Middle-earth
Middle-earth | |
---|---|
legendarium |
Middle-earth is the
Middle-earth is the main continent of
Tolkien's
Context: Tolkien's legendarium
Tolkien's stories chronicle the struggle to control the world (called
The Valar withdrew from direct involvement in the affairs of Middle-earth after the defeat of Morgoth, but in later years they sent the wizards or
Conflict over the possession and control of precious or magical objects is a recurring theme in the stories. The
Etymology
In ancient
Use by Tolkien
Tolkien's first encounter with the term middangeard, as he stated in a letter, was in an Old English fragment he studied in 1913-14:[T 5]
Éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended.
Hail Earendel, brightest of angels / above the middle-earth sent unto men.
This is from the
Extended usage
The term Middle-earth has come to be applied as a short-hand for the entirety of Tolkien's legendarium, instead of the technically more appropriate, but lesser known terms "Arda" for the physical world and "
In other works
Tolkien's biographer
Geography
Within the overall context of his
Maps
Tolkien prepared several maps of Middle-earth. Some were published in his lifetime. The main maps are those published in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, and appear as foldouts or illustrations. Tolkien insisted that maps be included in the book for the benefit of readers, despite the expense involved.[T 10] The definitive and iconic map of Middle-earth was published in The Lord of the Rings.[T 11] It was refined with Tolkien's approval by the illustrator Pauline Baynes, using Tolkien's detailed annotations, with vignette images and larger paintings at top and bottom, into a stand-alone poster, "A Map of Middle-earth".[10]
Cosmology
In Tolkien's conception, Arda was created specifically as "the Habitation" (Imbar or Ambar) for the
Correspondence with the geography of Earth
Tolkien described the region in which the Hobbits lived as "the North-West of the Old World, east of the Sea",[T 8] and the north-west of the Old World is essentially Europe, especially Britain. However, as he noted in private letters, the geographies do not match, and he did not consciously make them match when he was writing:[T 12]
As for the shape of the world of the
Third Age, I am afraid that was devised 'dramatically' rather than geologically, or paleontologically.[T 12]
I am historically minded. Middle-earth is not an imaginary world. ... The theatre of my tale is this earth, the one in which we now live, but the historical period is imaginary. The essentials of that abiding place are all there (at any rate for inhabitants of N.W. Europe), so naturally it feels familiar, even if a little glorified by enchantment of distance in time.[T 13]
...if it were 'history', it would be difficult to fit the lands and events (or 'cultures') into such evidence as we possess, archaeological or geological, concerning the nearer or remoter part of what is now called Europe; though
Barad-dûr and our Days is sufficient for 'literary credibility', even for readers acquainted with what is known as 'pre-history'. I have, I suppose, constructed an imaginary time, but kept my feet on my own mother-earth for place. I prefer that to the contemporary mode of seeking remote globes in 'space'.[T 7]
In another letter, Tolkien made correspondences in latitude between Europe and Middle-earth:
The action of the story takes place in the North-west of 'Middle-earth', equivalent in latitude to the coastlands of Europe and the north shores of the Mediterranean. ... If
In another letter he stated:
...Thank you very much for your letter. ... It came while I was away, in Gondor (sc. Venice), as a change from the North Kingdom, or I would have answered before.[13]
He did confirm, however, that
The year no doubt was of the same length,¹ [the footnote here reads: 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 46 seconds.] for long ago as those times are now reckoned in years and lives of men, they were not very remote according to the memory of the Earth.[T 17]
Both the Appendices and The Silmarillion mention constellations, stars and planets that correspond to those seen in the northern hemisphere of Earth, including the Sun, the Moon, Orion (and his belt),[T 18] Ursa Major[T 19][T 20] and Mars. A map annotated by Tolkien places Hobbiton on the same latitude as Oxford, and Minas Tirith at the latitude of Ravenna, Italy. He used Belgrade, Cyprus, and Jerusalem as further reference points.[14]
History
The history of Middle-earth, as described in The Silmarillion, began when the
Arda is, as critics have noted, "our own green and solid Earth at some quite remote epoch in the past."[15] As such, it has not only an immediate story but a history, and the whole thing is an "imagined prehistory" of the Earth as it is now.[17]
