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{{Pronounce|Arda.mp3|Ardamir}}
{{disambig-two|the mythological world created by [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]|annual published by [[Forodrim|Arda-sällskapet/Forodrim]]|[[Arda (annual)]]}}
'''Arda''' ([[Quenya]] 'The Realm') is derived from [[Valarin]] '''Aþâraphelûn''', is the world in which all of the events occur, including the continents of [[Middle-earth]] and [[Aman]]. It is a part of [[]], the World and all that is in it. Arda was created, together with the rest of Eä;, through the [[Music of the Ainur]] for the Children of [[Ilúvatar]] (that is, [[Elves]] and [[Men]]).  
{{location
| image=[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - Ambarkanta Map (colorized).gif|250px]]
| name=Arda
| othernames=
| etymology=
| type=World
| location=[[Eä]]
| inhabitants=[[Valar]], [[Maiar]], [[Elves]], [[Men]], [[Dwarves]], etc.
| realms=Kingdom of Manwë
| description=The World
| events=
| references=
}}
'''Arda''' ([[Quenya|Q]]: "Realm", pronounced {{IPA|[ˈarda]}}) was the [[Quenya]] name for the world as a whole. Arda was created within [[Eä]] by [[Ilúvatar|Eru Ilúvatar]]. It was then shaped by the [[Valar]], with continental masses such as [[Middle-earth]] and [[Aman]], and oceans, like [[Belegaer]].
 
Arda was the home of [[Elves]], [[Men]], [[Dwarves]] and other [[:Portal:Characters|races]] as well as the [[kelvar]] and [[olvar]].  The [[Ainur]] govern the world under [[Ilúvatar|Eru]]'s mandate.
[[File:Jacek Kopalski - Creation of Arda.jpg|thumb|150px|Jacek Kopalski - ''Creation of Arda''|right]]
==Beginnings==
:''Main article: [[Years of the Lamps]]''
Arda was first brought into existence with the [[Music of the Ainur]], for the purpose of creating a home for the [[Children of Ilúvatar]]. Ilúvatar appointed the [[Valar]] as its masters, and was built mainly by [[Manwe]], [[Aule]] and [[Ulmo]]. They invented its geography, for at the time it was largely without feature and gave it symmetry and form. But then [[Morgoth|Melkor]] wanted Arda for himself, and the two sides engaged in the titanic [[First War]] where [[Arda Marred|Arda was marred]] and its plan was altered.<ref>{{S|Ainu}}</ref>
 
As for light source, the Valar decided upon [[Two Lamps|two lamps]]. One, a blue light, was placed at the north, and it was called [[Illuin]]. The other, a golden light, was placed at the very southernmost point, and was called [[Ormal]]. [[Aulë]], craftsman of the Valar, forged two towers: [[Helcar]] and [[Ringil (tower)|Ringil]], placed at the north and south  respectively. The Valar chose as their own home the green isle [[Almaren]] in the center of Arda between the two towers.
 
It was at that time that [[Morgoth|Melkor]] made his first attempt, spreading chaos across Arda. He destroyed the Lamps and the Towers, ruining the symmetry of the world. At this time, the continents of [[Aman]], [[Endor]], and the [[Uttermost East|Land of the Sun]] were formed. In the midst of Endor where the Two Lamps fell into ruin, the [[Sea of Helcar]] and the [[Sea of Ringil]] formed.
 
==Geography==
 
===Before the Shifting===
[[File:Sage - Almaren.png|thumb|left|Original symmetric shape of Arda with [[Almaren]] in the middle. The [[Iron Mountains]] can be seen on the North, created by [[Morgoth|Melkor]] to protect himself from the Valar.]]
Arda was originally flat, like a plate. Encircling the continents was [[Ekkaia]], the Encircling Sea. Farthest to the West was the great continent of [[Aman]], composed primarily of two geographical features: the Plain of [[Valinor]], and the [[Pelóri]] Mountains. [[Taniquetil]] was the highest mountain in this range, and in the world. Separating Aman from the lands to the east was the great sea of [[Belegaer]].
 
Across Belegaer was [[Middle-earth]], known also as [[Endor]] or the [[Hither Lands]]. The west side of this land mass was called [[Beleriand]], the north [[Dor Daedeloth]], and the east [[Palisor]]. According to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]'s earlier maps, it was in Palisor that there was the great inland [[Sea of Helcar]], and the shores of [[Cuiviénen]]. At its farthest northwestern point, Middle-earth was joined to Aman by the [[Helcaraxë]], a deathly cold region of grinding ice.
 
