The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling and The Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien have numerous similarities. They both take place in fantasy worlds with elaborate backgrounds and histories. The authors are both British, and the stories draw from the same mythological and cultural roots.

Magic is accepted and practiced in both series, and the most accomplished magic-makers are wizards with long robes, long hair, and long beards. Both stories have young male main characters who have lost their parents and in the beginning live with relatives, and they both commence with birthday celebrations. The protagonists in both series must ultimately defeat powerful dark lords, and they receive help from many diverse characters along the way. Once the dark lords are defeated, the magical worlds experience peace once again.

Both Harry Potter and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings must set out to destroy evil objects that give power to their dark enemies. Those enemies both control evil people and foul creatures to accomplish their sinister ends. The heroes also both have objects that make them invisible in times of need: Frodo has the one ring, and Harry Potter has the invisibility cloak. Both stories have monstrous trolls and giant spiders that attack the protagonists. The two series both end in enormous battles in which the forces of good and the forces of evil confront each other.

These are some of the main similarities between the series, and there are many more if you investigate and compare the sub-plots and minor characters. The similarities between the two series are mainly due to the fact that they draw from the same archetypes of epic fantasy.