My first introduction to Tolkien was literally 'in utero'. My father read The Hobbit to me while my mother carried me. After my birth in 1972 they continued to read to me The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in my childhood.

From my early experiences with the works of our beloved Professor J.R.R Tolkien, till now, the world of Middle-Earth has fascinated me deeply. Each time I peruse the pages of one of the Professors' many tomes on Middle-Earth I feel as though I too inhabit his fantastical world. The stories, people, lands and especially the languages are all an ideal and unique setting. With great awe I set upon a course of study to discover more of the man and the myth. I wanted to know what was behind the expansive mythology of Middle-Earth I am so in love with. In my research, I had come to find an interesting fact. At the age of eight, I received The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as old as Tolkien was when he received an edition of the Norse mythological epic, The Saga of the Volsungs. In that time the Norse epic was a primary source for fantasy writers. In our time the works of Tolkien are an inspiration to those in the fantasy genre.

The Saga of the Volsungs written between the years 1200-1270 is based on traditional Norse Eddic poetry: a form of epic heroic lay. Eddic poetry was developed before the year 1000 in the common oral folk cultures of Old Scandinavia.

A few comparisons I have drawn from the Volsungasaga and The Lord of the Rings are two items from the epics. One is the cursed ring Andvaranaut, a ring so cursed that the god Odin cannot even touch it. It is also know as 'Andvaris loom' due to the fact that it wove its owner a large fortune, which bestowed power and fame. The dwarf Andvari cursed the ring proclaiming death to whomever possessed it. This was after the mischievous god Loki took it.

The ring is a common motif in Germanic and Norse myth. Another example of this motif is the ring in Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung drama. Wagner's magical ring allows its bearer to assert control over the world, with the added dimension of political power. These two examples helped influence creation of the One Ruling Ring in Tolkien's own myth. The One Ring forged by the Dark Lord Sauron gave him dominion over the inhabitants of Middle-Earth and the rings of power owned by the Dwarves and Men. Those of the elves her had no control over.

The other example from The Saga of the Volsungs to The Lord of the Rings is the Sword that was reforged. The Sword of King Sigmund later possessed by his son Sigurd. The sword of Sigmund broke in battle against the spear of his enemy, a one-eyed, black capped, cloaked foe. Similarly to that of Isildur's encounter with the Dark Lord Sauron in the 2nd age of Middle-Earth, the son of the High King of Gondor. The sword Narsil was shattered, and raising the broken sword against Sauron he cut the One Ring from his hand.

The One Ring otherwise known as "Isildurs bane', after he kept it and was later killed, the ring lost, became the heirloom of his bloodline. Frodo destroyed "The Doom of Men" in the fires of Orodruin three thousand years later.

Now the sword of Sigmund is later reforged and renamed Gram. When the smithy pulled the sword out of the forge, it was told that that flames leapt from its edges. The shards of Narsil were reforged in Rivendell where it was renamed, Anduril Flame of the West.

The other major text that influenced The Lord of the Rings tale as well as the languages of the Elves was the Finnish Kalevala. The Finnish language helped shape the phonetics and structure in the Quenya and Sindarin languages. The Kalevala helped provide a glimpse into an entirely different mythological world, similar to what Tolkien wished for his own country. The age of magic in the Kalevala, came not from that of a staff but from words. The Kalevala presents 'singing' wizards who utilize words to achieve supernatural feats. Tolkien later adapts this concept, utilizing it to fit his own wizards whose power is derived by words and staff, but also that of the songs of the merrily singing hobbits.

Tolkien also was a devout Roman Catholic whose own beliefs and knowledge of the Bible also helped shape his works. From the beginnings of the Silmarillion to The Lord of the Rings, one can find a number of Judeo-Christian influences. To start out with the Istari or wizards of Middle-Earth, of which there are five, are incarnate lesser angels. They come in the form of "old" sage figures of which Gandalf and Saruman play major roles. They are susceptible to pain, weariness, physical fear and are capable of straying to the ways of evil. They were initially sent to fight against Sauron. The Istari are a reflection of the angels sent to earth in the Bible.

These are but a few of the influences that helped shape not only The Lord of the Rings, but the rest of Tolkien's mythology as well. For more information, read my paper The Biblical Allusions within the Lord of the Rings.