Middle-earth was dominated by many mountain ranges. Separating Beleriand from the inner lands of Middle-earth were the [[Blue Mountains|Ered Luin]], the Blue Mountains. To the far east there were the [[Orocarni]], the Red Mountains. Between the Blue Mountains and Red Mountains, Melkor had raised up the [[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]], the Misty Mountains, to hinder the hunts of the Vala [[Oromë]] Middle-earth. These three northern ranges were joined together at their northernmost ends by the [[Iron Mountains]], raised by Melkor in the ages before the fall of the Two Lamps.
 
In the south of Middle-earth were the [[Grey Mountains (ancient)|Grey Mountains]], and in the southeast there were the [[Yellow Mountains]]. In the far east between the Orocarni in the north and the Yellow Mountains in the south there lay the [[Mountains of the Wind]]. However, when the Valar went to war against Melkor in the [[War for the Sake of the Elves]], much of Arda was changed again. The Yellow Mountains and the Mountains of the Wind were lost, and the [[Great Gulf]] formed between Beleriand and the lands to the far south. The Great Gulf was soon connected to the Sea of Helcar through the [[Straits of the World]]. To the east, the [[East Sea]] and the [[Sea of Ringil]] joined together, dividing Middle-earth from a new continent known only as the [[Dark Lands]] or the South Lands. <ref>{{SM|Ambar}} p. 250-251</ref>
 
In its earliest days, Middle-earth was dominated by a great forest spanning from the western shores to the Misty Mountains and possibly beyond. However, this great forest dwindled throughout the ages, remaining only in the regions of the [[Old Forest]], [[Fangorn Forest]], [[Lothlórien]], and [[Eryn Vorn]]. [[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]] may also have been a remnant of this vast forest.<ref>{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>
 
To the farthest east possible was the [[Uttermost East]], with a great curved mountain range called the [[Walls of the Sun]].  In the ''[[Ambarkanta]]'' it is called the “''Dark Land of the Sun''”. Corresponding to Taniquetil was the mountain [[Kalormë]].
 
===Second Age and Beyond===
[[File:Darrell Sweet - The Fall of Numenor.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Darrell Sweet]] - ''The Fall of Númenor'']]
During the tumultuous [[War of Wrath]], the Valar broke and reshaped much of the world. The lands of Beleriand sank beneath the Great Sea in this conflict, drowning much lands west of the Blue Mountains. There were some islands that remained of the old world: [[Tol Fuin]], [[Tol Morwen]], and [[Himring]]. On the mainland, only the realm of [[Lindon]] survived the sinking of Beleriand. Lindon and the Blue Mountains were split in two after the conflict by the [[Gulf of Lune]], possibly an eastward expansion of the ancient [[Bay of Balar]].<ref>[http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/site3/articles.php?lng=en&pg=41 Hisweloke - Géographie - Mystère géographiques (1) : Mont Dolmed et cités naines...]</ref> The mainlands shrank back furthest in the [[Northern Waste|far north]] of the world, where the [[Icebay of Forochel]] was formed. To the south, the sinking of Beleriand robbed the Great Gulf of its northwestern ends, forming the [[Bay of Belfalas]] out of what remained.
 
After this catastrophic conflict, [[Ossë]] raised [[Elenna]] – a large, star-shaped isle – out of Belegaer, where the kingdom of [[Númenor]] would soon be settled.
 
The second great change was the [[Akallabêth|Drowning of Númenor]]. In this cataclysm, the world was stretched and made into the shape of a sphere. At that time Aman and the island of [[Tol Eressëa]] were removed from the [[Circles of the World]], and became inaccessible save by the [[Straight Road|Straight Way]]. It is said that new continents were made in place of the Undying Lands. Once again, the western coasts of Middle-earth changed, retreating in some places and advancing in others. It is unknown if the Uttermost East survived the Fall of Númenor.


Originally a flat world, the continents were surrounded by a mighty ocean, [[Ekkaia]] or the [[Encircling Sea]], and separated by [[Belegaer]], the Great Sea. In the [[First Age]], the area north and west of [[Middle-earth]] was occupied by the country of [[Beleriand]], but this was destroyed during the [[War of Wrath]].  
==Eschatology==
The [[Elves]] held to the concept of [[Arda Marred]]. In the beginning, at the time of the Music of the Ainur, was [[Arda Unmarred]]. According to the idea of Arda Unmarred, the world was originally “unstained” by evil. It became Arda Marred after Melkor entered and introduced chaos. They also clung to the idea that one day the world would become [[Arda Healed]]. According to this belief, Arda Healed will not come about until the [[Dagor Dagorath]], the Last Battle.


In the [[Second Age]], [[Númenor]] was raised in the Great Sea for the [[Edain]]. This island existed through most of the Second Age, but was destroyed as a result of the pride of the [[Númenorean]] people in defying the Ban of the [[Valar]] and sailing to Aman in the west.
==Tengwa==
[[File:Arda (tengwa).gif|left]]''Arda'' is also the name in [[Quenya]] of the twenty-sixth letter of the [[Tengwar]] alphabet.<ref>{{App|Letters}}, Note, ''The names of the letters''</ref> It is a modification of ''[[Rómen]]'' (letter 25).  In written Quenya ''Arda'' is used for '''RD'''. In other modes this letter represents voiceless '''R''' (or '''RH''').<ref>{{App|Letters}}, Note, ''The additional letters''</ref>  The Westron name for this letter is '''''Rhó'''''.<ref>See [[Westron Tengwar]]</ref>


After the destruction of Númenor, Arda was made round. Aman (the "Undying Lands") was taken out of the world, and could only be reached by the Elves, following the ''straight road'' that was granted to them. As Aman was taken away from Arda, new lands and continents were created.


South of Middle-earth was the [[Dark Land]] and east of it was the [[Land of the Sun]].
<!-- The extra blank line is needed to prevent the Etymology from being indented. -->


[[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] stated many times that Arda was our world in a fictional time, so we can interpret the known regions of Middle-earth as Europe. Tolkien stated that [[The Shire]]'s geographic location rouhgly corresponded to the Midlands of England, while [[Minas Tirith]] in [[Gondor]] corresponded roughly to Vienna, putting [[Mount Doom]] and [[Mordor]] in the general region of Asia Minor.  However, the entire continent of Middle-earth extends beyond the regions known to Gondor, far into the uncharted East and South, and Middle-earth probably encompassed all of what later became Eurasia.  Information regarding both was very vague.  To the south were the [[Hither Lands]] including [[Harad]], though "Harad" means "South" and while properly used for the region immediately south of Gondor and [[Mordor]] was often loosely used to refer to the every land to the south. [[Near Harad]] and [[Far Harad]] probably corresponded to North Africa and sub-Saharran Africa, respectively. The there were many stretches of sun-scorched desert in [[Near Harad]], but like Africa there was supposedly a jungle beyond it which few had ever ventured to, from which the great [[Oliphaunts]] were found. Tolkien also said that the Haradrim loosely corresponded to the Berbers (though "[[Haradrim]]" refers to a group of many races, not just the one).  Men of Far Harad are also described as being black skinned.  The vast lands East were collectively referred to as [[Rhun]], though this may have only referred to those immediately east of the [[Sea of Rhun]] and River Running. The [[Easterlings]], like the Haradrim, were a diverse collection of many races, ranging from Saracen-like peoples to numerous barbarian hordes form open grasslands that would later become the Russian steppe.  There was even less knowledge of the extreme eastern end of Middle-earth, where the land was supposed to stop at another sea.  It is known that in ancient times the great chain of the Red Mountains ran north to south near here, and was roughly analogous to the [[Blue Mountains]] of the west (all of the world was once symmetrical at the dawn of time).  The race of Elves first originated near here, though their original home of [[Cuiviénen]]  doubtlessly no longer existed by the [[Third Age]].  It is not known if the [[Red Mountains]] themselves survived into the Third Age, either intact or in some reduced form (like the Blue Mountains).  The lands of the east between the coast and the Red Mountains probably corresponded to east Asia and the Orient, specifically China and Japan. It is said that the [[Blue Wizards]] went far into the east of Rhun and beyond to stir up rebellions against [[Sauron]] in the lands he held sway over, though the tales of these struggles never reached the west in detail.  It is also said that the Blue Wizards somehow failed in their mission; this is interpreted several ways, either that like [[Saruman]] they set themselves up as lords of men, or that like [[Radagast]] they started to care more for the local people they were charged with protecting than Middle-earth as a whole and then refused to return. Tolkien did state that many of the "magic cults" and orders that exist today can trace their origins back to the Blue Wizards teaching local peoples of the east the magical arts.
==Etymology==
{{Pronounce|Arda.mp3|Ardamir}}
''Arda'' derives from the [[Primitive Quendian]] word ''gardā'' meaning "bounded or defined place, region".<ref>{{WJ|AD1}}, pp. 402, 413</ref>
===Other names===
''Arda'' is the [[Quenya]] name of the World, with its atmosphere and the celestial objects. The term [[Ambar]] is roughly equivalent and it probably refers to Earth without the celestial objects. It was also called '''Kingdom of Earth/Arda/Manwë''' and '''Little Kingdom'''.  


There was also a separate continent south and east of Middle-earth called the [[Dark Land]], which could correspond to Australia. Another separate continent to the east of Middle-earth was the [[Land of the Sun]], so called because when the world was flat the Gates of the Sun were near there, and it would be scorched. After the fall of Númenor, Arda is made round and new lands are created east of Middle-earth (and west too, now that the world is round and can be circumnavigated), out of these Sun Lands that are apparently meant to be North and South America, though none of Tolkien's mythology deals with what happens there.
In [[Adûnaic]] the words '''kamât''' "earth"<ref>{{SD|2eiii}}, p. 311</ref> and '''dāira''' "Earth"<ref>{{SD|67}}, p. 247</ref> are given at different points. Another possible word is '''Abat-''', seen in the royal name [[Ar-Abattârik|''Abat''târik]] (Quenya: ''Arda''min).<ref>{{webcite|website=Arda|author=[[Helge Fauskanger]]|articlename=Adûnaic|articleurl=http://folk.uib.no/hnohf/adunaic.htm}}</ref>


== Arda Unmarred ==
The [[Valarin]] name, from which Quenya ''Arda'' derived, was '''''Aþāraphelūn''''' ("appointed dwelling").<ref>{{WJ|AD1}}, p. 401</ref>
Because the original Music in which Eä was conceived was altered by the Discords of [[Melkor]], ''Arda Unmarred'' (called ''Aþâraphelûn Amanaišal'' by the Valar) in the strictest sense has never had any real existence, since the entire Universe in which it is set was "polluted" from the very beginning. The land of Aman comes the nearest to reflecting it, but it too has been stained by the evils of Arda Marred (most notably in the destruction of the [[Two Trees]]).


Thus, the term "Arda Unmarred" has become more of a concept, which can be visualized by every good person who desires to see it, of the perfect world. It was said by the Valar that the way in which the Children of Ilúvatar can have hope ([[estel]]) is to "see the Unmarred in the Marred" and believe in the possibility of bringing such goodness into Arda as it is.
==Theories==
Using the known sizes of [[Beleriand]] and [[Middle-earth]] when compared to the size of Beleriand on Map V of the [[Ambarkanta maps|''Ambarkanta'' maps]], [[Karen Wynn Fonstad]] has speculated that flat Arda's diameter was probably about 6,800 miles.<ref>{{HM|AME}}</ref> However, Diagram III of the ''Ambarkanta'' shows that the "Old Lands" made up half of Arda made round,<ref name=Ambar/> implying that flat Arda would have been around 12,451 miles across, half the earth's circumference.<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.universetoday.com/26461/circumference-of-the-earth/|articlename=Circumference of the Earth|website=Universe Today|2 June, 2016}}</ref> Precise estimations of the size of Arda are difficult to determine with Map V of the ''Ambarkanta'', which is said by [[Christopher Tolkien]] to be ''"a very rough sketch not to be interpreted too strictly"''.<ref name=Ambar/>{{rp|258}}


== Arda Marred ==
==Other versions of the Legendarium==
Arda Marred (Valarin ''Aþâraphelûn Dušamanûðân''; ''Arda Hastaina'' in [[Quenya]]) is a term referring to the world as it now is, stained by the evil of Melkor. The Discords of Melkor in the Music of the Ainur, and especially his later actions upon Earth, have caused evil and suffering that were not part of the original plan of Eä, according to the Elves. It is this world from which are formed the [[hröar]] of the [[Children of Ilúvatar]], and it is at times a cruel and evil world with plagues, extreme colds and heats, and other concepts which do not exist in Arda Unmarred. Melkor's very essence seeped into the fabric of Arda, so that nothing in it, and nothing that is sustained by it, is free from the Marring. This is why the Free Peoples of Arda can be deceived and enticed to evil.
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - I Vene Kemen.png|thumb|[[I Vene Kemen]]]]
In the early ''[[Book of Lost Tales]]'', the [[Qenya]] name for the Earth was ''kemi'' as well as ''mar''.<ref>{{LT2|Appendix}}</ref> An early schematic map of that era, displays the flat earth like a ship floating in the ocean of Vai.


