{"id":9077,"date":"2025-09-11T08:16:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T08:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/9077\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T08:16:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T08:16:06","slug":"led-zeppelins-1969-rock-anthem-took-major-inspiration-from-the-lord-of-the-rings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/9077\/","title":{"rendered":"Led Zeppelin\u2019s 1969 Rock Anthem Took Major Inspiration from The Lord of the Rings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Led Zeppelin<\/a> may no longer be together, but their albums remain cornerstones of classic rock<\/a>. In 1968, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones skyrocketed to fame with their self-titled debut album. The band\u2019s rise ended abruptly in 1980 after Bonham\u2019s death from pulmonary aspiration, but their music has never faded from memory. \u201cStairway to Heaven\u201d still stands as one of rock\u2019s greatest mysteries<\/a>, while Beyonc\u00e9<\/a> sampled \u201cWhen the Levee Breaks\u201d in her track \u201cDon\u2019t Hurt Yourself.\u201d Beyond the band\u2019s collective effort, Plant\u2019s songwriting deserves attention, especially when it’s influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s The Lord of the Rings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Ramble On” References Mordor, Gollum, and the Evil One from ‘The Lord of the Rings’<\/p>\n

Plant might be best known as the frontman of Led Zeppelin, but he’s also a well-known fan of The Lord of the Rings – so much so that he incorporated his love for Tolkien’s works into the song “Ramble On.” The opening line from Led Zeppelin\u2019s folksy tune, \u201cLeaves are fallin all around,\u201d is adapted from Tolkien\u2019s Elvish poem “Nam\u00e1ri\u00eb” (Ah! Like gold fall the leaves in the wind). Written in the constructed language of Quenya, \u201cNam\u00e1ri\u00eb\u201d (\u201cFarewell\u201d) is conceived as a lament sung by Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien\u2019s poem expresses Galadriel\u2019s sadness and grief for Valinor, the home of the Elves<\/a> she is no longer able to return to.<\/p>\n

In verse three of \u201cRamble On\u201d, the lyrics reference Mordor, Gollum, and the Evil One: \u201cTwas in the darkest depths of Mordor, I \/ met a girl so fair \/ But Gollum and the Evil One crept up and \/ slipped away with her.\u201d In The Lord of the Rings, Mordor is the desolate volcanic land in the southwest of Middle-earth, ruled by the story\u2019s main antagonist<\/a>, Sauron. While his name isn\u2019t explicitly mentioned in the song, the \u201cEvil One\u201d is almost certainly referring to him. Gollum, meanwhile, is remembered as the twisted, tormented creature obsessed with the Ring he calls \u201cmy precious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Led Zeppelin Has Also Written Other Songs Inspired by ‘The Lord of the Rings’<\/p>\n

But that’s not the only Led Zeppelin song with Tolkien references. Besides the title, “Misty Mountain Hop” also references the Misty Mountains in its closing chorus: \u201cSo I\u2019m packing my bags \/ for the Misty Mountains.\u201d Per the Lord of the Rings origins, the Misty Mountains are a fictional mountain range that is home to Dwarves<\/a>, Orcs, and the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-d\u00fbm. But according to Led Zeppelin lore, \u201cMisty Mountain Hop\u201d is a hippie-inspired track based on the 1968 \u201cLegalise Pot Rally\u201d in Hyde Park, London.<\/p>\n

Another track, \u201cThe Battle of Evermore,\u201d contains both straightforward and abstract Lord of the Rings references. The most evident is the mention of the Ringwraiths in the lyrics: \u201cThe drums will shake the castle wall \/ The Ringwraiths ride in black.\u201d Ringwraiths are Sauron\u2019s servants, enslaved by the Ring of Power<\/a>. Another obvious instance is \u201cThe Dark Lord rides in force tonight,\u201d which traces back to Sauron, also known by his fearsome title, the Dark Lord. Other references, however, are less direct. The lyric, \u201cThe Queen of Light took her bow,\u201d is often tied to the imagery of Galadriel, a figure of light and wisdom. In the same verse, \u201cThe Prince of Peace embraced the gloom,\u201d is interpreted as Aragorn, the reluctant king who often walks in shadow.<\/p>\n

Besides ‘The Lord of the Rings’, Robert Plant is Fascinated by Welsh Culture<\/p>\n

As a fan of Tolkien\u2019s works, Plant has publicly shared<\/a> that he\u2019s both read the books and watched the film adaptation. Just like any reader, the frontman has a bigger penchant for the book version.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the Lord of the Rings films, and I wasn\u2019t crazy about them, mainly because they\u2019re all about spectacle. But, you know, when I read the books, they kind of dissolved into me. I used them in songs, you know, like \u201cThe Battle of Evermore\u201d and \u201cRamble On,\u201d which, well, I just want to hold up my hand and say, \u201cOkay, I was 21 when I wrote that.\u2019 [Laughs.] I think the real message of the books is lost in the movies. When I first came over to America and I saw \u201cFrodo Lives\u201d painted on walls, I thought that was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside of Lord of the Rings, Plant is deeply fascinated by Welsh culture and heritage. In 2004, the rock star helped fund a bronze statue<\/a> of 15th-century rebel leader Owain Glynd\u0175r and remains active in the Glynd\u0175r network, often attending related events in Wales. He has also supported heritage initiatives, including a slate carving of Glynd\u0175r\u2019s coat of arms at the Celtica museum in Machynlleth. More recently, in 2023, Plant appeared at the Gloucester History Festival<\/a>, where he and historian Martin Wall explored the myths, legends, and historical richness of the Welsh marches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Led Zeppelin may no longer be together, but their albums remain cornerstones of classic rock. In 1968, Jimmy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-9077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}