Middle-earth

Middle-earth also called Endor or Ennorath is a continent situated east of Belegaer in Arda. It has several regions in its entirety, which include the Shire, Lothlorien, Beleriand, Arnor, Mordor, Gondor, Rohan, and many others. Settling in its boroughs are Ents, Hobbits, Orcs, Dwarves, Elves, and Men, among others. Middle-earth was called Endor in the Quenyan language while Ennor in the Sindarin language. At times, it is interchangeable with the term the Great Lands, as this was the name used to refer to most of the habitable areas of Arda evident in "The Book of Lost Tales." This period was during the time of Beleriand’s final destruction, which was Belegaer in Aman, from across the east.

Origin

Tolkien cannot take credit for the origin of the name Middle-earth. He sourced it from Middle English [1] word “middle-erde." The etymology of this word is from “middangeard," an Old English of folk origin meaning a yard, a place or any enclosure for the name "Geard,” and “midgaror,” an Old Norse [2] word which is a cognate of the words just mentioned. It has a Germanic translation in the word which the Greeks [3] call οικουμένη or “Oikoumene," to mean "the abiding place of men."

Though the term may have a broad meaning, it helps to differentiate the physical world and the unseen worlds typical of fantasy novels. This fact was discussed in Tolkien's "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien." The word the Mediterranean [4] also comes from a Latin origin, broken down into “Medi,” which means amidst, and “terra,” which translates to “the sea placed in the middle of the Earth,” or “amidst the lands.” Tolkien also translated “Beowulf,” where the word “Middangeard” appears six times.

Tolkien is considered the world’s primary authority as far as translations are concerned. You can check out documents and biographies written about him to know where he gets his inspiration and his sources. For the ancestral use of the term, you can search for Norse mythology or Midgard [5]. However, Tolkien created Middle-earth as used in his Lord of the Rings novels based on today’s geographical realities.

Tolkien also used the statement, “Hail Earendel, brightest of angels above the middle-earth sent unto men,” from the poem, “Crist,” by Cynewulf as one of his motivations. The name Earendel means "morning star," but in other contexts, it points to the name of Christ. This name was also the inspiration to one of Tolkien's characters in his books, Earendil, the mariner. Middle-earth was the setting for most of Tolkien's books, including "The Hobbit," "The Silmarillion," and "The Lord of the Rings," and other related writings.

It was in the early 1930s when Tolkien used the term Middle-earth for the first time to replace the previous ones, which he used, such as "Hither Lands," "Outer Lands," and "Great Lands." He was describing the same region in his stories as these previous names he used. Middle-earth refers to the vast regions on the east side of the Great Sea, which is Belegaer, including Harad but excluding Aman. This area also covers the other lands inhabited by mortals but not referred to or visited in any of Tolkien's stories. Most people will use the term Middle-earth to mean the entirety of the worlds spoken of in "The Silmarillion," "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Hobbit." All the lands described in these books are part of the Middle-earth.

In ancient German mythology, the whole universe was believed to be comprised of several inter-linked physical worlds – eight for the English mythology and nine for the Nordic mythology. The center of the universe is where the Middle-earth, which is the world of men, lies. The sea, which envelopes this region, houses the lands of the Giants, the gods, and the Elves. Beneath the Middle-earth is where the land of the Dead is. The Bifrost Bridge is the Rainbow Bridge from Norse mythology that connects Middle-earth across the sea to Asgard. There are seven more worlds, which are encircled by an outer sea and they are Jotunheim, Niflheim, Muspellheim, Svartalfheim, Alfheim, Asgard, and Vanaheim. In this line of thinking, a "world" does not necessarily refer to a separate physical region but more of a racial homeland.

