&gt; this &quot;explanation&quot; is your fantasy.<p>My educated guess :)<p>Every meme starts from somewhere. For example, the vatnik meme did not appear fully formed from the vacuum like Venus from ocean foam; it was invented by a specific person, who was (according to interviews) influenced by Spongebob Squarepants - hence the shape.<p>I don&#x27;t know who invented the Russia&#x2F;Mordor theme, but I can try to guess where in the online cultural background that existed in 2013 that person could have found their inspiration.<p>&gt; And IMHO it doesn&#x27;t require explanation.<p>IMHO it does require explanation. Why Mordor and not Nilfgaard or Fire Nation? Why Sauron and not Voldemort or Tywin Lannister?