Last Desert
The Last Desert was a distant and perhaps mythical desert in the far east of Middle-earth, the abode of Were-worms.[1]
It is not clear if the Last Desert could really fit in the known maps of Arda, or if it was simply a creation of Hobbitish folklore. If it is, however, it would likely be in the easternmost lands of Middle-Earth or the Land of the Sun.
Other versions of the legendarium
In the earliest drafts of The Hobbit, Bilbo offered to walk from the Shire "to [cancelled: Hindu Kush] the Great Desert of Gobi and fight the Wild Wire worm(s) of the Chinese."[2] In a slightly later version J.R.R. Tolkien altered this to say "to the last desert in the East and fight the Wild Wireworms of the Chinese",[3] and in the final version it was altered once more to say "to the East of East and fight the wild Were-worms in the Last Desert."[4]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit, Mr. Baggins, The First Phase, "The Pryftan Fragment", p. 9
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, John D. Rateliff (ed.), The History of The Hobbit, Mr. Baggins, The First Phase, "The Bladorthin Typescript", p. 40
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
| Legendary locations in Arda | |
| Islands: | Isle of Meneltarma |
|---|---|
| Mountains: | Astulat · Mountains of the Moon · Merlock Mountains |
| Regions: | Aerie · Belmarie · Fantasie · Last Desert · Sindanórie · Thellamie · Tode |
| Rivers: | Derrilyn |
| Other: | Caves of the Forgotten · Gorbelgod |
