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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 1997-2026. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Got a question for us? We are always on hand to help! Why not Tweet us with your queries about Discus or the DISC personality test? |
Latest entries and updates
Featured EntryMalinorniThe original Mallorn treesMighty beech-like trees that originally grew only in Aman. Their name comes from the Quenya for 'golden trees' (malinorni is the plural form: a single tree of this kind was known as a malinornë). In Middle-earth the more familiar Sindarin version of the name was used, and there they were called mallorn trees. These trees grew to great heights on Tol Eressëa, and during the Second Age, Eldar from that island brought them as a gift to Númenor. There they grew only on the slopes above the harbour of Eldalondë, taking five hundred years to reach their full height. Their trunks were silver, and so were the undersides of their leaves, though they were green above. In winter, their leaves turned gold in colour, giving the trees their name, and did not fall until the following spring. |
