Priscilla Tolkien (1929–2022), daughter of J.R.R. Tolkien

legacy.com:

Priscilla Tolkien, the youngest child of The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, was Vice President of The Tolkien Society.Priscilla Tolkien was born in Oxford, England, where her father was a professor at the university.

Her childhood teddy bear was named Bingo, and in early drafts of The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien originally named his hobbit hero “Bingo Baggins” after his daughter’s bear, before eventually changing the name to “Frodo.” As a teenager, Priscilla helped her father by typing some of his early LOTR chapters while he was writing in longhand.She studied English at Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall college before pursuing a long career in social work.

Upon her death, Lady Margaret Hall honored her as “one of the generation of women who, after the Second World War, pioneered the entry of women into the professions.”Following her father’s death, Priscilla acted as a representative for the family during public occasions.

She became a trustee of the Tolkien Estate and the Tolkien Trust, and vice president of the Tolkien Society. Together with her brother John, she produced an intimate biographical photo book, The Tolkien Family Album, that was published in 1992. “From my earliest years I recall my father telling me stories at bedtime, and ini the darkened room as I was falling asleep I have a vivid memory of him retelling the story of Rapunzel and of how her prince sang to her at the foot of the tower where she was imprisoned, telling her to let down her golden hair.