Arda Marred also broke the design of [[Elvish]] immortality: in Arda Marred Elves slowly fade, until at last they are little more than wraiths. Only in Valinor was this fading delayed, which is one reason all Elves had no choice but to go to Valinor in the end, if they wished to retain their bodies. One of the special abilities of the [[Rings of Power]] was that they could delay time, and as such were used by [[Elrond]] and [[Galadriel]] to preserve their realms. After the loss of the [[One Ring]] the Elves could not halt the change of their lands, and therefore in the [[Fourth Age]] the last [[Eldar]] left for Valinor.
In the next phase of the legendarium, as described in ''[[The Ambarkanta]]'', the world has the Qenya names [[Ilu]] (being the wholeness of existence, the world, with its sky and air, equivalent to Arda of the later Legendarium) or [[Ambar]] (being the "earthy", concrete part of Ilu) suspended in the [[Void]].<ref>{{SM|A1}}</ref>


There are rumors that Eru will come to the Arda and amend the Marring himself, and that a new world will one day be made: Arda Healed (Arda Envinyanta); but no one in Arda, possibly not even the Valar, knows this for sure.
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - Ambarkanta Map I.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Early Arda and the waters and airs surrounding it, as shown in the ''[[Ambarkanta maps|Ambarkanta]]''.]]
Above the lands of Arda was [[Vista]], the lowermost airs where the birds fly. Surrounding Vista were the airs of [[Ilmen]], the upper airs where the [[Stars|stars]] were set. The airs of Ilmen met with the earth in [[Valinor]] and the [[Uttermost East]] where it was widest, and the airs of Ilmen were narrowest in the far north and south. Beyond Ilmen was [[Vaiya]], the Encircling Sea which surrounds Arda on all its sides. It is said that the waters of Vaiya were more alike to air in the regions farthest above the earth, and alike to water beneath the earth. Surrounding all of Arda beyond the Vaiya was the [[Ilurambar]], the Walls of the World, a cold and transparent globed barrier like ice and glass and steel, passable only by the [[Doors of Night]]. Beyond the Ilurambar there is naught but the [[Void|Outer Void]].<ref name=Ambar>{{SM|Ambar}}</ref>{{rp|235 - 240}}


== Arda Healed ==
The name "Arda" first appears in a later version of the ''[[Ainulindalë]]'' from [[1951]], where the term "Ea" also appears, with Arda now being just a small part in the vast regions of Creation<ref>{{MR|P1e}}</ref> and not equated with it.
''Arda Healed'' is Arda Marred restored: it will be like Arda Unmarred but better, since it will also incorporate all the good things of Arda Marred. In legends of the World's End, it is said that Arda Healed will be created after the [[Dagor Dagorath]], when [[Morgoth]] will be slain, and the world broken. A new world will be created then, which will be Arda Healed.


''See also:'' [[Timeline]], [[Realms of Arda]].
In the later [[Round World version of the Silmarillion]], there is the consideration that there are other worlds in Eä beside Arda where the innumerable Ainur labored, but Arda is of central importance in the Great Tale of Eä, as it is the stage of the conflict between the Great Enemy and the [[Eruhini]]. The distant worlds, and the Ainur who shaped them, are beyond the thought of Elves and Men.<ref>{{MR|P5II}}</ref>


== Round World Version ==
==See Also==
In the late Round World version of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''), '''Arda''' was the name of the entire Star system, while the name for Earth was '''[[Ambar]]''' or '''[[Imbar]]'''.
* [[Timeline]]
* [[:Category:Arda]]
* [[:Category:Images of Arda]]


== The ''[[Tengwar|Tengwa]]'' Arda ==
==External links==
'''Arda''' can also mean "region" and is the name of the Quenya letter rd.
*[http://www.physics.ccsu.edu/larsen/tolkien.html The Astronomy of Middle-earth] - collection of articles by [[Kristine Larsen]]
*[http://www.forodrim.org/daeron/md_astro.html Astronomical objects above Middle-earth] - [[Elvish]] names of celestial terms.


