J.R.R. Tolkien’s academic field at Oxford was philology.
Philology is the historical study of languages and texts, especially how languages change over time. Tolkien studied Classics at Oxford before switching to English Language and Literature, and his professional work focused heavily on historical and comparative linguistics.
His expertise in Old English, Middle English, Gothic, Welsh, Finnish, and other languages shaped his fiction. Tolkien did not merely invent isolated words: he often designed languages with sound patterns, grammar, vocabulary, and imagined histories. Quenya and Sindarin, the best-known Elvish languages, reflect that scholarly approach.
Tolkien’s novels are therefore closely connected to his academic interests. Names, legends, and poetic forms in his stories frequently echo older European traditions, although Middle-earth itself is Tolkien’s original fictional creation rather than a direct retelling of one mythology.