Quotes from The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
"It was like discovering a complete wine-filled cellar filled with bottles of an amazing wine of a kind and flavor never tasted before. It quite intoxicated me [...]"
J.R.R. Tolkien on his discovery of the Finnish language
Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien (eds.), No. 163, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
"The invention of languages is the foundation. The ‘stories’ were made rather to provide a world for the languages than the reverse. To me a name comes first and the story follows."
J.R.R. Tolkien
Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien (eds.), No. 165, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
"Thank you for your letter ... I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by arisch. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-Iranian; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people."
A draft for a response to Tolkien's German publishers inquiry about his ancestry.
Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien (eds.), No. 30, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien