The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

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Welcome to The Encyclopedia of Arda

The 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 encyclopedia

The 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 approach

The 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 Arda

Arda 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 thanks

Thanks 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.

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Latest entries and updates

Featured Entry

Watch-towers of the Morannon

Mordor’s Towers of the Teeth

The Morannon, the immense Black Gate of Mordor, had been built by Sauron during the Second Age to guard the northwestern entrance to his land. Where the mountains of Ered Lithui and Ephel Dúath came together, they formed a narrow pass into Mordor known as Cirith Gorgor. This was the weakest point in the mountainous western defences of Mordor, and the Black Gate was constructed across the pass to guard against Sauron's enemies. After the defeat of Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance that brought the Second Age to an end, the Gondorians took steps to secure his stronghold of Mordor. They built watch-towers to guard all the passes into the Black Land, and two of these towers were raised to guard the Black Gate.

These two Watch-towers were individually named Narchost and Carchost, and collectively known as the Towers of the Teeth. Each was a tall structure of dark stone, and each stood on its own bare hill on either side of the Morannon. The towers had many windows looking out northward, eastward and westward to guard against any servants or allies of Sauron that might seek to return to his Black Land. They were served by a long road running out of Ithilien, which in those early days fell securely under the power of Gondor.

The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda