J.R.R. Tolkien shaped the modern fantasy genre with his unparalleled world-building and linguistic mastery. He spent decades crafting the history of Middle-earth before the world ever heard of a hobbit. Furthermore, his academic work on ancient epic poetry changed the way scholars study literature today. Consequently, his legacy extends far beyond the books to influence movies, games, and music globally. Explore these fascinating details about the Professor.
J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien began writing The Hobbit on a blank page of an exam paper. He acted on impulse while grading. He scribbled the famous line: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
The Beatles wanted to star in a Lord of the Rings movie. However, Tolkien firmly refused to sell them the rights. He simply disliked their music and the idea of a pop band adaptation.
He originally invented the Elvish languages before he created the stories. Therefore, he wrote the trilogy primarily to provide a background for his linguistic experiments.
A baboon spider bit him when he was a toddler in South Africa. He claimed he did not fear spiders later. Yet, this event likely inspired the giant spiders in his books.
He and his wife Edith have the names “Beren” and “Lúthien” on their gravestones. Sweetly, he viewed their romance as a real-life version of the tale.
J. R. R. Tolkien served as a signal officer in World War I. Fortuitously, he contracted “trench fever” and went home early. This illness saved him from the death that claimed most of his friends.
He famously hated the “infernal combustion engine.” instead, he preferred to ride a bicycle. He often complained about the noise and pollution of modern machinery.
He was known for playing practical jokes on his neighbors. Occasionally, he dressed up as an axe-wielding Anglo-Saxon warrior. Then, he chased people down the street for a laugh.
The author publicly rebuked the Nazis when they asked for proof of “Aryan” descent. Courageously, he wrote a letter stating he had no ancestors among the “gifted” Jewish people.
He typed the massive Lord of the Rings manuscript twice with two fingers. He could not afford a professional typist. Thus, he performed this exhausting labor entirely by himself in his attic.
His friend C.S. Lewis nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Unfortunately, the jury rejected the nomination in 1961. They felt his storytelling was not of the highest quality.
He trained as a codebreaker for the government during World War II. He never served at Bletchley Park. However, the military flagged him as a top candidate to decipher Nazi codes.
“Bag End” was the real name of his aunt’s farm in Worcestershire. He used his memories of the English countryside to create the Shire.
J. R. R. Tolkien revolutionized the study of Beowulf with a single lecture. Previously, scholars viewed the poem only as history. Tolkien convinced the world to appreciate it as art.
Finally, he often paid for small items in shops using his false teeth. Hilariously, he would pull them out. Then, he offered them to confused shopkeepers along with his coins.
