The works ofJ. R. R. Tolkien have served as the inspiration to painters, musicians, film-makers and writers, to such an extent that he is sometimes seen as the "father" of the entire genre ofhigh fantasy.[1]
Do not laugh! But once upon a time (my crest has long since fallen) I had a mind to makea body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic to the level of romantic fairy-story... The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd.
— J. R. R. Tolkien[2]
The earliest illustrations of Tolkien's works weredrawn by the author himself. The 1937 American edition ofThe Hobbit was illustrated by professional draughtsmen. Tolkien was very critical of this work, and in 1946 he rejected illustrations byHorus Engels for the German edition of theHobbit as "too 'Disnified' for my taste:Bilbo with a dribbling nose, andGandalf as a figure of vulgar fun rather than theOdinic wanderer that I think of".[3]
In 1948,Milein Cosman was invited by Tolkien's publishers to submit illustrations forFarmer Giles of Ham. Tolkien felt her impressionistic style did not suit the story, and she was replaced byPauline Baynes, who later also supplied the illustrations forThe Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962) andSmith of Wootton Major (1967). In 1968, Tolkien was sent part of a suite of illustrations ofThe Lord of the Rings, mostly in coloured ink, by the English artistMary Fairburn; Tolkien said of her pictures: "They ... show far more attention to the text than any that have yet been submitted to me.... I am beginning to ... think that an illustrated edition might be a good thing." For various reasons the project went no further, and Fairburn's illustrations were unknown until 2012.[4] Princess Margrethe (nowQueen Margrethe II) of Denmark, an accomplished and critically acclaimed painter, was inspired to create illustrations toThe Lord of the Rings in the early 1970s.[5] In 1977, Queen Margrethe's drawings were published in the Danish translation of the book, redrawn by the British artistEric Fraser.[6]
Tim and Greg Hildebrandt, usually calledthe Brothers Hildebrandt, were Tolkien illustrators in the 1970s, known especially for their Middle-earth calendars.[8] The British artistJimmy Cauty created a best-selling poster ofThe Lord of the Rings (1976) and TheHobbit (1980) for the retailerAthena.[9][10]
Well-known Tolkien illustrators of the 1990s and 2000s areJohn Howe,Alan Lee, andTed Nasmith — Lee for illustrated editions ofThe Hobbit andThe Lord of the Rings, Nasmith for illustrated editions ofThe Silmarillion, and Howe for the cover artwork to several Tolkien publications. Howe and Lee worked as concept artists in the creation ofPeter Jackson'sfilm trilogy. In 2004, Lee won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction on the filmThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[11]
Other artists who have found inspiration in Tolkien's works includeInger Edelfeldt who illustrated the covers of Swedish translations of several of his books,[12]Anke Eißmann,[13]Michael Hague,[14]Tove Jansson (ofMoomin fame, illustrator of Swedish and Finnish translations ofThe Hobbit),[7]Paul Raymond Gregory,[15]Tim Kirk,[16]Angus McBride who illustrated Iron Crown's Tolkien-based role-playing games,[17]Jef Murray,[18]Colleen Doran,[19]Jenny Dolfen who has made watercolour paintings of scenes fromThe Silmarillion,[20]Alexander Korotich, who made a series ofscraperboard engravings ofThe Lord of the Rings,[21] andPeter Xavier Price.[22] Works of several of these artists were exhibited in an "Images of Middle-earth" exhibition of some 170 artworks organised by Davide Martini of the Greisinger Museum of Switzerland; it toured Italy between 2003 and 2005.[23][24]
The 2005–2010Narnia film trilogy adapted from thenovel series by Tolkien's friendC. S. Lewis were produced due to the popularity ofThe Lord of the Rings.George R. R. Martin acknowledged that Tolkien influenced his 2011–2019Game of Thrones TV series andnovels about medieval fantasy, while speaking about a movie about Tolkien's life.[25][26]
An early draft forGeorge Lucas's 1977Star Wars film is said to have included an exchange of dialogue betweenObi-Wan Kenobi andLuke Skywalker taken directly from the conversation between Gandalf and Bilbo in Chapter 1 ofThe Hobbit, where Bilbo/Kenobi says "Good morning!" and Gandalf/Luke replies asking whether he means he's having a good morning, or is wishing him one, or that all mornings are good. Bilbo/Kenobi answers "All of them at once".[27][28][29] The plagiarised dialogue was dropped, but Lucas modelled the monk-like Kenobi on Gandalf; the film author Chris Taylor identifies several further elements ofStar Wars that in his view could have been modelled on Middle-earth.[27]
| Element | Star Wars 1977 | The Lord of the Rings 1954–55 |
|---|---|---|
| Wise old man | Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrifices himself fighting Darth Vader, then guidesLuke throughthe Force | Gandalf dies saving Fellowship from theBalrog, then guides Frodo telepathically |
