According to
The Magical World of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien was inspired much by
Beowulf, as someone (sorry, forgot who) said. The book also says
Quote:
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He also drew inspiration from legends of faraway places, like the countryside of Finland. ... Celtic mythology, which may have been based on those Norse legends, also influenced Tolkien. ... Norse mythology was the first inspiration for many of the facts about Gollum's life and personality. ... Tolkien was inspired by creatures in stories by George McDonald
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That was coming from only about half the book with much left out, but I'm afraid it's too late at night for me to go much further. Goodnight!