How have you been affected by Tolkien and his literary works?

[Ellessor]

I'm curious how exposure to Tolkien's works has influenced each person.

Our unique makeup as people naturally lends us to each having a different experience, and I'm quite sure someone will say something I didn't expect. 😁

I would love for you to share a couple examples of Tolkien's effect on you. A few categories to get you started, in no way comprehensive:
- Personal character, values or philosophy (like hope against all odds, the importance of friendship, bit of a Luddite?)
- Vocation (writer is an obvious one here, but let's not rule out the growing of pipe weed as an outlier here)
- Interests (like linguistics, mythology, or even more physical interests like archery or hiking volcanic mountains 🤪)

My own response:
In my younger life, although I was already a nature person, Tolkien gave me a deeper love for nature, especially trees. I had a very close relationship with my climbing tree that really got me through some grief-laden circumstances in my childhood. And even as an adult, my relationship with the land around me has pulled me through depression and heartache like nothing else. Nature is of course a great healer, but I notice that my approach to it is deeper and more.. hmm... anthropomorphic, perhaps, compared to other people I know.

I also learned to value physical grit in pursuit of what is good. The legendary run of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, and Sam and Frodo's journey made me do a lot of hard things as a younger person that I might not have done otherwise.

Lest I go on and make this post wearisome, I'll turn the floor over to y'all.

 

[Server Room Gremlin]

I think his stories stirred my imagination (I have read the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion). Not necessarily in terms of inspiration: what I saw as I read the stories helped grow and exercise my natural inclination for vivid imagination, which I could then put to work in other areas of my life. Sort of like muscles. Exercise them by doing one thing, and you find yourself more capable of doing anything which requires strength.

 

[Olorgando]

I was 28 when I first read LotR, back in 1985. I'd read the German translation two years before, but the original was far more fascinating.
But LotR, and my growing library of things Tolkien, remains an anomaly in my reading, which is hugely non-fiction.
What has grown over the decades since, besides my Tolkien-related library (over 90 books if I count duplicates) is my appreciation of LotR's applicability. Funny - or not so funny - thing is, I seem to mainly find Orcs, Trolls, Sarumans, Gríma Wormtongues and Lotho "Pimple" Sackville-Bagginses; probably some Gollums, too, the odd Denethor, Castamir ...

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

*looks at her history of RPs and fanfictions and the chaotic thread*
Um...no.

 

[Ellessor]

But LotR, and my growing library of things Tolkien, remains an anomaly in my reading, which is hugely non-fiction

I'm a majority non-fiction reader as well. Not to totally derail, but I'd be interested to know a few favorite titles of yours.

 

[Ent]

Interesting thread.
To skim the surface... (keep in mind I'm a Tolkien infant compared to most all of you...)

1. Reading Tolkien first taught me my sister was right about some things, especially his works being 'worth the read.' (Typical brother, was I...!)
2. When I finally got around to reading them (1972 while in the Navy) I learned:

a. There really were stories able to 'take you into another world' and experience it as if it were real. I'd read a lot, but never anything like this.​

b. There were some things really worth 'sacrificing' for... I read the entire TH and LoTR in 5 nights, nearly without sleep, while I was supposed to be studying how our nuclear reactors worked on our submarines in the U.S. at the time.​

c. Followed closely by: What real 'sacrifice' might look like, as opposed to the mundane things people often say are 'sacrifices,' such as # 2b above.​

d. The value of patience, as it took me 5 decades to get back to being able to reach out for 'the deeper things of Tolkien' though I always wanted to.​

3. The value of detail and precision in all we do. Just as I was struck by # 2a above, I was struck by some of the things making it what it was.
4. There really was a purpose for my attention to words and their use, as I'd been prone to all through school. (I was the kid taking the dictionary with me on the bus to the basketball games, for some 'extra reading' along the way.. In the Navy, shortly after "High School," I was spotted and singled out for certain tasks because of my "excellent" language skills. (Though in fact, in those days they were deplorable skills, but this is another matter.) )
5. The value of commitment to doing what one says one will do in spite of circumstances and odds.

