JRR Tolkien on how WW1 inspired The Lord of the Rings | BBC Global

[@lewisbull891]

I heard Ian McKellen say he watched videos of JRR Tolkien talking when preparing for playing Gandalf and watching this you can hear it.

[@quantumcoal2674]

lol that’s the exact reason I’m here I saw the same. Def makes sense

[@myeramimclerie7869]

But Ian McKellen himself also kinda sounds and acts like Tolkien 😅

[@cap8588]

​@@myeramimclerie7869It was intentional I think for some weird reason...

[@Unfrozen_Caveman_Lawyer1]

Wow, I just noticed that! Maybe Tolkien poured a bit of himself into Gandalf the Gray

[@cathyjones4702]

Wow he left Tolkien's mark on the movie. Legend

[@therealking6202]

Watching the creator of Elvish write in Elvish was mind-blowing.

[@LuzMaria95]

yes‼️👏🏽

[@fieldagentryan]

He didn't he just used ancient picyosh celtic scripts if you want to know where the shire was ot eas county galway in ireland .. I live in the heart of the shire ..unfortunately the locals ate a horrid mix of orcs , trolls and demento4s and absolutely vicous cannibal witches .. the female ircs are the very worst .. they let yhe male orcs get them to do the murdering .. because they enjoy it but if they get an order then their ability yo repeat is astounding .. anyway his magic spell of propaganda is broken .. they say gandalf has returned as aragon disguised as Frodingham more say it is deeper than 4hat .. ghe wisest have ot sorted in ways that sully half baked witches shouldn't be trying their magic charts and plotted murders..

[@fourseasons_total_laptops]

I had to flip the screen to landscape mode 😂

[@PxThucydides]

He has a rather strong human accent when he speaks Elvish.

[@Losrandir]

@@PxThucydides There is definitely something human about him

[@lomax343]

"By the time I was twenty-five, all but one of my close friends were dead." - Tolkien.

[@michaelv2297]

1:02. Reaches for the Ring in his waistcoat pocket Bilbo style... 👀 But seriously, I love how humble Tolkien was about his work, and at the same time how serious he took it.

[@eliotreader8220]

I am reading two towers at the moment. I can see his love for the English country side with in its pages, I can definitely see the Professor's time in the Trenches during the Great War

[@paulamcclure3402]

​@eliotreader8220 Also, Rivendell was inspired by a hiking journey that the young J.R.R. Tolkien made to Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Swiss Alps. BTW - If you really like 'The Hobbit' & 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogies... you should look into a beautiful, hardcover volume of 'The Making of Middle-Earth: The Worlds of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings' by Christopher Snyder (2022). Other Ring lore books by J.R.R. Tolkien include 'The Silmarillion'; 'Unfinshed Tales', 'The Nature of Middle Earth', 'Tales from the Perilous Realm', etc. Tolkien's other professional works are also treasures. You may like to explore his translations of 'Beowulf', 'Sir Gwain and The Green Knight', and 'The Battle of Maldon'... all of which influenced his writings. Happy Exploring! 📚🧭🫖🍵

[@paulamcclure3402]

​@eliotreader8220 Also, Rivendell was inspired by a hiking journey that the young J.R.R. Tolkien made to Lauterbrunnen valley in the Swiss Alps. BTW - If you really like 'The Hobbit' & 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogies... you should look into a beautiful, hardcover volume of 'The Making of Middle-Earth: The Worlds of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings' by Christopher Snyder (2022). Other Ring lore books by J.R.R. Tolkien include 'The Silmarillion'; 'Unfinshed Tales', 'The Nature of Middle Earth', 'Tales from the Perilous Realm', etc. Tolkien's other professional works are also treasures. You may like to explore his translations of 'Beowulf', 'Sir Gwain and The Green Knight', and 'The Battle of Maldon'... all of which influenced his writings. Happy Exploring! 📚🧭🫖🍵

[@sirjanska9575]

To this day I swear that Ian Holm's Bilbo was deliberately planned to reflect the appearance and mannerisms of Tolkien himself.

