General Map of Middle-earth

2026-01-11T06:42:53Z

Foolishgrunt: Added internal link to updated map

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[[File:Christopher Tolkien - General Map of Middle-earth.png|thumb]]

The '''''General Map of Middle-earth''''' is the first, unnamed small-scale map of the [[Westlands]] that was drawn by [[Christopher Tolkien]] in late [[1953]], for the first edition of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref name="RC">{{HM|RC}}, "The Maps of ''The Lord of the Rings''", pp. lv-lxvii</ref><ref group="note">The name "General Map of Middle-earth" was first used by [[Wayne G. Hammond|Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull|Scull]] in their book [[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]].</ref> [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] referred to this map as the "general small-scale map of the whole field of action",<ref>{{L|137}}</ref> the "small-scale general map of the whole scene of action and reference"<ref>{{L|144}}</ref> or the "general map".<ref>{{L|162}}</ref><ref>{{L|187}}</ref> The map was made in haste based on sketches of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]. Tolkien consulted this map during his writing.<ref name="intro">{{UT|IMap}}</ref>

In versions after [[1970]] some printings of the map by [[Allen & Unwin]] included river-names that were firstly introduced in [[Pauline Baynes]]'s ''[[A Map of Middle-earth]]'', namely [[Adorn]] and [[Glanduin]]/[[Swanfleet]]. This version of the map is printed in ''[[The Fall of Númenor]]'', with [[Glanduin]] and [[Swanfleet]] being erroneously applied to the upper course of the [[Isen]].<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxvi</ref>

The [[The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age|map was re-drawn]] in [[1980]] by Christopher and has been since included in editions after the year.

==Errors==
Christopher Tolkien admitted that there were both "minor" and "major defects" and oddities, and while his father used the map as the basis of his writing, he often noted its inadequacies. In the long term, Christopher regretted that his father did not proceed to make a better map of his own.<ref name="intro" />

Some of the errors include:
*The main name of [[Harondor]] appears as "South Gondor" which is the translation of the actual name.<ref name="rc" />
*The [[Misty Mountains]] were written as "Hithaiglin" in the original map, which was corrected to "Hithaeglir" in more recent maps.<ref name="rc">{{HM|RC}}, p. lxiii</ref>
*[[Nan Curunir]] is spelt as "Nan '''G'''urunir", representing an earlier version of the writing.<ref name="rc" />
*The small mountainous range north of [[Hollin]] shouldn't be actually mountains but rather "an ever wider land of bleak hills, and deep valleys filled with turbulent water".<ref name="rc" /><ref>{{RS|4XXIVG}}, p. 441</ref>
*Of former [[Arnor]] only the region of [[Rhudaur]] is named, oddly omitting [[Arthedain]] and [[Cardolan]].<ref name="intro" />
*The map suggests that the [[Icebay of Forochel]] is the small gulf north of [[Eriador]]. C. Tolkien realised that the name rather refers to the immense region of sea surrounded by the Cape of [[Forochel]].<ref name="intro" /><ref name="rc" />
*[[Forodwaith (disambiguation)|Forodwaith]] is labelled as being a part of the wider [[Northern Waste]], if not a separate region. C. Tolkien later became sure that the two are synonymous.<ref name="intro" />
*The portion of the [[East Road]] between the [[Weathertop]] to the [[Ford of Bruinen]] was supposed to have two big curves, which were not depicted in the final map, creating a discrepancy with the text of the First Edition. The text was altered in the later editions in order to be more faithful to the map.<ref>{{RS|1XIa}}</ref>

==Annotated copy==
[[File:The Annotated Map of Middle-earth.jpeg|thumb|The annotated General Map of Middle-earth]]
A copy of the map with annotations by J.R.R. Tolkien and [[Pauline Baynes]] has been published online with permission of [[Blackwell’s Rare Books]]. This annotated copy, found in Baynes' copy of ''The Lord of the Rings'', was used by Baynes in preparing "[[A Map of Middle-earth]]".<ref>{{webcite|author=Alison Flood|articleurl=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/jrr-tolkien-middle-earth-annotated-map-blackwells-lord-of-the-rings?CMP=fb_gu|articlename=Tolkien's annotated map of Middle-earth discovered inside copy of Lord of the Rings|dated=23 October 2015|website=The Guardian|accessed=24 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{webcite|author=Daniel Helen|articleurl=https://www.tolkiensociety.org/2015/10/map-annotated-by-tolkien-found-in-pauline-bayness-copy-of-the-lord-of-the-rings/|articlename=Map annotated by Tolkien found in Pauline Baynes’s copy of The Lord of the Rings|dated=24 October 2015|website=The Tolkien Society|accessed=24 March 2018}}</ref> Blackwell's Rare Books also released online [https://www.tolkiensociety.org/2015/11/tolkiens-annotated-map-of-middle-earth-transcribed/ a copy of the map with the annotations digitally transcribed] for clarity.<ref>{{webcite|author=Daniel Helen|articleurl=https://www.tolkiensociety.org/2015/11/tolkiens-annotated-map-of-middle-earth-transcribed/|articlename=Tolkien’s annotated map of Middle-earth transcribed|dated=10 November 2015|website=The Tolkien Society|accessed=24 March 2018}}</ref>

==Successor==
While authoring ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', Christopher Tolkien considered including the map and inserting additional place-names mentioned in the book. He instead chose to redraw the map entirely, maintaining the same "style and detail" while adding new information and correcting the map's "minor defects".<ref name="intro" /> This new map is called "[[The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age]]".<ref name="RC" />

{{references|notes}}
{{maps}}

[[Category:Maps of Middle-earth]]

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General Map of Middle-earth