The World of Middle-earth

Tolkien meant for the world of Middle-earth to align with the real geography of the Earth as we know it today in several respects. If you take the Earth’s map and transpose it onto the outline of the Middle-earth and consider similarities in zoological, botanical, and climatological facts, numerous regions of the Middle-earth will find their place in our world today. The continent of Asia will correspond to Rhun; Southern Africa may very well be Far Harad, the Fjords of Norway is likened to Forochel’s Ice Bay. The Southern and Western parts of Russia's steppes and the forests of Germany will correspond to Rhovanion. The Northern Africa’s desserts are where the area close to Harad will be and also South Gondor, Sicily will be where Mordor is, Greece and Mediterranean Italy will parallel Gondor, and the temperate climate characteristic of the country of England will resemble a place where the Shire of the Hobbits will likely lie.

The Red Book of Westmarch, written by Bilbo Baggins, his nephew Frodo Baggins as well other Hobbits in the Shire, was retold in the installation of the books “The Lord of the Rings,” and “The Hobbit and Gondorian scholars went on to annotate and correct it. Years after these books were published, Tolkien gave an approximate period as to the setting of the stories in the books, which he set at crudely 6,000 years past, but he gave no certainty as to this statement. All of Tolkien's books have complete backstories to provide historical, mythological, and linguistic depth to them. Even after his death, his son, Christopher Tolkien, edited and published his writings, The Silmarillion, being one of them.

The Silmarillion is the story of the creation and a description of the cosmology where Middle-earth is part of. This book is also a chief source of information for many lands in Tolkien's books, including Numenor and Valinor. It's also important to note that he had numerous other writings, some in drafts and others in volumes, such as his Middle-earth mythology and The History of Middle-earth that talks about stories and essays though some are incomplete. This collection includes his earliest books and his latest manuscripts.

The Cosmology

Eru Iluvatar is the ultimate god of Arda, who, at the beginning of the world, created Ainur. These are the spirits to whom he taught to make music. Iluvatar then made a theme by which they can align all of the great music which they make. He made sure that the Ainur had mastered their art before he commanded them to do such. Melkor, the most powerful one, corrupted the theme by instituting new ones that genuinely improved the quality of the music produced but are beyond the capacity of the Ainur to understand. Melkor was also known as Morgoth or as Elves will call him, the “Dark Enemy.” He was Satan’s representation of Tolkien in his stories. The character of the songs which the Ainur created laid the foundations of the history of the universe, which is yet to be created and the people who were to inhabit it. Iluvatar put a stop to the music and gave revelations to the Ainur as to what it all means.

He did this through a Vision, to which the Ainur was so moved that they felt an irresistible urge to encounter the events in it. Because of this, Iluvatar formed Ea, the universe, where the Ainur went to experience directly the events they have seen in the Vision. However, they went to Ea at the beginning of time, so they found it without form. These "ages of the star" were shapeless, and so the Ainur labored tirelessly to give them meaning and to fill the universe with all things far beyond what Men can ever reach. After a while, Iluvatar created Arda, where Men, Elves, and the Children of Iluvatar dwelt. Valar is the fifteen most formidable Ainur, with Melkor being the most fearsome one, but the leader of the Valar was Manwe.

The Valar lived in Arda to keep watch over it and to do all preparations before the awakening of its Children. In the beginning, Arda was a flat world, but the Valar gave it two massive lamps to provide it with light. However, Melkor annihilated these lamps to bring darkness into the world. This event pushed the Valar to the edges of Arda in the western regions, where they formed Two Trees and brought new light to their new dwelling. Ages and ages passed until the Valar was able to capture and punish Melkor for what he has done and to bring him rehabilitation for the protection of the children who are about to awaken. Upon Melkor’s release, he immediately brought poison to the Two Trees. The Valar was quick to take the last two viable fruits of the Two Trees to make the Sun and Moon. These two lamps are still part of Arda today but are separated from Ambar, which is the world.

The Geography of Middle-earth

J.R.R. Tolkien never finalized the geography of the whole world in his books, "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Hobbit." However, his son Christopher Tolkien was able to publish numerous notable maps to include that of the flat earth and also the round world, initially created by his father in the late part of the 1930s. These maps can be seen in the fourth volume of "The History of Middle-earth," "The Shaping of Middle-earth."

