Helsingin Sanomat* has a story that really tickles my Finnish funnybone as it makes the intriguing connection between Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Finland.

The makers of London’s West End musical Lord of the Rings (Flash webpage) have gone to Finland for inspiration. Finnish culture is going to be present in the musical on several levels, particularly the music of folk group Värttinä, and inspiration even from old Finnish jewelry and handicrafts.

But the producers had a surprise in store – Tolkien had got here first, by at least half a century. ‘It was not until we had decided to invite Värttinä into the project that we discovered that the Finnish language had been a source of inspiration for Tolkien himself. It felt then as though we had instinctively come to the right place’, says co-producer Kevin Wallace enthusiastically. Read about this connection in an earlier post.

Don’t miss the many links at the bottom of the HS article, about the production and about some Finnish cultural sites.

And, here’s a fun post about Tolkien’s Elvish language.

* Updated 27.08.2015 – expired links removed