Tolkien: Middle Earth and the Middle Ages

Tolkien: Middle Earth and the Middle Ages

From Gone Medieval by History Hit

August 27, 2026 · 36 min · Episode 556

About this episode

The episode explores the medieval inspirations behind J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth with scholar Dr. Christopher Snyder.

From where did J.R.R. Tolkien get his ideas for the world of Middle Earth? For millions of readers, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are more than just fantasy fiction. Their rich mix of sacred mythology and archetypal saga stories draw deeply into history and legend and profoundly resonate with universal human experience. As with most things, Matt Lewis is determined to claim Middle Earth was inspired by the medieval period, with the help of today's guest, Tolkien scholar Dr. Christopher Snyder. MORE: Beowulf Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Czech Braveheart: Jan Žižka Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. This episode was edited by Rob Weinberg and produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™ Watch Matt and Eleanor's new documentary series The Rise of the Plantagenets only on History Hit TV. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe…

People in this episode

Host: Matt Lewis

Guest: Dr. Christopher Snyder

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Gone Medieval, History Hit, Little Dot Studios

Books & works: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Beowulf

More episodes of Gone Medieval

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Gone Medieval podcast page.