A Secondary World
The setting of Tolkien’s legends is generally refered to as Middle-earth, but Middle-earth is only part of the cosmology that Tolkien created. The full physical ‘world’ is called Arda. Unlike Middle-earth which is only a part of the physical earth, Arda is all of physical creation, contained in yet distinct from the Void, including the physical earth (the planet) but also the sun, moon, stars, and (after the destruction of Numenor), the Undying Lands as well. The Silmarillion goes into much more detail about Arda.
I use the word Arda here instead of Middle-earth because the first term includes more aspects of Tolkien’s creation. The realm of Valinor and it’s inhabitants (including the Valar and most Maiar; again see The Silmarillion for an explanation) are not part of Middle-earth. The following essays deal with aspects of the lore set forth in Tolkien’s books and do not include information about any adaptations of the books.
Essays
- Tolkien’s books about Arda: an overview of the major books written by J.R.R. Tolkien.
- A note on canon: what is it, and what does it mean?
- Do Balrogs have wings?: the age-old question.
- Why didn’t the Eagles fly the Ring to Mt Doom?: another classic, deconstructed.
- Textual Analysis: how does one think about a world that never was? (coming soon!)