== External Links ==
{{References}}
* [http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/ Encyclopedia of Arda]
{{cosmology}}


[[Category:Locations]]
[[Category:Arda| Arda]]
[[Category:Quenya words]]
[[Category: Cosmology| ]]
[[Category:Quenya locations]]
[[Category:Quenya nouns]]
[[Category:Tengwar letters]]
[[Category:Tengwar letters]]
[[de:Arda]]
[[fi:Arda]]
[[fr:/encyclo/geographie/astronomie/arda]]

Revision as of 12:57, 15 January 2017

This article is about the mythological world created by Tolkien. For the annual published by Arda-sällskapet/Forodrim, see Arda (annual).
Arda
World
J.R.R. Tolkien - Ambarkanta Map (colorized).gif
General Information
Location
TypeWorld
DescriptionThe World
RegionsKingdom of Manwë
InhabitantsValar, Maiar, Elves, Men, Dwarves, etc.
GalleryImages of Arda

Arda (Q: "Realm", pronounced [ˈarda]) was the Quenya name for the world as a whole. Arda was created within by Eru Ilúvatar. It was then shaped by the Valar, with continental masses such as Middle-earth and Aman, and oceans, like Belegaer.

Arda was the home of Elves, Men, Dwarves and other races as well as the kelvar and olvar. The Ainur govern the world under Eru's mandate.

Jacek Kopalski - Creation of Arda

Beginnings

Main article: Years of the Lamps

Arda was first brought into existence with the Music of the Ainur, for the purpose of creating a home for the Children of Ilúvatar. Ilúvatar appointed the Valar as its masters, and was built mainly by Manwe, Aule and Ulmo. They invented its geography, for at the time it was largely without feature and gave it symmetry and form. But then Melkor wanted Arda for himself, and the two sides engaged in the titanic First War where Arda was marred and its plan was altered.[1]

As for light source, the Valar decided upon two lamps. One, a blue light, was placed at the north, and it was called Illuin. The other, a golden light, was placed at the very southernmost point, and was called Ormal. Aulë, craftsman of the Valar, forged two towers: Helcar and Ringil, placed at the north and south respectively. The Valar chose as their own home the green isle Almaren in the center of Arda between the two towers.

It was at that time that Melkor made his first attempt, spreading chaos across Arda. He destroyed the Lamps and the Towers, ruining the symmetry of the world. At this time, the continents of Aman, Endor, and the Land of the Sun were formed. In the midst of Endor where the Two Lamps fell into ruin, the Sea of Helcar and the Sea of Ringil formed.

Geography

Before the Shifting

Original symmetric shape of Arda with Almaren in the middle. The Iron Mountains can be seen on the North, created by Melkor to protect himself from the Valar.

Arda was originally flat, like a plate. Encircling the continents was Ekkaia, the Encircling Sea. Farthest to the West was the great continent of Aman, composed primarily of two geographical features: the Plain of Valinor, and the Pelóri Mountains. Taniquetil was the highest mountain in this range, and in the world. Separating Aman from the lands to the east was the great sea of Belegaer.

Across Belegaer was Middle-earth, known also as Endor or the Hither Lands. The west side of this land mass was called Beleriand, the north Dor Daedeloth, and the east Palisor. According to Tolkien's earlier maps, it was in Palisor that there was the great inland Sea of Helcar, and the shores of Cuiviénen. At its farthest northwestern point, Middle-earth was joined to Aman by the Helcaraxë, a deathly cold region of grinding ice.

Middle-earth was dominated by many mountain ranges. Separating Beleriand from the inner lands of Middle-earth were the Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains. To the far east there were the Orocarni, the Red Mountains. Between the Blue Mountains and Red Mountains, Melkor had raised up the Hithaeglir, the Misty Mountains, to hinder the hunts of the Vala Oromë Middle-earth. These three northern ranges were joined together at their northernmost ends by the Iron Mountains, raised by Melkor in the ages before the fall of the Two Lamps.