6. Now, these 5 decades later, having returned to and learned a little more about Tolkien himself and his works, and his own incredible commitment throughout his life to his single (though wide-ranging) passion, while being able to be fluid within it as he needed to be to satisfy publishers and public alike, I can evaluate better my own commitments through the years - largely in light of the need and value of them, though I sometimes felt I 'sacrificed' Tolkien (and other things) to do what was done. In a word, were it not for those years my appreciation of Tolkien would not be as complete as it is able now to be.

7. Finally, though I often still have the fluttering feeling I will never get to writing my own books, a return to thoughts about Tolkien reminds me there is no end to the desire. There may be an end to the life in advance of the completion of the desire...but the desire is the important thing. The rest is but fluff on the skin of the animal called life.

 

[Aldarion]

Decided to start working on a fantasy world of my own.

But LotR, and my growing library of things Tolkien, remains an anomaly in my reading, which is hugely non-fiction.

I'm a majority non-fiction reader as well. Not to totally derail, but I'd be interested to know a few favorite titles of yours.

Same here. I read mostly history, though I did recently develop an interest in Irish mythology.

 

[Ellessor]

Ahhh, thank you for sharing ENT. I enjoyed learning more about your personal history with Tolkien's work.

were it not for those years my appreciation of Tolkien would not be as complete as it is able now to be.

Going through life, perhaps especially that which is difficult or mundane, gives us a deeper (sometimes new!) appreciation of what we enjoy. My husband and I often say to one another, 'perhaps it isn't time yet for this [music, film, book]'

PS: thanks for giving me a complex about using the word 'that' 🤣

 

[Olorgando]

I'm a majority non-fiction reader as well. Not to totally derail, but I'd be interested to know a few favorite titles of yours.

Phew! I once actually counted all the books we have in our 7 bookshelves (plus some in cupboards) and arrived at roughly. 1,500 volumes. And my reading is very wide-spread, covering the natural and social sciences as well as humanities.
Astronomy, archaeology, paleontology, biology / evolution, sociology, economics, politics, history, (auto-) biographies, theology, mythology ...

 

[Aldarion]

Phew! I once actually counted all the books we have in our 7 bookshelves (plus some in cupboards) and arrived at roughly. 1,500 volumes. And my reading is very wide-spread, covering the natural and social sciences as well as humanities.
Astronomy, archaeology, paleontology, biology / evolution, sociology, economics, politics, history, (auto-) biographies, theology, mythology ...

I used to be like that, then concluded I didn't have time.

 

[Olorgando]

I used to be like that, then concluded I didn't have time.

That made me grin ... 😉
At your age, back in 1987, I was still heavily into sports, four evenings a week.
That dropped to once a week in 1996, when I decided to call it quits with competitive table tennis - at 40.
My buying of books really accelerated in the 2000's, as there were quite a few (to me) landmark books that appeared at the time. And my wife started to take the "easy way out" for Christmas and birthday presents - two or more books each time. And when I found an author I liked, I started hunting for earlier books by the same author - and continued buying new ones published later. And checked the "Works consulted" section at the end of books, especially for other authors quoted repeatedly, which sometimes led to other authors I liked.
Odd as it may seem, I got on the trail of Douglas Adams because Richard Dawkins mentioned him in several books ...

 

[Aldarion]

That made me grin ... 😉
At your age, back in 1987, I was still heavily into sports, four evenings a week.
That dropped to once a week in 1996, when I decided to call it quits with competitive table tennis - at 40.
My buying of books really accelerated in the 2000's, as there were quite a few (to me) landmark books that appeared at the time. And my wife started to take the "easy way out" for Christmas and birthday presents - two or more books each time. And when I found an author I liked, I started hunting for earlier books by the same author - and continued buying new ones published later. And checked the "Works consulted" section at the end of books, especially for other authors quoted repeatedly, which sometimes led to other authors I liked.
Odd as it may seem, I got on the trail of Douglas Adams because Richard Dawkins mentioned him in several books ...

I think my issue is that I go too much in depth. Back when I was still interested in astronomy, my favorite reading - a book I still occasionally read - was "Brief History of Universe" by Gerhard Staguhn. You may know it as "Die Rätsel des Universums". I was ten when I read it first, and I still remember a lot of stuff from it without even having to look it up. Which speaks to how much time I've spent reading it, considering that I normally can't remember my own birthday!

