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Sources of Lord of the Rings |
J.R.R. Tolkiens' Middle Earth did not come out
of thin air. Tolkien, an academic linguist, drew on the following source
materials to inspire his world-building exercise. The texts presented at
this site are complete and in some cases in the original languages.
The Kalevala. [English]
The Kalevala. [Finnish]
This Finnish saga, replete with battling wizards
and heroes, quests and magical objects has been cited as one of the early
inspirations for Tolkien. The languages of Middle Earth also have more than
a passing resemblance to Finnish.
The Elder (Poetic) Edda.
The Younger (Prose) Edda.
These Icelandic collections of epic poetry are key
sources for the study of Norse mythology. Our plane of existence is called
'Middle Earth' in this mythology. Tolkien also took many of the names of
key characters from this text; particularly one sequence early on in the
Voluspo, including Gandalf, and all of
the Dwarves from the Hobbit. Also found in the Eddas is the
forest of Myrkwood; Bilbo's party traversed the vast Mirkwood forest in
the Hobbit.
Wagner's Ring of the Niblung
The Volsung Saga
The Nibelungenlied
The Volsung saga is the Icelandic version of the
story which was later re-told in the Germanic Nibelungenlied. This was the
basis for Wagner's Ring cycle. The cursed ring of doom is likewise a central
theme of Tolkiens' mythology.
Heimskringla or The Chronicle of the Kings
of Norway
by Snorri Sturlson. tr. Samuel Laing [1844]
Gandalf is not only mentioned in the Voluspo, but in the Heimskringla Sagas:
Gandalf was the name of the last king to rule over Alfheim, He was killed
by Harald Harfagra in the year 866. Gandalf gets mentioned in The
Ynglinga Saga, Halfdan, the Black
Saga, and Harald Harfager's Saga.
Beowulf [Modern English]
Beowulf [Anglo Saxon]
Tolkien was a distinguished scholar of Middle and
Old English. The Beowulf saga is one of the treasures of this branch of
literature, and Grendel, the monster of this tale, is a prototype for many
of the darker creatures that populate Middle Earth.
The Mabinogion
Lady Guest, tr. [1877]
Among the sources for Tokien's languages was Welsh, and the Welsh stories
of the 'Red Book of Hergest' appear to have also had an influence on the
narratives of Tolkien's fictional 'Red Book of Westmarch'.
Modern Fantasy
The Faerie Queene,
by Edmund Spenser [1596]
Stories from the Faerie Queene,
by Mary Macleod [1916]
The Faerie Queene is one of the wellsprings
of modern Fantasy writing. Spenser, like Tolkien, did not simply retell
classical or medieval stories. He used similar themes and elements but put
the pieces together in an entirely new way, constructing an invented reality
with a consistent internal logic.
The Wood Beyond the World
by William Morris [1895]
One of the recognized forerunners of Tolkien was William Morris, skilled
artist, pioneering Socialist, translator of Icelandic sagas, and fantasy
writer. The Wood Beyond the World is one of Morris' masterpieces
which he originally published using hand-set type.
The Worm Ouroboros
by E. R. Eddison [1922]
"The greatest and most convincing writer of 'invented worlds' that
I have read" -- [J.R.R. Tolkien *]