What was the name of J.R.R. Tolkien’s wife and lifelong literary inspiration?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s wife and lifelong literary inspiration was Edith Tolkien.

Edith Bratt married Tolkien in 1916, and they remained together until her death in 1971. Tolkien’s relationship with Edith influenced his fiction, most famously the story of Beren and Lúthien, in which a mortal hero loves the immortal Elf Lúthien.

Tolkien identified Edith with Lúthien and himself with Beren. Their shared gravestone in Wolvercote Cemetery, Oxford, uses the names “Beren” and “Lúthien” beneath their real names. The legend is not a simple biography, but its emotional connection to their relationship is one Tolkien openly acknowledged.

Edith is sometimes confused with Mabel Tolkien, Tolkien’s mother, who introduced him to many subjects and supported his early education. Edith was also the mother of Tolkien’s four children: John, Michael, Christopher, and Priscilla. Christopher later became the principal editor and publisher of much of Tolkien’s posthumous work.