 

[Olorgando]

You may know it as "Die Rätsel des Universums". I was ten when I read it first, ...

Gerhard Staguhn - been writing books since 1990, including books for young people, and some for children (German Wikipedia).
No, don't know the name.
I have four books from the "Life Nature Library" series, The Birds, The Mountains, The Poles, and The Sea, all from 1963, which would have been my first science reading (then still in India). The last one has a handwritten note from March 1965 in it.
I'm sure I was fascinated by them at the time (I was 9 in 1965), but I've done so much reading on each topic in the almost six decades since then that I'd need to re-read them (something I've probably also not done for decades) to give a "book report".

 

[Deimos]

Phew! I once actually counted all the books we have in our 7 bookshelves (plus some in cupboards) and arrived at roughly. 1,500 volumes. And my reading is very wide-spread, covering the natural and social sciences as well as humanities.
Astronomy, archaeology, paleontology, biology / evolution, sociology, economics, politics, history, (auto-) biographies, theology, mythology ...

aaaaannnnd ending with... (what else?)...Zoology 😄

 

[Ent]

PS: thanks for giving me a complex about using the word 'that' 🤣

You're very welcome.
Obviously, it sits as the highest target on my list of worthless words, followed closely by "which" (often used as a replacement for 'that' and equally useless), the passive 'and,' then the "meaningless 'do'"... a subject spoken to early on in the "Writing Projects" thread I believe, but left aside for 'another day'. It's a bit more difficult to get a good hold on.

I could wish all acquired a complex about 'that'... but many 'accomplished and successful authors' (including Tolkien himself) were/are frequent or even rampant users of the offensive cur. It's difficult to make headway when 'leaders and talking heads' seem unable to grasp and break the habit.

Simple attention to 'filler words' by nature makes writing a bit more lively. (i.e. 'active and powerful'.)

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

*looks at her history of RPs and fanfictions and the chaotic thread*
Um...no.

As Tyelkobaldo's partner in crime, also guilty. 😂

(Also guilty of accumulating a giant Pinterest hoard with over 1,000 pictures of pretty Elves.)

 

[Halasían]

How have you been affected by Tolkien and his literary works?​

I'm curious how exposure to Tolkien's works has influenced each person.

Our unique makeup as people naturally lends us to each having a different experience, and I'm quite sure someone will say something I didn't expect. 😁

I would love for you to share a couple examples of Tolkien's effect on you. A few categories to get you started, in no way comprehensive:
- Personal character, values or philosophy (like hope against all odds, the importance of friendship, bit of a Luddite?)
- Vocation (writer is an obvious one here, but let's not rule out the growing of pipe weed as an outlier here)
- Interests (like linguistics, mythology, or even more physical interests like archery or hiking volcanic mountains 🤪)

I was in high school when I read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and the immediate effect was it opened up a whole new clique of people to me. Discovering the secret society of Middle Earth geekdom led me to get closer to a girl I knew from 7th grade, and we'd practice writing Tengwar messages and even cut a class to imprint 'friends' into a wet cement curb that was laid. So it got me into learning the language in the appendices and into all things about this Middle Earth. Then the Silmarillion, stories and fanfics began. I didn't get far with that as 'adult' life happened with getting my first fulltime job and finding out my girlfriend (not the girl I mentioned from high school) was pregnant that same week.

It wouldn't be until the mid 80's when I got back into Middle Earth with a deep Middle Earth-based D&D game (TSR 2nd Edition) and my getting Unfinished Tales (paperback from the rack by a supermarket check-out aisle) . The stories were intermittent and I gathered a few notebooks full of writings in Tengwar, self-insert tales within the summaries in the appendices, and several re-readings of the books.

The biggest effect Tolkien had on my life was from 1999. The rumor of movies came to my ears and I crawled all over the internet like Gollum looking for information. That had me register to a dozen sites that cropped up around the turn of the century (including this one). On one of those sites (TORc), I started writing collaborative roleplay in a forum, and in one group story, I met a co-writer who was a cool lady who went by the name of Elora. The stories we wrote and the years that passed drew us together despite we being a half a world apart from each other, and I realized she was the love of my life. We have known each other now for 22 years and we have been married 15½ years. It is safe to say that had it not been for J. R. R. Tolkien and his tales of Middle Earth, my life would have been totally different.

