Finnish inspired much of J.R.R. Tolkien’s design of the Elvish language Quenya.
Tolkien was a professional philologist with a deep interest in how real languages develop. He admired the structure and sound of Finnish, and its influence can be seen in Quenya’s grammar, vocabulary, and overall aesthetic. Welsh also strongly influenced another Elvish language, Sindarin.
Quenya is associated with the High Elves and is sometimes described within Tolkien’s fiction as an ancient or ceremonial language. Tolkien did not simply copy Finnish: he created an independent language with its own history, sound changes, vocabulary, and relationship to other invented languages.
The language demonstrates that Tolkien’s fiction was built not only from invented names but also from detailed linguistic systems. His language construction often came first, with stories and histories developing around the words and forms he created.