The possibility of, and the extent of, Tolkien's influence on D&D is an evergreen topic on these forums. I've never been able to figure out why, though. It seems like such a weird thing to fixate on. Why is this one man's catalog of work held so highly (or lowly) beyond all others? Judging by the way some people react to him, you'd think he wrote the Bible (or Nickelback's "How You Remind Me").
Gygax didn't write D&D as a wise man
Just read some Tolkien and he was stealing
Tired of livin' like a poor man
Wanted to make a game that was appealing
And this is how you remind me....
This is how you remind me of Tolkien's influence
This is how you remind me of Tolkien's influence
It's not like Gygax to say sorry
Kept claimin' he read a different story
From the Hobbit he was takin'
The estate filed suit and Gygax was quakin'
Gygax has been wrong, Gygax has been down
Credit for Arneson he did throttle
These five words in my head
Scream, "Are we playin' D&D yet?"