The similarities between J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings universe and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter world are "fairly superficial," according to Rowling herself. "Tolkien created a whole new mythology, which I would never claim to have done. On the other hand, I think I have better jokes." Both Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings have reignited an era's love for fantasy almost single-handedly; franchises as diverse as X-Men to Doctor Who and Narnia all owe something to both sets of films, which are both going strong. With There And Back Again, Peter Jackson concludes his prequel trilogy of The Hobbit, just as new Harry Potter movie Fantastic Beasts enters production; it seems we can't live with either of them, as they've become cultural icons of 21st Century cinema. Being able to see them on-screen though certainly illuminates the similarities and differences between the two stories. It may be nearly sixty years since the last The Lord of the Rings book was published, but J. K. Rowling owes Tolkien an awful lot, and not just her pen-name; themes, ideas and even individual characters can be traced back to the Middle Earth epic, and from The Lord of the Rings, much of the imagery is derived from the same mythology and folklore than Rowling mined for Potter. But what exactly are the similarities, apart from the bearded wizards, the magic and the incredible power to captivate family audiences? Let's have a look at ten areas of the franchises that are spookily similar.
