Similarities Between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter

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  • Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
  • What are some of the similarities between The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter? I was surprised at how many I found during this most recent reread!
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    Lord of the Rings Playlist: • Playlist
    Harry Potter Playlist: • Playlist
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 377

  • @rubyreads4706
    @rubyreads4706 4 роки тому +215

    "The worm fella" 😂

  • @andrewp2681
    @andrewp2681 4 роки тому +643

    “FRODO, DIDJA PUT THE RING ON YER’ FINGER,” said Gandalf calmly.

  • @86upsmaya
    @86upsmaya 4 роки тому +237

    Given that LOTR is a classic and so big in UK even before the movies, and Jk being a Brit, denying any influence from LOTR is absolute bs.

    • @AhsimNreiziev
      @AhsimNreiziev 4 роки тому +20

      True. The influence might have been subconscious though. And given ....certain other things, it is not that much of stretch to say that J.K. Rowling might not be all that good at delving into her own subconscious.

    • @shawngillogly6873
      @shawngillogly6873 4 роки тому +26

      Even if she wasn't British. You don't wrote modern fantasy without interacting with Tolkien. It's like writing crime mystery while claiming to be uninfluenced by Sherlock Holmes.

    • @SimonaShine
      @SimonaShine 3 роки тому +1

      She didn't deny it though

    • @overcomingsins6334
      @overcomingsins6334 3 роки тому +1

      Because Tolkien is straight Christian White Man.

    • @Benjamin-1776
      @Benjamin-1776 3 роки тому

      @@overcomingsins6334 Lol yeah. May I add conservative as well. In many aspects. So is his current family

  • @ally4eva93
    @ally4eva93 4 роки тому +122

    I've noticed another similarity and it's Frodo and Harry not wanting to have people to help them on their adventure but have friends that will help them anyway.

    • @raepoynter5528
      @raepoynter5528 4 роки тому +14

      And both Sam and Ron are the good friend that stick with them (and both have red hair)

    • @clariesesultana1011
      @clariesesultana1011 3 роки тому +1

      and that sam and ron are quite the same as they both support frodo and harry in any problem they would have to face ...

    • @dhruvbharija172
      @dhruvbharija172 3 роки тому

      @@raepoynter5528 not Ron , Hermione sticked with Harry , Ron left

  • @delCorteh
    @delCorteh 4 роки тому +45

    "Longbottom leaf" blew my mind

  • @sabrinasspellbookspens5136
    @sabrinasspellbookspens5136 4 роки тому +52

    My favorite similarity is the giant, tentacled creatures. The Watcher of the Water lives in a lake near the Westgate of Moria. In Harry Potter, a giant squid occupies the Hogwarts lake. Though the creature in Harry Potter is nicer, they both can get very grumpy.

  • @carlwilliams9642
    @carlwilliams9642 4 роки тому +109

    Merphy, you must watch "Studio C: Lord of the Potter". It's a comedy sketch on this exact subject.

    • @keeprockin69
      @keeprockin69 4 роки тому +3

      I just went and watched it. Pretty hilarious! :D

    • @jerricho11
      @jerricho11 4 роки тому +1

      I love Studio C! Gunna go watch that now. lol

    • @mckennamclaws146
      @mckennamclaws146 4 роки тому +3

      Also, she used the exact wording that they did, so that put me off a bit from this video. It felt like she had copied and pasted from their script.

    • @jerricho11
      @jerricho11 4 роки тому +3

      @@mckennamclaws146 Nah, it's ok. They were talking about the same subject and coming to the same conclusion. You're bound to have some phrasing similarities. Maybe she saw it maybe she didn't, I don't know but I don't see enough for it to really be stolen. (I say this as someone who knew them back when they were Divine Comedy)

  • @JennFaeAge
    @JennFaeAge 4 роки тому +70

    There was a review going round a while ago (which I really hope was someone trolling people) that accused JRR Tolkein of ripping of Rowling. Like I said, I REALLY hope that was trolling

    • @leannery
      @leannery 4 роки тому +4

      How would that be possible when I'm pretty sure the books were released before she was born 😂

    • @JennFaeAge
      @JennFaeAge 4 роки тому +10

      @@leannery Oh, you think that's bad, someone accused the Cybermen from Doctor Who of being a Borg rip-off.
      Which would be impressive when the Cybermen predate the Borg by 30 years...
      I mean, I know DW is about time travel, but that doesn't mean the writers travel through time XD

    • @mindyteddybear
      @mindyteddybear 4 роки тому +8

      @@leannery Since J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973 you can figure out who copied from who????

    • @KatalovesLinkinPark
      @KatalovesLinkinPark 4 роки тому +4

      Well when the second Narnia Movie came out, some journalist called out the similarities to Harry Potter and how it was too obvious that this film was inspired by HP...