[@michaelv2297]

@@sirjanska9575 Oh I agree. I think Ian Holms' and Ian Mckellan's portrayals of Bilbo and Gandalf were both influenced by Tolkien's personality and mannerisms. And for good reason!

[@TorontoMiniClub]

If the BBC has any more of these Tolkien videos please upload them as they are insightful into his legendarium.

[@zacharythomas8617]

I hate him.

[@TheManeymon]

@@zacharythomas8617 obsessed

[@LuiDeca]

@@zacharythomas8617people who despise Tolkien for some reason all have the same envy towards any well accomplished person, and an inability to create anything original themselves. evil cannot create, only corrupt.

[@Christian___]

@@zacharythomas8617 why?

[@eucalyptus3002]

please BBC

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

I love that he sounds exactly like how you would expect him to sound.

[@coulissart]

Really? Interesting, I was surprised the first time I heard him. Maybe it's because English isn't my first language but I expected him to sound a lot posher haha

[@jamesclarkmaxwell-v2n]

or like Bertrand Russel? or david attenborough?

[@WaaDoku]

I expected him to be much more clear in his articulation and not mumbling like this since he's a linguist. Although I must say his pronunciation of the French and German names is almost perfect.

[@johndoe-sh6bi]

yeah this is how I would have imagined he sounded. Creative genius.

[@stueyguerreiro]

@@WaaDokuThose that knew him and his son Christopher Tolkien said that because he was so intelligent (to a level that most people can’t understand) his mind worked faster than the words would come out. After he said something he was always thinking about something else, usually multiple things at once. The word “Genius” is used too often nowadays, but we can definitely apply it to Tolkien. There’s no doubt in this interview we’re witnessing Einstein levels of intelligence. It’s a privilege to watch him and hear him.

[@duncanwallace7760]

His exceptional imagination and knowledge has inspired so many people.

[@zacharythomas8617]

It would have come along anyway had the British not had enough prudence to stop yammering on about nothing.

[@Wyrmwould]

Oh to have a signed copy of the LOTR! Imagine having a copy with "a star shines upon our meeting" written in elvish in Tolkien's hand.

[@joss8558]

I would like that, but I've actually done better: I've met Tolkien. I was only 4 so I don't remember it well. He was a friend of my grandmother's.

[@aleenaz13]

@@joss8558 oh my days! your grandmother must of been very lucky to be friends with such a person ❤ (i would do anything to meet him)

[@thorr18BEM]

Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo.

[@Sindigo-ic6xq]

How was he like?

[@kingkem_113]

It’s 135,000

[@Steno316]

Be thankful for this man, his legacy and the gifts he left us.

[@JG-kq5el]

And yet people are trying to ruin it.

[@flukeman022]

Amazon doesn't appreciate his work!

[@GLING17]

Absolutely brilliant man. Rest in peace.

[@AustrianCitizen]

I just love all the languages Tolkien created. Even the one he speaks right here.

[@gastondeveaux3783]

I think here we see a soaring intellect. His speech is rapid and, for me, hard to follow, but it's as if it's not fast enough to keep up with his thoughts. Only a mind and imagination as sprawling as his could create what he did. A true genius.

[@keithhoss4990]

That’s an excellent observation, very insightful for me. And anyone who can create there own language in itself genius.

[@fanda6122]

he just talks incredibly posh and is clearly more at home in his mind

[@KimP0612]

That’s why I always have the closed captions on, it’s not perfect but I can discern what he’s said.

[@megapangolin1093]

I am Southern British, and I found his speaking style to be rather mumbled, and I put the subtitles on, got more confused and switched them off and listened harder. One of the more difficult interviews I can remember.

