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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. |
Latest entries and updates
Featured EntryHorsemen of RohanThe RohirrimThe ancestors of the Rohirrim had been great horsemen throughout their history. The Men of Rohan descended from the Northmen of Rhovanion, who had ridden the wide plains eastward of Mirkwood in the middle years of the Third Age. The quality of the horses of the Northmen was famed, as was their skill in riding (and especially their ability to shoot arrows from a bow while mounted). The horsemen rode the eastern plains for centuries as loyal allies of Gondor, but they were troubled by invaders and decimated by the coming of the Great Plague. Eventually the survivors removed from their old lands into the Vales of Anduin, and at this time they were first known as the 'horse people', the Éothéod in their own tongue. Eventually they moved on northward again, and founded a new land around the sources of Anduin (a land that itself came to be called the Éothéod) and there they remained for more than five centuries. |