It was Karen Wynn Fonstad who later drew detailed, though non-canonical, maps of the whole world to align with the historical ages as portrayed in “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit,” and “The Silmarillion.” J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien created maps that they published as illustrations and foldouts in "The Silmarillion," "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings," and these encompassed the worlds in all three books. There were early print outs of the map as Tolkien conceptualized early on and were published in "The Silmarillion," and "The Lord of the Rings," and are also in a lot of the volumes of "The Shaping of the Middle Earth," to include "The First Silmarillion Map."

Other maps include "The First Map of the Lord of the Rings," which was in "The Treason of Isengard," "The Second Map of the West” and “The Second Map of the East,” in the “War of the Ring,” and “The Second Map of Middle-earth west of the Blue Mountains,” or “The Second Silmarillion Map” in the “War of the Jewels.” Endor, as the Quenyan language would call Middle-earth, was initially designed to conform to the asymmetrical design, before Melkor destroyed it. There were supposed to be two massive sub-continents in the South and the North with mountain ranges going to the West and going to the East.

The names bestowed upon these mountains were based on their colors. They are the Red Mountains, the Grey Mountains, Blue Mountains, and the White Mountains. The distortions in the lands were attributed to the various battles with Melkor. There was supposed to be a body of water right in the middle of the grounds and an island where the Valar lived named Almaren. This island, and the lake around it, was wrecked when Melkor came to demolish the two great lamps that the Ainur formed. Because of this, two enormous seas were created, the Sea of Helcar or Helkar, which was situated in the North, is one of them. Beleriand, which means land of Balar, was the name given to the lands towards the west of Blue Mountains. Melkor was the one who formed the Misty Mountains to stop the Vala Orome from hunting down his beasts. This event happened during the time of darkness, even before the Elves were awakened.

There were more alterations to the geography of Middle-earth when the Valar attacked Utumno. Because of this, the North-west region of Middle-earth was broken beyond repair, where the Valar host met Melkor. There was a sea in between Aman and Middle-earth that was broadened, and many little bays were formed, one of which was the convergence of Sirion. Apart from these, highlands and mountains were also created as an aftereffect of the many battles, such as those in Hithlium and Dorthonion. These delineate the borders of Sirion, where the river begins and ends, giving the possibility that Sirion was also developed around the same period. Beleriand was also destroyed during the violent conflicts between Melkor and his armies and the Host of Valar, towards the end of the First Age, through the War of the Wrath. Helcar, the inland sea, may also have been emptied of its waters during this time of the battle.

Tolkien referred to the physical world, excluding the heavenly bodies associated with it, as “Ambar” in several of his manuscripts. He also sometimes identifies them as “Imbar" or the Habitation, after "The Lord of the Rings" has already been published. Ambar was initially meant to be a flat world since the annihilation of the two lamps created by the Ainur up to the time when Numenor reached its Downfall. Ambar's landmasses where people dwelt were supposedly assembled in only one part of the world. Some of his sketchings feature a disk-like façade of a world staring up to the stars. Aman, a continent in the west, was where the Valar lived and also the Eldar. Endor, or Middle-earth, or middle lands, is the setting of numerous of Tolkien’s stories.

On the other part of the continent in the east, no one lives. As mentioned earlier, when Melkor contaminated the Two Trees formed by the Valar and retreated to Endor from Aman, the Valar made the Moon and the Sun, separate celestial bodies from Ambar but are still considered part of Arda, the realm of the Children of Iluvatar. When “The Lord of the Rings” was published, years passed. A statement from the exclusive narrative of "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth,” which was set to have occurred in the time of the War of the Jewels in Beleriand, said that Tolkien likened Arda to our Solar System since, at this point, Arda had more than a single celestial body. Both accounts in "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Silmarillion," say that when Ar-Pharazon attacked Aman because they wanted to take their immortality from the Valar, they then surrendered their protection of the world causing Iluvatar to intervene.

