Articles related to "Valinor"



Have you been to Valinor lately?
An examination of the deeper Valinorean mythology which pervaded Tolkien's works. Why do so many critics miss the connections? What was Tolkien really trying to do, if not to convey some deeper meaning or to preserve some ancient storyline?
valinor tom shippey the lord of the rings smith of wootton major the adventures of tom bombadil

In Feanor's Footsteps
Could Tolkien have fully visualized the War of Wrath as he provided details for so many other events, or was it necessarily a legend about which little could or should be known?
war of wrath host of valinor eonwe winged dragons flying dragons

Middle-earth Connections: Lore of the Rings
A detailed examination of the motivations behind the Elves' creaion of the Rings of Power, and some speculations on how the Rings may have been used.
rings of power sauron eregion gil-galad tolkien

It's All in the Family: The Finweans
The second of two articles examining the families of the Eldarin kings. With the publication of The Peoples of Middle-earth, we learned Tolkien's final decisions on who was related to whom, and how.
finweans the lord of the rings the silmarillion morgoth's ring tolkien

Do Elves Dream of Eclectic Sleep?
What does it mean to be an Elf? The answer to that question changes with the passing of the ages, and eventually an Elf must choose between sorrow and uncertainty. The growing burden of Elvish regret may, in fact, have compelled the Elves to grow beyond their own fears and misconceptions.
uncertainty aman valinor feanor finwe

Frodo's Temptation, Frodo's Hope
The second part of a short series regarding the nature of the One Ring and its unrelenting temptation of Frodo as the Ring-Bearer with attention paid to the Wise who had resisted the temptation to take possession of it.
frodo galadriel gandalf olorin elrond

Shhh! It's a Secret Ring!
Who knew about the Rings of Power at the end of the Third Age? It requires some historical detective work to figure out who knew about them in the first place, who learned about them later, and who would have been around to forget about them.
rings of power the one ring numenor eregion noldor

A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 3
Part three of a three-part article examining the causes and events of the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. This section includes the end notes and bibliography of sources.
aule valinor war of the last alliance of elves and men concerning galadriel and celeborn unfinished tales

Beware That Baker in the Kitchen!
What is the nature of evil in Middle-earth, and at what point does it become True Evil? Are the Orcs responsible for their own state of corruption, or are they excusable and redeemable?
orcs sauron melkor j.r.r. tolkien middle-earth

The Quests of Middle-earth
A look at Tolkien's use of quests in his stories, long and short, and of how role-playing games and more recent fantasy stories have departed from Tolkien's ideas.
quest gilgamesh j.r.r. tolkien the lord of the rings fellowship

Before the Numenoreans Came
What was Eriador like in the years between the departure of the Numenoreans over Sea and their eventual return? We can extrapolate a few ideas based on things J.R.R. Tolkien said concerning the history of the Dunedain.
gil-galad elrond lindon beleriand cirdan

Elves By the Numbers
How many Noldor reached Aman? How many returned to Middle-earth? These questions have annoyed Tolkien fans for years. But though we cannot know what J.R.R. Tolkien intended, we can make some educated guestimates.
j.r.r. tolkien christopher tolkien the lord of the rings the history of middle-earth the peoples of middle-earth

Indiana Jones and the Treasures of Middle-earth
A light-hearted romp through possible scenarios that Indiana Jones might face while looking for a Middle-earth artifact.
harrison ford middle-earth silmarils feanor arkenstone

The Wild, Wild, Wood-elf West
A discussion of the complex history of the Wood-elves, exploring their roots and various cultural sources.
wood-elves silvan elves eldar noldor minyar

Gil-galad was an Elven-king...
A discussion of Gil-galad's history and genealogy, and the importance of The Silmarillion in studying Gil-galad.
gil-galad elendil numenor finwe lindon

The Sauron Strategies: Footsteps into Failure
The first of two articles examining Sauron's strategies and objectives. In the Second Age, Sauron proved to be flexible and resilient, but he consistently underestimated his enemies' abilities and resources.
sauron elendil anardil numenor of the rings of power and the third age

Frodo's Temptation; Aragorn's Resistance
The Kings of Numenore succumbed to Sauron's influence. The Nazgul had all been men who had been corrupted by him. Boromir went mad with desire for the One Ring. What enabled Aragorn to resist the temptation to seize the Ring?
aragorn elrond elros rivendell gandalf

A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 1
First of three parts of a research paper covering the history of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Part one covers events leading up the war.
the last alliance of elves and men gil-galad elendil the tall isildur anarion

The Manly Men of Myth and Middle-Earth
How much were Tolkien's heroes like the heroes of the ancient Greeks, Hebrews, and Germans? Did Beowulf really serve as a model for any of Middle-earth's men of action? Tolkien is believed to have revived some of the ancient epic traditions, but his heroes display a surprising humility when compared to classic examples.
beowulf aragorn eomer hurin turin

Guess Who's Coming to the Disaster
Tolkien is often criticised for not including more romance in The Lord of the Rings. But the romance is scattered throughout his long pseudo-history, and the fate of Middle-earth was more than once decided by a love story.
j.r.r. tolkien middle-earth the lord of the rings the hobbit the silmarillion

