The Life of JRR Tolkien

JRR Tolkien (1892 – 1973) is famous for writing “The Hobbit” “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Silmarillion.” Other published completed stories include “Roverandom,” “Farmer Giles of Ham,” “Smith of Wootton Major,” and “Leaf by Niggle.” In this video, we go over his life, with a focus on factors that motivated/inspired his writing. The Middle Earth universe, created by JRR Tolkien, has inspired many other stories and franchises, including (but not limited to) Warcraft, Elder Scrolls (all games), Dungeons & Dragons, Raid Shadow Legends, Babylon 5, and pretty much anything where you see elves, dwarves, humans, and orcs sharing a world.Show more

This video is on the long side because JRR Tolkien is my (Ivor Kovac) favorite author. I could actually talk about him much longer than I did, but in the interests of time I refrained. I discovered Tolkien when I was 13 and he has remained at the top of my list since then. Some of my own stories were inspired by his work. In doing this research, and over the course of years, I have found some of his sources of inspiration. These include, but are not limited to:

The Kalevala
Sigurd and Fafnir
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Voyage of Saint Brendan
Prose Edda
Elder Edda

Sources:
“JRR Tolkien A Biography” by Humphrey Carpenter
“The Letters of JRR Tolkien” edited by Humphrey Carpenter & Christopher Tolkien

Additional Information:
Examples of Barrows in England: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2017/11/seven-must-see-long-barrows-in-england/100889

The Quenya Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR7pg3ucnpc

Connla and the Fairy Maiden: https://www.luminarium.org/mythology/ireland/fairymaiden.htm