Robert Plant: The Magic of Wales & Tolkien Shaped Led Zeppelin’s Mythic Sound

Led Zeppelin icon Robert Plant has credited the mystic landscapes and folklore of Wales as a major influence on his songwriting — inspiration he says he connected to through the writings of The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Tolkien’s fantastical world has long left its mark on Plant’s lyrics, most notably in Zeppelin classics like “Ramble On” from 1969 — “’Twas in the darkest depths of Mordor / I met a girl so fair / But Gollum and the evil one / Crept up and slipped away with her” — and “Misty Mountain Hop” from 1971, where he sings, “So I’m packing my bags for the Misty Mountains.”

“It Spoke to Me” — The Roots of Inspiration

Appearing recently on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Plant reflected on how his early experiences in the British countryside — and his parents’ love of exploring it — sparked his imagination and introduced him to Tolkien’s world.

“It spoke to me because his points of reference were very close to where I live,” Plant explained. “Very close to where my parents, unwittingly, used to take me, through this landscape, where you began from another culture that’s still around — you can read what the landscape gave you from the old times, before there were highways and stuff like that. So it becomes quite evocative, and I think Tolkien had it down.”

The Magic of Welsh Mythology

Plant went on to describe the deep connection he feels with the mythology and atmosphere of Wales — a region whose ancient legends and distinct culture, he said, still resonate powerfully today.

“It’s been so remarkable that you can have a culture that’s shunted into the west side of England that has absolutely nothing to do with the English at all,” he said. “The Welsh are British. And so the mix of all the legend and the space-shifting and all that stuff — it’s there, it’s 15 miles from where I live. You can feel it all.”

A Voice That “Can Sing Anything”

Plant continues to explore new creative ground with his recent album Saving Grace, released in September to strong reviews. Writing for Classic Rock, critic Philip Wilding praised the record, noting:

“It’s a given that Plant can sing anything, and his tone and timbre here are peerless. But it’s his vocal harmonies with Suzi Dian and as part of the backing vocals where he truly shines… Plant’s journey continues ever on, and it’s one worth falling in step with.”

With his enduring fascination for folklore, music, and myth, Robert Plant shows that his creative path — like Tolkien’s own — is one of endless discovery.