    • @stephenmalovski313
      @stephenmalovski313 4 роки тому +2

      When John Carter came out, one of the reasons why it flopped was that people (critics and audience) felt it was an Avatar knockoff

  • @QuestLegacy
    @QuestLegacy 4 роки тому +135

    In a post LOtR world, I feel like it is impossible to try and write a traditional fantasy story without being heavily influenced by big parts of The Lord of the Rings - even if unintentionally.
    I’ve never heard that Rowling claims she wasn’t inspired by LotR... I’m kinda calling bull on that lol.
    Also, I’m on book 2 of WOT and can see many similarities there as well! (Though Jordan was obvious with his influence and homage)

    • @Invidentia
      @Invidentia 4 роки тому +9

      I wish I could remember who the author was, but I thought it was so funny. He basically said that he had worked extremely hard to stay away from Tolkien and made sure not to have any Tolkien influence in his writing, as if diametrical opposition to something isn't a type of influence :D

    • @QuestLegacy
      @QuestLegacy 4 роки тому +1

      Invidentia yeah I feel like intentionally trying to subvert the expectations of the thing that came before requires knowledge of that thing. Also, as you said, that still alters the course of something else directly to specifically avoid it as well.

    • @kathleenbrashier2579
      @kathleenbrashier2579 4 роки тому +10

      Yeah, I agree. Tolkein's ideas have seeped into many areas of our lives that we don't really think about. "Dwarves" vs "dwarfs" was a spelling change that I didn't know was a Tolkein-ism until I read The Hobbit. Also, before Tolkein, I think "elves" were tiny, mischievous, troublemakers that were to be avoided, whereas after Tolkein, "Elves" are tall, stately, bastions of wisdom and ancient knowledge.

    • @Butterinyourear
      @Butterinyourear 4 роки тому +1

      That has always rubbed me the wrong way. There’s no way she hasn’t read these books before writing HP, why doesn’t she own up to it? She made it her own and I don’t see anything wrong with it at all. But damn, credit where so much credit is due!

    • @michaelsommers2356
      @michaelsommers2356 4 роки тому +3

      @@kathleenbrashier2579 Tolkien did not invent the human-sized elf. The elves of Scandinavian and Celtic mythology were clearly big, as were the elves of many British ballads, such as "Tam Lin".

  • @SpirusOfH
    @SpirusOfH 4 роки тому +16

    Even someone who has never read LOTR can't help taking inspiration from it when creating a fantasy/magical story simply because LOTR has had such a huge influence on almost every aspect of the genre today. So maybe you haven't read/seen LOTR, but all the other stuff you *have* read/seen has already been influenced by these books.

  • @thJune-ze7dn
    @thJune-ze7dn 4 роки тому +51

    One of my favourite fantasy YA books is A Wizard of Earthsea which came out in the '60s and is about a young boy who discovers he is a wizard and goes to wizard school where he makes friends (and a few enemies) and the headmaster is an old professor with a long beard who sacrifices his life to save the protagonist and he falls in love with his best friend's sister and he has to fight this evil that is intimately connected to him. He knows it is intimately connected to him because it gave him this really horrible scar that hurts whenever the evil comes near.
    Okay okay, it is a bit more different from Harry Potter than I let on just then, I still like HP but why people have always touted Rowling with having great originality and imagination is quite frankly beyond me.

    • @inkjetlabel
      @inkjetlabel 4 роки тому +4

      There's a book by Jane Yolen called Wizard's Hall that is startling in its similarities to the HP books, at least at first glance. It preceded the publication of the first HP book by many years (1991 vs. 1997). Yolen has even joked that if Rowling sent her a check, she (Yolen) would cash it without guilt.
      Boy gets letters/goes off to Wizarding school/has a mark on his face/villain used to go to and teach at the school/MC's first name starts with "H" (Henry/Harry)/best friends with a boy with red hair ... and several more plot points I'm probably forgetting occur in both books.
      'Course there's important differences as well, meaning Yolen's joke was just that, a joke. Still kind of weird.

    • @selantrian
      @selantrian 4 роки тому +1

      16thJune1904 I just wrote about that in a comment and you remembered so many details I forgot! They are seriously similar! Also everything that happened with that villain... seriously reminded me of Harry Potter (especially what’s revealed at the end of book 5).

    • @bloodspatteredguitar
      @bloodspatteredguitar 4 роки тому +2

      I think falling in love with his best friend's sister is taking Yarrow and Sparrowhawk too far.

    • @TitoTimTravels
      @TitoTimTravels 4 роки тому +4

      I love the Potter series, and just finished my annual reading...but... I made some people mad when I said I could see why the first book was turned down so many times. The first Potter book was the basic Cinderella story used in so many fantasy books (like Earthsea). You are an orphan farmer/blacksmith/nobody but really the warrior/wizard/prince/savior of some kind. I still love the books but I have read too many books over the years to call any of her books particularly original. What I do give her credit for is making the modern world and the wizarding world blend so well. Usually it is clunky (Percy Jackson) or the magic world is another dimension. She did a great job of making it fit in our world. But not much else was original... and I still love the books. No hate, just being honest.