Have Island, Will Rebel
Did Numenorean society follow an inevitable path toward division because the kings retained, respected, and enlarged autonomous traditions? Were the noble families of Numenor able to influence the policies of the kings both directly and indirectly? This article examines the roots of Numenorean politcal power and the connections between that power and the economic forces of the Numenorean civilization.
numenor edain of beleriand beorians marachians elros tar-minyatur

It's All in the Family: The Elweans and Ingweans
The first of two essays examines the Eldarin genealogies and whether it is possible to state definitively who was related to whom and how. The Ingweans and Elweans are the royal families of the Vanyar and Sindar.
ingwe elwe thingol the book of lost tales the ruin of doriath christopher tolkien

Lonely Wanderers and the Tales That Almost Were
The story of Earendil changed considerably through the years of Tolkien's life. In a similar fashion, the history of the Lords of Dol Amroth also underwent changes. The promise of both stories was thus never fully achieved.
earendil the book of lost tales imrazor the numenorean mithrellas nimrodel

Where Have All the Dragons Gone?
J.R.R. Tolkien's first story concerned a "green great dragon", which he was told was not the correct way to speak of dragons. Years later, the author found the means to speak of dragons in a most compelling fashion. But how great were his dragons, and why did they like gold so much?
j.r.r. tolkien dragon the hobbit the lord of the rings fram

Myth-ing the Big Picture
A reverie on the relevance of "The Valaquenta and "The Ainulinde" to a broader appreciation and deeper understanding of the saga of Middle-earth.
valar tolkien silmarillion frodo aragorn

Tolkien's Cottage of Lost Play
A discussion of transitional space and Tolkien's story about Olore Malle.
tolkien psychology transitional objects fantasy privacy of self

Ghan-Buri-Ghan, Where Are You?
A review of 'The Return of the King', the third installment of Peter Jackson's cinematic version of 'The Lord of the Rings'.
return of the king peter jackson tolkien aragorn legolas

Mother-less Heroes
An examination of the significance of the commonality of Tolkien’s ‘Mother-less Heroes’.
tolkien frodo aragorn gandalf elves

Life in an Elven Fishing Town
Tolkien wrote little concerning the lives and crafts of Cirdan's mariners, but these hearty Elves of the sea fought in all of Middle-earth's great wars. They were also among the last Eldarin people to vanish from the world of men.
cirdan brithombar and eglarest mithlond the grey havens teleri

Make Room for Dragons
Is it possible to explain why Tolkien did not write about dragons in the Second Age? Some new twists on old ideas may reveal the truth about where the dragons went and what they were (or were not) up to.
dragons melkor morgoth sauron gil-galad

The Breaking of the One Ring-Part 2
This the concluding part of the exploration of the meaning of the ring of power in The Lord of the Rings.
fantasy tolkien psychology transitional object dreams

The Breaking of the One Ring-Part 2
This the concluding part of the exploration of the meaning of the ring of power in The Lord of the Rings.
fantasy tolkien psychology transitional object dreams

The Magic of the Minstrels
Middle-earth had few professional entertainers, and that may be because the greatest entertainers of all had been the Elves, whose magic was still in some ways remembered.
minstrels entertainment treebeard arnor gondor

Would Sandra Bullock be a good Mrs. Isildur?
Speculations about Isildur's wife and how her life might be portrayed in a movie.
isildur middle-earth elendil sauron tolkien

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...
This is the third in a series of articles exploring previously unpublished texts about Middle-earth. The 'Osanwe-kenta' text is closely identified with J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Orcs' essay and 'Quendi and Eldar'. But there may also be a connection with the much later 'Shibboleth of Feanor'.
osanwe-kenta shibboleth of feanor quendi and eldar

Count, Count, Weigh, Divide
It took a miracle to overthrow Sauron, and Iluvatar's intervention in the War of the Ring may have come on the heels of successive pre-emptive moments which served as warnings to Sauron that his time in Middle-earth was about to come to an end.
iluvatar mene mene tekel upharsin medes persians sauron

Ithilien, Moon Over Gondor
Ithilien rose and fell with the fortunes of Gondor, but when all else was lost, Gondor hung on to Isildur's former home tenaciously. What did this land mean to the people Isildur left behind?
isildur anarion last alliance of elves and men gil-galad arnor

Something Wicked This Way Comes
How could Sauron have returned to life and established himself on Dol Guldur without someone noticing? Even if his resurrection occurred in secret, Greenwood the Great could not have become Mirkwood overnight. So, what happened?
greenwood the great mirkwood dol guldur amon lanc the disaster of the gladden fields

If I only had a Bombadil...
A discussion of Tom Bombadil and his importance to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Should fans hope to see Bombadil in a Fellowship of the Ring Dvd?
tom bombadil frodo sam merry pippin

Magic by Melkor, No Returns Accepted
How did magic work in Middle-earth, and was it really as unlimited as some people believe?
magic goiteia magia melkor morgoth the lord of the rings

Moving Sale: Magic Rings and Other Trinkets Half Off
The Elves of Middle-earth had many regrets. But were they simply being materialistic when they grieved for lost treasures, or was there something more?
elves eregion aman gandalf frodo

The Wars of the Glorfindels
Glorfindel has been the subject of much curiosity and discussion through the years despite how little J.R.R. Tolkien actually told us about this character. And yet it wasn't always that way....
glorfindel gondolin turgon noldor vanyar

Love in the Trees
A look at the relationships Tom Bombadil and the Ents had with their partners.
ents entwives tom bombadil goldberry old forest


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