SHARE- Cities and buildings
- Fields, plains and deserts
- Forests
- Hills and mountains
- Islands and promontories
- Lands, realms and regions
- Rivers and lakes
- Seas and oceans
|
||
ContentsAlphabetical indexBrowse topicsReferenceOther editionsTolkien news and resourcesSponsors and associates |
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. |
Latest entries and updates
Featured EntryMountains of the EastThe far Red Mountains of Middle-earthA range of mountains running north to south in the distant eastern parts of Middle-earth, far beyond its more familiar regions. They were also known as the Orocarni, the Red Mountains. From their western slopes, many streams ran down into a great lake or inland sea, and it was on the shores of this lake that the first Elves awoke, in a place that they called Cuiviénen, the Water of Awakening. Beneath the Mountains of the East, Oromë encountered the Elves for the first time, and many of them left the land beneath the Mountains to pass into the West. In the original, highly symmetrical, conception of Arda, Middle-earth had four great ranges of mountains. In the northwest, these were the familiar Blue Mountains, and the Red Mountains, or Mountains of the East, were their counterpart in the east. Two further ranges ran into the far south: the Grey Mountains (which were quite distinct from the Grey Mountains of the north) and the Yellow Mountains. The primeval destruction wrought by Melkor broke this design for the world, but it is clear that at least some part of the Mountains of the East survived at least until the time of the awakening of the Elves. |