| Innocent protagonists | R2-D2 andC-3PO, carrying stolen data tapes, supported by the team | Frodo andSam, carrying theOne Ring, supported by theFellowship |
| "Hellish war machine" | Death Star | Mordor |
| Enemy troops | Stormtroopers | Orcs |
| Evil wizard | Grand Moff Tarkin | Saruman |
| Dark Lord | Darth Vader | Sauron |
While working on aStar Wars animated series,Dave Filoni noted that Peter Jackson visited him and his mentor George Lucas to discuss Tolkien's works and to ask for advice. According to theStar Wars website, Darth Vader is compared by Filoni to the Balrog rather than Sauron, and thePrancing Pony bar may have inspired theMos Eisley cantina, the introduction of Han Solo suggestively matching that of Strider (Aragorn). As for the prequel trilogy, it notes that Saruman influenced Count Dooku, and volcanic Mordor, whether Tolkien's or Jackson's, influenced the volcanic planet Mustafar.[29][30]
As early as 1984, Diana Paxson argued inMythlore that Tolkien had founded a new literary tradition.[32] Since then, many authors have found inspiration in Tolkien's work. Following the success ofThe Hobbit andThe Lord of the Rings in the 1960s, publishers were quick to try to meet a new demand for literate fantasy in the American marketplace.[31]
Ursula Le Guin'sEarthsea series, beginning withA Wizard of Earthsea in 1968, was one of the first fantasy series influenced by Tolkien.[33][34][a] Among the Tolkienian archetypes in the Earthsea books are wizards (including the protagonist,Ged), a disinherited prince (Arren inThe Farthest Shore), a magical ring (the ring of Erreth-Akbe inThe Tombs of Atuan), aMiddle-earth style quest (inThe Farthest Shore), and powerful dragons (like the dragon of Pendor, inA Wizard of Earthsea).[32]
Patricia A. McKillip'sThe Forgotten Beasts of Eld andJane Yolen'sThe Magic Three of Solatia were Tolkien-inspired fantasies for young adults written in the mid-1970s.[36] Ballantine, under the direction of editorLin Carter, published public domain and relatively obscure works under the banner of theBallantine Adult Fantasy series, aimed at adult readers who enjoyed Tolkien's works.[31]Lester del Rey, however, sought for new books that would mirror Tolkien's work, and publishedTerry Brooks'The Sword of Shannara,David Eddings'sBelgariad, andStephen R. Donaldson'sThe Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever.[31]Guy Gavriel Kay, who had assistedChristopher Tolkien with the editing ofThe Silmarillion, later wrote his own Tolkien-influenced fantasy trilogy,The Fionavar Tapestry, complete with dwarfs and mages.[31]Dennis L. McKiernan's Silver Call duology was intended to be a direct sequel toThe Lord of the Rings but had to be altered. TheIron Tower trilogy, highly influenced by Tolkien's books, was then written as backstory.[37] Fantasy series such asTerry Pratchett'sDiscworld andOrson Scott Card'sThe Tales of Alvin Maker were "undoubtedly" influenced by Tolkien.[38]
Due to a loophole in Russian copyright law, Russian writers were able to publish fantasy novels set in Tolkien's Arda.Nick Perumov'sThe Ring of Darkness (RussianКольцо Тьмы) takes place after the events ofThe Lord of the Rings.[39]
From 1980, the term "fantasy" became synonymous with the general aspects of Tolkien's work: multiple races including dwarves and elves, a quest to destroy a magical artifact, and an evil that seeks to control the world. The plot ofPat Murphy's 1999There and Back Again intentionally mirrors that ofThe Hobbit, but is transposed into a science-fiction setting involving space travel.J. K. Rowling'sHarry Potter series has been seen as having been influenced by Tolkien's work; in particular, the wizardDumbledore has been described as partially inspired by Tolkien's Gandalf.[40] S.M. Stirling's"Emberverse" series, published starting in 2004, includes a character obsessed withThe Lord of the Rings who creates a post-apocalyptic community based upon the Elves and Dúnedain of Middle-earth. The same plot point was used by the Russian writer Vladimir Berezin in his novelRoad Signs (from theUniverse of Metro 2033).Stephen King, best known as a horror writer, has acknowledged Tolkien's influence on his novelThe Stand as well as his fantasy seriesThe Dark Tower. Other prominent fantasy writers includingGeorge R. R. Martin,Michael Swanwick,Raymond E. Feist,Poul Anderson,Karen Haber,Harry Turtledove,Charles De Lint, andOrson Scott Card have acknowledged Tolkien's work as an inspiration.[31]
The cartoonistJeff Smith was influenced by Tolkien, and the mythologies that inspired his works. He has characterized his epic 1,300-page graphic novelBone as "Bugs Bunny meetsThe Lord of the Rings. It's a really long fairy tale with some fantasy elements but a lot of comedy."[41]
The first commercially published parody of Tolkien's work was the 1969Bored of the Rings, byThe Harvard Lampoon.[42] TheBBC produced a parody radio serial,Hordes of the Things, in 1980.[43]The Last Ringbearer is a 1999 fantasy novel by the palaeontologistKirill Eskov in the form of aparallel novel showing the war from the perspective of the people ofSauron's land ofMordor, under the notion that the original is a "history written by the victors".[44][45]