[@madcyborg1822]

why do I as a Serbian understand everything perfectly and there's Brits here struggling

[@Xerrand]

Rename the video, it's got nothing to do with WWI. That said, thank you for uploading, I could listen to this man speak all day

[@LuzMaria95]

true.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

It has everything to do with the First World War, to wit, he debunks the commonly held belief that his war experiences prompted him to write an allegory about it. He clearly states in the video that LOTR is not allegory.

[@BMB57]

@HandGrenadeDivision You're drawing comparisons that aren't there. He first talked about how people apply stories to ideas, as in allegory and goes on to say people thought of the Ring as being the Atomic bomb to which he says "It's not". After that he just talks and shows off elvish. Unless there's context asking about ww1 or his childhood off the camera, which we are unaware of anyways, then the title is misleading.

[@davidbrims5825]

BBC disinformation.

[@thehellyousay]

he's answering questions that are not included in the clip, and he's disabusing the interviewer of the notion that tlotr was an allegory for those wars. do note, only his replies are in this clip, except for a few seconds at 2:56 in the video. the entirety of the interview is available for you to watch and listen to, if you are capable of doing so.

[@TonyBongo869]

Tolkien was on the Somme battlefield, every one needs to go there to understand

[@paddymeboy]

No, I don't think they do. I always felt Mordor was 'the valley of the shadow of death', and that's pretty much what he says here. And, as he also says here, everybody dies. So anybody who has really faced what that means can understand. What he doesn't actually do here, in spite of the title, is say that it was all based on WWI, although clearly his experiences did influence it. It's funny really how people think T is escapist, actually there is more real life in his books than most people's.

[@PallahDaOracle]

​@@paddymeboylives...

[@cap8588]

@@TonyBongo869 no thanks...

[@westerling8436]

Ok, rando

[@mrjackpots1326]

Or you could go to the Donetsk Front in Ukraine. Just keep your head down though.

[@DavidCarroll-t5g]

"It's all about the inevitability of death." Tolkien cites a reference: "There is no such thing as a natural death. Nothing that ever happens to man is natural since his very presence calls the whole world into question. All men must die, but for every man his death is an accident and even if he knows it he senses it as an unjustifiable violation." '

[@kerstinover4536]

Look up the song “the inevitability of death” by the Tragically Hip. Thank me later.

[@boboayame2065]

Yeah we saw the video bro, thanks for the recap though

[@mariella_hudson]

The quotation is from the French feminist Simone De Beauvoir.

[@Goettel]

I'm Dutch and as a teen first read the books that were available around 1986, in Dutch. I also read the compilation of Tolkien letters available back then, and one thing that's remained with me is that he discussed and explained several issues with the proposed Dutch translation, with the Dutch professor in charge of the translation, especially on the idea of naming Bilbo "Bingo" in Dutch. We all won.

[@prot07ype87]

Precies.

[@Unfrozen_Caveman_Lawyer1]

Translating to Dutch must be fascinating. Just thinking about those Frisian roots of Old English.

[@Unfrozen_Caveman_Lawyer1]

Question: can you read Beowulf and other Old English texts as a native Dutch speaker?

[@Goettel]

@@Unfrozen_Caveman_Lawyer1 no I can't, but maybe a Frisian might have a shot.

[@ignore2466]

@@Unfrozen_Caveman_Lawyer1 Middle Dutch is somewhat comprehensible for us, Lower Dutch isn't, Old English definitely isn't. Unless you're a fluent old-school Frisian. - Fleming

[@zjjohnson3827]

His noting that of Shakespeare’s plays, few are meant to be allegories, but then specifically listing The Tempest as one that is among the few that are exceptions to that statement is really cool. I remember going on a HS school trip for English Literature class, and we went to a college production of The Tempest, and tho I believe it differed in some aspects from the source play, something that stood out was that Caliban was (especially in this adaptation) unquestionably a partial inspiration for Gollum/Smeagol. So it’s exonerating in a way to know that Tolkien not only read and studied The Tempest (no doubt a basic requirement in all English literature schooling in his day), but that decades later he still would bring it up in his discussions on if LotR was an allegory

