JRR Tolkien Confirmed the Greatest Piece of Lord of the Rings Lore

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’s enduring popularity over the years can be attributed to many things, but a major reason is the incredibly detailed world it presents. J.R.R. Tolkien created a vast fictional history spanning thousands of years to provide a rich background for his stories. He meticulously crafted almost every detail of the cultures within Middle-earth. This extensive worldbuilding, even the parts not directly featured in the books, made the setting feel authentic and alive.

J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t consider all parts of the history he created for The Lord of the Rings to be equally important. In a 1954 letter to novelist Naomi Mitchison, who had reviewed a draft of his book, he explained that ‘language’ was the most crucial element of his worldbuilding.

J. R. R. Tolkien Developed Middle-earth’s Languages First For The Lord of the Rings

Tolkien’s background as a language expert might have influenced his views. He was famously driven to write his stories, in part, to provide a context for the invented languages he created. However, in a letter to Naomi Mitchison, he argued convincingly that language is fundamentally important in fantasy. He believed the story and its conversations needed a specific language, but that English wouldn’t have been spoken by the people within his imagined world.

English wouldn’t exist if England didn’t, and Tolkien believed other fantasy authors like Eric Rücker Eddison overlooked this simple truth. While he generally liked Eddison’s work, Tolkien was bothered that his characters spoke English in fantastical settings without any explanation. Tolkien approached The Lord of the Rings differently, imagining it as a translated work instead.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the main characters generally spoke a language called Westron, or the Common Speech. Tolkien used English to represent Westron in the book, and languages connected to it were also written using variations of English. For example, the ancient language spoken by some characters was presented as Old English, making it sound somewhat familiar to readers, much like how the language of the Rohirrim would sound to those who spoke Westron.

This careful approach extended even to character names originating from places like the Shire, Bree, and Rohan. For instance, Frodo Baggins was initially named Maura Labingi, but Tolkien altered it to sound more familiar to English readers. He chose to leave the other languages of Middle-earth—like Khuzdul and the Black Speech—unchanged. Tolkien explained these choices in the foreword and appendices of The Lord of the Rings, making them an important part of the story.

The Lord of the Rings Forever Changed the Fantasy Genre

Tolkesson was a language expert, and he could fully utilize this skill when creating his world, unlike some other aspects of his worldbuilding. He even apologized to Mitchison for certain imperfections. While he did sketch out some basic maps to help him organize the story, he admitted they weren’t very detailed or completely correct.

While his son, Christopher, created revised maps, even those weren’t always geographically accurate, as Tolkien’s main interest wasn’t in realistic mapmaking. Tolkien was driven by his passion for creating languages, especially for the different cultures of Middle-earth, most notably the Elves. It’s important for authors to prioritize what they truly enjoy writing about.

It would please Tolkien to see how much he influenced the fantasy genre. While writers like Eddison are now largely a thing of the past, most modern fantasy authors have built upon Tolkien’s foundations, though perhaps not with the same level of detail. Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit went even further, actually expanding on Tolkien’s invented languages by creating new words when necessary. Tolkien’s letter to Naomi Mitchison remains a vital resource, offering direct insight from the author himself into the core of his world-building process.

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2026-01-18 18:08