Possible inspiration for a major part of Tolkien's stories

In Tolkien the Elves are leaving Middle Earth and retreating to the West where lies the Valinar. When they die they go to the West to live among the Valinor.

Well "gone West" used to be a phrase among the British and Canadian soldiers to mean some killed in action. It was used in WWII and I believe the book I'm reading said it derived from WWI. As Tolkien was a British soldier who served at the Somme, that phrase may have been an inspiration for the above parts of his story.

And the elves going west was a major part of the stories?

Yea, that is the reason they couldn't help during the War of the Ring. It is a part of the overall story which was partly about Man taking over from the Elves who are leaving Middle Earth.

That is hardly a major part. The Fellowship and it's breaking was the major part. The elves played a very minor part in the story.

Originally Posted by vizi

That is hardly a major part. The Fellowship and it's breaking was the major part. The elves played a very minor part in the story.

If you read the books you will find that the most unimportant things in the movie (or things cut out) were vitally important in the book (Tolkein considers a conversation with a guy you meet once worthy of like 50 pages in the Shire ), sometimes to the point where I found myself banging my head against a wall waiting for something interesting to happen.

I agree with you there, good observation. I think he was influenced by a lot of WWI stuff, it would be interesting to delve deeper and draw some more comparisons.

Originally Posted by vizi

That is hardly a major part. The Fellowship and it's breaking was the major part. The elves played a very minor part in the story.

In the grand scheme of things, no, not really.

Originally Posted by vizi

That is hardly a major part. The Fellowship and it's breaking was the major part. The elves played a very minor part in the story.

LOTR is a relatively minor part of his work, taking around 10 years. The main body of his work, occupying decades of his life, told the story of the departure of the elves to the west, the return of some of them, and their eventual departure again, never to return. This is told in the Silmarillion, and numerous ancillary works in progress. Some of this is referenced in LOTR, such as the lament of Galadriel, who was one of the original ringleaders of the elvish rebellion and was thus unable to return (until she had made up for it).

Going west was also an egyptian death thing, and people from Europe went west to the new world. There's lots of wests.

Go west young man! Discover a new and adventurous life!

The elves was a sideplot, they easily could of put any other excuse for the elves that today are fantasy cliche for them not being around and things would be no different.

Yea, that is the reason they couldn't help during the War of the Ring

How do you figure they didn't help? It's not like there were many left aside from any returning thay had been hammered pretty hard - again and again.

Originally Posted by Future Redleg Officer

In Tolkien the Elves are leaving Middle Earth and retreating to the West where lies the Valinar. When they die they go to the West to live among the Valinor.

Well "gone West" used to be a phrase among the British and Canadian soldiers to mean some killed in action. It was used in WWII and I believe the book I'm reading said it derived from WWI. As Tolkien was a British soldier who served at the Somme, that phrase may have been an inspiration for the above parts of his story.

"The West" and "going West" has been a theme in Western civilizaiton for a long time, not just WW2.