    • @thJune-ze7dn
      @thJune-ze7dn 4 роки тому +2

      @Just Getting By Oh no I'm not criticising Rowling for being unoriginal. The mishmash of different influences is one of the things that's really great about Harry Potter. I'm criticising the people who say that it IS original and didn't pull from anything. I remember when these books first came out back in the '90s there were an awful lot of people saying that, even professional fantasy authors, and I just think that's a bit insulting to the authors that have come before her.

  • @rohanmulgaokar5682
    @rohanmulgaokar5682 4 роки тому +12

    That's so true in fantasy almost every big series has few similarities to another ...

    • @knightimer2
      @knightimer2 4 роки тому +2

      Rohan Mulgaokar then you read the Stormlight Archive and remember how creative you can get with fantasy and how few tropes you have to follow. Still some tropes there, but a lot of books have a very creative usage of the fantasy genre.

  • @veronikaczr1105
    @veronikaczr1105 4 роки тому +11

    Btw: Gandalf wasn't the most powerful wizard - it was Saruman. Gandalf was very wise (in some ways more than Saruman), but the real, biggest power was given him after his death, when je returned (then he was also wiser and better at persuading people), whereas Saruman has lost part of his powers and wisdom. Saruman was also very skilled and made his own ring (or more). I think Saruman was very interesting character.
    (Sorry for my english)

  • @doctorlolchicken7478
    @doctorlolchicken7478 4 роки тому +5

    As someone who is the same age as JK, who grew up in the same area, I could see her influences clearly when I read Harry Potter. The biggest, besides LotR, is probably Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, which has the Wizard school, similar magic and some similar characters.
    Also popular at the time was Doctor Who, especially the Key to Time series, which had the Doctor tracking down six pieces of a key, each of which was disguised as an object. The twist being that the last object was actually a person. The Doctor even used a wand to reveal the objects.

  • @gaberodriguez4023
    @gaberodriguez4023 4 роки тому +16

    I think this is the first time Merphy has actually used clips from movies in her videos!

    • @ThePauliver
      @ThePauliver 4 роки тому +2

      I hope it continues! It’s great!

  • @Wurmze
    @Wurmze 4 роки тому +23

    Ive got my lotr series as a single book and it has the worst case of book scoliosis ever seen 😂

  • @amandaschwindle5800
    @amandaschwindle5800 4 роки тому +24

    Someone else mentioned it briefly, but:
    Sam and Ron, loyal companions to the MC

    • @baguettegott3409
      @baguettegott3409 4 роки тому +1

      (but one of them is gayer than the other)

    • @tatianasalazar4066
      @tatianasalazar4066 4 роки тому

      I feel a little bit offended...

    • @zainrodriguez3937
      @zainrodriguez3937 3 роки тому

      @@baguettegott3409 nah there just extremely loyal friends

    • @baguettegott3409
      @baguettegott3409 3 роки тому

      @@zainrodriguez3937 Samwise Gamgee is bi and in love with Frodo and I will die on this hill, thank you very much

    • @zainrodriguez3937
      @zainrodriguez3937 3 роки тому +3

      @@baguettegott3409 then you clearly don’t know what true friendship is, Tolkien wanted to explore the idea of friendship, not love

  • @Cam5FC
    @Cam5FC 4 роки тому +82

    I can't imagine how difficult it would be to write fantasy without intentionally AND unintentionally pulling from LotR.
    The stories stand on their own and I don't think any less of Rowling.
    All said, Potter doesn't even come close to the depth and heart that LotR has. It is the epic fantasy that cannot be eclipsed.

    • @supershinigami1
      @supershinigami1 4 роки тому +7

      Because Harry Potter is a story written for children and LotR is epic fantasy. You can't compare that. Altough a ton of adults were reading Harry Potter too so that they had to come out with different book covers for adults in the UK because a lot of them were ashamed to be seen reading children books in public.

    • @leonmayne797
      @leonmayne797 4 роки тому +1

      Unless you didn't read any lotr books or any fantasy books written after it was written.

    • @nont18411
      @nont18411 4 роки тому +1

      Lotr influence is so big. ASOIAF was created as a direct anti-Lotr and anti-Harry Potter.

    • @rayinchrist1
      @rayinchrist1 4 роки тому +3

      supershinigami1 Harry Potter isn’t for children especially from books 3-7.