The American comedian and TV show hostStephen Colbert incorporated Tolkien material in his commentary and sketches on bothThe Colbert Report[46] andThe Late Show.[47] A film spin-off parody,Darrylgorn, featured Jackson and film trilogy actors includingElijah Wood, inspired by Colbert's cameo inThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.[48]
Threeradio plays based onThe Lord of the Rings have been made, broadcast in 1955–1956, 1979 and 1981 respectively.[49][50] The first and last ones were produced by theBBC. Tolkien heavily criticised the 1955-56 production.[49]
Numerous songs and other musical works, in a wide range of idioms, have been inspired by Tolkien's fiction.
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Jack Bruce wrote a song called "To Isengard" on his first solo album "Songs for a Tailor" (1969).[51]
Progressive rock acts which have composed songs based on Tolkien's characters and stories includeRush ("Rivendell"),[52]Camel ("Nimrodel", "The White Rider"),[53]Mostly Autumn (Music Inspired by The Lord of the Rings CD, 2001),[54]Glass Hammer (The Middle-Earth Album, 2001),[55]Bo Hansson (Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings, 1970),[56]and the indie rock bandGatsbys American Dream.[57]
The hard rock and classic metal bandLed Zeppelin wrote several songs inspired by Tolkien's works including "The Battle of Evermore", "Misty Mountain Hop", "Ramble On", and "Over the Hills and Far Away" (with debate about some parts of "Stairway to Heaven").[58][59][60][61]Tom Rapp set most of The Verse of theOne Ring ("Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky...") to music as "Ring Thing" inPearls Before Swine's second album,Balaklava (1968).[62]Bob Catley, lead singer of the Britishprog rock bandMagnum, released a solo album titledMiddle Earth. Punk quartetThrice released a song called "The Long Defeat" about Tolkien's philosophies. The East Texas-based rock band Hobbit has produced multiple albums inspired by Tolkien's work.[63]
Among theheavy metal artists influenced by Tolkien areBlind Guardian, who composed numerous songs relating to Middle-earth, including the whole of the concept albumNightfall in Middle Earth, based onThe Silmarillion.[58][64] The album was "adored" by fans of Tolkien and metal, but despised as escapist by grunge fans.[60]
Manyblack metal bands, at least 85 specifically, out of 151 "metal bands" in a 2015 search, have made use of Middle-earth themes in their lyrics, artwork, and band names.[65] One such isBlack Breath, named for the terror-inducingBlack Breath of theNazgûl.[66]
The symphonic black metal bandSummoning states that most of its songs are based on Middle-Earth, with focus on the orcs and dark forces.[67]Battlelore's lyrics are aboutMiddle-earth characters and events inThe Lord of the Rings andThe Silmarillion, as well as medieval literature and theKalevala,[68] as is their pseudo-medieval stage show, in which each member is dressed as "ferocious warriors", "dirty thieves" or "beautiful female elves".[69]The Italian group Ainur (named forTolkien's Ainur) released Middle-earth themed albums namedChildren of Hurin (2007) andLay of Leithian (2009).[60]
Bands and musicians who have used Tolkien's legendarium for their stage names include the progressive rock bandMarillion (fromThe Silmarillion).[70]Gorgoroth take their name from an area ofMordor,Burzum take their name from theBlack Speech of Mordor,[65][71]Cirith Ungol take their name from the pass on the western path of Mordor, the dwelling of the spiderShelob[72] andAmon Amarth take their name after an alternative name forMount Doom.[73] Lead singer ofDimmu Borgir,Shagrath, takes his stage name fromThe Lord of the Rings, after anorc captain.[74]
Australian jazz musician and composer,John Sangster, made six albums of musical responses to Tolkien's work. He recordedThe Hobbit Suite (1973, Swaggie Records – S1340), andDouble Vibe: Hobbit (1977); the first of these, with a selection from the second, was released on CD in 2002 (Swaggie CD 404). The later four double albums,The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Interpretation, v. 1, 2 and 3 (1975–77), andLandscapes of Middle-earth (1978), have been re-released on CD, 2002-06: Move Records MD 3251, 3252, 3253, and 3254.[75]
Sally Oldfield's first solo album,Water Bearer (1978) was inspired by Tolkien's works, particularly "Songs of the Quendi", which quote from his poems.[76]
The folk group The Hobbitons, part of the Dutch chapter of the Tolkien Society, released a CD in 1996 with 16 tracks of settings ofTolkien's poems.[77]
The Irish singerEnya contributed a song "May it Be" forThe Fellowship of the Ring (2001)movie soundtrack. It was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song. She released a song entitled "Lothlórien", on her 1991 albumShepherd Moons.
