Middle-earth

Middle-earth is the name used for the inhabitable parts of J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional Arda (ancient Earth) where the (canonical) stories in his legendarium take place. "Middle-earth" is a literal translation of the Old English term middangeard, referring to this world, the habitable lands of men. The term is not synonymous with the Elvish name of a continent called Endor or Ennor (in the Elvish languages Quenya and Sindarin, respectively). Mythologically, the Endor continent became the Eurasian land-mass after the primitive Earth was transformed into the round world of today.

Related Topics:
J.R.R. Tolkien's - Fiction - Arda - Earth - Canonical - Legendarium - Old English - Middangeard - Elvish language - Quenya - Sindarin - Eurasia - Round world

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Middle-earth's setting is in a fictional period in Earth's own past. Tolkien insisted that Middle-earth is Earth in several of his letters, in one of them (no. 211) estimating the end of the Third Age to about 6,000 years before his own time. The action of the books is largely confined to the north-west of the Endor continent, implicitly corresponding to modern-day Europe. The history of Middle-earth is divided into several Ages: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings deal exclusively with events towards the end of the Third Age and conclude at the dawn of the Fourth Age, while The Silmarillion deals mainly with the First Age. The world (Arda) was originally flat but was made round near the end of the Second Age by Eru Ilúvatar, the Creator.

Related Topics:
His letters - Third Age - Europe - History of Middle-earth - The Hobbit - The Lord of the Rings - Fourth Age - The Silmarillion - First Age - Arda - Second Age - Eru Ilúvatar

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Much of the knowledge of Middle-earth is based on writings that Tolkien did not finish for publication during his lifetime. In these cases, this article is based on the version of the Middle-earth legendarium that is considered canonical by most Tolkien fans, as discussed under Middle-earth canon.

Related Topics:
Legendarium - Canonical - Tolkien fan - Middle-earth canon

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