Tolkien was largely influenced by an ancient body of Anglo-Saxon myths, particularly Beowulf, as well as modern works such as The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison.
Ouroboros | A Worm's Life | Worm Miller | The Worm Ouroboros | worm | The Glow-Worm | Lambton Worm | Computer worm | Worm Runner's Digest | The Worm Runner's Digest | The Lair of the White Worm (film) | ''The Lair of the White Worm'' | Ole Worm | computer worm | Worm Quartet | Worm drive | Worm (comics) | Worm | The Lair of the White Worm | The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea | Sockburn Worm | Palolo worm | palolo worm | Nimda (computer worm) | Morris worm | Melissa (computer worm) | devil's worm |
The popularity of the artwork led to a large edition of the poster as well as work for similar genre fiction such as The Worm Ouroboros by Eric Rücker Eddison.
Eddison is best known for the early romance The Worm Ouroboros (1922) and for three volumes set in the imaginary world Zimiamvia, known as the Zimiamvian Trilogy: Mistress of Mistresses (1935), A Fish Dinner in Memison (1941), and The Mezentian Gate (1958).