The Atlas of Middle-earth

2012-03-22T03:03:51Z

60.241.201.173: /* Errors and criticism */

{{book
|title=The Atlas of Middle-Earth
|image=[[Image:The Atlas of Middle-earth.jpg|225px]]
|author=[[Karen Wynn Fonstad]]
|publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
|date=1991 (revised edition)
|format=Paperback
|pages=210
|isbn=0618126996
}}

'''''The Atlas of Middle-earth''''' by [[Karen Wynn Fonstad]] is an atlas of various lands in [[Arda]]. It includes specific maps for ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[The Hobbit]]'' for which is intended as a reading companion.

==Contents==
The maps are treated as if they are of real landscapes, and are drawn according to the same rules that a real atlas is drawn: for each area the history of the land is taken into account, as well as geography on a larger scale and from there maps are drawn. Discussion includes suggestions as to the geology that could explain various formations, and points that are contradictory between multiple accounts.

City maps and floor plans for important buildings are also included; these are very often useful for making sense of the narratives, especially in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. As well, many battles such as [[Battles of Beleriand|those]] of [[Beleriand]], the [[Last Alliance]] and the [[War of the Ring]] are illustrated.

The book was published in [[1981]], but in [[1991]] a revised and updated version was published, which took information from ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' into account.

Fonstad also made a bold attempt to fill the gaps by using early conceptual work, mainly from ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]'' and the ''[[Ambarkanta]]'', combining the later known maps with the sketches used by Tolkien to provide "world maps" of [[Arda]] in its entirity and show [[Aman]], [[Beleriand]]'s position relative to [[Eriador]], and the place of [[Númenor]] in the Sea.

It was, however, published before the final three volumes of ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' were published, and thus some maps are based on [[J.R.R. Tolkian|Tolkien]]'s early works, which were revised in later writings.

==Errors and criticism==
Despite being a thorough and well-respected reference book, the ''Atlas'' has been known for several mistakes. However, a number of these were corrected in the revised edition, as noted below.
*Page 2: [[Sea of Ringil]] is written as "Ringol"
*Page 7: [[Ezellohar]] is written as "Ezollahar"
*Page 13: [[Gabilgathol]] is once written as "Gabilgathod".
:*Belegost and Nogrod seem to have switched positions: ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' mentions that Nogrod was the southern one. Also, Tolkien mentions that Galbigathol was "north of the great height of Mount Dolmed" while Fonstad has both of them south.
*Page 12 and page 53: [[Dorthonion]] and [[Himring]] are located slightly above parallel J. However much later, [[Tol Fuin]] and [[Himling]] are seen much northern, above parallel I.
*Pages 39 and 88: [[Drúwaith Iaur]] is shown north of the [[Ered Nimrais]] and south of the [[Angren]], and on page 39 extending east below the [[Adorn]]. In the Unfinished Tales map Drúwaith Iaur is in the narrow area between the ocean and the southern Ered Nimrais, south of the mouth of the [[Angren]].<ref>{{UT|Index}}, "Map"</ref>
*Pages 53, 76, and 80: On page 53, [[Rhosgobel]] is located near the border of [[Mirkwood]] well ''south'' of the [[Old Forest Road]], due east of [[Moria]]. On pages 76 and 80, Rhosgobel is still at the edge of the forest, but ''north'' of the Old Forest Road. One or the other location should have been used, not both.
:*Note: In ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', during the month of December, [[TA|3019]], it is mentioned that scouts "had climbed the pass at the source of the [[Gladden River]], and had come down into [[Wilderland]] and over the [[Gladden Fields]] and so at length had reached the old home of [[Radagast]] at Rhosgobel" which would seem to support the page 53 location.<ref>{{FR|II3}}</ref> However, in the ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', [[Christopher Tolkien]] said that Rhosgobel was "in the forest borders between the [[Carrock]] and the Old Forest Road".<ref>{{UT|Istari}}, Note 4</ref>
*Page 99: Bilbo gave the Arkenstone to the Elvenking and Bard on ''22 November'', then Dáin arrived in the early morning on ''23 November''. In ''The Hobbit'', [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] gave away the [[Arkenstone]] and then returned ''before midnight'' to wake up Bombur.<ref>{{H|Thief}}</ref> The next day there was a new parley, it was revealed that the elves and the men had the Arkenstone, and [[Thorin|Thorin]] expelled Bilbo from the [[Lonely Mountain]]. On the ''next'' morning Dáin arrived.<ref name="Burst">{{H|Burst}}</ref> Fonstad had Dáin arriving in one day, the text of ''The Hobbit'' had him arriving in two days.
*Page 106: In ''The Hobbit'', the dwarves saw a fire off in the woods. "The light was ahead of them and to the ''left'' of the path".<ref>{{H|Flies}}</ref> In Fonstad's map the dwarves left the path to the right. (Corrected.)
*Page 113: The leader of the goblins is named "Borg". It should be [[Bolg]],<ref name="Burst"/> which is twice printed correctly on the preceding page. (Corrected.)
*Page 125: The two maps of [[Bree]], large scale and detailed, have significant differences from Tolkien's plan of Bree published in ''[[The Return of the Shadow]]''.<ref>{{RS|3XXP}}</ref>
*Page 135: In the map of [[Orthanc]], the last peak is named "Mathedras" instead of "[[Methedras]]".
*Page 148: [[Gamling|Gamling the Old]] is called "Gambling the Old".
*Page 189: The language of the [[Dwarves]] is labeled "[[Khazâd]]" instead of [[Khuzdul]].

The usage of early concepts of the ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]'' alongside the established [[canon]], are also arguably controversial. In [[Aman]], Fonstad identified the early name "[[Hanstovánen]]" and also she points out the dwellings of the [[Valar]] in [[Valinor]]. Same happens with [[Tol Eressëa]] whose (tentative) maps portray [[Tavrobel]] and [[Kortirion]] as well as some places in [[Gondolin]].

In the [[First Age]] maps, the [[Sea of Helcar]] is seen to cover the area of future [[Mordor]], [[Khand]], and [[Rhûn]]; the [[Sea of Rhûn]] and [[Sea of Núrnen]] are shown as its remnants. In ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'' there are references to the Sea of Rhûn existing in the [[First Age]], but no indication as to whether it should be equated with the Sea of Helcar or not.
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The Atlas of Middle-earth