History Creator / JRRTolkien

* TheLostWoods: Mirkwood and the Old Forest especially, but also Taur-nu-Fuin and to some extent Fangorn as well. Though he loved trees, Tolkien knew the mythic trope of the pathless, ominous forest.

Tolkien's languages and Middle Earth Legendarium were all written primarily for his own amusement. He was never a professional author (someone whose only job is to write and publish novels), and his actual job was as a linguist and professor of philology and literature at Oxford University. He was also highly accomplished at his day-job and was particularly fond of Beowulf, an Old English Epic Poem which he liked to recite to his students.[[note]]He argued, correctly, that the poetic form of Beowulf was intended for oral recitation and students would miss the proper experience if they didn't hear it recited and only read or translated it[[/note]] Let's just say there aren't many authors who kept interfering with the foreign translations of their books (correctly, see for instance the article on translator Creator/AkeOhlmarks) to point out how the translators aren't translating things properly into ''their own languages''...

* CashCowFranchise: With all of the books about Middle-earth out, along with two movie trilogies, and several games and tons of merchandise mostly based on the movies, quite a bit of money has been made on Tolkien's world. Most of it, based on the movies, has ''not'' gone to Tolkien's estate or heirs, who actually had to take New Line to court to get even a small percentage. Christopher Tolkien is extremely bitter and sarcastic about this commodification of his father's immense contribution to world culture, which to him was once just bedtime stories told to entertain. (It's not just about the money, however - Christopher feels that the movies "removed the essence" of his father's stories, rather literally translated as [[http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/my-father-039-s-quot-eviscerated-quot-work-son-of-hobbit-scribe-j.r.r.-tolkien-finally-speaks-out/hobbit-silmarillion-lord-of-rings/c3s10299/#.UO0bZonjlQr "eviscerated"]] but the French he used is more subtle).

** In case you missed it, Tolkien likes linguistics, trees, music, Myth/NorseMythology, and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Tolkien dark-haired grey-eyed women.]]

* AuthorAvatar: WordOfGod points to [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Beren]] and [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Faramir.]]
** Likewise, Lúthien was based on his wife.

* BittersweetEnding: Half of the endings. The other half are just [[DownerEnding just plain depressing]].

* {{Determinator}}: Tolkien was positively in love with this Trope; nearly every protagonist in his books is an indefatigable force for Good who refuses to give up no matter what the odds. [[spoiler: And most of the time they succeed.]] To a degree the Professor himself was one: a shell-shocked war veteran who had already gone to great lengths to win his One True Love.

* RavenHairIvorySkin: Both [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Arwen]] and [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Luthien]] were described as not only having dark hair, pale skin, and grey eyes, but are described as the most beautiful women of their eras. This is mainly because [[HeartwarmingMoments Tolkien's own wife Edith also had these features, and he was open is expressing his love towards her]].

* RoyalBlood: Tolkien firmly used this trope in his legendarium. Whatever his views in real life, in Middle-earth Royal Blood often Equals Asskicking, rightful authority, great skill, longevity, and so forth -- though not necessarily wisdom or ''goodness'' (see Fëanor & sons, and Ar-Pharazôn)

* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler:Dernhelm of Rohan]] is a woman!? [[NoManOfWomanBorn Oh]] [[ProphecyTwist crap...]]

''"It's a gift!" he said.''

-->I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by ''arisch''. I am not of ''Aryan'' extraction: [[LiteralistSnarking that is Indo-Iranian]]; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of ''Jewish'' origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have ''no'' ancestors of that gifted people. [[{{Irony}} My great-great-grandfather came to England in the eighteenth century from Germany]]: the main part of my descent is therefore purely English, and I am an English subject — which should be sufficient. I have been accustomed, nonetheless, to regard my German name with pride, and continued to do so throughout the period of the late regrettable war, in which I served in the English army. I cannot, however, forbear to comment that if impertinent and irrelevant inquiries of this sort are to become the rule in matters of literature, then the time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of pride.

* BlowingSmokeRings: Creator/JRRTolkien was apparently [[http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/tolkien23345.gif pretty good at blowing smoke rings]], a talent he gave to Gandalf and several other [=LoTR=] characters.

** The political situation of Gondor and Arnor may remind one of Byzantium and Rome, who faced threats from the East (Huns, Ottomans, etc.) at various times in their history. Strangely, when Tolkien was asked about this comparison, he said that he regarded Gondor as being closer to AncientEgypt.

%%* GondorCallsForAid: ''The Lord of the Rings'' is the TropeNamer.

** Subverted many times in his books (Finwe and Indis's, Feanor and Nerdanel, Aldarion and Erendis...) and outright aversions[[note]]Eol and Aredhel's marriage was not happy. He was an abusive and controlling jerkass who charmed her into marrying with him and killed her when he was trying to murder their son[[/note]]. A lot of times, he's working from ancient mythology, which often portrays such relationships.