[@I_am_nobody999]

I enjoyed your comment and as someone who has also seen The Tempest (RSC at Stratford-upon-Avon) I echo your thoughts on Caliban. I would like to say though that, being a lecturer of English Language and Literature at Oxford for close to 15 years, the thought that there was a single Shakespeare play that he hadn't at least read seems simply impossible. Indeed he was privately educated (at a public school in the old English tradition) so that he was probably familiar with most of the Bard's plays before he finished his education.

[@fettfan91]

Student, professor, writer, soldier, linguist, historian. Thank you J.R.R. Tolkein for creating Lord of the Rings, a gift that generations later keeps on giving.

[@shaneblack4862]

An incredible and fascinating literary genius. Truly somebody who inspired a genre through his passion for language.

[@jonr4164]

I feel such deep immersion feeling this, taking such confidence that this man is so true and sure of what he speaks, not only through the eyes/opinion of a man but a man who deals in facts, not opinions, despite whether they are popular/unpopular, recieved well or otherwise. He sticks to the facts and thats such a rare quality in humans nowadays.

[@grokopf142]

God bless Prof Tolkien, your work will live on forever.

[@sofialanfranco4988]

ooo I wish you guys hadnt zoomed in at around 3:14 because that is a glorious smile.

[@KimP0612]

Lmao jokes on Tolkien, we got folks out here learning Elvish, writing in Tengwar, etc. Cant blame us, Professor, it’s all so amazing.

[@rottensquid]

I thought he was just put off by the idea of people making a cult out of the whole business. And you can't blame him for worrying. I just watched an interview where the interviewer was convinced the whole book was some kind of moral treatise about good and evil, or an allegory of the H bomb. It was preposterous. It's like the guy had never read fiction before.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@rottensquid I mean he was a Catholic so the idea of cults may have spooked him for that reason.

[@CheesyLittleMouse]

That man is a legend, he is incredible and he left behind him a legacy that words cannot even start to describe.

[@faruksahin4229]

the only thing that is not discussed in the video is how ww1 inspired the lord of the rings. Okay, one of the things.

[@Thedisciplemike]

I mean.... its about death. Sure saw a lot of it in WW1

[@Checkmate1138]

1:02

[@DBProds96]

@@Thedisciplemike you could say that about anything, death and ww1 aren't mutually exclusive

[@Thedisciplemike]

@@DBProds96 when did i say that? Simply drawing a parellel, not collapsing a category.

[@SeanCSHConsulting]

Evidently you didn't watch. Shame.

[@jeffee1933]

So very eloquent and so completely incomprehensible at the same time

[@ABxx2011]

The brilliance of this man. Certainly one of the people in history I most admire.

[@artfasil]

*Death is a path that all must eventually take.* *The grey rain curtain of this world rolling back, and all turning to silver glass.* *A far green country, under a swift sunrise.*

[@greatdelusion7654]

The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be…unnatural.

[@cburton99]

I thought this was a poem

[@ZanderChromebook]

Imagine if you could have a copy of LOTR with the professor's hand-written Elvish greeting in it? What a prized possession that would be.

[@AislingNiRuairc-wl6yr]

The Eucharist, fully the Blood and Blood of Christ in Catholic theology, especially had meaning for Tolkien. “I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament,” Tolkien wrote to his son Michael.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

Yeah. Some idiots actually think he was a pagan.

[@Jo28147]

Oh wow, this is so wonderful. Thank you.

[@themoneyman8011]

This man gave such an incredible gift to English culture. Personally, I will be forever grateful for the considerable contribution to our beautiful English cultural heritage.

[@kivie13]

And they are flushing it down the toilet. The English people don't deserve to call him one of their own.

