(Source: Universiteit Leiden) Tolkien and fiction-based religions Markus Altena Davidsen's PhD dissertation is the first major study of Tolkien Religion. In it, he analyses the religion that is based on the stories by acclaimed British fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien. He also discusses how fiction itself can become religious. Davidsen will defend his dissertation on 16 October. Spiritual inspiration In his dissertation The Spiritual Tolkien Milieu, Davidsen explains that the adherents to the Tolkien Religion form a network of groups and individuals that are largely found online, and that draw spiritual inspiration from Tolkien's literary mythology. The writer is best known for...