Tolkien fandom

Tolkien fandom is an international, informal community of fans of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially of the Middle-earth legendarium which includes The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. The concept of Tolkien fandom as a specific type of fan subculture sprang up in the United States in the 1960s, in the context of the hippie movement, to the dismay of the author (Tolkien died in 1973), who talked of "my deplorable cultus".^[1]

A Tolkienist is someone who studies the work of J. R. R. Tolkien: this usually involves the study of the Elvish languages and "Tolkienology".^[2] A Ringer is a fan of The Lord of the Rings in general, and of Peter Jackson's live-action film trilogy in particular.^[3] Other terms for Tolkien fans include Tolkienite or Tolkiendil.^[4]

Many fans share their Tolkien fan fiction with other fans. Tolkien societies support fans in many countries around the world.

^ Lev Grossman, Feeding on Fantasy Time.com, 24 November 2002
^ thetolkienwiki.org
^ the term appears on alt.fan.tolkien in December 2001 [1]; "Ringer community" Kohman (2005) p. 10.; c.f. Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)
^ an Anglo-Quenya compound, meaning "Tolkien-lover", mostly known as the name of a French Tolkien society.

[Grossman-1] Lev Grossman, Feeding on Fantasy Time.com, 24 November 2002

[2] thetolkienwiki.org

[3] the term appears on alt.fan.tolkien in December 2001 [1]; "Ringer community" Kohman (2005) p. 10.; c.f. Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)

[4] Anglo-Quenya compound, meaning "Tolkien-lover", mostly known as the name of a French Tolkien society.

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