In 2001, bluegrass andanti-folk artistChris Thile released an instrumental album titledNot All Who Wander Are Lost, referencing Gandalf's words to Bilbo and Bilbo's poem about Aragorn. One of the songs on the album is "Riddles in the Dark", sharing the title of one of the chapters inThe Hobbit.[78]The Celtic foursome Broceliande's albumThe Starlit Jewel sets to music selected songs by Tolkien.[79][77]Otherfolk rock andnew age musicians inspired by Tolkien includeZa Frûmi (singing inOrkish),Nickel Creek,David Arkenstone andLyriel, among others. The SpanishNeoclassical Dark Wave bandNarsilion [es] derived its name from Tolkien's song "Narsilion" about the creation of the Sun and Moon.[80]
Donald Swann set music in the British art-song tradition to a collection of seven of Tolkien's lyrics and poems, published asThe Road Goes Ever On. The work was approved by Tolkien himself, who collaborated on the published book, to which he provided notes and commentary.[81] The songs were recorded by William Elvin (bass-baritone) with Swann on piano, and released in 1967 on an LP by Caedmon Records.[82]
The Norwegian classical composerMartin Romberg has written three full-scale symphonic poems, Quendi (2008), Telperion et Laurelin (2014), and Fëanor (2017), inspired by passages from theSilmarillion. The works were premiered inSouthern France.[83][84][85] Romberg has also set Tolkien's Elven language poems to music in his work "Eldarinwë Liri" for girls' choir. The work premiered in 2010 with the Norwegian Girls Choir andTrio Mediæval at the Vestfold International Festival.[86]
Johan de Meij'sSymphony No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings", for concert band, is in five movements, each illustrating a personage or an important episode from the novel: Gandalf, Lothlorien, Gollum, Journey in the Dark (The Mines of Moria /The Bridge of Khazad-Dum), and Hobbits. The symphony was written between March 1984 and December 1987, and was premièred in Brussels on 15 March 1988. It has been recorded four times, including in an orchestral version, orchestrated byHenk de Vlieger. It wonSudler Composition Award in 1989.[87]
Jacqueline Clarke's settingTinuviel (1983), for countertenor solo, SATB choir, and piano accompaniment has been published in score.[88]
Leonard Rosenman composed music for theRalph Bakshi animated movie, whileHoward Shore composed themusic ofThe Lord of the Rings film series.[89]
Paul Corfield Godfrey has written a large number of works based on Tolkien, the most significant of which is the four-evening cycle onThe Silmarillion but also including three operas based onThe Lord of the Rings:Tom Bombadil (one act),The Black Gate is closed (three acts) andThe Grey Havens. as well as several sets of songs. His third symphony,Ainulindalë, is based on the opening chapter ofThe Silmarillion, and there is a half-hour setting ofThe Lay of Eärendil based on Bilbo's song at Rivendell.[90][91]
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TheTolkien Ensemble published four CDs from 1997 to 2005 with the aim to create "the world's first complete musical interpretation of the poems and songs fromThe Lord of the Rings". The project was given approval by both theTolkien Estate andHarperCollins Publishers. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark gave permission to use her illustrations in the CD layout.[92][93][94]
Aulis Sallinen, one of the leadingclassical music composers ofFinland, composed hisSeventh Symphony named "The Dreams of Gandalf" in 1996, from music initially meant to accompany a ballet.[95]
The Australian musician, Patrick Flegg, late husband of Tolkien illustratorMary Fairburn, composed a piano suite,Anduin: The Mighty River, recorded by Wendy Rowlands (2001).[96]
The Canadian composer Glenn Buhr has written a three-movement tone poemBeren and Lúthien which he has recorded with theWinnipeg Symphony Orchestra as part of his CDWinter Poems.[97]
Many model-based games, trading card games, board games andvideo games are set in Middle-earth, most depicting scenes and characters fromThe Lord of the Rings. In a broader sense, many fantasyrole-playing games such asDungeons & Dragons (D&D) andDragonQuest feature Tolkienesque creatures and were influenced by Tolkien's works.The Legend of Zelda was inspired byThe Lord of the Rings books,[98][99][100] as were otherdungeon crawler andaction-adventure games. The books themselves have been reproduced in video game form repeatedly, though without necessarily reflecting the power of Tolkien's storytelling.[101]
