In which Oxford subject did J.R.R. Tolkien become a professor in 1925?

J.R.R. Tolkien became a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford in 1925.

In 1925, Tolkien was appointed Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford. The position was based at Pembroke College, where he taught Old English language and literature. His academic work strongly influenced the languages, names, poetry, and mythic texture of his fiction.

Tolkien later moved to Merton College and became Merton Professor of English Language and Literature in 1945. He held that chair until his retirement in 1959. His scholarly publications included the influential 1936 lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.”

The term Anglo-Saxon in this academic context refers principally to Old English language and literature, not to a fictional people in Middle-earth. Tolkien’s professional expertise in philology helped him construct languages such as Quenya and Sindarin with historical depth.