I happen to own a great book called
Tolkien's Ring, written by David Day, I believe. In there it outlines most of the mythological and religious influences on Tolkien.
I very much admire the tactics of Metareference and Intertextuality. I think it not only gives homage to a certain writer or culture, (in the case of mythology) but it provides a good, solid base for a specific idea.
It's almost as if Tolkien thought "Alright, rings seem to be a good source of storytelling. We'll start with that and see what develops."
In a story I'm working on, there is a small side-plot that was partially inpired by a Japanese Anime called
Trigun. This doesn't mean I copied the storyline or characters in any way, or even the basic idea. I simply found something I liked that seems to follow me around and lend itself to my story.
Quote:
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I think we can all agree upon one thing...if you read something you really like it sort of sticks to you forever.
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...which is sort of my point exactly.