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Tolkien can be trickier to understand than you’d think. Though Luthien and Beren lived in “The Lord of the Rings” universe, J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith also referred to themselves by these names and had them engraved on their headstones. It was a match made on Earth and in Middle-earth.

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The Three Cups Hotel hosts overnight stays for Earthlings like J.R.R. Tolkien. This famous hotel is located in Lyme Regis, and the surrounding countryside is said to have inspired the setting of “The Lord of the Rings.” This is where Tolkien plotted out much of his mythology.

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This could be a quote from Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” but it’s actually from a passage in Chapter 1 of “The Hobbit,” in which Gandalf makes this announcement to the dwarves to ease their fears of having the hobbit Bilbo Baggins join them on their quest.

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This foursome may sound like a group of merrymaking dwarves, but in truth they are all members of the popular Swedish band ABBA from the 1970s.

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This is Earthling speak! In the closing credits of the film “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the filmmakers thanked the people of New Zealand in their native language of Maori. New Zealand was the filming location of all three movies that chronicled the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

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Mushrooms aren’t just a modern day pizza topping! Hobbits are fond of this tasty fungus, and Frodo Baggins once got caught stealing mushrooms from his neighbor, Farmer Maggot. When he passed through Farmer Maggot’s land again years later, Mrs. Maggot fed him a meal of mushrooms and bacon. Isn’t that what you had in your brunch omelet last weekend?

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Moseley Bog is a nature preserve in Birmingham, England, that dates back to the Bronze Age and is said to have inspired the Old Forest in Tolkien’s books.

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It may sound like a mystical Tolkien locale, but this battle took place in France during WWI in March 1918. Belleau Wood is near the Marne river, northeast of Paris.

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The Seven-Branched Sword was an Earthling creation. This ceremonial sword was forged by the Baekje Dynasty in Korea during the 4th century and is now housed in a shrine in Japan. Still, if there were goblins about we'd prefer to have Bilbo Baggins’ sword, Sting.

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Pipes are popular on Earth and in Middle-earth -- J.R.R. Tolkien himself was a huge fan of pipe smoking. He passed his habit along to the hobbits, dwarves and wizards in his stories. These days, Earthlings can buy replicas of hobbit pipes for their own enjoyment.

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Augustus was all Earthling -- he ruled as England’s Prime Minister from 1768 to 1770. But with a name like Fitzroy, he would have fit right in with the hobbit families. Maybe one day they’ll find a Frodo Fitzroy at a family reunion.

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The Green Dragon is a popular inn where Thorin Oakenshield goes to await Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit." But it’s also the name of an inn in Hereford, U.K. Both offer weary travelers a warm place for a cold drink, though the largest glass available at Tolkien’s Green Dragon is a half pint. If you were less than 4 feet (2 meters) tall, you'd be a lightweight, too.

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It sounds like something you would hear in an English pub, but “The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late” is actually a song sung by Frodo in “The Fellowship of the Ring” while he entertained patrons at the Inn at Bree.

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Long-distance runners on Earth have sports gels; Middle-earthlings have waybreads like Cram, which is a sort of biscuit made by the Men of Dale and Lake-town. It’s eaten on long treks because it lasts indefinitely, though it’s not very tasty and is hard to chew.

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The Falls of Rauros was initially a Tolkien-created waterfall located at the southern end of Nen Hithoel. But in 2005, an American heavy metal band borrowed the name for their group and rocked out a unique blend of music they call “North Appalachian Heathen Black Folk Metal.” So technically it belongs to both worlds, though Mr. Tolkien might have given someone an earful if he’d found out.

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This is a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien himself.

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The Apolausticks was a club created by J.R.R. Tolkien while he was an undergraduate student at Oxford. They were committed to papers, discussions and debates, and they fed Tolkien’s need for social involvement.

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Might this be a quote from Tolkien’s fellow writer and friend C.S. Lewis? No, it’s from the wise wizard Gandalf, who only existed in Tolkien’s imagination.

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These guys sound like they should appear on a new TV show about a teen pop band, but they are actually dwarf brothers from “The Hobbit.” After landing their share of Smaug’s gold stash, they decided they would rather play golden harps than dig for treasure.

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On Earth and in Middle-earth, all beings have the ability to explore, learn and grow. This is one the major themes of J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing and a great lesson for us all to remember.