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

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

Edith Bratt and Tolkien met when he was a teenager, but his guardian initially prohibited the relationship until Tolkien reached adulthood. They became engaged in 1913 and married on 22 March 1916, shortly before Tolkien left for military service during the First World War.

Tolkien’s mythology reflects Edith in several important ways. He associated her with the figure of Lúthien, an immortal Elf who chooses a mortal life with Beren. Tolkien later had the names Beren and Lúthien placed on the couple’s gravestone in Oxford, making the connection especially explicit.

Edith and Tolkien had four children: John, Michael, Christopher, and Priscilla. Christopher became Tolkien’s principal literary editor after his father’s death. Edith should not be confused with Mabel, Tolkien’s mother, or Priscilla, his youngest child.