The world in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings left many people wondering where he got the idea for the universe in the first place. 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.

Tolkien's Childhood & Wartime Inspired Evil in The Lord of the Rings

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Tolkien grew up in Warwickshire, England, which housed a mixture of historic towns and rural pastures that would later serve as the backdrop for the Shire. Later, as Tolkien moved to the more industrial city of Birmingham, he used the city as inspiration for the industrialization of Isengard in The Two Towers. As Birmingham began to overtake his home in rural Warwickshire near the end of the 19th century, Tolkien used the events in the Scouring of the Shire.

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Meanwhile, the layout of Mordor was largely influenced by Tolkien's experience fighting in the trenches during World War I. Tolkien's recollections of the Battle of the Somme would later serve as a basis for the Dead Marshes north of Mordor. In addition, the use of tanks during World War I would be worked into the story as the "metal dragons that contributed to the Fall of Gondolin." Scholars speculated that Tolkien's novels were more than just escapism into fantasy but also showed the true horrors of war, as seen with the accurate portrayals of warfare in Middle-earth.

Tolkien's Philology Work Served as a Backdrop For Middle-earth's Lore

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Tolkien's background as a linguist aided him in creating the various complex languages of the Elves, Dwarves and Orcs. For the tribes of Men and the common tongue, he made use of Old English, something he was especially well-versed in. The world of Elves, Orcs and Men, was inspired by three sources: the epic poem Beowulf, Sigelwara Land and the deity Nodens. Tolkien derived many names of different species from Beowulf, most notably those of the Elves, Ents and Saruman. Sigelwara Lands is a two-part essay written by Tolkien regarding the ancient Aethiopians, which contained elements of sun, jewels and coal. This essay spawned several terms: the Simaril (the sun-jewel), the appearance of the Balrog (fire demon from the shadows) and the Haradrim, which could be inspired from the Aethiopians themselves.

Curiously, the idea for the Dwarves and Rings of Power, along with their creator, came from a Celtic deity named Nodens. Tolkien had visited an excavated temple at a place called "Dwarf's Hill," where he translated a Latin inscription on a cursed ring, which traced back to an Irish hero named "Nuada of the Silver-Hand." If this moniker sounds familiar, that's because it is shared by the creator of the Rings of Power, Celebrimbor, which translates to "silver-hand" in Sindarin. Additionally, the cursed ring which harbored the inscription inspired the One Ring and the location of the excavated temple served as a reference to the Dwarves.

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Mythology and Christianity Greatly Influenced The Lord of the Rings

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Tolkien came from a Roman Catholic background and sprinkled many theological allegories throughout The Lord of the Rings. While he didn't intend for the books to be a religious work at first, he did so after revisions. These themes can be seen in the presence of good versus evil, humility triumphing over greed, themes of death and resurrection, and compassion and healing.

Additionally, Tolkien also incorporated several elements from Germanic, Finnish, Greek and Celtic mythology. For example, Gandalf was inspired by Norse Mythology, specifically Odin. Both were described as old men with white beards, wide-brimmed hats and a staff. The sword Narsil could also have roots that tie it to the enchanted sword Gram that was used to kill the dragon Fafnir. Other elements, such as the Quenya language and the Valar, took inspiration from both Finnish and Greek mythology.

Tolkien's Wife Provided the Spark for His Epic Story

Aragorn and Arwen at the coronation in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Although Tolkien created much of The Lord of the Rings' universe by himself through his various life experiences, the one who provided the initial spark for his epic world-building was none other than his wife, Edith. After being called back from his service in World War I due to a case of Trench Fever, Tolkien and Edith lived away in Yorkshire. During this time, Edith would dance for her husband, and Tolkien would be completely captivated in those moments. He wrote a love story where Edith would be an Elven princess named Lúthien, and he would be a mortal man named Beren.

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Little would he know that the romance story would serve as a precursor to his epic world-building that would come in the form of both The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, even loosely referencing the story in the form of Aragorn and Arwen's relationship. In fact, the prequel romance story was so special to him that after his wife passed away, Tolkien had their respective character names engraved on their headstones.