This decision took away Aman from being part of the "circles of the world," destroyed Numenor, and gave Ambar the spherical shape as it is known today. The people of Numenor who were able to endure the Downfall navigated towards the western parts of the world to look for their ancestral home. Still, being that it is round and not flat, they found themselves back to where they began after their journey. Therefore, towards the Second Age and as it was nearing its end, the flat earth fully transformed into around one. The continent of Endor can be likened to the whole landmass of Eurasia [6] in terms of size. Still, the geography that Tolkien provided in his books, even in "The Lord of the Rings" narrative, does not, in any way, connect in exact terms, Endor with any real European places or any lands close to it. It is thereby a general assumption for all readers that the world, which. Tolkien described in his books, went through a massive transformation, much like the deluge described in the Bible. Some people believe that Tolkien may have used the Holy Scriptures to inspire this event in the books.

The timing of this is set after the Third Age when Sauron fell or maybe even after this period. Other explanations to this changes include the shifting of some locations like the flooding in Eriador forming the British Isles and Northern France, the movement of Near Hard towards the west and south to make the Sahara, the rotation of the White Mountains that produced the mountains of west Balkans and the Alps, and the movement towards the North of the Misty Mountains to make the Scandinavia. This movement is not an isolated incident, as this has happened before. The rotation of Endor towards the east, with the north pole as its axis, was believed to be a consequence of the Siege of Utumno.

The People of the Middle-earth

Middle-earth is home to a diverse group of knowledgeable species to include the angelic beings called the Ainur, as the first creations of Iluvatar. The role of the Ainur is to make music and sing them for Iluvatar, who formed Ea and gave reality to their songs in Ainulindale, also known as “Music of the Ainur,” which is a cosmological myth. When Ea was established, the Aniur inhabited it, and the greatest of them were called the Valar. Melkor, who was also known as Morgoth in later writings, was evil personified in this realm and is also one of the Valar, the most powerful even.

Other members of the Ainur who also entered Ea were called Maiar. During the First Age, Melian, wife to Thingol, the Elven King, became the most effective Maia. When the Third Age came, five members of the Maiar were embodied and sent to assist the people in fighting Sauron in Endor, during the War of the Ring. They are called the Istari (also known as the Wise Ones, or Wizards as Men would call them), and they include Pallando, Alatar, Radagast, Saruman, and Gandalf. However, some Maiars turned evil, and they were called Umaiar. These are the Balrogs and Sauron, the second Dark Lord.

At a later time, the Children of Iluvatar were awakened. These are the Men and Elves, who awoke in the first year of the Sun. These were one of the intelligent creatures that the Iluvatar created. In the book, “The Silmarillion,” includes a story of how Men and Elves were awoken and how they multiplied and propagated the world. On the other hand, Dwarves were said to have been conceived by Aule, the Vala, who even threatened to destroy them when he came into a confrontation with Iluvatar. Vala was forgiven by Iluvatar despite his transgression and took the Dwarves in. Three tribes of Men allied with the Elves from Beleriand during the First Age, and they were called the Edain.

During the War of Beleriand, Edain and their descendants suffered a great deal and showed their loyalty. As a result, they were given the land of Numenor as their reward, and they can consider it their home. However, as discussed in the narrative of the history of Middle-earth, Numenor will reach its destruction, and the Numenorians who have survived this fled to the lands of Endor in the North to establish their realms. Faithful beings to the Valar created the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. These are called the Dunedain, while other survivors of Numenor continued to do evil and lived towards the South, who were later became known as the Black Numenoreans. Hobbits, on the one hand, were considered to be branches of the race of Men.

Though very little is known of their ancestral history and their origins, Tolkien made mention of their settling on the Vales of Anduin at the beginning of the Third Age. However, after a thousand years, the Hobbits began traveling towards Eriador, across the Misty Mountains in the west, before they eventually settled into the Shire. When Iluvatar gave the Dwarves real life, Aule, their creator, put them in slumber in several secret locations in the mountains. When the Elves were awakened, Iluvatar awoke the Dwarves as well. They took the Northern part of Endor as their habitation and established seven kingdoms afterward. Belegost and Nogrod, are two of the seven kingdoms and became allies to the Beleriand Elves when they fought against Morgoth during the First Age. Moria was the greatest of all the Dwarven kingdoms, which was known initially as Khazad-dum.