Earlyminiature wargames includeThe Ringbearer (1975).Games Workshop have madeThe Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game (2001), which, while part of the film trilogy's merchandise, combines elements from both the books and films.[102]
Early board games includedBattle of Five Armies (1975) and the series ofMiddle Earth Games fromSimulations Publications, Inc. in1977, containing the gamesWar of the Ring (strategic, covering all three books),Gondor (tactical, covering the siege of Minas Tirith) andSauron (covering the decisive battle of the Second Age). More recent games include a game simply entitledLord of the Rings (2000) andWar of the Ring (2004, strategic, covering all three books).[102]
Among role-playing and card games based on Middle-earth,Iron Crown Enterprises madeMiddle-earth Role Playing game (1982–1999) andMiddle-earth Collectible Card Game (1995–1999).Decipher, Inc. createdThe Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game (2001)[103] andThe Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game (2002), both based on the Jackson films.[102]The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (2011) is made byFantasy Flight Games under their "Living Card Game" line.[102]Adventures in Middle-earth (2016) is a D&D-compatible role-playing game released byCubicle 7.[104]
The first piece of Middle-earthfan fiction was published in 1959.[105]Fanzines started to be produced soon after Tolkien fans formed "The Fellowship of the Ring" on 4 September 1960 at the Pittsburgh Worldcon. That group's magazine wasI Palantir, edited by Ted Johnstone. Its British members had their ownfanzine,Nazgul's Bane.[106] Ed Meskys published his science fiction fanzineNiekas from 1962, including at least one piece on Tolkien per issue.[107] By 1964, there were dozens of Tolkien fanzines across the US, and several in England.[106]In 1969,Glen GoodKnight foundedMythlore as the fanzine of hisMythopoeic Society.Always serious, it transformed into apeer-reviewed journal in 1999.[108] The Winter 1976 issue ofEvermist was a special Tolkien edition, in a fanzine not otherwise dedicated to his work.[109][110]
Broadening Internet access and a surge of interest driven by the Jackson films resulted in the production of a large amount ofTolkien fan fiction and Tolkien artwork in online communities, beginning in the early 2000s.[111] Tolkien-inspired fan works include thefan filmsThe Hunt for Gollum andBorn of Hope, the novelThe Last Ringbearer, and over 80,000 others listed in 2022.[112] In 2004, sites for Tolkien-derived works were estimated to be 10% of all fan fiction websites, and, in 2019, Tolkien fan fiction was one of the most popular categories for works based on books on both Archive of Our Own andFanFiction.net.[113]
The study of Middle-earth fan works has been largely neglected by Tolkien scholars[114] andfan studies scholars alike.[113] Many studies have been qualitative, focusing on a few selected fan works.[111]
2014 Jenny Dolfen,Eärendil the Mariner
The exhibition presents individual illustrations for "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien, created by artist Alexander Korotich from the second half of the 1980s until mid-1997, when the folder with most of the sheets was lost, as well as a number of illustrations for the bookJ. R. R. Tolkien. Fairy tales by the publishing house "Ural market", released in 1993.
His one-man Black Metal band was called Burzum, this being the Black Speech word for "darkness", taken from the inscription on the Ring: ...agh burzum-ishi krimpatul, "and in the darkness bind them".
Symphony No. 7, subtitled "The Dreams of Gandalf", arose out of music intended for a ballet based on The Lord of the Rings. Perhaps because the music was intended for the dance, it's the most energetic and impulsive piece on the disc, full of captivating tunes cloaked in absolutely magical orchestration (Sallinen is particularly adept in his use of tuned percussion). It would be a hit at any concert and at 25 minutes it's not a moment too long.
[The two program designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka were responsible for the game, who set themselves the goal of developing a fairytale adventure game with action elements... ...Takashi Tezuka, a great lover of fantasy novels such as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, wrote the script for the first two games in the Zelda series].
All ideas for The legend of Zelda were mine and Takashi Tezukas... ...Books, movies and our own lives.
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