As you can figure out from my nick and avatar, I am kinda a fan of both. Anyways... ------------------------- There are obvious broad similarities between the both of them, since they are both based on a mix of Ango-Saxon, Celtic, English and Germanic legends. However, there are quite some more parallels. Martin himself has stated that he is aiming for LotR-esque "bittersweet ending": https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/08/14/george-r-r-martin-aiming-for-a-lord-of-the-rin