'The Lord of the Rings' Starting Point!

[Piloton.it]

As Romeo and Juliet, it's in Verona of course!

San Zeno church in Verona and The Lord of the Rings​

I'm going to talk about Tolkien's masterpiece book, of course, and not about the sad film (but why do they always have to screw it up?).

I found no trace of Tolkien's trip to Verona. At 1919 he had been in Switzerland, then during the First World War he fought in France, but it would seem that he has never been to Italy.
It would seem ...

But the Church of Basilica of San Zeno, Verona seems to offer a intersting starting point for the creation of "The Lord of the Rings" (at least, but perhaps, who knows, for "The Hobbit" too).
If he inspired the Bard, both for "Juliet and Romeo" and for "The Two Gentlemen of Verona", it is obvious that Verona may have also inspired John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
And here you ca find the demonstration of how this Romanesque iconography should have directly inspired the greatest fantasy novel of all time. (It's a joke of course!)

Required photos at link:
http://www.piloton.it/verona/sanzeno/sanzeno_eng.html

 

[Ogdred Weary]

Interesting parallels if superficial ones, an intriguing find!

I think he was coming up with invented languages and possibly very beginnings of what would become The Silmarillion whilst in the trenches.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

As Romeo and Juliet, it's in Verona of course!
http://www.piloton.it/verona/sanzeno/sanzeno_eng.html

1) looks like a fanciful depiction of Noah's ark.
2) The "Balrog" looks like a Wyvern to me (perhaps @lordmongrove would care to comment?).
3) I'm sure Boromir only had the one horn!
4) The "Dùnadan" look vaguely like Bayeux Tapestry-era Norman cavalry to me, but I'm no expert.

Have to admit that the Gandalf lookalikes are pretty cool though!

 

[lordmongrove]

1) looks like a fanciful depiction of Noah's ark.
2) The "Balrog" looks like a Wyvern to me (perhaps @lordmongrove would care to comment?).
3) I'm sure Boromir only had the one horn!
4) The "Dùnadan" look vaguely like Bayeux Tapestry-era Norman cavalry to me, but I'm no expert.

Have to admit that the Gandalf lookalikes are pretty cool though!

Yep, that's a wyvern.