    • @mentormachado4601
      @mentormachado4601 9 місяців тому

      ​@kickingbackpunchingcones4099there is a torture scene, when Hermione is tortured for example, and the magic is more impactful in the books than in the films, in the books it is described that an arm was broken by the impact and deep cuts on the body, in the films nothing is shown, But I understand that the tone of the books is different from Lord of the Rings

  • @TBHJR
    @TBHJR 4 роки тому +28

    LOTR was never published as six books when it was first released. It was always three books and then later as one volume. Tolkien actually wanted it to be published as one of two volumes, the other being The Silmarillion.

    • @Catwhisper175
      @Catwhisper175 3 роки тому +2

      It was three books of lord of the rings, or one big book of all three. One book of hobbit. The similaritie of history in begging of middle earth like biblical.
      There couple of history books of middle earth races.

  • @merenwen4495
    @merenwen4495 4 роки тому +29

    Thank you! I have been saying this for years 🤣 you could also state (in my opinion) that the Hogwarts houses are based on the races from Lord of the Rings. Hufflepuffs are hobbits (friendly and loyal), Gryffindors are men (brave), Ravenclaws are elves (wise) and Slyhterin the bad guys (in Rowlings point of view)

    • @shanapare8772
      @shanapare8772 4 роки тому +1

      Omg yes!!!

    • @KurtisC93
      @KurtisC93 3 роки тому +2

      I'd say Gryffindors are Dwarves-bold and brash-whereas men, the most power-hungry race in Middle Earth, are Slytherins.

    • @arkenstar3979
      @arkenstar3979 3 роки тому +1

      @@KurtisC93 Yep this is correct.. Men are far more corruptible than Dwarves in the LOTR universe.. they were the only race among the four (hobbits, men, elves and dwarves) that actually completely succumbed to the power of the Rings that they came in contact with and became the ringwraiths fully under the power of the dark lord.. Even Gollum (a supposed hobbit) didnt fully fall to the dark side even if he came really close..

  • @LuminousLibro
    @LuminousLibro 4 роки тому +5

    OMG, how did I never see these similarities before?! Now it seems so obvious. Love this fun video!

  • @margarets2924
    @margarets2924 4 роки тому +7

    I’m half way thru Fellowship of the Ring and it’s my first read. The dark lord definitely stood out. But I’m so focused on the taking in the story I’m not thinking of anything else while reading it.
    This video is awesome!

  • @fox_lady
    @fox_lady 4 роки тому

    You literally look so excited and happy to talk about this, it was so pleasant to watch

  • @marekhupian8158
    @marekhupian8158 4 роки тому

    I love every Harry Potter theme video of yours. Please keep them up ! 🖤

  • @joshuadavidson3689
    @joshuadavidson3689 4 роки тому

    Loved the video, the similarities are so striking it was uncanny!
    Also, I saw an old school Nintendo paddle on your coffee mug. Loved it!

  • @breannawilliamson9787
    @breannawilliamson9787 4 роки тому

    So excited to see you get closer to 100k!! I LOVE your channel!

  • @waltermanson999
    @waltermanson999 4 роки тому

    Amazing video !!! I've never seen a video on this topic, beyond broad analysis of the Hero's journey. But it is a very relevant topic as these are the two most popular book series of all time ! and there are so manny similarities!!! You're amazing Gal ! keep on book'n on !

  • @tina1994100
    @tina1994100 4 роки тому +1

    I love your outro music... Btw your video is great as usual.. ❤️

  • @sophiathedandilioness
    @sophiathedandilioness 4 роки тому

    Hot damn. You did such a good job with this. Okay, I'm not actually suprised, you always knock your videos out of the park. I guess I'm just super happy you made it xD

  • @ayesha1708
    @ayesha1708 4 роки тому +4

    My eyes were just on the cup of tea at the end and my anxiety levels were sky high! It was about to spill out of the cup like 10 times! :D

  • @toshomni9478
    @toshomni9478 4 роки тому +4

    This reminds me so much of one of my favorite Epic Rap Battles of History: Gandalf versus Dumbledore. The similarities also exist because both stories rely on the structure of the hero's journey, as described by Joseph Campbell, like almost every epic saga ever told.

  • @Omegaroth666
    @Omegaroth666 4 роки тому

    I'd like to see more of these comparison videos. I just like hearing your thought process.

  • @BookswithBrittany
    @BookswithBrittany 4 роки тому

    Omg whyyyyy have I never noticed all of this before! Loved this video :)

  • @applesanimated853
    @applesanimated853 4 роки тому

    Howdy, I'm a fan of your channel, and I've been watching you since 2017!

  • @annemck
    @annemck 4 роки тому +3

    The first movie adaptations came out at the same time, too -- holiday season 2001. I remember seeing The Sorcerer's Stone and The Fellowship of the Ring a week apart.

