Norse Mythology in The Lord of the Rings Odin, Morrigan...

Stories often take inspiration from multiple styles of writings, including classical texts from modern literature. This is especially important when creating a fictional culture or race to create a sense of believability and help the readers visualize how the setting and characters will appear in their minds. Stories may sometimes place an influence on how other character are represented in the authors writing. One excellent example that takes use of ancient stories to create differentiating cultures is The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. His novel shows a large number of examples of inspiration taken from mythological tales and legends. He incorporates his interest such Celtic and Nordic mythology through characters who reflect†¦show more content†¦Not all the birds are to be trusted, and there are other spies more evil than they are here† (Tolkien 183). Consequently Sam â€Å"looked up into the pale sky, fearing to see hawks or eagles hovering over them w ith bright unfriendly eyes† (Tolkien 184). Though The Hobbit showed a second depiction of crows and ravens; they are viewed as friendly, helpful and proven as trustworthy animals to the protagonists such as Roà ¤c the raven. On some occasions they spoke with the dwarves and Bilbo without presenting a potential threat to them. However, Gandalf and Aragorn still carry their suspicions of birds and beasts whenever they are traveling across Middle Earth. Since ravens and crows are actually seen to play a good and evil role through the story due to their ability to collect information and bring news to their allies, it opens to the possibility they are being unknowingly exploited when used for evil purposes. Birds who are allied with dwarves further suggest that the crebains serving Saruman were once a normal race of crows who lost their way of life and honor by having their minds corrupted through persuasion. Other signs showing Tolkiens influence in Norse mythology can be noted through the various similarities between Odin and Gandalf. Agreeably they are both known to possess supernatural strengths such as magic and the