** Elves do, however, appear to be this in ''The Lord of the Rings'', since it isn't concentrating on Elvish history, and so most of their bigger mistakes are found elsewhere. Besides, most of the especially wicked, stupid, and foolish elves had gotten themselves killed before the end of the Third Age. The elven leaders in ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' -- Elrond (Rivendell), Thranduil (Mirkwood), Galadriel and Celeborn (Lothlórien), and Círdan (Grey Havens) -- have all lived to see the decline of their race in Middle-Earth, and are trying to do what is best for their people while offering what assistance they can to the other races. Also, considering that Galadriel, Celeborn, and Círdan lived through the entire war against Morgoth that destroyed Beleriand, and that Elrond saw what the folly of his people could do (he lived through one of the elven civil wars as a small child, and witnessed Sauron co-opting Eregion), they had all probably wised up to not repeat the mistakes of the past.\\

Now, since the trilogy is the most popular and well-known of Tolkien's works, this means it's easy for people to get the wrong impression. This being said, Galadriel is shown to be just as susceptible to the One Ring's power as anyone, although she is one of the handful who resist its power. And Celebrimbor's mistakes in Eregion are briefly discussed at the Council of Elrond.

%%* SecondHandStorytelling

*** Beren and Lúthien on the other hand is the most optimistic. Like ''The Lord of the Rings'' it blends EarnYourHappyEnding with BittersweetEnding. Beren and Lúthien ''literally'' go to hell and back, as both perish on their quest but come BackFromTheDead when [[BeyondTheImpossible Lúthien moves the unmovable Mandos to pity]]. However this is not without a price; Lúthien must sacrifice her immortality to do so, so when she dies a second time (and she dies long before her time because she possessed a Silmaril) her [[KilledOffForReal spirit passes forever from the world]].

* TurnTheOtherCheek: Several of his characters (Fingolfin, Frodo...) try to be forgiving and merciful even when their lives are threatened.

Only the first four were published during his lifetime; the rest were published posthumously by his son and literary executor Christopher, except ''The History of The Hobbit'' which was handled by John Rateliff ans''The Nature of Middle-earth'', which was edited by Carl F. Hostetter. Of these, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''The Children of Húrin'' consist of a single cohesive narrative edited together from Tolkien's texts, while the rest are collections of Tolkien's material (with commentaries and notes), ranging from complete narratives to early and new drafts, to essays and small fragments.

Only the first four were published during his lifetime; the rest were published posthumously by his son and literary executor Christopher, except ''The History of The Hobbit'' which was handled by John Rateliff. Of these, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''The Children of Húrin'' consist of a single cohesive narrative edited together from Tolkien's texts, while the rest are collections of Tolkien's material (with commentaries and notes), ranging from complete narratives to early and new drafts, to essays and small fragments.

* ''The Fall of Arthur'': An unfinished poem of KingArthur's downfall.

Tolkien's languages and Middle Earth Legendarium were all written primarily for his own amusement. He was never a professional author (someone whose only job is to write and publish novels), and his actual job was as a linguist and professor of philology and literature at Oxford University. He was also highly accomplished at his day-job and was particularly fond of Beowulf, an Old English Epic Poem which he liked to recite to his students.[[note]]He argued, correctly, that the poetic form of Beowulf was intended for oral recitation and students would miss the proper experience if they didn't hear it recited and onl read or translated it[[/note]] Let's just say there aren't many authors who kept interfering with the foreign translations of their books (correctly, see for instance the article on translator Creator/AkeOhlmarks) to point out how the translators aren't translating things properly into ''their own languages''...

-->I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by ''arisch''. I am not of ''Aryan'' extraction: that is Indo-Iranian; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of ''Jewish'' origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have ''no'' ancestors of that gifted people. [[{{Irony}} My great-great-grandfather came to England in the eighteenth century from Germany]]: the main part of my descent is therefore purely English, and I am an English subject — which should be sufficient. I have been accustomed, nonetheless, to regard my German name with pride, and continued to do so throughout the period of the late regrettable war, in which I served in the English army. I cannot, however, forbear to comment that if impertinent and irrelevant inquiries of this sort are to become the rule in matters of literature, then the time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of pride.

Tolkien's languages and Middle Earth Legendarium were all written primarily for his own amusement. He was never a professional author (someone whose only job is to write and publish novels), and his actual job was as a linguist and professor of philology and literature at Oxford University. Let's just say there aren't many authors who kept interfering with the foreign translations of their books (correctly, see for instance the article on translator Creator/AkeOhlmarks) to point out how the translators aren't translating things properly into ''their own languages''...

** Tolkien also famously wrote the opening lines for Literature/TheHobbit in an examination booklet while grading tests.

** The War of Wrath in ''The Silmarillion'' ends with Morgoth's defeat, but the continent of Beleriand was laid waste in the battle and sank under the sea. (Also as a result, the Valar and Maiar decide to no longer user their power to directly intervene in the war against evil, making the later battles against Sauron all the more difficult.)

Exactly how many languages Tolkien knew is up for debate. As far as speaking, in addition to English, he spoke German fluently, and had some limited fluency in French. He had reading proficiency in up to a dozen other languages (including dead or extinct languages like Latin, Middle English, Old English, and Old Norse), and dabbled in a few more.