  • @angelique9527
    @angelique9527 4 роки тому +16

    Yes! I've been laughing over these similarities since reading the books/seeing the films when both franchises first hit theaters back in the early 2000s. You should check out Studio C's comedy sketch "Lord of the Potter"--it's all about this very topic and is really quite hilarious. Great video! =)

    • @leonmayne797
      @leonmayne797 4 роки тому

      I'd like to see a sketch about Game of Thrones happening in the lotr universe, with everyone trying to overthrow Aragorn and calling him the usurper, and Aragorn having to heal some guy who fell out of a window.

    • @keeprockin69
      @keeprockin69 4 роки тому +1

      Thanks for the recommendation! It is quite hilarious :D

    • @angelique9527
      @angelique9527 4 роки тому

      Leon Mayne haha, I’d like to see that too. And all of Aragorn’s kids have white blonde hair yet he never seems to question why Legolas has been hanging around Arwen so much...

    • @leonmayne797
      @leonmayne797 4 роки тому

      @@angelique9527 haha yeah and when he finds out they're all bastards he has them all murdered and then has Legolas sold into slavery lol

  • @drunkenqueen3077
    @drunkenqueen3077 2 роки тому

    Amazing analysis!

  • @masonheitner8410
    @masonheitner8410 4 роки тому +15

    Did you watch Studio C’s skit making fun of how similar these two series are? You practically quote some of the lines they say in that skit- talk about similarities!

    • @merphynapier42
      @merphynapier42  4 роки тому +2

      Yeah I love that skit!

    • @KurtisC93
      @KurtisC93 3 роки тому

      I don't think that was unintentional. 😏

  • @xMrBadness
    @xMrBadness 4 роки тому +1

    You were giving me so much anxiety at the end part of the video with that cup of tea. I was focused on it completely waiting for the tea to spill xd

  • @EnygmaRecords
    @EnygmaRecords 4 роки тому

    Liking this video before I watch, because I've been hoping you'd make a video on this!!

    • @merphynapier42
      @merphynapier42  4 роки тому +1

      I hope you enjoyed it!

    • @EnygmaRecords
      @EnygmaRecords 4 роки тому

      @@merphynapier42 I did; looking forward to the next one already (if it's to come)!

  • @wolvz7081
    @wolvz7081 4 роки тому

    Almost spilled your drink towards the end, really distracted me 😅 Great video tho, not seen your stuff before so I’ll watch a few more.

  • @freddiemay2742
    @freddiemay2742 4 роки тому

    This is such an interesting video!!

  • @JohnSmith-jb2jf
    @JohnSmith-jb2jf 4 роки тому +4

    People who haven't read The Lord of the Rings need to do that ASAP. Then you will understand that Tolkien's work is on a completely different scale and level compared to Rowling's. He put his blood into his books.
    He created languages and extensive family trees. He drew detailed maps for every region of his world. He wrote a detailed history of all the races, spanning thousands of years, going all the way back to the creation of his universe.
    It took 17 years before he was comfortable publishing the final draft. Even after that he continued making changes and released a 2nd edition. And that's just LOTR. That doesn't account for The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, or anything else.
    While it's fun to talk about similarities between the series (and Rowling definitely stole her share of ideas), I feel like we're insulting Tolkien's memory in mentioning both of these works in the same breath all the time.
    One is a mythology. The other is a children's series.

    • @bullrun2772
      @bullrun2772 2 роки тому +2

      It’s not insulting (I get what you mean), but lotr is much better than hp

  • @carinavasquez5995
    @carinavasquez5995 4 роки тому

    Great fun video.
    I hope you don’t have carpet. I was so nervous watching that mug in your hand throughout the entire video. 😄

  • @kphillips666destined
    @kphillips666destined 4 роки тому

    Amazing video. I was scared that you were going spill your tea tho lol

  • @terrysbookandbiblereviews
    @terrysbookandbiblereviews 4 роки тому

    Cool video. I did not notice this before I saw this video.

  • @eringolive
    @eringolive 4 роки тому +1

    As I read more and more classics, I keep finding links between HP and its predecessors. One I certainly didn’t expect was Jane Eyre (orphan, mean aunt, boarding school, being rescued from his and her miserable existence), and one I just read was The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, which features Digory, the likely inspiration for Cedric Diggory. I know I’ve noticed lots more, but those are two that come first to mind.

  • @leannery
    @leannery 4 роки тому +4

    I remember my English teacher reading to our class a book called groosham Grange which I felt at the time was heavily similar to Harry Potter but published before. Both were mistreated teens going suddenly to boarding school that turns out to be a place for wizards. Would be interesting to reread as I remember thinking that when I was 13 let alone now.

  • @baraahaljabali6964
    @baraahaljabali6964 4 роки тому

    WOW ! I never noticed this ! so amazing.. thank you 🥰

  • @onestar8627
    @onestar8627 4 роки тому

    I love this! Thank you

  • @ayesha1708
    @ayesha1708 4 роки тому +1

    Waiting for you Half blood prince doesn't make sense video! These "doesn't make sense" videos are so much fun! :D

    • @shanapare8772
      @shanapare8772 4 роки тому

      Me too. Did she say when she is continuing her harry potter reviews???