Peoples and their languages
Ainur
The Ainur were angelic beings created by the one god of Eä,
Elves
The Elves are known as "the Firstborn" of Ilúvatar: intelligent beings created by Ilúvatar alone, with many different clans. Originally Elves all spoke the same
Men
Men were "the Secondborn" of the Children of Ilúvatar: they awoke in Middle-earth much later than the Elves. Men (and Hobbits) were the last humanoid race to appear in Middle-earth: Dwarves, Ents and Orcs also preceded them. The capitalized term "Man" (plural "Men") is used as a gender-neutral racial description, to distinguish humans from the other human-like races of Middle-earth. In appearance they are much like Elves, but on average less beautiful. Unlike Elves, Men are mortal, ageing and dying quickly, usually living 40–80 years. However the
Dwarves
The Dwarves are a race of humanoids who are shorter than Men but larger than Hobbits. The Dwarves were created by the Vala Aulë, before the Firstborn awoke due to his impatience for the arrival of the children of Ilúvatar to teach and to cherish. When confronted and shamed for his presumption by Ilúvatar, Eru took pity on Aulë and gave his creation the gift of life but under the condition that they be taken and put to sleep in widely separated locations in Middle Earth and not to awaken until after the Firstborn were upon the Earth. They are mortal like Men, but live much longer, usually several hundred years. A peculiarity of Dwarves is that both males and females are bearded, and thus appear identical to outsiders. The language spoken by Dwarves is called Khuzdul, and was kept largely as a secret language for their own use. Like Hobbits, Dwarves live exclusively in Middle-earth. They generally reside under mountains, where they are specialists in mining and metalwork.[21]
Hobbits
Tolkien identified Hobbits as an offshoot of the race of Men. Another name for Hobbit is 'Halfling', as they were generally only half the size of Men. In their lifestyle and habits they closely resemble Men, and in particular Englishmen, except for their preference for living in holes underground. By the time of The Hobbit, most of them lived in the Shire, a region of the northwest of Middle-earth, having migrated there from further east.[22]
Other humanoid peoples
The
Dragons
Dragons (or "worms") appear in several varieties, distinguished by whether they have wings and whether they breathe fire (cold-drakes versus fire-drakes). The first of the fire-drakes (Urulóki in Quenya)
Sapient animals
Middle-earth contains
Adaptations
Motion pictures
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, both set in Middle-earth, have been the subject of a variety of film adaptations. There were many early failed attempts to bring the fictional universe to life on screen, some even rejected by the author himself, who was skeptical of the prospects of an adaptation. While animated and
Two well-made fan films of Middle-earth, The Hunt for Gollum and Born of Hope, were uploaded to YouTube on 8 May 2009 and 11 December 2009 respectively.[33][34]
Games
Numerous computer and video games have been inspired by
See also
- J.R.R. Tolkien bibliography
- Middle-earth canon
- Outline of Middle-earth
References
Primary
- ^ Carpenter 2023, #211 to Rhona Beare, 14 October 1958, last footnote
- ^ Tolkien 1977, Ch. 3 "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
- ^ a b c Tolkien 1977, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
- ^ a b Carpenter 2023, #165 to the Houghton Mifflin Co., 30 June 1955
- ^ a b Carpenter 2023, #297 draft for a letter to a 'Mr Rang', August 1967
- ^ Carpenter 2023, #151 to Hugh Brogan, 18 September 1954; #183, Notes on W. H. Auden's review of The Return of the King, 1956; and #283 to Benjamin P. Indick, 7 January 1966
- ^ a b Carpenter 2023, #211 to Rhona Beare, 14 October 1958
- ^ a b Tolkien 1954a, "Prologue"
- ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 3 "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
- ^ Carpenter 2023, #137 to Rayner Unwin, 11 April 1953; #139 to Rayner Unwin, 8 August 1953; #141 to Allen & Unwin, 9 October 1953; #144 to Naomi Mitchison, 25 April 1954; #160 to Rayner Unwin, 6 March 1955; #161 to Rayner Unwin, 18 April 1955
- ^ Tolkien 1954, foldout map in first edition
- ^ a b Carpenter 2023, #169 to Hugh Brogan, 11 September 1955
- ^ Carpenter 2023, #183 notes on W. H. Auden's review of The Return of the King, 1956
- ^ Carpenter 2023, #294 to Charlotte and Denis Plimmer, 8 February 1967
- ^ Carpenter 2023, #190 to Rayner Unwin, 3 July 1956
- ^ Tolkien 1954a, "Prologue"
- ^ Tolkien 1955, Appendix D, "Calendars"
- ^ Tolkien 1977, p. 44 "Menelmacar with his shining belt"
- Valacirca, the Sickle of the Valar..."
