Ruth S. Noel is an American writer and independent scholar known for her studies of the invented languages and mythology of J. R. R. Tolkien. Her best-known works are The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth and The Mythology of Middle-earth.
The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth was one of the first popular guides to the Elvish and other tongues Tolkien created. It offered readers vocabularies, writing systems, and grammar drawn from across his published work, and helped open the study of Tolkien's linguistic invention to a general audience.
Her companion study of Tolkien's mythology traced the real-world myths, legends, and northern-European sources that fed into the legendarium, placing Middle-earth within the broader traditions Tolkien drew upon as a philologist.
Her books became early staples for fans wanting to go beyond the stories into the languages and mythic structures that give Tolkien's world its remarkable depth.
