I saw a post recently that was asking why every fantasy series feels the need to have giant spiders. For instance, many of us are probably familiar with Aragog from the Harry Potter series. And we likely think of Shelob and Ungoliant as the main contributors to this trend. However, the response that came back was that we have giant spiders in fantasy because of a tarantula that bit Tolkien when he was a kid.
Tolkien’s mark on the fantasy genre spans much more than any one aspect (and even beyond the realm of books, leading to tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons). Yes, there is the seeming tradition of giant spiders. Hobbits. Elves. Dwarves. Rangers. Even specific characters like Strider/Aragorn.
It seems the instances of Rangers in fiction are based on Tolkien’s Rangers, and perhaps more importantly, there are many instances of Rangers that bear a remarkable likeness to Strider (I know I have one such character in my books). This happens to be an element to this equation that I really enjoy. I know often Rangers are presented as being woodsmen/forester types who would not have much in the way of book learning. In looking at Strider, though, we see that is not the case. He creates a persona (and he maintains it splendidly), but he goes beyond that with his words and actions. He is so much more than a simple man who happens to be good with outdoorsy stuff. One line I am fond of from him is when he tells Frodo “If by my life or death I can protect you, I will.” There is so much depth in that particular line.
While Tolkien’s works draw heavily on classical works (Beowulf comes to mind), his stories have in turn become the foundational work for many other stories. So many elements of what he implemented just seems to fit so naturally in the setting that we don’t necessarily notice our inspirations or the history behind them… as with the case of giant spiders.
What are elements that seem to be common to your favorite genres? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
~ Theresa
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Tolkien opened my eyes to the wonders of reading about 45 years ago, and I attribute my vocation as a fantasy writer to his work. I don’t write stories similar to LOTR, but his influence is definitely felt across the genre, particularly high fantasy. I agree with you that Strider has returned thousands of times in different forms. A great character. 🙂
I came across Tolkien in middle school (a bit before the LotR movies came out), first with The Hobbit, and then with the LotR. He quickly became (and remains) my favorite author. I think he is one of the big reasons I became a fantasy author, too. 🙂 And Strider really is a great character, for so many reasons.