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Welcome to The Encyclopedia of ArdaThe Encyclopedia of Arda is a personal project - a tribute to and a celebration of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The site is evolving into an illustrated hypertext encyclopedia of Tolkien's realms and peoples. It already contains about four thousand entries, and we're constantly adding new entries and expanding existing ones. Inside the encyclopediaThe Encyclopedia of Arda contains thousands of articles covering topics from J.R.R. Tolkien's world, some brief, some lengthy and some containing detailed essays and discussions. You'll also find a selection of interactive tools, including a chronicle to help you explore Tolkien's fictional history, and calendar to translate dates and events, a lexicon of names, a glossary of old and rare words, and much more. Context and approachThe content of the Encyclopedia is written in the same context as Tolkien himself used; he presented himself simply as a translator, rather than originator of the tales. Hence, we try to describe his world from a 'historical' rather than a literary perspective, though sometimes it's useful to explore ideas in their wider context. Where relevant, therefore, you'll also find a few references to Tolkien's life or opinions, or to real historical or mythological parallels to events in his universe. About the name ArdaArda was the name given by the Elves to their world and all it contained, and so 'Encyclopedia of Arda' seemed a peculiarly apt title for this project. Special thanksThanks to all those who've e-mailed us over the years with their suggestions, corrections, ideas and just general support. But the real Special Thanks, though, belong to the memory of J.R.R. Tolkien for his extraordinary and unparalleled creation. For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2024. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus is a powerful, flexible DISC profile solution - find out much more in our free guide. |
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Featured EntryMuster of WestfoldA gathering of the western RohirrimThe armed forces of the Rohirrim were organised by musters, gatherings of Riders to meet threats to the land. The full force of Rohan was known as the éoherë or 'horse-host', but this Full Muster was rare. Instead, the Riders were divided into three separate commands, each led by a Marshal of the Mark, which could be called to react to dangers as they arose. One of these three musters called the Riders from lands westward of Rohan's capital of Edoras, especially from the Westfold, the populated valleys of the White Mountains. The chief fortress of this region was the Hornburg in Helm's Deep, and it was here that the commanding marshal would gather the Muster of Westfold. The Hornburg had originally been built by the Gondorians to guard the Gap between the White Mountains and the Misty Mountains to the north, and thus the Muster of Westfold would typically be called to deal with invaders threatening this Gap, and especially the crossing-point at the Fords of Isen. |