    • @ayesha1708
      @ayesha1708 4 роки тому +1

      @@shanapare8772 no idea but eagerly waiting ...

  • @sarahreffstrupjrgensen7772
    @sarahreffstrupjrgensen7772 4 роки тому +3

    There are also creepy forrests in both! Great video 👏

  • @giuliakenway6500
    @giuliakenway6500 4 роки тому +2

    I like your new "credits music"! :D

  • @AlexLifts777
    @AlexLifts777 4 роки тому

    Congrats on 90k!!! 🥳 🥳🎉

  • @cassianladue9493
    @cassianladue9493 4 роки тому

    This is so fun! I love it. Could be cool to compare and contrast LOTR to other fantasy series (WoT is obvious, but also not as obvious ones where contrasting could be a lot of fun!)

  • @lambbees104
    @lambbees104 4 роки тому

    This is so cool! I haven’t read the LOTR books yet but I’ve watched the movies and can’t believe I’ve never noticed these

  • @drangel1345
    @drangel1345 4 роки тому +3

    I grew up thinking j.k.rowling came up with the ideas by herself and i was like wow shes great. Then i read lord of the rings and i was pissed because the similarities are undeniable.

  • @tracey_bay
    @tracey_bay 4 роки тому

    OMG I never thought about this and now I'm shocked 😱
    Great video!!! I'll comment it with my husband, I'm sure he will be surprised too 😂

  • @psychfi4995
    @psychfi4995 4 роки тому +1

    Smaug guards the gold under the Lonely Mountain (not LOTR but same universe) - White dragon guards the gold in Bellatrix's vault in Gringotts.

  • @jemmagomez8923
    @jemmagomez8923 4 роки тому +1

    Yas!!! Holly smokes I didn't know the similarities were that big!!!
    Love this video please make more!!!

  • @axellesbooks
    @axellesbooks 4 роки тому +2

    They're both amazing series! I still need to read the third book in the lord of the rings series. What a shame
    btw, I have pet semetary and hope to read it this year because you loved it!

  • @jase186
    @jase186 4 роки тому

    Love your videos!

  • @user-vx7do5sr5q
    @user-vx7do5sr5q 4 роки тому +19

    Also, Tolkien got inspired by many legends and miths

    • @aj69needshelp91
      @aj69needshelp91 4 роки тому +6

      True but he managed to make it his own thing

  • @graceorams2959
    @graceorams2959 4 роки тому

    This is completely random but I just wanted to say you look really stunning! You’re just glowing 💛

  • @rustydaboyrobot
    @rustydaboyrobot 4 роки тому +4

    I read The Hobbit at 11, and i was hooked on Fantsy, moving on from my Dad's Westerns (Loius L'Amour - read them all by the time I was 12). Harry Potter is one of my favorite fantasy worlds, though LOTR's Middle Earth and Midkemia (R E Feist) are my #1s.

    • @briangallagher3106
      @briangallagher3106 4 роки тому

      Rusty Robot5 I was really enjoying magician until the main character was kidnapped and taken to that new world. After that I lost a lot of interest. Then they skipped ahead years and years and I didn’t finish it. I might go back one day but....

    • @rustydaboyrobot
      @rustydaboyrobot 4 роки тому

      @@briangallagher3106 Ah. Pug becomes Milamber on "the alien world"...then returns to Midkemia.
      Keep in mind the "Enemy" in the Magician series is somewhat akin to the evil in L'Engel's A Wrinkle in Time in that it affects and can destroy worlds...not just "Earth".
      Both Tomas and Pug fulfill their childhood's "dream" in ways so profound, they are changed forever. Keep reading; this is a rare sci-fi/fantasy blend that really works.

  • @neharianeha
    @neharianeha 4 роки тому

    I just finished LOTR rerun and oh boy the similarities!!! I constantly thought of these running parallel and also with GOT - some parts and I couldn't agree more with you on this!!

  • @davidr9876
    @davidr9876 4 роки тому +2

    You forgot the ring's invisibility and the cloak of invisibility. Both allowing the protagonist to accomplish otherwise impossible tasks necessary for the plot progression.

  • @poojabhatt4397
    @poojabhatt4397 4 роки тому +10

    Oh I love Harry Potter so MUCH

  • @LynnetteReads
    @LynnetteReads 4 роки тому

    I love that you can also see both series on your shelves behind you they are both quite distinctive.

  • @ConnorStompanato
    @ConnorStompanato 4 роки тому

    i havent read LOTR but this was really interesting, especially the wormtail one!

  • @briannaweeks6357
    @briannaweeks6357 4 роки тому

    I totally picked up on this as well!

