The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy novel written by the English academic J. R. R. Tolkien.

It remains one of the most popular works in 20th-century literature and holds a special place as Enya's favourite book.

A Journey Through Middle-earth

The story of The Lord of the Rings takes place in the imaginary Third Age of Middle-earth.

These lands are populated by Men (humans) alongside several other humanoid races and fantastical creatures:

The epic narrative centres on the corrupting Ring of Power, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron.

Starting from quiet beginnings in the Shire, the story ranges across Middle-earth and follows the War of the Ring.

These sprawling events are mostly witnessed through the eyes of the central protagonist, Frodo Baggins.

The immense and enduring popularity of The Lord of the Rings has led to numerous references across popular culture.

It continues to inspire artwork, music, video games, and subsequent literature.

Adaptations of the novels have been successfully translated for radio, theatre, and film.

The 2001 and 2003 cinematic releases prompted a massive new surge of interest in Tolkien's works.

Director Peter Jackson helmed this widely acclaimed Lord of the Rings film trilogy, introducing Middle-earth to a global audience.

A number of rock, classical, and New Age music artists have been deeply influenced by Tolkien's world building.

A long-time fan of the author, Enya wrote an instrumental piece titled "Lothlórien" in 1991 for her album Shepherd Moons.

The track pays homage to one of the beautiful Elvish kingdoms featured in the novels.

In 2001, Peter Jackson personally asked Enya to compose music for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Film composer Howard Shore specifically imagined her voice for the score, making a rare exception to feature an outside artist.

Enya travelled to New Zealand to watch a rough cut of the film before returning to Aigle Studio in Dublin to record.

Working alongside producer Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan, she composed two distinct tracks for the film's soundtrack:

"Aníron": Written as the theme for Aragorn and Arwen, featuring lyrics in Tolkien's fictional Sindarin language.
"May It Be": A compositionally simple piece sung in both English and the Elvish tongue of Quenya.

Shore seamlessly orchestrated these tracks with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Voices.

The success of "May It Be" earned Enya prestigious nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

She famously performed the track live at the 74th Academy Awards in March 2002.

The experience of studying Elvish for these songs profoundly impacted lyricist Roma Ryan.

It directly inspired her to invent Loxian, a brand-new fictional language introduced on Enya's 2005 album, Amarantine.