J.R.R. Tolkien’s mother was named Mabel Tolkien. She was born Mabel Suffield and married Arthur Reuel Tolkien in 1891, shortly before the family moved to South Africa.
After Arthur died in 1896, Mabel returned to England with Tolkien and his younger brother Hilary. She educated her sons at home for several years and introduced Ronald, as Tolkien was commonly called, to Latin, Greek, drawing, and several other subjects.
Mabel also encouraged his fascination with languages. Her influence is frequently connected with Tolkien’s later enthusiasm for historical linguistics, although his professional expertise developed through formal study at Oxford and through his work as a philologist.
Mabel converted to Roman Catholicism in 1900. Her family strongly opposed the decision, and she received limited financial support as a result. She died in 1904, when Tolkien was 12, but her religious influence remained important throughout his life and writing.