The Hobbit was published to widespread critical acclaim and won several awards for children's books; its publisher hounded Tolkien for a sequel for more than 15 years.
Like the LOTR, it is a deeply traditional work in the moral and literary tradition of myths and fairy tales, and had not even the slightest hint of counter-cultural overtones.
That depends. Norse myth would be regarded as counter-cultural to Christian culture as defined by the Bible.