 

[Ugluk]

For me, it's the inspiration to keep going, no matter how hard and dark things are, that, that when the the great fall, lesser ones must take up the task, and that great deeds may not be wholly vain. Tolkien's strong sense of Providence I have always found and encouraging thought. Returning to day to day life after reading Tolkien I am reminded it contains brighter colours, deeper shadows and is pregnant with meaning.

 

[Muskrat]

according to the Meyers-Briggs typology, my personality is very similar to JRRT

I have adopted many examples and quotes as models. I defend criminal for a living. My motto is in Gandalf’s words to Frodo about Gollum. Like almost all the characters, I hate to force my advice on people, even clients, for fear of invading their freedom. I have started a campaign of telling those around me, even strangers, that they have done something good. I hire assistants bases on mt feel for their good character, not their resumes. You can teach almost anyone to be a good lawyer, but not a good person. Tolkien’s heroes make great role models and I have attempted to follow in their footsteps.

 

[WatcherWraith]

I'm curious how exposure to Tolkien's works has influenced each person.

Our unique makeup as people naturally lends us to each having a different experience, and I'm quite sure someone will say something I didn't expect. 😁

I would love for you to share a couple examples of Tolkien's effect on you. A few categories to get you started, in no way comprehensive:
- Personal character, values or philosophy (like hope against all odds, the importance of friendship, bit of a Luddite?)
- Vocation (writer is an obvious one here, but let's not rule out the growing of pipe weed as an outlier here)
- Interests (like linguistics, mythology, or even more physical interests like archery or hiking volcanic mountains 🤪)

My own response:
In my younger life, although I was already a nature person, Tolkien gave me a deeper love for nature, especially trees. I had a very close relationship with my climbing tree that really got me through some grief-laden circumstances in my childhood. And even as an adult, my relationship with the land around me has pulled me through depression and heartache like nothing else. Nature is of course a great healer, but I notice that my approach to it is deeper and more.. hmm... anthropomorphic, perhaps, compared to other people I know.

I also learned to value physical grit in pursuit of what is good. The legendary run of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, and Sam and Frodo's journey made me do a lot of hard things as a younger person that I might not have done otherwise.

Lest I go on and make this post wearisome, I'll turn the floor over to y'all.

I was introduced to Middle Earth when I was very young. I honestly don't actually remember a time before it. My parents read my sister and me the books as bedtime stories and when we were around seven or eight(I think), we saw the movies for the first time.

Tolkien's stories have left many, many marks upon me, and I will illuminate a few: his works have taught me how to show respect, loyalty and affection to those I honor. My concept of honor itself is highly influenced by the men of Rohan and Gondor, as well as the Edain of Beleriand. My ideals concerning beauty in a landscape, concerning what power looks like on the good side and what is impressive to me has also been influenced by Tolkien's world, in that I find high cities(Minas Tirith being the best example), great mountains such as Erebor and armies like those assembled across the ages of Arda, from those of the Noldor to the riding of the Rohirrim, to be a marvellous sight. The horns of Rohan in particular evoke emotions of awe and glad ferocity in me.

Nobility, such as is seen in Aragorn, Theoden, Eomer, Elrond, Galadriel, Gimli and rulers such as they is such which I would willingly kneel before. The idea of a king to me is of a person with great mental, emotional and spiritual strength, someone capable of taking on the task that ruling such great nations of people must be. Aragorn, Gil-galad, Theoden, Faramir, Boromir, Eomer and Gimli all defined these for me. Boromir may be something of a surprise, but his role as Captain of a war-torn Gondor and his love of his people was truly something special, and he was a powerful and intelligent leader.

To this day I have felt that of all worlds I have ever heard of or seen depicted, that of Arda is where my heart truly lies. If I could go live there, anywhere(that wasn't literal Mordor, Dol Guldur or Thangorodrim), I would. I think about it daily. Almost I find myself thinking, "one day". It's both a very painful, yearning state and a lonely one. Yet I would neither change it nor leave it.