On Tolkien’s Influence in Modern Video Games

All great creators have great influences. For Tolkien, it was his faith, his wife, Edith, a multitude of mythologies, real-life experiences from his childhood to his time serving in the first World War, and his love of language. He was also a fan of the epic poem Beowulf, which he pulled from by mimicking the symbolism of life’s journey and the individual paths of heroism that ensure light always prevails, or what Tolkien called the eucatastrophe.

Because of Tolkien’s years of devotion to his world-building and creating an entire universe of complex histories, genealogies, and general storytelling, he became a legend of fantasy, and his works are now woven into much of our current pop culture. As an avid epic fantasy RPG gamer, allow me to share some of the Easter eggs I’ve found or have read about.

The latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, takes place in Norway and moves to England later in the game. One small town you visit is named Glowescestre and seemingly looks very similar to the rolling green hills of The Shire. One of the many moss-covered houses that obviously represents Bag End, has a note that reads: "One of the little folk asked me to make the door smaller, as he wants to keep unruly houseguests from his house," the note reads. "After the nonsense with the druid last fall, I can see his point." This note is also found next to a golden ring.

Staying on the subject of Bag End, in Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur has a chance to see Bilbo’s dwelling near Bacchus Bridge. There, he draws the house in his notes and wonders who its inhabitants are. This game is known for its vast and detailed world, making this egg easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.

The folks at Gearbox Software, the team behind Borderlands 3, are well-known for the pop culture homages they leave in their games. Late in the game during the quest called The Demon in the Dark, you’re taken through abandoned mines that represent Moria. Near the end, you even get to face a Balrog!

The Witcher franchise is a personal favorite of mine, and the team at CD Projekt Red did a fantastic job bringing those stories to life. I came into the gaming adaptations late and started with Witcher 3, which in my opinion is one of the best games ever created. After their massive Next-Gen revamp, I decided to run a third play-through. While I took that journey, I made notes of every Tolkien egg I found.

Let’s start with one of the game's main antagonists: Caranthir Ar-Feiniel. Looking at his first name, Caranthir was the fourth son of the infamous Fëanor (craftsman, gem-smith, warrior, murderer) and was known for being harsh and quick to anger. He shares his last name with Aredhel, a Noldorian princess who wed a not-so-nice dark elf.

I also caught some not-so-casual mentions in various dialogues. During the quest titled Finders Keepers, Geralt asks a con artist: “Why is the ring so precious?” referencing the One Ring. Toward the end of the base game, when asking the dwarf, Zoltan for help fighting The Wild Hunt, he answers, “And my axe!” echoing one of Gimli’s famous lines. In the hunt for Ciri, the sage Avallac’h mutters a clairvoyant incantation when you hear him utter the word “Arwein..” shortly before a beam of light appears, which is possibly taken from Arwen, whose beauty gave her the name Undomiel, or Evenstar, representing the light of a Silmaril.

There’s also a note you can loot off of a dead “Smigole Serkis” that has very Smeagol-esque rhetoric like, “I’ve lost him! My dearest! Someone has stolen him!” pertaining to his lost golden spoon—a fun little nod to Andy Serkis, the actor who played Smeagol in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies.

It’s known that Andrzej Sapkowski, the original author of the Witcher Saga, wasn’t a fan of the games, but I wonder if he at least appreciated these references, being a huge Tolkien fan himself.

From a beacon lighting in Battlefield 1, to Bilbo’s iconic party sign in Hitman 3, many of today’s video games—especially fantasy RPGs—are laden with Tolkien Easter eggs. I’m sure I’ll have more to add to the list in years to come.

Comment below if you’ve seen a Tolkien reference in a video game that isn’t mentioned here. Cheers!

-TSS