Upon the behest of Vala Yavanna to have people who will guard the trees against the degradation that the race of Men, Dwarves, and Elves bring to them, Iluvatar formed the Ents, or otherwise known as the “shepherds of the trees.” Morgoth created a breed of evil creatures which are called Trolls and Orcs, which are not referred to as original beings but are wicked things, "mockeries" towards the Children of Iluvatar and the Ents since only Iluvatar has the power to form and give life to beings. Tolkien did not go into so many details in describing their origins. There are many possibilities in his head, but he changed his mind frequently about them. But, the most likely explanation to where they come from is that they could be Men or Elves, or both, who have been dishonored and then bred into these evil creatures. Towards the end of the Third Age, the Uruk-hai or Uruks surface. These are a race of Orcs that are mighty in strength and size.

It was Saruman who later created the hybrid of Men and Orcs whom he called the Orc-men or Men-orcs sometimes or as some people know them, goblin-men or half-orcs. Some animals appear to be sapient, such as Wargs, Valinor’s Great Hound called Huan, and the eagles. Iluvatar, himself, created the Eagles together with the Ents, but generally speaking, the origins of these remain vague. There is a possibility that some of them could be Maiar, who took the form of animals, or maybe a progeny of a Maiar and some normal animals. There are also mysterious beings in Middle-earth such as Tom Bombadil. It is unknown as to which race of people he belongs to in this world. Tolkien said that mystery is part of the nature of mythology, and not everything in the stories in it can be explained away, even by the creator himself.

Languages of Middle-earth

There are two languages that Tolkien developed in his books, which are the Elven languages of Quenya and Sindarin. Sindarin is spoken by Elves, who are inhabitants of Beleriand, while Quenya was used by those who are in Teleri, Noldor, and Vanyar. Both languages are connected, and there is a Common Eldarin that provides ancestry to both as claimed.

Other languages in Middle-earth include the writing of Ainur which is Valarin; Westron, which is English, the Common Speech; the one spoken by the Rohirrim (In the book, “The Lord of the Rings,” it was represented as Old English), or Rohirric Language; Khuzdul, the language of the Dwarves; Black Speech, the language by which the slaves of Sauron speak to each other and devised by Sauron himself; and Adunaic, the language of the Numenoreans.

History of Middle-earth

The Years of the Sun, Years of the Trees, and Years of the Lamps comprise Middle-earth's history. The latter, Years of the Sun, is further divided into four Ages, and three of these are significant to the legendarium's printed works. When the Valar completed their difficult work in giving form and shape to Arda, the Years of the Lamps shortly began. Two lamps have been created to shed light on the world. Along with these, two towers were also forged, one in the far north, Helcar and lit by the lamp Iluin, and another one in the far south, Ringol, illuminated by the lamp Ormal. Midway to these towers, the Valar dwelt on the island of Almaren. When Melkor came to destroy the two lights, the Year of the Lamps also ended.

In Aman, the Two Trees were formed, Laurelin and Telperion, by Yavanna. These trees also brought light into Aman. However, the rest of Arda remained in darkness, getting illumination from the stars alone. At the beginning of the First Age, at Lake Cuivienen towards Endor in the east, the Elves have been awakened, and the Valar soon approaches them. A significant number of them were compelled to go on a Great Journey towards Aman in the west. However, not everyone was able to finish the mission. This event ushered the Surrendering of the Elves. Melkor was successfully put in prison by the Valar, and as he was showing repentance for what he has done, he was given freedom but was on parole. He then caused massive disunity among the Elves and sowed discord and great rivalry between Fingolfin and Feanor, both Elven princes. He went on to kill King Finwe, their father, and took the Silmarils from the vault to keep for himself. The Silmarils are the three gems, forged by Feanor to keep the two lights of the Two Trees. Melkor then ruined the Two Trees.

