Det är ingen tvekan om att George var inspirerad från Tolkien och det finns många citat som flyter runt den punkten till detta.
Asked if Tolkien influenced the story of whatever happened with Rhaegar and Lyanna through the tale of Beren and Lúthien, George said he had a lot of influences, that Tolkien was certainly among them, but the fact is that there's a lot of historical influences -- the Wars of the Roses, the Hundred Years War -- and then Arthurian legend had some influence, the legends of Charlemagne had some influence (but not much, he doesn't know them so well), the Crusades and the Albigensian Crusade. He reads widely, basically, and he's influenced by all he's ever read.
So Spake Martin, STOCKHOLM AND ARCHIPELACON REPORT
Jag har också funnit indirekt bekräftelse på att Samwell Tarly är inspirerad från Samwise Gamgee och att det finns massor eller andra referenser.
9- It's not really a question, but I've noticed a great similarity between ASOS and Lord of the Rings - the two Sams, Samwell Tarly and Samwise Gamgee. In particular, in each series, a Sam made a desperate attack on a hopelessly superior force (an Other and the huge spider Shelob) to protect a defenseless companion (Gilly and her baby and the bound Frodo). Would you care to comment?
There are a number of homages to LOTR in my book. I am a huge Tolkien fan.
So Spake Martin, MANY QUESTIONS