  • @guitarfreak80ftw
    @guitarfreak80ftw 4 роки тому

    I would love a follow-up video of this 🙏🏼

  • @knightslegion1731
    @knightslegion1731 4 роки тому

    I came across this video because I am currently rereading Lord of the rings as well, and been in a bit of a token mood. Haha
    These are very interesting similarities that I never would have known about since I Did not read Harry Potter.

  • @the10thdoctor21
    @the10thdoctor21 4 роки тому +1

    Can I have a link to that Lotr book collection on your shelf ? The covers are really appealing to me

  • @adri2663
    @adri2663 4 роки тому

    Wow those are some crazy coincidences! This blew my mind!

  • @susanbuckminster282
    @susanbuckminster282 4 роки тому

    Thank you!

  • @drfpslegend4149
    @drfpslegend4149 4 роки тому +1

    I've only read The Hobbit so I don't have much to comment on the Lord of the Rings series (but I'm going to read them soon!). I absolutely loved Harry Potter though so I'm excited to see what similarities I can find between the two series :)

  • @melaniedownes1752
    @melaniedownes1752 4 роки тому

    I didn’t realize they are similar similarities to both. I am a HUGE FAN of Harry Potter and I am reading Lord of the Rings. They are both so good! I have a Harry Potter room, I got the books, movies and stickers on my walls and my backpack is Harry Potter. I have a hard time with lord of the rings in the beginning because there were a lot of characters. Which ones are they in lord of the rings? I can’t wait to watch more videos from you

  • @OHCAM5
    @OHCAM5 4 роки тому +12

    Wasn't Frodo introduced on Bilbo's birthday. Haven't read the books lol

    • @karolovesbooks2233
      @karolovesbooks2233 4 роки тому +21

      Bilbo and Frodo have the same birthday ☺️

    • @OHCAM5
      @OHCAM5 4 роки тому +3

      @@karolovesbooks2233 OHH OK thanks

    • @merphynapier42
      @merphynapier42  4 роки тому +7

      yep! Same birthdays :)

    • @crazymaner2003
      @crazymaner2003 4 роки тому +5

      @@karolovesbooks2233 An important detail left out of the movies for some strange reason.

    • @mikefrost5575
      @mikefrost5575 3 роки тому

      It was both their birthday bud :)

  • @separator94
    @separator94 4 роки тому +1

    Interesting. While I anticipated there being some similarities between the two I didn't think there would be quite so many. I still have yet to read HP but have seen a few of the films and the overall feel I got from them was that they were not nearly as mature or complex as TLOTR. I'm still planning on reading HP though as the general consensus is that it's a truly great series that all fans of fantasy should read.

  • @kristine95660
    @kristine95660 4 роки тому

    Wow great eye! That was really interesting. Also how do you read so fast??

    • @merphynapier42
      @merphynapier42  4 роки тому

      I'm really not a fast reader, it's just that I spend a lot of time doing it!

  • @333pinkelephant333
    @333pinkelephant333 4 роки тому +1

    5:37 Shrieking Shack, although I get why you said Whomping Willow.
    Another similarity is between Gollum and Wormtail. Their life has been spared by the main character out of pity. And even though the main character initially regrets sparing their lives, both Gollum and Womrtail eventually pays back their debt by saving the main character from death. Kind of. lol
    I'm currently re-reading Harry Potter series again I'm noticing a lot of foreshadowing. I can't be sure if JKR planned it out or later thought about it and kind of pieced it together as she went along but anyways. I think something like "Top 10 foreshadowing" will be another fun Harry Potter video.
    I haven't re-read 1-3 books in like 20 years so this is blowing my mind! 😂
    On Harry's first few days at Hogwarts, the book talks about a mysterious doors that only open when tickled (kitchen) or looks like a wall (room of requirement).
    And later, Harry has a strong feeling that Snape can read minds. HE TOTALLY CAN!!! Which we don't find out about till book 5!!

  • @Shireishou
    @Shireishou 4 роки тому

    Wow... I only able to watch both movie. thx for the sharing

  • @justif8949
    @justif8949 4 роки тому +4

    Make a video about the similarities between Harry Potter and Narnia books there are a lot!

    • @TitoTimTravels
      @TitoTimTravels 4 роки тому +2

      I never could finish the Narnia books. They seemed like just a christianized answer to Lord of the Rings. The beat you over the head message really took away from the story, or at least the enjoyment.

    • @tatianasalazar4066
      @tatianasalazar4066 4 роки тому

      @@TitoTimTravels It's a nice children's series, but that's all...

  • @KristinMomentsOfSanctuary
    @KristinMomentsOfSanctuary 4 роки тому

    Tolkien was so genius he's worthy of taking influence off of. This is why it's one/ series of the very best books of all time! Fun to hear your thoughts as always. I would say also the themes of die hard loyalties and friendships is played similar in both series! It doesn't make me like Harry Potter less but actually it makes me like LOTR even more :) Brilliant!