[@clementevillasenor6528]

To Me Tolkiens Work is amazing I Really enjoyed the Lord of the Rings and his work is a masterpiece yes !

[@johnnyfreedom3437]

It was strange watching him and listening to him talk, the man that changed the direction of my life when I was 17. The Lord of the Rings story was so realistic to me that I read The Hobbit and two and a half of the three books before I went back and read The Hobbit and started over again! I knew when I read to the end of the story, the magic would be over! And I have never wanted the magic to end!! Thank you Mr Tolkien!

[@GaryDuncanson-s4g]

A beautiful mind. I enjoy listening to narrations of his work. Of your and his coming to gondolin is a favourite

[@Devin3Anthologie]

This video is an absolute gem. Just wonderful to see such an inspiring author. Now I just need to hear from Lewis and I'll be set! They're both part of the reason why I write. 😊💚

[@clementlassalle4317]

Fascinating. Especially the Simone de Beauvoir quote, and how it relates to his own work

[@evalramman7502]

A great, wise, and complex man.

[@MrSRA13]

Genius. Arguably the most creative mind to ever exist.

[@dirkjensen969]

@@MrSRA13 psh L Ron Hubbard

[@MrSRA13]

@@dirkjensen969 agree to disagree on that one

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

He was very creative, though the most creative mind to ever exist? I seriously doubt that. Tesla and Da Vinci come to mind.

[@MrSRA13]

@@PhantomFilmAustralia from a literary, imagination and world building perspective I think he is. There are, ofcourse, different ways to be creative.

[@Thedisciplemike]

Neither created what took cultures hundreds of years to create. ​@@PhantomFilmAustralia

[@markedwards7089]

The title of this clip is completely misleading since Tolkien never once mentions WWI in the video at all...

[@SeanCSHConsulting]

Yeah, you need to watch and listen.

[@erics7992]

Thank you

[@PohjanKarhu]

​@@SeanCSHConsulting No, you need to watch and listen.

[@PohjanKarhu]

​​@@SeanCSHConsulting Stop trying to sell your own stupid interpretation as de facto truth. Stop projecting mate. Tolkien never once even hinted that the death aspect was due to ww1. If you wanna interpret what he said as that, that's on you. But it's all just in your own head. Headcanon. You cannot prove that's what Tolkien himself meant. So stop projecting.

[@CarterElkins]

I thought the same thing. Sure, death and WW1 go hand in hand, especially if you lived it, but I was hoping for more concrete evidence than this.

[@anniebiggs1217]

So cool I love J.R.R Tolkien’s work the books are awesome!

[@Seburo77]

Thank you for everything master Tolkien. RIP

[@MrVaskor]

This is the first time I have heard the voice or seen a video of my favourite author. I spent several years reading all his works that I could get hold of.

[@paydoughviejo1961]

Love the stacks of books in the background; that's how I do. Standing them up strains the spines; wonder if that's his reasoning?

[@ianbarnes961]

Hardbacks maybe, I can't see that's the case for paperbacks,

[@paydoughviejo1961]

@@ianbarnes961 true, thank god for paperbacks even though the author never wanted his works printed in that fashion. They disintegrate from being well loved before gravity can have a pass at um. Just ask my copy of the power broker; couldn't even make it through two goes before getting the duct tape dressing like it was an Egyptian mummy. Thus, despite my efforts it's resting I pieces. Guess I'm going hard back for when I decide to come back for thirds.

[@SicketMog]

Maybe he did it because islam is gay?

[@sammarvel8]

He's so thoughtful! Every word he says is exactly the word he meant to say.

[@brih122960]

Such an incredible person and talent beyond his years, just as bold as his imagination.

[@jtukko]

He was so creative, absolutely an inspiration!

[@BigBrotherMateyka]

Never heard of Carl Maria von Weber until tonight. Thank you, Professor Tolkien.

[@Goettel]

Legend.

[@swizard0922]

It’s great just listening to him speak.

