From The Lord of the Rings wiki
Oxford University
Oxford University is the real-world academic institution where J.R.R. Tolkien served as a professor and developed the foundational concepts of his legendarium.
Oxford University is a prestigious academic institution in England that played a pivotal role in the creation of Middle-earth. J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, served as the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and later as the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at the university for many years.
It was within the halls and common rooms of Oxford that Tolkien engaged with fellow scholars, most notably the Inklings. This informal literary group included figures such as C.S. Lewis, who provided feedback and encouragement during the long gestation of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The academic rigour and linguistic studies pursued at the university heavily influenced the depth of the languages and mythologies found within the lore of Arda.
While the university itself does not exist within the fictional geography of Middle-earth, its influence on the development of high fantasy is profound. The scholarly environment allowed Tolkien to refine his philological interests, which ultimately served as the bedrock for the histories, genealogies, and cultural structures depicted in his works.