In the south of Middle-earth were the Grey Mountains, and in the southeast there were the Yellow Mountains. In the far east between the Orocarni in the north and the Yellow Mountains in the south there lay the Mountains of the Wind. However, when the Valar went to war against Melkor in the War for the Sake of the Elves, much of Arda was changed again. The Yellow Mountains and the Mountains of the Wind were lost, and the Great Gulf formed between Beleriand and the lands to the far south. The Great Gulf was soon connected to the Sea of Helcar through the Straits of the World. To the east, the East Sea and the Sea of Ringil joined together, dividing Middle-earth from a new continent known only as the Dark Lands or the South Lands. [2]

In its earliest days, Middle-earth was dominated by a great forest spanning from the western shores to the Misty Mountains and possibly beyond. However, this great forest dwindled throughout the ages, remaining only in the regions of the Old Forest, Fangorn Forest, Lothlórien, and Eryn Vorn. Greenwood the Great may also have been a remnant of this vast forest.[3]

To the farthest east possible was the Uttermost East, with a great curved mountain range called the Walls of the Sun. In the Ambarkanta it is called the “Dark Land of the Sun”. Corresponding to Taniquetil was the mountain Kalormë.

Second Age and Beyond

Darrell Sweet - The Fall of Númenor

During the tumultuous War of Wrath, the Valar broke and reshaped much of the world. The lands of Beleriand sank beneath the Great Sea in this conflict, drowning much lands west of the Blue Mountains. There were some islands that remained of the old world: Tol Fuin, Tol Morwen, and Himring. On the mainland, only the realm of Lindon survived the sinking of Beleriand. Lindon and the Blue Mountains were split in two after the conflict by the Gulf of Lune, possibly an eastward expansion of the ancient Bay of Balar.[4] The mainlands shrank back furthest in the far north of the world, where the Icebay of Forochel was formed. To the south, the sinking of Beleriand robbed the Great Gulf of its northwestern ends, forming the Bay of Belfalas out of what remained.

After this catastrophic conflict, Ossë raised Elenna – a large, star-shaped isle – out of Belegaer, where the kingdom of Númenor would soon be settled.

The second great change was the Drowning of Númenor. In this cataclysm, the world was stretched and made into the shape of a sphere. At that time Aman and the island of Tol Eressëa were removed from the Circles of the World, and became inaccessible save by the Straight Way. It is said that new continents were made in place of the Undying Lands. Once again, the western coasts of Middle-earth changed, retreating in some places and advancing in others. It is unknown if the Uttermost East survived the Fall of Númenor.

Eschatology

The Elves held to the concept of Arda Marred. In the beginning, at the time of the Music of the Ainur, was Arda Unmarred. According to the idea of Arda Unmarred, the world was originally “unstained” by evil. It became Arda Marred after Melkor entered and introduced chaos. They also clung to the idea that one day the world would become Arda Healed. According to this belief, Arda Healed will not come about until the Dagor Dagorath, the Last Battle.

Tengwa

Arda (tengwa).gif

Arda is also the name in Quenya of the twenty-sixth letter of the Tengwar alphabet.[5] It is a modification of Rómen (letter 25). In written Quenya Arda is used for RD. In other modes this letter represents voiceless R (or RH).[6] The Westron name for this letter is Rhó.[7]


Etymology

Arda derives from the Primitive Quendian word gardā meaning "bounded or defined place, region".[8]

Other names

Arda is the Quenya name of the World, with its atmosphere and the celestial objects. The term Ambar is roughly equivalent and it probably refers to Earth without the celestial objects. It was also called Kingdom of Earth/Arda/Manwë and Little Kingdom.

In Adûnaic the words kamât "earth"[9] and dāira "Earth"[10] are given at different points. Another possible word is Abat-, seen in the royal name Abattârik (Quenya: Ardamin).[11]

The Valarin name, from which Quenya Arda derived, was Aþāraphelūn ("appointed dwelling").[12]

Theories

Using the known sizes of Beleriand and Middle-earth when compared to the size of Beleriand on Map V of the Ambarkanta maps, Karen Wynn Fonstad has speculated that flat Arda's diameter was probably about 6,800 miles.[13] However, Diagram III of the Ambarkanta shows that the "Old Lands" made up half of Arda made round,[14] implying that flat Arda would have been around 12,451 miles across, half the earth's circumference.[15] Precise estimations of the size of Arda are difficult to determine with Map V of the Ambarkanta, which is said by Christopher Tolkien to be "a very rough sketch not to be interpreted too strictly".[14]:258

Other versions of the Legendarium

In the early Book of Lost Tales, the Qenya name for the Earth was kemi as well as mar.[16] An early schematic map of that era, displays the flat earth like a ship floating in the ocean of Vai.