[@Gilliganfrog]

I wish this man could've lived one thousand years, and I wish I could've been one of his pupils.

[@richardglady3009]

Thank you for posting this video. A genius like Tolkien must have been a challenging professor-even to college students. I find ironic that his comment about people speaking Elvish, became true for Klingon in the Star Trek universe.

[@anonymes2884]

Err, it became true for Elvish too (people speak it and gather to speak it to each other).

[@jamesclarkmaxwell-v2n]

so he influenced Gene Roddenberry

[@luishernandezblonde]

Tolkien is magic. What a work he produced.

[@TheLyricalCleric]

“Lord of the Rings is so inspirational, so much love and loyalty and cameraderie and bravery-“ “Death.” “I’m sorry?” “The point is death, my dear. Untimely and unwarranted, unlooked for and fruitlessly opposed with every fiber of your being.” “Are-are you okay?”

[@johnnotrealname8168]

Where is this from?

[@dbitgood1]

One of my favorite authors, along with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.Rider Haggard, Edgar Wallace and others.

[@cabanford]

I would rather have him talk about how his trek from Interlaken to Zermatt, through the valleys, along the lakes, into the Lotschental and finally to the lonely mountain (Matterhorn) in Zermatt, inspired him.

[@ravenhill_the_crusader_1968]

this great interview was conducted in the year i was born....oh how i would love to roll back time to then in england.

[@MrSullismom]

Why?

[@longiusaescius2537]

@MrSullismom experiencing a lost country would be nice I imagine

[@freddiebeam7225]

Yeah it wouldn’t be full of immigrants who hate you and your way of life

[@gavriloking5637]

The ending is brilliant

[@Carol-Lyne]

BBC pleeeaseeee upload any and all TOLKIEN footage you have, as well as anyone else with real wisdom and whose voice is needed today, not forgotten in a crate

[@meganhuggins7494]

Tolkien wrote that neither of the world wars had any influence on either the plot of LOTR or the manner of its unfolding. He also stated many times that he did not start writing The Hobbit or LOTR in the trenches.

[@AFO_AnalyRics]

The man sounds exactly like I had imagined. I feel proud.

[@greatdelusion7654]

Average author: invents cool stories Tolkien: invents own *_language_*

[@RichardGreene-h3f]

more than one

[@defaultytuser]

@greatdelusion7654 Tolkien: invents own language and then invents *Greatest Story Ever Told* to insert invented language.

[@phosphoros60]

Are you kidding me? J.R.R.Tolkien was not only aware of, but _quoted_ Simone de Beauvoir?

[@odradekk]

Not so fashy now, isn’t he?

[@pauloamw]

That was surprising indeed.

[@Arkantos117]

@@odradekk Fashy?

[@etowahwillis902]

@@odradekkyou people are so retarded

[@brysonyoung8273]

Yes surprising isn’t it - it’s called “intelligence”. University professors like Tolkien used to be known for it. How the world has changed.

[@JosephHeinecke-t5x]

PURE GENIUS he was

[@planes3333]

Watching Tolkien write elvish is like watching Manwe come alive and write for us. Man I cant tell you how inspirational CS Lewis, Tolkien and Jesus are to me.

[@jamesscott8705]

Lewis, Tolkien and Jesus??! What?!

[@LordEriolTolkien]

''How, given little more than half a century, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people.''

[@LukeMaynard]

It's nice hearing him dismiss the idea of allegory, but especially hearing him directly contradict the idea that the One Ring was an allegory for the nuclear bomb. He doesn't expound on it here, but I know he mentions it in one of his Letters -- maybe in the volume of Letters collected by Humphery Carpenter, but I'm not 100% sure. There he adds an interesting addendum, to this effect (I've sadly lost his original phrasing): "No, the Ring is not an allegory for the atom bomb. Firstly, I despise allegory in such simplistic forms. Second, if it HAD been an allegory for the Bomb, I suppose that would have meant that Gondor ultimately seized the Ring and put it to use."

