J.R.R Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit follows the journey of one central hero, Bilbo Baggins, and his company of dwarves as they embark to Erebor to retake the dwarves’ homeland. This epic tale can be analyzed using a mythological, biographical, or historical critic’s point of view. There are also a few themes seen throughout the novel, including greed and the journey. From a mythological standpoint, one could mention the works of literature that Tolkien himself said has influenced his fantasies about the fabled land of Middle-earth: Iceland’s Poetic Edda and Beowulf. Some tales in Norse mythology can also be analyzed to apply to Tolkien’s novel. Based on a biographically and historically opinion, one might talk about the World Wars’ effect on Tolkien and his novels. Another approach that could be taken is one based on the archetypes seen in The Hobbit; the hero, Bilbo Baggins, and the villain, the dragon Smaug. One could connect the archetypes and events of The Hobbit to those of Beowulf. The Hobbit could also be seen as a novel of the genre bildungsroman, which means “coming-of-age” and focuses on the emotional and physical development of the main character. The use of mythological criticism in the analysis of J.R.R Tolkien’s first novel The Hobbit is by far the most popular among renowned literature critics – one of whom was CS Lewis, an author of children’s fantasy novels himself. It is easy to explain the story from a mythological point of view; many ancient texts have themes similar to those of The Hobbit, including those of both a physical and emotional journey.
The first of many works that are said to have influenced Tolkien’s work on The Hobbit is the Elder Edda from ancient Norse mythology. Tolkien got many of the names for his dwarf characters from the Poetic Edda, and he even named the mountain range over which the company had to cross to get to the dwarves’