From the Matterhorn to Mordor

Question: What mountain range was the inspiration for the Misty Mountains in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?

Answer: The Swiss Alps

Film director Sir Peter Jackson may have used his homeland of New Zealand as the backdrop for his version of Middle-Earth in The Lord of the Rings films, but J.R.R. Tolkien had the Swiss Alps in mind while penning his legendary fantasy novels.

Oxford professor and Anglo-Saxon scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in 1936, followed up by The Lord of the Rings in 1954. His descriptions of the Misty Mountains and other mountain landscapes of Middle-Earth—the setting of both novels—were inspired by Tolkien’s experiences during a hike in the Swiss Alps in 1911.

It’s always tricky to state with certainty that an author had a specific location in mind while describing a fictional world, so how do we know for sure? Because the author told us so—or, rather, he told his son. In a 1967 letter to his son Michael, Tolkien wrote: "I am delighted that you have made the acquaintance of Switzerland, and of the very part that I once knew best and which had the deepest effect on me. The hobbit’s journey from Rivendell to the other side of the Misty Mountains, including the glissade down the slithering stones into the pine woods, is based on my adventures in 1911."

A 19-year-old orphan living in England at the time, Tolkien was invited to join an annual walking holiday organized the Brookes-Smith family, along with a dozen other companions and a local guide (presumably, not a Hobbit). The group started in Interlaken and traversed the mountain landscapes to the village of Lauterbrunnen, set in a deep-cut valley with views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains. Never having witnessed anything close to these towering Alpine peaks and waterfalls tumbling over 1000-foot-high cliffs, his summer hike in the Swiss Alps left an indelible impression on Tolkien.

Tolkien returned to England to begin his studies at Oxford. Still an undergraduate at the outbreak of World War I, he would fight as a British Army officer at the Battle of the Somme. His dreams of Middle-Earth began shortly after the war, and some have speculated that the darker elements of his fictional world were informed by Tolkien’s experiences in the trenches of World War I. But what is far more certain is that the Misty Mountains were informed by his experiences in the Swiss Alps, including Lauterbrunnen, which as many Tolkien fans know, is a mirror image of Rivendell, home of the kingdom of Elrond. Set in a deep valley against a backdrop of steep cliffs and towering waterfalls, Rivendell also gave refuge to Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf in The Hobbit—and is where the Fellowship of the Ring was born.

Little did Tolkien realize that his unexpected journey into the Swiss Alps would one day inspire his creation of an enchanting imaginary world that would become the best-selling fantasy series of all time.

"Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the sea comes the end of our fellowship in middle-earth. Go in peace!"
— J.R.R. Tolkien

Seven Fun Facts About the Swiss and Italian Alps

• The Alps aren’t just for the Swiss: No wonder people get confused about the mountain range stretching through eight European countries. They’re usually referred to regionally as the French Alps, Swiss Alps, Bavarian Alps, Austrian Alps, Italian Alps, and Julian Alps—but they’re all the Alps. So where do the Dolomites fit in? Just a tiny sliver (less than 1%) of the Alps, the Dolomites are a subrange of the Italian Alps, which are a subrange of the Alps. See what we mean?

• The Alps support a remarkable diversity of wildlife: People have been living in the foothills of the soaring peaks of the Alps since prehistoric times—and lots of other critters have been living here, too. You may not find any dwarves and elves here, but some 30,000 wildlife species make their home in the Alps—everything from marmots to brown bears to snow fleas.

• Like in the Misty Mountains, one should tread carefully in the Swiss Alps: During Tolkien’s 1911 hiking adventure, he narrowly escaped death when he slipped and almost fell into a crevasse in the snow in Zermatt, the famous mountain resort at the foot of the Matterhorn. It is difficult to imagine a world without The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings

• You can find middle-Earth in the Middle of the Swiss Alps: Tolkien didn’t actually set foot in this region of the Swiss Alps, but the Alpine village of Jenins is home to the Greisinger Middle-Earth Museum, which contains the largest collection of Tolkien-related art, literature, manuscripts, and other collectibles in the world.

• Tolkien’s holiday hike in the Alps has a connection to Sherlock Homes: While traversing the high-altitude mountain passes of the Swiss Alps, Tolkien’s party arrived at Reichenbach Falls—where Tolkien’s literary predecessor, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, had his famous sleuth battling the criminal mastermind Moriarty, in what was meant to be his last Sherlock Holmes book.

• The Bernina Express may just be The Lord of the Trains: One of the best ways to view the breathtaking beauty of the Alps is aboard the Bernina Express, a narrow-gauge railroad that takes you through 55 tunnels and across 196 bridges on a 37-mile journey from Tirano, Italy to St. Moritz, Switzerland. Europe’s highest Alpine crossing, it’s earned UNESCO recognition—and so steep in sections, the wine glasses have slanted stems to prevent spills.

• Between a place and some hard rock: With its anti-war and pro-environmental themes, The Lord of the Rings really struck a chord with the counterculture crowd of the 1960s. Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin was a huge fan, which is why so many of the band’s early songs—"Ramble On," "Mysty Mountain Hop," "The Battle of Evermore," and others—include direct references to The Lord of the Rings.

Explore the Swiss Alps that inspired Tolkien during The Swiss Alps: Lucerne, Bern & Zermatt pre-trip extension to our Northern Italy: The Alps, Dolomites & Lombardy adventure adventure.