John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973) drew on his Catholic faith and influence in his work. Tolkien was a major scholar of the English language, specializing in Old and Middle English. Twice Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at the University of Oxford, he also wrote several stories, including most famously The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955), which are set in a prehistoric era in an invented version of our world which he called by the Middle English name of Middle-earth.
Tolkien was a devout Catholic whose faith permeated his literary work. Although he was not known as a poet, Tolkien published nearly 40 poems throughout his life. In 2016, two lost poems by the Anglo-Saxon scholar were discovered, originally published in an obscure 1936 annual magazine for Our Lady’s Abingdon in Oxfordshire.
Of the two, one is a Christmas poem entitled Noel dedicated to the Virgin Mary:
Grim was the world and grey last night:
The moon and stars were fled,
The hall was dark without song or light,
The fires were fallen dead.
The wind in the trees was like to the sea,
And over the mountains’ teeth
It whistled bitter-cold and free,
As a sword leapt from its sheath.The lord of snows upreared his head;
His mantle long and pale
Upon the bitter blast was spread
And hung o’er hill and dale.
The world was blind, the boughs were bent,
All ways and paths were wild:
Then the veil of cloud apart was rent,
And here was born a Child.The ancient dome of heaven sheer
Was pricked with distant light;
A star came shining white and clear
Alone above the night.
In the dale of dark in that hour of birth
One voice on a sudden sang:
Then all the bells in Heaven and Earth
Together at midnight rang.Mary sang in this world below:
They heard her song arise
O’er mist and over mountain snow
To the walls of Paradise,
And the tongue of many bells was stirred
in Heaven’s towers to ring
When the voice of mortal maid was heard,
That was mother of Heaven’s King.Glad is the world and fair this night
With stars about its head,
And the hall is filled with laughter and light,
And fires are burning red.
The bells of Paradise now ring
With bells of Christendom,
And Gloria, Gloria we will sing
That God on earth is come.Literature and Rock & Roll
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Catholic faith permeated his life and writings, from his epic tales of Middle-earth to his lesser-known but deeply moving poetry like Noel. His creative vision was nurtured in part through his close friendship with C.S. Lewis, with whom he shared vigorous discussions on faith, myth, and literature. Their circle, the Inklings, produced some of the most influential works of the 20th century. Tolkien’s grounding in Old and Middle English, his devotion to the Virgin Mary, and his lifelong commitment to Catholicism gave his writings a spiritual and mythic depth that continues to inspire.
Remarkably, Tolkien’s influence extended far beyond the academy and the Church. His imaginative world-building even inspired artists in modern music, including Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, who drew upon Tolkien’s Middle-earth imagery in the band’s lyrics. From scholarly halls to rock stages, Tolkien’s legacy has touched hearts and minds across generations. His rediscovered poems remind us that behind the myth-maker stood a man of profound faith and imagination, whose friendships and spirituality shaped a literary heritage that still resounds today.