian mythology and folklore.
Tolkien visited the temple of Nodens at a place called "Dwarf's Hill" and translated an inscription with a curse upon the thief of a ring. It may have inspired his dwarves, mines, rings, and Celebrimbor "Silver-Hand", the Elven-smith who forged Rings of Power.
What inspired J. R. R. Tolkien to create Middle-earth?
He began dreaming up Middle-earth in 1914 as an Oxford undergraduate at the outbreak of World War I, in which he went on to fight as a British Army officer at the Battle of the Somme. He created the mythology to express his “feeling about good, evil, fair, foul,” he said.
While Tolkien drew inspiration from many different sources, one key influence was Norse Mythology, which many of his fantastical creatures and settings can be linked to thematically, or in appearance. The first and perhaps easiest to overlook of these, is the name 'Middle Earth' itself.
What was the reason Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings?
Written with friends and relatives in mind, and intended to 'move' and 'delight' readers of The Hobbit (who had grown up in the meantime), The Lord of the Rings was also a tribute to Tolkien's companions who were killed during the First World War, especially his two very close friends Robert Gilson and Geoffrey Smith.
How did J. R. R. Tolkien come up with Lord of the Rings?
However, much like Middle-earth, the answer is complicated. While Tolkien's influences span across both mythology and Christianity, with Beowulf being a notable inspiration, he also drew upon his own life experiences from his childhood, profession in philology and his time serving in World War I.
How long did it take J. R. R. Tolkien to write Lord of the Rings?
It couldn't be The Silmarillion as he hoped – there weren't any hobbits in that – so he began drafting a new story without any idea of what it would be about. By the time it was eventually finished, The Lord of the Rings had taken Tolkien a full 12 years to write and another five to get published.
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.
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.
Tolkien drew on a wide array of influences including language, Christianity, mythology and Germanic heroic legend including the Norse Völsunga saga, archaeology, especially at the Temple of Nodens, ancient and modern literature, like Finnish 19th-century epic poetry The Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot, and personal ...
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.
He did confirm, however, that the Shire, the land of his Hobbit heroes, was based on England, in particular the West Midlands of his childhood. In the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien writes: "Those days, the Third Age of Middle-earth, are now long past, and the shape of all lands has been changed..."
In June 1916 Tolkien went to France and was posted to the 11th Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers. From July onwards his battalion went in and out of the line along the northern sector of the Somme. He occupied front line trenches in Beaumont-Hamel, Serre and the Leipzig Salient.
All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. Not all those who wander are lost. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
Where does the lore of Lord of the Rings come from?
Influences. 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.
This sounds familiar to Icelanders and those who know Icelandic folklore and Middle Earth. Tolkien was inspired by Icelandic books written by both known and unknown Icelandic authors, such as the Sagas and Prose Edda. As an Icelander myself, I love Icelandic sagas, Norse Mythology and Tolkien's work.
Why did Led Zeppelin write about Lord of the Rings?
Led Zeppelin's songs reference The Lord of the Rings, influenced by Robert Plant's love for the series. Led Zeppelin's songs like "Ramble On," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "The Battle of Evermore" directly reference The Lord of the Rings, drawing inspiration from key moments and iconic characters.
Did Tolkien know what the ring was when he wrote The Hobbit?
The inconsistencies come from the fact that Tolkien had not yet conceived his plan for LOTR when he wrote Bilbo Baggins' story, and the ring he won from Gollum was just a magical object (not the One Ring to rule them all).
This similarity between Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and the ancient epic Beowulf indicates that Tolkien used elements of Beowulf to form his story into a modernized Anglo-Saxon epic. Ultimately, these similarities strengthen his tale's mythical qualities and help him to effectively create a tribute to England.
Tolkien's Elves are rooted as firmly as possible in Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, and Norse tradition, but influenced also by Celtic fairies in the Tuatha Dé Danann. Jackson's Elves are however "Celtic" in the romanticised sense of the Celtic Revival.