    • @danbitgood429
      @danbitgood429 2 роки тому

      He himself owes much to the ancient Scandinavian texts like the Elder Eddas and Norse mythology.

    • @KristinMomentsOfSanctuary
      @KristinMomentsOfSanctuary 2 роки тому

      @@danbitgood429 absolutely- the inspiration is passed!

  • @jameslensteinburton8142
    @jameslensteinburton8142 4 роки тому +10

    Please, if you haven't seen it yet, go see a video called "Lord of the Potter". It's hilarious

  • @Human-zx4rb
    @Human-zx4rb 2 роки тому +1

    Ehh Sauron has a body in the books, a lot of people get decieved by jacksons big eye but gollum mentions seeing sauron while being tortured and there is direct confirmation from tolkien i think

  • @Orlandooooo7
    @Orlandooooo7 4 роки тому

    The coffee swishing around made me a lil nervous hehe

  • @joh514
    @joh514 4 роки тому +3

    A big harry potter fan and now I'm discovering the tales of Tolkien and damn... j.k. rowling dissapointed me

  • @davidbrockmeier9538
    @davidbrockmeier9538 4 роки тому

    This is very amusing to me, as I've not read/watched either series, yet folks were always baffled when I got them confused.

  • @selantrian
    @selantrian 4 роки тому +16

    Honestly, Rowling seems to be influenced a LOT by people she won’t admit to being influenced by. The one I know of is Ursula K. Le Guin, who I believe was confused as to why Rowling thought she invented the magical school when her classic fantasy, A Wizard of Earthsea, actually did bring a wizard coming-of-age story to the genre. When I read Earthsea, I noticed extreme similarities in theme as well, so much so that I found it hard to believe Rowling had never even read Le Guin’s work. Earthsea really deals with darkness and light and balance among the two, and especially inner darkness haunting you. The way she phrases it reminded me so much of Harry Potter. Not trying to drag J.K. Rowling and I don’t think she lifted things directly from LOTR or Earthsea (at least we can’t prove it if she did), but I definitely think she was influenced by them. Even if she didn’t read it, LOTR especially is just kind of in the air of the fantasy world nowadays. If you’re writing it, Tolkien probably did it first. And Le Guin 100% made people care about non-wizened wizards and Rowling benefited from that because the world was ready for Harry. I think she stands on the backs of giants, whether she admits it or not

  • @diunasiek
    @diunasiek 4 роки тому

    Quite recently I was wondering about LOTR/Tolkien tropes that no longer would work. Unfortunately, I have too little knowledge about both current literature and Middlearth world so I was searching through internet. And I haven't found anything interesting. Maybe you have some interesting thoughts on this topic that you could share in a video? :)

  • @audiorage82407
    @audiorage82407 4 роки тому +2

    The elder wand is similar to the ring of power in that they're both destroyed and thrown into an abyss because it's better that no one has that kind of power

  • @styxxrivier673
    @styxxrivier673 4 роки тому +1

    LotR and HP have a connection in literary tradition, intended or otherwise - this is where an author looks at how symbols and characters are depicted in previous literature and how these depictions carry over in both similarities and differences. This has some crossover with literary critical theories. Literary tradition is useful for highlighting certain aspects that other literature has depicted while also simultaneously highlighting how the later author may have changed things and what aspects these changes present. I can’t name any specific examples from LotR and HP, but recognizing this tradition gives insight into how the author was thinking when writing their own literature, and what specific influences they may have been looking for when performing research.
    That was a long winded explanation to say Rowling and other authors shouldn’t be ripped on for having similarities to previously published literature. Plagiarism is one thing, but having evil spiders is another.

  • @LoffysDomain
    @LoffysDomain 4 роки тому

    In terms of narration, do the authors differs (e.g. use of third-person omniscient/limited). I far from an expert but I've heard that old books have a style that is... old, if you know aht I mean.

  • @upasnabharija8804
    @upasnabharija8804 3 роки тому

    Which one did you like more

  • @paulabarreto2668
    @paulabarreto2668 4 роки тому

    I was so worried you were gonna spill your drink in the end of the video

  • @sourcastic
    @sourcastic 3 роки тому

    What about Merry getting his arm hurt when stabbing the witch king and being helped by Popping is so similar to when one of the twins' ear gets hurt and is helped by the other (I've forgotten)

  • @olivergiggins7931
    @olivergiggins7931 4 роки тому

    The one in the trio most affected by the item (Gollum/Ron) is the one to ultimately destroy it (albeit accidentally in the case of Gollum)
    Both bearded mentor figures have a death linked to a high fall, both come back afterwards in another form and in association with the colour white.

  • @HansWurst-hq9xt
    @HansWurst-hq9xt 4 роки тому +1

    Similarities Between Star Wars and Eragon .... would be like a 40min long video =D