The Lord of the Rings!

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I'm not a Tolkein fan, though I am a Peter Jackson fan. He grew up at a very small coastal place in New Zealand with a very ordinary family and had no nepotic, financial nor old boy network advantages in respect of what he would go on to do and achieve. He had his imagination, and a tendency to become fascinated with things that interested him. When he won his first Oscar, he was told to wear a tie (he never wears ties) to collect his first Oscar, or he couldn't go up on the stage. He said "Fine, I won't go then". They relented and he collected his first Oscar at the Academy Awards, as himself, no frills and tie-less. Love it!

I'm not a big Lord of the Rings fan. Sorry.

I dunno about his worldview, but he did seed his Middle Earth Legendarium with bits of his own ideals, like a greater appreciation of nature because of the evils he saw in industrialization and his anti war view from his service in WW1. From what I know he wrote the books as an attempt to fill the void of history/cultural knowledge in Britain before writing/was Christianized/the Roman conquest. Kinda like how the Greeks had their legends and mythologies. I read too much Wikipedia

I know that Tolkien, after using Germanic myth and symbolism in his Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and his other works, was very pissed with Hitler for blackening by using it in Nazi imagery and ideology.

I read that Tolkien was angry that the Norman invasion destroyed britishh mythology and tlotr was an attempt to create an anglo-Saxon myth. Supposedly the culture of Rohan is focused on horses as part of his wish fulfillment that the anglo-saxons had cavalry to win the battle of hastings and preserve their culture.

He teached old english and was also part of a Reading/writing group that read legends like Beowulf, which heavily inspired tlotr. Yet i do believe he had a for his time modern worldview and his books definitely seem products of the 20th century to me.

There are also quite a few names from the Poetic Edda, this is part of the Voluspo, which is more or less a creation story and apocalypse in one poem. Many of the Dwarf names are in it, as wel as Gandalf. Eikenskjidi means Oakenshield:

9. Then sought the gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held,
To find who should raise | the race of dwarfs
Out of Brimir's blood | and the legs of Blain.

10. There was Motsognir | the mightiest made
Of all the dwarfs, | and Durin next;
Many a likeness | of men they made,
The dwarfs in the earth, | as Durin said.

11. Nyi and Nithi, | Northri and Suthri,
Austri and Vestri, | Althjof, Dvalin,
Nar and Nain, | Niping, Dain,
Bifur, Bofur, | Bombur, Nori,
An and Onar, | Ai, Mjothvitnir.

12. Vigg and Gandalf) | Vindalf, Thrain,
Thekk and Thorin, | Thror, Vit and Lit,
Nyr and Nyrath,-- | now have I told--
Regin and Rathsvith-- | the list aright.

13. Fili, Kili, | Fundin, Nali,
Heptifili, | Hannar, Sviur,
Frar, Hornbori, | Fræg and Loni,
Aurvang, Jari, | Eikinskjaldi.

14. The race of the dwarfs | in Dvalin's throng
Down to Lofar | the list must I tell;
The rocks they left, | and through wet lands
They sought a home | in the fields of sand.

15. There were Draupnir | and Dolgthrasir,
Hor, Haugspori, | Hlevang, Gloin,
Dori, Ori, | Duf, Andvari,
Skirfir, Virfir, | Skafith, Ai.

16. Alf and Yngvi, | Eikinskjaldi,
Fjalar and Frosti, | Fith and Ginnar;
So for all time | shall the tale be known,
The list of all | the forbears of Lofar.

17. Then from the throng | did three come forth,
From the home of the gods, | the mighty and gracious;
Two without fate | on the land they found,
Ask and Embla, | empty of might.

18. Soul they had not, | sense they had not,
Heat nor motion, | nor goodly hue;
Soul gave Othin, | sense gave Hönir,
Heat gave Lothur | and goodly hue.

(rest of poem here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/)