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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. |
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Featured EntryLay of EärendilThe song of the MarinerA lay of the Elder Days, that told the story of Eärendil's voyages in his ship Vingilot. Beginning with the building of the ship, it tells of his adventures sailing the Great Sea in search of the Valar. Those early voyages ended in failure, but he had many strange encounters among the Enchanted Isles. At last he abandoned his search and turned homeward, but as he approached the shores of Middle-earth, a white bird descended from the sky onto his deck. This was his wife Elwing, rescued by Ulmo from the attacking Sons of Fëanor, and she brought with her a Silmaril. Eärendil set out once again, and through the power of the Silmaril he was able to find the shores of Aman at last. Before the Valar themselves, he spoke of the sufferings of Elves and Men in Middle-earth. In response, the Valar rose up against Morgoth, and so came about the War of Wrath in which the first Dark Lord was utterly defeated. |