- ^ Tolkien 1954a, book 1, ch. 8 "Strider" "The Sickle [The Hobbits' name for the Plough or Great Bear] was swinging bright above the shoulders of Bree-hill."
- ^ Tolkien 1977, "Ainulindalë"
- ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 1 "Of the Beginning of Days"
- ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 3 "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
- ^ Tolkien 1980, p. 388
- ^ Tolkien 1954, Book 3, ch. 3 "The Uruk-Hai"
- ^ Tolkien 1955, book 6 ch. 8 "The Scouring of the Shire"
- ^ Tolkien 1977, index entry Urulóki
- ^ Tolkien 1977, ch. 24 "Of the Voyage of Eärendil"
- ^ Tolkien 1954a, "The Council of Elrond"
- ^ Tolkien 1954, book 4, chapter 9: "Shelob's Lair."
Secondary
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4438-4431-4.
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "Midgard". Online Etymological Dictionary; etymonline.com. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-861069-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-118-06898-4.
- ^ Carpenter 1977, p. 98.
- ISBN 978-1-910630-92-1.
- ^ "The Old Road to Paradise by Margaret Widdemer".
- ^ Ford, G. L. (17 January 2020). "Christopher Tolkien, 1924-2020 Keeper of Middle-earth's Legacy". Book and Film Globe. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
Lewis's Space Trilogy drew on Tolkien's Middle-earth lore at several points, where he used it to deepen the mythology underlying his action.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-873040-11-9.
- ^ a b Shippey 2005, pp. 324–328.
- ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
- ^ Carpenter 2023, #168 to Richard Jeffery, 7 September 1966
- ^ Flood, Alison (23 October 2015). "Tolkien's annotated map of Middle-earth discovered inside copy of Lord of the Rings". The Guardian.
- ^ ISBN 0140038779.
- ISBN 978-1403946713.
- OCLC 298788493.
- ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
- ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
- ISBN 978-1-135-88034-7.
- ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
- ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
- ^ Shippey 2005, p. 149.
- ^ Shippey 2005, p. 159.
- ^ Tally, Robert T. Jr. (2010). "Let Us Now Praise Famous Orcs: Simple Humanity in Tolkien's Inhuman Creatures". Mythlore. 29 (1). article 3.
- ^ Shippey 2005, pp. 362, 438 (chapter 5, note 14).
- J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. p. 433.
- ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
Echoes of these Norse battle animals appear throughout Tolkien's literature; in one way or another, all are associated with Gandalf or his cause. ... raven ... Eagles ... wolves ... horses ... Saruman is the one most closely associated with Odin's ravaging wolves and carrion birds
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (25 November 1977). "TV Weekend: "The Hobbit"". The New York Times.
- ^ Gaslin, Glenn (21 November 2001). "Ralph Bakshi's unfairly maligned Lord of the Rings". Slate. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
- ^ "Here Are The Biggest Academy Award Milestones In Oscars History". Hollywood.Com. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- National Public Radio. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
- ^ Martin, Nicole (27 October 2008). "Orcs are back in Lord of the Rings-inspired Born of Hope". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (15 June 2017). "Warner Bros. games are coming out of the shadow of its movies". GamesBeat. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ Gardner, Eriq (3 July 2017). "Warner Bros., Tolkien Estate Settle $80 Million 'Hobbit' Lawsuit". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ Bauer, Manuel (10 September 2015). "Minecraft: Spieler haben das komplette Auenland nachgebaut". Computer Bild. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
- ^ Groups.google.com, rec.games.mud.lp Newsgroup, 1 June 1994
- ^ Davis, Erik (1 October 2001). "The Fellowship of the Ring". Wired.
- ^ For a (rather long) list of all the Tolkien inspired MU*s go to The Mud Connector Archived 26 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine and run a search for 'tolkien'.
Sources
- OCLC 3046822.
- ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
- ISBN 978-0261102750.
- ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
- OCLC 9552942.
- OCLC 1042159111.
- OCLC 519647821.
- ISBN 978-0-395-29917-3.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-395-28665-4.
- ISBN 978-0-71124-127-5.
- ISBN 0-345-44976-2.
- ISBN 0-261-10322-9.
- ISBN 0-00-720907-X.