J.R.R. Tolkien became C.S. Lewis’s close friend through the Oxford literary group called the Inklings. The group included writers and scholars who met regularly to discuss and read works in progress.
Lewis and Tolkien shared interests in mythology, language, medieval literature, and Christianity. Their friendship developed at Oxford, especially during the 1920s and 1930s, and Tolkien’s arguments contributed to Lewis’s return to Christian belief.
The Inklings met informally in Oxford locations including The Eagle and Child pub, which members nicknamed the Bird and Baby. Other associated members included Charles Williams and Owen Barfield. Although Tolkien and Lewis influenced one another, they wrote separate fictional worlds: Middle-earth and Narnia.