The Lord of the Rings - The Book’s Influence After 60 years (17.11.13 by Tiffany Faming) - Comments

The Lord of the Rings is undoubtedly one of the most classic stories ever told. The epic saga introduced an entirely new realm of fantasy that had never been seen before.

With the book telling a magical story of endless adventures and whimsical creatures, J.R.R. Tolkien not only came up with a fantasy-filled story for all ages to enjoy, but also sparked the interest in the fantasy genre itself. The book has influenced many aspects of our lives from books to movies, music, games, and more.

Influence on Fantasy

The influence of the epic saga Lord of the Rings started immediately in the 1960’s when the imitation story The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks was released. The book was also the stepping stone for 1970’s popular fantasy-fiction game Dungeons and Dragons, a role-playing game that allows individuals to become fantasy-like creatures, many derived from Lord of the Rings characters such as hobbits, elves, dwarves, and orcs.

The book continues to impact the fantasy video-gaming industry and has influenced popular games including Dragon Warrior, The Elder Scrolls Series, EverQuest, and Warcraft; and that’s only to name a few. Other role-playing video games are set in Middle Earth, a major area in the storyline of The Lord of the Rings.

Influence on Music

The popular three-part book has also had a major impact on the music industry, beginning in the year 1965 when songwriter Donald Swann decided to take six poems from the book and put them to music. Approved by J.R.R. Tolkien himself, the songs were published in 1967. Later in 1988, composer Johan de Meij would create Symphony No. 1 “The Lord of the Rings”, a gorgeous composition connected directly to the book with titles including “Gandalf”, “Gollum”, and “Lothlorien”.

From the beginning of 1970’s to present day, rock and heavy metal hands have been immediately inspired from The Lord of the Rings. The popular 70’s band Led Zeppelin developed an array of songs including “The Battle of Evermore” and “Over the Hills and Far Away” with explicit references to the book, while Black Sabbath’s song “The Wizard” pays direct homage to the notable character Gandalf of The Lord of the Rings. Several bands created their names based off of the book, including heavy metal band Cirith Ungol, which created their name from one of the mountain passes found in Middle Earth.

Influence on Popular Culture

Since its initial release in the 1950’s, The Lord of the Rings has continued to have a huge impact on popular culture, especially in the 60’s and 70’s during the countercultural saga. Common phrases amongst young people in this era included “Frodo Lives!” and “Gandalf for President!”.

Today, the book continues to make quite an impact on popular culture. Several parodies have been created including Veggie Tales episode “Lord of the Beans”, and South Park’s episode “The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers”, as well as many others.

Author bio

Tiffany Faming is a passionate writer and English teacher. She loves to write on books, family, home décor and travel.

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