Feanor tried his best to convince his people, the Noldor, to go in pursuit of Melkor on his way to Beleriand, while throwing curses at him and branding him with the new name, Morgoth. Two groups went after Melkor, Fingolfin led the more massive party while the other group was with Feanor and they were the ones who went first. Their first stop was in Alqualonde, the port-city of Teleri. They tried to bargain with them for ships that they could use to sail to Middle-earth, but the Teleri refused. This event is how the Kinslaying began.

Feanor and all the people who went with him assaulted the Teleri and took their ships. They then started their journey towards Middle-earth on board the Teleri vessels, but the group of Fingolfin opted to try another route. Fingolfin and the party decided to take the deadly Helcaraxe (Grinding Ice) towards the far north to get to Middle-earth. Eventually, both princes, Feanor and Fingolfin, were slain, but their sons and heirs endured and established their realms. When the Valar made the Sunrise above Imbar, the Years of the Sun commenced.

After four hundred years of Long Peace, and after long drawn out battles, the very first Men crossed the Blue Mountains to get to Beleriand. After Morgoth has broken the siege of Angband, the Elven kingdoms fell one after another, including the secret city of Gondolin. The only significant success attributed to Men and Elves was when Luthien, daughter of Melian and Thingol, and Beren of Edain, reclaimed a Silmaril from the very crown of Morgoth. When both Luthien and Beren died, the Valar brought them back to life but with the understanding that Beren will forever be unseen by the race of Men while Luthien will live as a mortal being. However, Thingol had a debacle with the Dwarves of Nogrod, and they were able to kill him, claiming the Silmaril for themselves. Joining alliances with the Ents, Beren attacked the Dwarves and repossessed the Silmaril, which he then gave to Luthien.

Eventually, both Luthien and Beren met their second deaths, and the Silmaril was handed down to Dior Half-Elven, their son, who was responsible for re-establishing the Kingdom of Doriath. Feanor’s sons were ordering Dior to give the Silmaril back to them, but Dior was firm in his decision to keep it. This happening led to the Feanorians starting another Kinslaying by killing Dior and destroying the Kingdom of Doriath. However, Dior’s daughter, Elwing, survived the slaying and escaped with the Silmaril. Caranthir, Curufin, and Celegorm are the three sons of Feanor who gave their lives in pursuit of the precious jewel. The inhabitants at the mouth of River Sirion were the only ones left of the Men and free Elves who traveled to Beleriand towards the end of the age. Elwing, who married Earendil, was among those who survived and lived in Beleriand. The Feanorians, nevertheless, did not stop trying to claim the Silmaril for themselves.

Because Elwing refused to hand over the jewel, the Feanorians had no choice but to resort to getting it by force. Hence they ushered in the third bout of Kinslaying. Elwing and Earendil were able to escape with the jewel by sailing through the Great Sea, begging the Valar to give them aid and pardon. The Valar agreed, and Melkor was put back in confinement, a lot of what he had accomplished was put to destruction, and he was exiled to the farthest borders of the world in the Door of Night. A great and terrible cost was paid to reclaim the Silmaril, and even Beleriand was put to destruction and started to sink downwards to the depths of the sea. Maglor and Maedhros, the last standing sons of Feanor, were still trying to get the Silmaril back to their family, pursuing the Valar who had it, but, similar to Melkor, the jewel burned in their hands. Only then did they realize that they were not designed to possess the Silmaril and that the oath was void.

All the brothers had their fate. Maglor hurled his Silmaril out to the sea, and Maedhros committed suicide by going into a blazing fire with the Silmaril with him. Therefore, all three Silmarils ended up in the sea, the earth, and in the sky with Earendil. These events ushered in the beginning of the Second Age. Many elves were given residences in the west while the Edain were granted the island of Numenor, towards the Great Sea in the west to be their home. The Numenoreans were excellent seafarers but were also progressively more envious of the fact that Elves were immortal beings. After several centuries, Morgoth’s lead servant, Sauron, started to form and lead evil creatures from the lands in the east.

