Dark Land: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
No edit summary
m (Reverted edits by 75.129.110.169 (talk) to last revision by Protospace)
Line 27: Line 27:
*the Dark Land as reminiscent of [[Wikipedia:Lemuria (continent)|Lemuria]].<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elfling/message/35418 Message 35418] (dated 8 May 2009) at [[Elfling]] (accessed 20 October 2011)</ref>
*the Dark Land as reminiscent of [[Wikipedia:Lemuria (continent)|Lemuria]].<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elfling/message/35418 Message 35418] (dated 8 May 2009) at [[Elfling]] (accessed 20 October 2011)</ref>
*the Dark Land as perhaps representing a combination of both Australia and Antarctica (because of its geographic position).<ref>"[http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=212156 Dark Land...a continent south of Middle Earth?]" at [http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/default.asp The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza Forum] (accessed 20 October 2011)</ref>
*the Dark Land as perhaps representing a combination of both Australia and Antarctica (because of its geographic position).<ref>"[http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=212156 Dark Land...a continent south of Middle Earth?]" at [http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/default.asp The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza Forum] (accessed 20 October 2011)</ref>
*It appears to be a simple consequence of the geography of Arda. An area called the Southlands exists on another world map sketch showing an earlier time period. This was seperated from the rest of Middle-Earth by the enlargement of the Ringil Sea.


==Portrayal in adaptations==
==Portrayal in adaptations==

Revision as of 19:58, 4 August 2017

This article is about the mysterious dark continent. For the other "Dark Land" in Middle-earth, see Mordor.
Dark Land
Continent
Quentin Lowagie - Arda in the Third Age.png
General Information
Other namesSouth Land
LocationArda, east of Belegaer and the innner East Sea
TypeContinent
DescriptionA continent in the far south and east
RegionsNone known
InhabitantsUnknown

The Dark Land, also referred to as the South Land, was a continent that lay in south-east Arda.[1]

History

The Dark Land was created as a by-product of the War for the Sake of the Elves, in which the Valar overthrew Melkor in his original fortress of Utumno.[2][3] Originally, Middle-earth was one landmass, set between the western sea of Belegaer and the East Sea.[4] This changed during the War; the inland Sea of Ringil, originally set in the mid-south of Middle-earth, grew in size and "became a great sea flowing north-eastward and joining by straights both the Western and Eastern Seas."[2] This event split Middle-earth into two landmasses, and the landmass to the south and east of the former of Sea of Ringil[note 1] was known as the Dark Land.[3][1]

No inhabitants of the Dark Land were ever recorded.

Inspiration

The Dark Land has no role in the legendarium and is named only in an early map by Tolkien,[1] likely dating to the mid-1930s.[5][6]

Fans have suggested and discussed different theories of inspiration behind this notion:

  • the Dark Land as reminiscent of Lemuria.[7]
  • the Dark Land as perhaps representing a combination of both Australia and Antarctica (because of its geographic position).[8]

Portrayal in adaptations

1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:

Although never fleshed out in much detail, a "dark continent" called Mórenorë is said to be situated south of Middle-earth, separated by the sea of Haragaer.[9] A few glimpses of this remote continent, however, were provided:
  • A black cold-drake, Naikamil, fled from mountains in the south of Endor to Mórenorë after killing her mate.[10]
  • Ungoliant, a monster of the Elder Days, is said to have "settled in the shadowy reaches of Morenórë, the Dark Continent",[note 2] according to tales of the Avari Elves.[11]
  • Ninko Goldmaster, a mysterious merchant appearing as a character in an adventure setting, is rumoured to have visited distant lands, including Mórenorë.[12]

See also

Notes

  1. Confusingly, the former Sea of Ringil was also called the "East Sea" by Tolkien. See J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Shaping of Middle-earth, "V. The Ambarkanta: Map V".
  2. Inspired by a passage in The Silmarillion, which says that Ungoliant went "into the forgotten south of the world", after having dwelt at Nan Dungortheb (cf. "Of the Flight of the Noldor").

References