Interesting topic!
The battle between Gandalf and the balrog has a striking resemblance to some old paintings in my church of St. Michael battling the dragon. I think Boromir hit on the nose saying that LotR mirrors mythology, as it is the mythology/history of a fictional world. In modern literature (if you can call any modern books "literature"), there are many, many similarities to the LotR due to the fact that it was such a cornerstone in literature. To make sure that this doesn't turn into a thread listing examples LotR being copyied, you should limit it to a pre-Tolkien timeframe. But that's your call, Lhunardawen.