He was able to convince Elven smiths living in Eregion to forge Rings of Power and to create one secretly to be called the One Ring that will control all the others. The elves realized what Sauron was trying to do but not until he placed the One Ring on his finger. They immediately removed the other rings, which were on their fingers to stop Sauron from having control over them. Ar-Pharazon, the last King of Numenor, used his formidable army to fight Sauron and was successful in capturing him, bringing him back to Numenor as a prisoner.

However, because Sauron had the One Ring on his finger, he was able to deceive Ar-Pharazon. He compelled him to invade Aman and guarantee that everyone who goes to the Undying Lands will be given immortality. The leader of those who remained faithful to the Valar, Amandil, went on his way to seek help from them and sailed west. His grandsons Anarion and Isildur and son Elendil started to prepare for their journey going to the east in Middle-earth. When the King and his army arrived at Aman, the Valar begged for Iluvatar to intercede.

The world was never the same, and Aman was cut off from Imbar. Since then, no matter how Men try, they could not locate Aman. However, Elves, aboard their magically sacred ships, who want to pass, were permitted to use the Straight Road that begins from the seas of Middle-earth towards the Aman seas. Numenor was brought to utter destruction, including the body of Sauron. His spirit, however, remained alive and flew over to Middle-earth. The sons of Elendil and Elendil himself fled to Endor and established the realms of Arnor and Gondor.

Eventually, Sauron resurrected, and the Men joined forces with the Elves to create the Last Alliance and were able to be victorious over him. The One Ring, on his finger, was taken by Isildur but was not obliterated. During the Third Age, the realms of Gondor and Arnor rose in power but were also brought down. During the writing of "The Lord of the Rings," Sauron has almost recovered his physical strength and was determined to claim the One Ring back to his possession. When he learned that a Hobbit has it, he sent out nine Ringwraiths to go to where the Hobbit is and to recover it. Frodo Baggins, who was the Ring-bearer, went on a journey to Rivendell, and a decision was reached to have the One Ring destroyed the only way possible – by bringing it to Mount Doom and hurling it into the burning fires. The Fellowship of the Ring, the alliance, built to take care of the One Ring in Frodo's possession, went about their quest.

It was Frodo, along with eight companions. Frodo, however, failed at the very last minute, but because Gollum was there to step in, the One Ring was thereby obliterated. Gollum was spared by the kindness of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Sam Gamgee and Frodo Baggins were acclaimed as heroes after what happened. Sauron was considered eternally destroyed, and his spirit disintegrated. The Third Age marked the conclusion of the reign of the Elves and the start of the dominion of the Race of Men.

When the Fourth Age was ushered in, a lot of the Elves who remained in Middle-earth fled to Valinor and vowed never to return again. Those who did not go with this group of Elves would eventually disappear and fade away. The same thing happened to the Dwarves, and they fell apart too. However, the Dwarves were able to return in multitudes and dwelt in the land of Moria. There was a restoration of peace between the southern and eastern lands and Gondor. Ultimately, what happened in the early Ages became tales, and thereby became legends and then, later on, became forgotten truths.

Timeline of Books on Middle-earth

Tolkien wrote a lot of books from the 1930s and are enjoyed it until the present time. In 1937, he wrote "The Hobbit," where Bilbo Baggins unites with a group of Dwarves and Gandalf the Wizard, and they went on a quest to recover the ancient Dwarvish kingdom from Smaug, the dragon.

