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Christopher Tolkien, the son of Lord Of The Rings author JRR Tolkien, has died aged 95, the Tolkien Society has said.

Christopher continued his father's work after his death and was an accomplished author in his own right.

He has been credited with keeping his father's legacy alive and spawning the field of 'Tolkien studies'. Without him readers enraptured by the stories of Middle Earth may not have had any more than the four novels from JRR to enjoy.

The Tolkien Society, which promotes the life and works of the revered fantasy writer, said: "Christopher Tolkien has died at the age of 95.

"The Tolkien Society sends its deepest condolences to Baillie, Simon, Adam, Rachel and the whole Tolkien family."

Christopher was the third son of JRR, and edited most of his father's work which was released after his death.

(Image: Tolkein Society)

He drew the famous original Lord of the Rings maps which decorated the books released across the 1950s after the success of the prequel, The Hobbit.

The highly-detailed maps added to the sense of a complete mythical world of Middle Earth.

Among the posthumous works which Christopher edited was The Silmarillion, a collection of mythic works linked to the Lord of the Rings universe, published in 1977.

JRR Tolkien died in 1973.

Tolkien Society Chair, Shaun Gunner, said: "l of us in the Tolkien Society will share in the sadness at the news of Christopher Tolkien’s death, and we send our condolences to Baillie, Simon, Adam, Rachel and the whole Tolkien family at this difficult time.

"Christopher’s commitment to his father’s works have seen dozens of publications released, and his own work as an academic in Oxford demonstrates his ability and skill as a scholar.

"Millions of people around the world will be forever grateful to Christopher for bringing us The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, The History of Middle-earth series and many others. We have lost a titan and he will be sorely missed."

(Image: Mondadori via Getty Images)

HarperCollins UK publishes much of JRR Tolkien's work.

Its chief executive Charlie Redmayne said: "Christopher was a devoted curator of his father's work and the timeless and ongoing popularity of the world that JRR Tolkien created is a fitting testimony to the decades he spent bringing Middle-earth to generations of readers.

"The most charming of men, and a true gentleman, it was an honour and privilege to know and work with him and our thoughts are with his family at this time."

Fan account TheOneRing.net described Christopher as a "longtime steward of the Middle-earth Legendarium and accomplished author in his own right."

Christopher was also a translator and helped bring epic legendary sagas from historical periods to modern readers.

One of these works was the Saga of Hervör and Heidrek, a legendary saga from the 13th century which Christopher translated from Icelandic.

It was one of the historic works which inspired JRR's mythical legends of Middle Earth.

Christopher won the Bodley Medal in 2016, for his outstanding contribution to literature, culture, science, and communication.

Tolkien scholar Dr Dimitra Fimi said: "Tolkien studies would never be what it is today without Christopher Tolkien’s contribution.

"From editing The Silmarillion to the mammoth task of giving us the History of Middle-earth series, he revealed his father’s grand vision of a rich and complex mythology.

"He gave us a window into Tolkien’s creative process, and he provided scholarly commentary that enriched our understanding of Middle-earth.

"He was Middle-earth’s cartographer and first scholar."

(Image: Reuters)

A podcast about JRR Tolkien's universe called the Athrabeth Podcast, tweeted: "Christopher Tolkien made the entire field of Tolkien Studies. He made it.

"Without his lifetime’s effort to curate his father’s works, we’d have four novels. No Silmarillion, no Histories. No linguistic journals. His impact cannot be understated."

Twitter user @benrogers_c wrote: "Thank you Christopher Tolkien. It’s because of your dedication and love of your father’s work that the world over was able to venture into Middle Earth in a whole new way.

"The impact you have had on me alone is beyond measure. May you Rest In Peace and enjoy the beatific vision."

While Tristan Shale-Hester (@tristan_shale) wrote: "The Silmarillion is one of the greatest literary works of all time.

"It would likely never have been published if Christopher Tolkien hadn’t painstakingly worked through his late father’s writings to compile a consistent narrative for it. Genius runs strong in that family. R.I.P."

While Kevin Sprague (@Kevin_D_Sprague) wrote that "Everyone who loves the work of JRR Tolkien also owes a tremendous debt to Christopher’s tireless work bringing more of his father’s stories to the world."

Twitter user Fr. Tom Bombadil (@calix517) wrote: "We owe Christopher Tolkien so much. He faithfully preserved and handed on a vast number of his father’s writings things that might never have seen the light of day otherwise.

"This man was the reason we have the Silmarillion. Our world doesn’t deserve him."

Twitter user Quenta Endor, a fan account which posts stories and art from The Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and the Middle-earth story world on social media, posted a tribute to Christopher.

They said: "Thank you for bringing your father’s vision to life through your work."

Christopher spent his last years in the French countryside with his second wife, Baillie Tolkien.

They have two children, Adam Reuel Tolkien and Rachel Clare Reuel Tolkien.

Christopher criticised director Peter Jackson's film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy in an interview with French publication Le Monde, even doubting whether they could retain the beauty and essence of his father's books.

He said: "They gutted the book, making it an action movie for 15-25 year-olds."

He added: "Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his popularity and absorbed by the absurdity of the time.

"The gap that has widened between the beauty, the seriousness of the work, and what it has become, all of this is beyond me.

"Such a degree of commercialization reduces to nothing the aesthetic and philosophical scope of this creation. I only have one solution left: turn my head."

In the same interview, he spoke of the impact of his father's stories.

He said: "As strange as it may seem, I grew up in the world he created. For me, the cities of The Silmarillion are more real than Babylon."

The Silmarillion and Beren And Luthien - three posthumous JRR Tolkien works published by Christopher - flesh out the complex world of elves and dwarves created by his father.

The Tolkien society added in a statement on their website: "Christopher was born in Leeds, United Kingdom, on November 21, 1924.

"After a childhood in Oxford, he joined the RAF during the Second World War and was stationed to South Africa.

"After the war, he finished his studies and became a lecturer in Old and Middle English as well as Old Icelandic at the University of Oxford.

"After his father’s death in 1973, he became the literary executor of the Tolkien Estate and went on to edit and publish his father’s unpublished material starting with The Silmarillion in 1977 and ending with The Fall of Gondolin in 2018."