J.R.R. Tolkien held the title Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford from 1945.
He took the chair at Merton College after serving as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from 1925 to 1945. His Merton appointment lasted until his retirement in 1959, although he continued writing and working on his legendarium afterward.
The professorship reflects Tolkien’s academic career as well as his literary fame. His research and teaching covered English language, medieval literature, and texts such as Beowulf. His expertise in historical languages helped shape the linguistic depth of Middle-earth.
A common mix-up is to identify Tolkien only as an Anglo-Saxon professor. That description is accurate for his earlier Oxford chair, but the Merton Professorship was his later position. Tolkien also held academic posts at the University of Leeds before returning to Oxford.