[Meriadoc1961]

L. Frank Baum wrote his Oz stories of fantasy before Tolkien. If Tolkien was influenced by him I can not say other than that The Hobbit was written for children, as were the Oz books. Although the hobbits in the Lord of the Rings came to symbolize English society in many ways, I do not believe that was how they were originally portrayed in The Hobbit. I believe they were intended to be children. It was only through the (accidental?) introduction of deeper things in The Hobbit, such as Elrond, Gandalf, the Necromancer and eventually the ring itself that an adult fantasy, The Lord of the Rings, was born.

Some would also say that Jules Verne predated Tolkien in fantasy writings, although one could say he was more scie-fi than fantasy. Still, Vernes does employ monsters in his writing, as we all know does Tolkien.

I believe it was a combination of Tolkien's religion and his knowledge of European mythologies, particularly Norse and Scandanavian mythologies, that influenced the direction of his epic tale of Middle-earth. Some complain because they say there is no religion in the books. I see religion throughout it. Does anyone recall Frodo feeling rustic because hobbits did not observe the Standing Silence that looked towards the West that always was, as Faramir instructed him to do before they ate their meal? What is that but a moment of prayer to the Provider? What did Gandalf mean when he said that Frodo was meant to have the ring, and that was good, if he did not mean that God was behind him having it?

Merry