[@SimonLloydGuitar]

You really have to see the cathedral in person and preferably with a pair of binoculars to fully appreciate the overwhelming level of detail and adornment that covers every square inch of this glorious building.

[@elhumorista]

LOTR is based in a Wagner's opera: "Der Ring des Nibelungen" that is also based in nordic mithology.

[@DaenerysUchiha]

Absolute amazing person

[@dannyarcher6370]

LOL! The man broke the hearts of thousands of cosplayers at the end there.

[@MannyBrum]

A lot of people take that statement to mean that he wouldn't like nerds going around in cosplay and saying things in elvish, but what he meant is he doesn't want people living in communities speaking Elvish rather than their natural languages like a cult. He also didn't consider it a complete language, hence his comment about he'd never finish it. He figured the language was too complex to fully flesh out and that he would need to do so in order for people to be able to speak it in more than just excerpts. If you think about it, Old English is more complete than Elvish and we only have less than 500 surviving manuscripts many of which are just snippets. After Tolkien's time, there was a linguist that only spoke to his son in Klingon when he was a baby to study how people learn language. That's the kind of thing Tolkien would have balked at.

[@dannyarcher6370]

@@MannyBrum _what he meant is he doesn't want people living in communities speaking Elvish rather than their natural languages like a cult._ So, going after nerds and cosplayers then. LOL

[@richardzellers]

Carl Maria Weber, mentioned by Tolkien, is buried in Dresden, Germany.

[@jamesclarkmaxwell-v2n]

just 39 years Frédéric Chopin too same time

[@CloneShockTrooper]

Magnificent man and I adore his lifework

[@BlitzenSpeaks]

Honestly, when I watch him, I think of Bilbo getting ready for the party at the beginning of the fellowship of the ring. Everything about him! His speech, mannerisms, ALL of it! I read the Hobbit before the others, and Bilbo was always my favorite character of all of them. That age caught up with him so drastically in the LOTR books... Well, now in my Senior years, I can say, age does that! It creeps upon you slowly, and before you know it, there it is; in your face everyday! And you can't help but wonder, How the hell did it happen to me? I was 22 yesterday!!! But no. That was 35 years ago. Where the devil did 35 years go???🤔

[@caseclosed9342]

Appropriate this popped up since I just watched the 2019 biopic on him. What an incredible man. The things he went through before his writing.

[@omegaplumbing]

When people were sane and not gaslighted by the media

[@swordssolitude3861]

I like when he says something and then looks at the interviewer like a curious puppy, like maybe he's wrong and wants to know what they think - genius

[@ParadiseKuna]

"the BBC spoke to Tolkien about his experiences during World War One how they had a profound effect and influenced his epic fantasy novel" none of this is in the video. These are all clips that have already been uploaded. If anything he goes to lengths to say how much he dislikes allegories.

[@SeanCSHConsulting]

Not everything that reflects something is *allegory*. He said exactly that. Pay attention.

[@ParadiseKuna]

@@SeanCSHConsulting True, he distinguishes between allegory and application. But I feel the video title makes it sound more like LOTR was a direct allegory of WW1, rather than an application of Tolkien's cumulative "thoughts and experiences".

[@PohjanKarhu]

​@@SeanCSHConsultingYeah, not everything is allegory. So stop saying people are wrong in correctly stating that the title is wrong. "How ww1 inspired LotR" is an objective claim that ww1 inspired LotR in this way. If you want to make your own interpretation and application of what he said, then don't make such a statement. Simple.

[@LuiDeca]

@@ParadiseKuna It's mainstream media. They are run by morons.

[@SeanCSHConsulting]

@@PohjanKarhu You're making absolutely no sense. The interviewer asked the question in the title of the video, and this was his answer. lol Fool.