In the next phase of the legendarium, as described in The Ambarkanta, the world has the Qenya names Ilu (being the wholeness of existence, the world, with its sky and air, equivalent to Arda of the later Legendarium) or Ambar (being the "earthy", concrete part of Ilu) suspended in the Void.[17]

Early Arda and the waters and airs surrounding it, as shown in the Ambarkanta.

Above the lands of Arda was Vista, the lowermost airs where the birds fly. Surrounding Vista were the airs of Ilmen, the upper airs where the stars were set. The airs of Ilmen met with the earth in Valinor and the Uttermost East where it was widest, and the airs of Ilmen were narrowest in the far north and south. Beyond Ilmen was Vaiya, the Encircling Sea which surrounds Arda on all its sides. It is said that the waters of Vaiya were more alike to air in the regions farthest above the earth, and alike to water beneath the earth. Surrounding all of Arda beyond the Vaiya was the Ilurambar, the Walls of the World, a cold and transparent globed barrier like ice and glass and steel, passable only by the Doors of Night. Beyond the Ilurambar there is naught but the Outer Void.[14]:235 - 240

The name "Arda" first appears in a later version of the Ainulindalë from 1951, where the term "Ea" also appears, with Arda now being just a small part in the vast regions of Creation[18] and not equated with it.

In the later Round World version of the Silmarillion, there is the consideration that there are other worlds in Eä beside Arda where the innumerable Ainur labored, but Arda is of central importance in the Great Tale of Eä, as it is the stage of the conflict between the Great Enemy and the Eruhini. The distant worlds, and the Ainur who shaped them, are beyond the thought of Elves and Men.[19]

See Also

External links

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Ainulindalë: The Music of the Ainur"
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "V. The Ambarkanta" p. 250-251
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"
  4. Hisweloke - Géographie - Mystère géographiques (1) : Mont Dolmed et cités naines...
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix E, "Writing", "The Fëanorian Letters", Note, The names of the letters
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix E, "Writing", "The Fëanorian Letters", Note, The additional letters
  7. See Westron Tengwar
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: Appendix D. *Kwen, Quenya, and the Elvish (especially Ñoldorin) words for 'Language': Note on the 'Language of the Valar'", pp. 402, 413
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Sauron Defeated, "Part Two: The Notion Club Papers: Major Divergences in Earlier Versions of Part Two, (iii) The earlier versions of Lowdham's 'Fragments' in Adunaic (Night 67)", p. 311
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Sauron Defeated, "Part Two: The Notion Club Papers Part Two: Night 67", p. 247
  11. Helge Fauskanger, "Adûnaic", Ardalambion (accessed 28 March 2024)
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: Appendix D. *Kwen, Quenya, and the Elvish (especially Ñoldorin) words for 'Language': Note on the 'Language of the Valar'", p. 401
  13. Karen Wynn Fonstad (1991), The Atlas of Middle-earth
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "V. The Ambarkanta"
  15. "Circumference of the Earth", Universe Today (accessed 28 March 2024)
  16. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "Appendix: Names in the Lost Tales – Part II"
  17. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "V. The Ambarkanta: Diagram I"
  18. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part One. Ainulindalë: Commentary on the Ainulindalë text D"
  19. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Five. Myths Transformed", "[Text] II"
Middle-earth Cosmology
 Constellations  Anarríma · Durin's Crown · Menelmacar · Remmirath · Soronúmë · Telumendil · Valacirca · Wilwarin
Stars  Alcarinquë · Borgil · Carnil · Elemmírë · Helluin · Luinil · Lumbar · Morwinyon · Nénar · Star of Eärendil · Til 
The Airs  Aiwenórë · Fanyamar · Ilmen · Menel · Vaiya · Veil of Arda · Vista
Narsilion  Arien · Moon (Isil, Ithil, Rána) · Sun (Anar, Anor, Vása) · Tilion
See also  Abyss · Arda · Circles of the World · · Timeless Halls · Two Lamps · Two Trees · Void