For most of us, fandom is a cultural experience, something we establish on our own as we test the waters of music, art, literature and film. We grow to follow a community based on not just content, but the inclusivity and the familiarity of those we grow into the fandom with. It is a slow process, and not one we delve into lightly or without some established knowledge of the thing.

And then, there are those born into fandom. There are certainly fewer of them, a generation apart from the construction of the fandom, but no less intricately is it sewn into their being. The easiest example of these is a child’s passion for the music their parents loved. I grew up from an age before I could walk or talk listening to the Beach Boys, and found my first steps as I danced wildly around the giant wooden spindle our home had for a coffee table. As I grew, my cultural understanding of who the Beach Boys are and were filled out my love of the music and grew my fandom – but it was always there, from my first memory on, I felt comfortable discussing their tracks and it bring a smile to my face when I hear about a concert (even if I cannot attend) or see a vinyl record for sale (which I snap up eagerly).

But, above all the other children born into and raised up in a fandom, there is one that certainly takes fandom to the most professional and career-centric of extremes. That person, was Christopher John Reule Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien who authored The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. What could his son have provided to the fandom of Middle-Earth that would grant him such notoriety in professional fandom?

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Well, for one, he was the youngest member inducted into the Inklings society: a club of literature giants including C.S. Lewis and his father, who discussed the trials and hurdles of writing for collegiate and consumer.

His presence there might be akin to allowing the biggest fan of The Tonight Show to sit in with all the late night show hosts as they discuss the state of their craft. From a young age, Christopher was the main sounding board for his fathers written adventures, and the biggest critic of his later works. So much so that he was the one who knew intimately the journals and unfinished manuscripts of the compendiums J.R.R. was never able to publish before his death, and was the only person able to piece them together in some semblance of a narrative, now known as The Silmarillion. Other works he also salvaged from the precipice of death include The Children of Húrin and Beren and Lúthien, all of which expand the world that his father created and grew the community, enriched it far beyond what we might have hoped with J.R.R. Tolkien’s passing.

Christopher Tolkien passed away at the age of 95, living a full fandom life and providing us with a much needed mentor and teacher in what it means to truly make your passion your profession. A child of a literary titan who grew up dreaming of the fantastical worlds of amazing contemporary writers, building on his fathers legacy in ways that grow and support the community.

Thank you Christopher, Nínion ned i vened ‘wîn.