In 1954, the first part of the trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," was published. This book is where the cousin of Bilbo and his nephew, Frodo Baggins, went on a journey to destroy the One Ring with their other companions known as "The Fellowship of the Ring." In the same year, part 2 of the trilogy was written, "The Two Towers," where the story continues. The Fellowship was split into two. While Frodo and Sam went on their mission, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn fought to save the Hobbits, Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) and Peregrin Took (Pippin), who was taken by Orcs and to salvage the Kingdom of Rohan.​

Other books, written by others about Tolkien's literature, include 1978 The Complete Guide to Middle-earth by Robert Foster; 2004 The Annotated Hobbit by Douglas Anderson; 1981 The Atlas of Middle-earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad and Journeys of Frodo by Barbara Strachey; 1983 The Road to Middle-earth by Tom Shippey and 2002 The Complete Tolkien Companion by JEA Tyler.

Adaptations

Film Adaptations of Middle-earth

J.R.R. Tolkien gave his son, Christopher Tolkien, instructions on possible film adaptations to his works through Letter 202. In 1969, he sold rights to make The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit into movies to United Artists, and he faced a tax bill. Today, the rights are with Middle-earth Enterprises, having no connection with Tolkien Estate, who has all other rights to other works, including The Silmarillion. In 1977, the first adaptation, The Hobbit, was shown by Rankin-Bass. It was played on United States television (Television). A year after, The Lord of the Rings was produced, directed, and released by Ralph Bakshi.

It used the rotoscope animation technology and played the story's first half. It was a faithful account of the story in the book but wasn't so well received by those who watched it. Rankin-Bass produced another TV show in 1980 to cover the last half of The Lord of the Rings' story, and it was entitled, "The Return of the King." This installation, however, did not follow through with how the Bakshi film ended, and so plans were made to do a version on live-action, but it will have to be postponed to the 1990s. The new producers will be New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson. The movies will also receive funding from the government of New Zealand and their banking industry. These latest series of film adaptations garnered seventeen Oscars in all being a box-office hit.

They won awards in the following categories: live-action feature film, English language, and fictional, not including the acting categories. However, a lot of the fans of the books were quite disappointed that there were several changes made in the characters and storyline when the story was made into a movie. After these, The Hobbit trilogy was also produced, which was a live-action adaptation, made as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was also done in New Zealand and under Peter Jackson's direction.

Despite the book, “The Hobbit,” being a single book, it was also made into a trilogy just like the previous trilogy adaptation of the Lord of the Rings. 2012 was the year when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey came out, 2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and 2014: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. In 2019, Tolkien, the biopic film, was out, and it showed J.R.R. Tolkien's experiences in World War I and how it proved to be an inspiration to his works about Middle-earth.

Games on Middle-earth

Tolkien’s works have also influenced the development of various role-playing games along with his contemporaries such as Michael Moorcock, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, and Robert E. Howard. Dungeons and Dragons were the first game to have taken inspiration from Tolkien's works, but after that, games were licensed to be created based on Middle-earth. They are the Middle-earth Role Playing Game (MERP) by Iron Crown and Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game by Decipher Inc. There was also a play-by-mail game based on Middle-earth that was run by Game Systems Inc but is now managed by Middle-earth Games. This particular game was inaugurated in the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design’s Hall of Fame last 1997.

There were also three war games that were produced based on the works of Tolkien by Simulations Publications. The War of the Ring includes the majority of what happened in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Gondor emphasized the Battle in the Pelennor Fields, and Sauron focused on the battle during the Second Age at the Gates of Mordor. Games Workshop is presently developing a war game based on the movies on the Lord of the Rings. There is also a board game entitled the War of the Ring, which is released by Fantasy Flight Games.

Angband is a computer game, D&D style, that features numerous characters in Tolkien movies. EA Games has also created games for the PC platform and gaming consoles to include The Third Age, The Battle for Middle-earth, The Return of the King, and the Two Towers. It was Sierra who produced the War of the Ring while Vivendi came out with The Fellowship of the Ring, but both games did not sell a lot. Many other games have been created, getting their rights from the Estate such as The Hobbit and others bought rights from the movie and merchandising.

Others

The University of California in Irvine features housing for their students called Middle Earth with dorm halls named after Mirkwood, Isengard, Rohan, and Hobbiton, among others. Their campus in San Diego also showcases an area called Middle-earth.​