When looking at any fantasy, it's difficult to find anything that hasn't been inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien. From dragons hoarding gold to evil magical relics, Tolkien created much of what is now a staple throughout the genre. However, not every fantasy trope was included in The Lord of the Rings, as some key fantasy races never made it into Middle-earth. And one of the more notable examples is gnomes, the bulbous-nosed humanoids from classic folklore.

While Tolkien helped define the fantasy genre, many of his creations were inspired by real-life mythologies. Dwarves were plucked from Norse stories, Elves take inspiration from Celtic lore, and most of the main characters' names reside in old tales. And yet, the iconic medieval gnomes are seemingly missing from the lore of Middle-earth. However, Tolkien did indeed include them, just not the version most people know.

RELATED: How Long Dwarves Live in The Lord of the Rings

What Exactly Are Gnomes?

Gnomes at war with the ogres in Disenchantment

While their exact origin is unknown, gnomes are mentioned throughout numerous medieval mythologies, most notably in German and Swiss folklore. These small humanoids would only stand a couple of feet tall and were often mischievous or outright evil. Their status became even more popular throughout the 18th and 19th centuries as they became the star of numerous fairy tales. Then came the classic garden gnome ornaments in the early 1900s, and soon after that, gnomes became the small race featured in much modern fantasy.

With Tolkien's love of mythologies and folklore, combined with the fact he wrote The Lord of the Rings around the same time as the garden gnome's popularity, it would seem obvious that he would include this race in his world. But he decided against it, perhaps creating Hobbits in their stead. However, Tolkien still created a unique type of gnome in his early work -- Elves.

RELATED: One of Middle-earth's Strongest Beings Existed Long Before Lord of the Rings

Gnomes Were Once Powerful Elves in Lord of the Rings

haldir and the elves at helm's deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

In the earliest stages of The Lord of the Rings timeline, a race of Elves known as the Noldor existed. They were the best when it came to lore and craft, with many becoming famous artisans. Yet, in early writings, these Elves were referred to as Gnomes. They also spoke a language called Gnomish, and Tolkien even created a Gnomic alphabet for them.

However, they still held the same appearance as other Elves, so it's likely Tolkien took the word Gnomus from Latin, which meant "earth-dweller." It's also possible that the rise of small gnomes in modern literature caused Tolkien to rename these Elves. He already had his Hobbits and Dwarves, which share similar traits with classic gnomes. Either way, it's for the best that the Elven Gnomes got renamed because there could have been a lot of confusion with their modern depiction. Nevertheless, it's still fascinating to see how Tolkien evolved the world of Middle-earth into the ones fans know and love and how mythologies formed the base for almost everything he wrote.