[@grahamfloyd3451]

You can literally read the impact of WW1 on LoTR as you go. The first chapters weren't all written in chronological order, but you can see where the initial bits of the Shire were pre war, as was Tom Bombadil, and you can see the change to darkness happens as Tolkien experiences the war. LoTR would not have been remotely the same story if it maintained the lightness of The Hobbit throughout, and would have probably been ignored by the world. Hard thoughts. For me LoTR is both the greatest of stories and the most depressing, as its ending means all good things go away in the world as the age of man arrives.

[@stevenmoore3480]

True that bud. All we have is the Secret Fire for a while.

[@meganhuggins7494]

Strange then that Tolkien himself said that LOTR is not influenced by either of the world wars in its plot or the unfolding of it. 😊

[@rinkadink66]

extraordinary storyteller, with an extraordinary imagination...

[@Crenshaw41]

Was hoping for the subtitles to help me out here but he’s immune to them

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light".

[@Matej_P]

I would love to see J. R. R. Tolkien having a conversation with Hunter S. Thompson.

[@LuzMaria95]

me too‼️‼️‼️

[@CSUnger]

I would rather have been there with his conversation with C.S.Lewis on the Divinity of Christ.

[@LuzMaria95]

@@CSUnger ooh yessss

[@AislingNiRuairc-wl6yr]

The Lord of the Rings' is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out practically all references to anything like 'religion,' to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and symbolism. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

[@amandajstar]

What a wonderful man.

[@Primordial_Synapse]

Tolkien's demeanor in this clip makes sense when you consider that he had spent a considerable portion of his later years immersed in the fantasy world he created. This isn't to say that his grip on reality was tenuous by this point; rather, he was truly dedicated to his craft.

[@JoaoPedro-pi1ef]

This man is a legend. Rest in peace MASTER!!!!!

[@johnrockyryan]

This dude was a genius very very very smart man only a person with his intellectual or higher can create their own language.

[@jayreed9370]

clickbait title...he explains at length how LotR is NOT an allegory.

[@Ronin3453]

I can understand his point of view now. I don't think he was against allegories. He was probably just against stupid allegories. Because the One Ring being the symbolism for a nuke is stupid from multiple angles. And I think that's one of the tamer ones that he faced.

[@Jermrants]

Completely agree, seems more or less like stupid journalists nowadays that try and paint a different picture of what’s actually being presented 😅 He must’ve dealt with that a ton, But His books will always stand the test of time, and nobody’s made a better mythology or even close to it since then.

[@no-pie]

He's talking about the existential issue of death. I'm sure WW1 was a major part of what concerned him in that, but also, maybe more so, the early death of his mother (after the still earlier loss of his father).

[@OfficeMentor1]

What a wonderful, person 😊

[@BZM18]

What a remarkable man

[@svalbard01]

1:30 The difference between an allegory and a [WHAT]? Application?

[@tomspoors768]

application is correct. It's a literary term and you can find references to what Tolkein means on the web. I have watched him speak about it read around the subject but confess I can't quite summarize it! Something like how does this text apply to me right now? How can I apply it in my life?

[@svalbard01]

@@tomspoors768 Ah, interesting. Thank you for the confirmation. That's one I don't remember learning in literature class.

[@nikkivieler3761]

Thank you!

[@KeithRadzik-o9x]

Tolkien may not have wanted for Elvish to be an actual spoken language, but he apparently did not realize he had forged something that resonates with the human heart, and once the fire was lit something 'magical' (if that is what you call it) was created and found expression in voice and thought, that hopefully will endure beyond the ending of the world. No veren! (Be joyous)

[@manuelastorga2493]

amazing how this one man became the literary equivalent of a people.

[@WarAndHistory.]

Based tolkien

[@Carlo-zk2cy]

I could only imagine what Tolkien’s reaction if he saw the epic charge of the Rohirrim in cinema.

[@DHealey]

Great to see Rowley Berkin QC again