It turns out, many of the locations in Tolkien’s epics were inspired by real landscapes. No, they were not New Zealand – but Switzerland. When J.R.R Tolkien was 19 years old, he took a multi-week trek through the Bernese Alps in 1911. The trek with his family/friends was lead by his quirky aunt whom some researchers believe was at least partly the model for Gandalf. We know this because Tolkien said so in a letter he wrote his son in 1967:

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. [The] wanderings mainly on foot in a party of 12 are not now clear in sequence. We went on foot, carrying great packs, practically all the way from Interlaken, mainly by mountain paths, to Lauterbrunnen and so to Murren and eventually to the head of the Lauterbrunnenthal in a wilderness of moraines.

J.R.R Tolkien 1967

Most of the rest of Tolkien’s major landmarks are there too. Tolkien’s Celebdil mountain (also called Silvertine (Silberzinne)) is a mountain in the Misty Mountain range. Along with Caradhras and Fanuidhol, it is one of the three mountains towering over the mines of Moria. The real life model for the Celebdil is the Silberhorn, the Jungfrau’s neighboring peak. Tolkien calls this white pyramid “the Silvertine of my dreams”. The mountain has old silver mine tunnels and mine shafts you can still tour today.

Read more about the amazing adventure that set the stage for Tolkien’s world on the links below.

Links:

• https://www.afar.com/magazine/following-in-the-footsteps-of-j-r-r-tolkien-in-switzerland
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2022/09/18/how-a-trek-through-switzerland-inspired-jrr-tolkien-to-create-a-magical-middle-earth/?sh=585197d37f8b
• https://stories.jungfrauregion.swiss/en/story-tolkien
• Travel guide: https://onechelofanadventure.com/lauterbrunnen-switzerland-guide-best-things-to-do