Was the Lord of the Rings Inspired by Irish Mythology? Tuatha De Danann and Fomorians
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2022-11-21

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Was the Lord of the Rings Inspired by Irish and Celtic Mythology? Tuatha De Danann and Fomorians

Did Irish and Celtic mythology influence the Lord of the Rings? The Lord of the Rings was a high-fantasy novel published in the 1950s in three volumes, and it was written by J. R. R. Tolkien, an English writer (who was actually born in South Africa) and philologist. These volumes were later adapted into a series of masterful films by Peter Jackson, starting with The Fellowship of the Rings in 2001. 

There are obvious various inspirations for Tolkien’s work from both the real and the mythical world, with Tolkien often referring to the latter as the “secondary world.” Many argue that the Elven languages of Tolkien’s work are inspired by Finish and Welsh for instance. Various Scandinavian inspirations are also found in his work. Yet it is not hard to argue that there is an influence of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Fomorians in his work, and the overarching theme of wars between good and evil is self-evident.
 
The Tuatha De Danaan are a supernatural race in Irish mythology who are thought to have thought to represent deities in pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland. They have supernatural powers and live in the Celtic otherworld. Skilled in ancient magic and often depicted as being akin to fallen angels, the Tuatha De Danaan evolved into the Aos Sí of later folklore, a fairy-like race.
 
The mortal enemy of the Tuatha De Danaan were the Fomorians, a monstrous race that came from the sea or the earth. They are made up of various monstrous creatures. This supernatural of evil are said to maybe represent the chaos and darkness of the world, and they fought against the Tuatha De Danaan at various times, including at the Battle of Mag Tuired.

Many have argued that the Tuatha De Danaan most closely resemble Tolkien’s Elves. In relation to the Fomorians, the Lord of the Rings features a race or unity between all the monstrous creatures of the world, most notably Orcs. 

To be clear, Tolkien himself denied that Celtic mythology play an integral role in his own mythology, writing that “[Celtic legends] have bright colour, but are like a broken stained glass window reassembled without design. They are in fact mad.” Although Tolkien denied that Celtic mythology played an integral role, one could make the argument that elements of Celtic mythology were incorporated into his own mythology. After all, Tolkien admitted that his elves are “very akin to the Elves and Fairies of Europe.” 

Sources:

Irish Central - The undeniable Irish influence on The Lord of the Rings https://www.irishcentral.com/travel/lord-of-the-rings-irish 

Kinniburgh, Annie (2009) "The Noldor and the Tuatha Dé Danaan: J.R.R. Tolkien's Irish Influences," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 28: No. 1, Article 3. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol28/iss1/3 

Irish Times - Muddled Earth https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/muddled-earth-1.1388840 

Fomorians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomorians 

Tuatha Dé Danann https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_D%C3%A9_Danann 

#lordoftherings #irishmythology #celtic