The Hobbit is one of the most successful fantasy stories of all time, from the literary acclaim it garnished back in 1937 when it was first published, to the 2014 film adaptations of the beloved work, directed by Peter Jackson. To this day, Tolkien’s works have a substantial following, and fans from across the globe have grown up listening to his iconic bedtime story.

As for why the phenomenal writer wrote the book in the first place, there are several reasons. The first to consider is that Tolkien himself had grown up as a lover of stories, having enjoyed the Epic poems of Medieval England, and the gods and their fearsome battles in the Sagas of Norse Mythology.

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Many of his unusual creatures, including the Stone Giants that fight in the mountains, and Beorn the Bear Man, are believed to have hints of these Norse stories within them. Listening to and sharing tales made him feel closer to his mother, when she tragically passed away after a complication arising from diabetes. It was this early exposure to the greats of old that inspired him to start building worlds and characters even as a boy.

He eventually went on to Exeter College in Oxford university, where he originally started out by studying ‘Classics’, but soon switched to English Literature when he found he had an incredible knack for Linguistics. Out of this niche passion and interest would develop the foundations of the languages he build into Middle Earth, including 3 types of Elvish, 2 forms of ancient dwarvish, the Rohirrim language of the people of Rohan, and of course, the famed language of Mordor, too terrible to utter in the decent places of the world.

Another event came along in Tolkien’s lifetime that shaped his world-views and his need to write, almost as much as his early years. An event that was to impact the lives of millions: the First World War. Tolkien and a group of literary minded friends known as the Tea Club, Barrovian society, were unfortunately all at the age of conscription when the war broke out, and were duty bound to participate in a futile battle that ended the lives of over 19,000 British soldiers on the first day alone. Among these casualties were two of the members of the society, and two of Tolkien’s closest friends. So in a way, he went on to write and publish his beautiful stories to honor their memories, and pay respects and tribute to the strong literary foundation the four young men had built together during their Oxford years.

There is also perhaps an element of needing to add a little magic back into the world. After the terrible fate that befell the world during the war, Tolkien had become disillusioned with life, and most especially with the technological advances in machinery that he had experienced on the front, and with his faith in humanity. The Hobbit, although also steeped in tragedy itself, is ultimately a story full of stubborn wizards, mythical creatures, and a magic ring that gives its wearer special powers.

A major part of writing the stories was to remind himself of the qualities that he and his friends had shared, a loyalty and deep love for one another, like that which is shown by Bilbo to the dwarves, even though they doubted having him on the quest in the first place. Tolkien’s stories of adventure and magic and fighting for what is good in the world were made to inspire the next generation to do better and be better than his, and to inspire a few members of the next generation, in particular: his children

When asked himself why he wrote his famous work, Tolkien explained that he had originally started telling it to his children as a bedtime story, just as his mother had done with him and his brother when they were little. Each night, he would elaborate on the tale, increasing the epic journey little by little. However, although children have a wonderful capacity for imagination, they are also sticklers for details. Christopher Tolkien in particular, would often contradict his father about minute details in the story that had changed from one night to the next, for example whether Bilbo’s waistcoat that lost all of its buttons was blue or green, and whether or not the Sackville Baggins’ really did steal Bilbo’s silver spoons.

Eventually, Tolkien began writing the story down as he told it, so that he could keep track of the little things he had told his children along the way, and before long, he had the earliest drafts of his book, almost without thinking about it. The story did progress and develop from that point to the rendition of the book that exists in modern day, several times in fact, but all in all, Tolkien has his children, (and their keen eye for plot holes!) to thank for the wonderful tale he created.

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