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Was Tolkien heavily influenced by Richard Wagner?

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No. He was aware of Wagner, of course, but he actually didn't like what Wagner had done. Wagner professed to be telling the original legends, but he made a great many changes to them, which I think Tolkien regarded as distorting them. read more

Wagner professed to be telling the original legends, but he made a great many changes to them, which I think Tolkien regarded as distorting them. Tolkien invented something completely new that was inspired by the original legends. read more

Some critics have suggested that The Lord of the Rings was directly and heavily derived from Richard Wagner's opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, whose plot also centres on a powerful ring. Others have argued that any similarity is due to the common influence of the Volsunga saga and the Nibelungenlied on both authors. read more

Again, Wagner is first past the post on this one. His complex system of leitmotifs (small musical themes that represent certain characters, locations or emotions) in the Ring Cycle have become a template for how film music is often written - including Howard Shore's scores for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. read more

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