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 EntryNine RingsRings of Power given by Sauron to MenNine potent Rings of Power, each mounted with a gem, made by the Jewel-smiths of Eregion under the guidance of Sauron in his guise as Annatar. When the One Ring was forged, the other Rings of Power fell under its power as Sauron had intended, including the Nine. Celebrimbor and his people became aware of this and sought to withhold the Rings from Sauron. Their resistance led to the vicious War of the Elves and Sauron, in which Eregion came to an end, and Sauron captured most of the Rings of Power, including the Nine. Sauron gained the Nine Rings in II 1697, and spent the next few centuries using them to draw nine powerful Men to his service. We know little about these Men, except that three of them were Númenóreans, and at least one, named Khamûl, was an Easterling lord. Each of these Men was given one of the Nine Rings, and through those Rings each was drawn into the Wraith-world, and their wills were completely enslaved by Sauron. So they were transformed into the Nazgûl, the Nine Ringwraiths. |