** Subverted many times in his books (Finwe and Indis's, Feanor and Nerdanel, Aldarion and Erendis...) and outright aversions[[note]]Eol and Aredhel's marriage was not happy. He was an abusive and controlling jerkass who charmed her into marrying with him and got her accidentally killed[[/note]]. A lot of times, he's working from ancient mythology, which often portrays such relationships.

* YesVirginia: Wrote ''Literature/TheFatherChristmasLetters'' to his children, which thoroughly convinced them that Santa was real.

Exactly how many languages Tolkien knew is up for debate. As far as speaking, in addition to English, he spoke German fluently, and had some limited fluency in French. He had reading proficiency in up to a dozen other languages (including extinct languages like Latin, Middle English, Old English, and Old Norse), and dabbled in yet a dozen more.

Tolkien's languages and Middle Earth Legendarium were all written primarily for his own amusement. He was never a professional author (someone whose only job is to write and publish novels), and his ''actual'' job was as a linguist and professor of philology and literature at Oxford University. Let's just say there aren't many authors who kept interfering with the foreign translations of their books (correctly, see for instance the article on translator Creator/AkeOhlmarks) to point out how the translators aren't translating things properly into ''their own languages''...

He even [[{{Conlang}} made up a few of his own.]] Two of them were developed enough to be semi-functional (Quenya and Sindarin), but they were never "complete," by his own admission, and many of his other invented languages consist of only a few fragments. Nevertheless they were labours of love, and, in contrast to many other invented languages, were highly complex.

Tolkien's languages and Middle Earth Legendarium were all written primarily for his own amusement. He was never a professional author (someone who's only job is to write and publish novels), and his ''actual'' job was as a linguist and professor of philology and literature at Oxford University. Let's just say there aren't many authors who kept interfering with the foreign translations of their books (correctly, see for instance the article on translator Creator/AkeOhlmarks) to point out how the translators aren't translating things properly into ''their own languages''...

He even [[{{Conlang}} made up a few of his own.]] Two of them were developed enough to be semi-functional (Quenya and Sindarin), but they were never "complete," by his own admission, and many of his other invented languages consist only of a few fragments. Nevertheless they were labours of love, and, in contrast to many other invented languages, were highly complex.

He even [[{{Conlang}} made up a few of his own.]] Two of them were developed enough to be semi-functional (Quenya and Sindarin), but they were never "complete," by his own admission, and many of his other invented languages consist of only a few fragments. Nevertheless they were labours of love, and, in contrast to many other invented languages, were highly complex.

He even [[{{Conlang}} made up a few of his own.]] Two of them were developed enough to be semi-functional (Quenya and Sindarin), but they were never "complete," by his own admission, and many of his other invented languages consist of only a few fragments. Nevertheless they were labours of love, and, in contrast to many other invented languages, were highly complex. Yet his languages and Middle Earth Legendarium were all written primarily for his own amusement. He was never a professional author (someone who's only job is to write and publish novels), and his ''actual'' job was as a linguist and professor of philology and literature at Oxford University. Let's just say there aren't many authors who kept interfering with the foreign translations of their books (correctly, see for instance the article on translator Creator/AkeOhlmarks) to point out how the translators aren't translating things properly into ''their own languages''...

Exactly how many languages Tolkien knew is up for debate. Claims that he was "fluent" in up to two or three dozen languages are grossly exaggerated. As far as speaking, in addition to English, he spoke German fluently, and had some limited fluency in French. He had reading proficiency in up to a dozen other languages (including extinct languages like Latin, Middle English, Old English, and Old Norse), and dabbled in yet a dozen more. He even [[{{Conlang}} made up a few of his own.]]

At the same time, claims that he invented multiple languages are also exaggerated. Two of them were developed enough to be semi-functional (Quenya and Sindarin), but they were never "complete," by his own admission, and many of his other invented languages consist only of a few fragments. Nevertheless they were labours of love, and, in contrast to many other invented languages, were highly complex. Yet his languages and Middle Earth Legendarium were all written primarily for his own amusement. He was never a professional author (someone who's only job is to write and publish novels), and his ''actual'' job was as a linguist and professor of philology and literature at Oxford University. Let's just say there aren't many authors who kept interfering with the foreign translations of their books (correctly, see for instance the article on translator Creator/AkeOhlmarks) to point out how the translators aren't translating things properly into ''their own languages''...

** Tolkien was bitten by a [[http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baboon_spider poisonous spider]] when he was a toddler in South Africa and narrowly escaped death. Many of his works feature giant, malevolent arachnids, including the spiders of Mirkwood, Shelob, and Ungoliant. Nontheless he claimed he had nothing conscious against spiders, routinely jarring and rehoming those he found in the bathtub, but used them that way because one of his sons is arachnophobic. (There was one upside to this event: the doctor that treated him is theorised to have been the basis of [[BigGood Gandalf]].)

* ArtistDisillusionment: Although Tolkien's works were huge with the Counterculture of TheSixties, he cared very, VERY little for the numerous fans he came in contact with and who [[MisaimedFandom considered his works as representative of said movement]].