THE PUBLIC MIDDLE-EARTH ENCYCLOPEDIA
Explore Tolkien’s people, places, histories and ideas. Definitions remain free to read. Use a name or keyword, choose a topic, or browse by initial letter.
200 matching entries · 200 public entries in the encyclopedia. Reset filters
Tolkien’s books and manuscripts
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien is the selected correspondence edited by Humphrey Carpenter with the assistance of Christopher Tolkien. First published in 1981 and revised and expanded in 2023, it…
Cosmology and mythology
The Music of the Ainur is the great music through which Ilúvatar reveals a vision of the world to the Ainur in the Ainulindalë. It precedes the actual existence of Eä and…
Objects and artifacts
The Silmarils, or the Great Jewels as they are also known, are three magnificent jewels created by one of the greatest craftsmen of all time, Fëanor, during the Elder Days. He created…
Characters and biographies
Théoden, son of Thengel, is King of Rohan when the War of the Ring reaches its decisive stage. His recovery from isolation and his final ride connect personal renewal with the duties…
Characters and biographies
Thingol, earlier called Elwë, is the King of Doriath and husband of Melian. One of the leaders of the Elves' Great Journey, he becomes the ruler of a protected realm in Beleriand…
Characters and biographies
Thorin II Oakenshield is the leader of the Dwarven company in The Hobbit and heir to the kingship of Erebor. His desire to recover a lost homeland becomes increasingly entangled with the…
Characters and biographies
Thranduil is the Elvenking of northern Mirkwood in The Hobbit and the father of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings. His woodland kingdom preserves an independent Elven community under the increasing…
Places and geography
Tol Eressëa is the Lonely Isle off the eastern coast of Aman. Its role in the Elves' migration and its later association with Avallónë make it a threshold between the histories of…
Characters and genealogies
A mysterious and powerful being, called by the Elves Iarwain Ben-adar ('Oldest and Fatherless'), who dwelt in the valley of the Withywindle, east of the Shire. At some stage in the past, he had chosen to settle…
History, battles and events
The Tradition of Isildur was a secretive tradition practiced by the Kings and then Stewards of Gondor. Established by Isildur, there were two parts to this tradition. First was a visit to…
Characters and genealogies
Treebeard is an Ent, featured in Tolkien's Middle Earth, and plays a pivotal role in The Two Towers (both book and movie franchise). Treebeard resides in Fangorn Forest, is the leader of…
Cosmology and mythology
Tulkas was the last of Anuir to descend into Arda, during the first battles with Melkor. He is the strongest Valar created by Eru Ilúvatar, also known as Astaldo, the Valiant. Greatest…
Characters and biographies
Tuor, son of Huor and Rían, is the mortal messenger sent by Ulmo to Gondolin and the father of Eärendil. His journey connects an isolated hidden kingdom with the wider hopes and…
Characters and genealogies
Turambar (TA 397-TA 667) was the ninth King of Gondor. Inherited the crown at an earlier age, becoming the longest reigning king since Meneldil. He became king after the death of his…
Characters and biographies
Túrin, son of Húrin and Morwen, is the central figure of the tragedy published in extended form as The Children of Húrin. His successive names and attempts to begin again unfold beneath…
Places and kingdoms
Udûn is a depressed valley in Mordor. During the War of the Alliance and the War of the Ring, the armies of Mordor commanded by Sauron passed through this valley on their…
Cosmology and mythology
Ulmo is the Anuir and the power of Arda, a Valar created by Eru. He is the Lord of the Waters and he dwells in all the deep about the Earth or…
Tolkien’s books and manuscripts
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth is Christopher Tolkien's collection of narratives, fragments and explanatory writings from several periods of the legendarium. It gives readers more detail while preserving the fact that…
Characters and genealogies
The First Age was riddled with evil creatures and unpleasant events, the main villain being the Dark Lord Melkor, or Morgoth. However, during some of those events, Melkor had a dreadful ally,…
Cosmology and mythology
Vairë the Weaver was a spouse of Mandos. She weaved all things that have ever been in Time into her storied webs, and the halls of Mandos that ever widen as the…
Characters and genealogies
Valacar (TA 1194-TA 1432) was the twentieth King of Gondor. Around TA 1250 after his father Minalcar defeated the large army of Easterlings, Valacar was sent to live with one of the…
Peoples and creatures
The Valar (Quenya; singular Vala) were the Powers of Arda who governed the world under the direction of Eru Ilúvatar. They dwelt on the western continent of Aman. "Valar or the "powers, rulers" were the first creation of Ilúvatar…
Places and kingdoms
Valinor is the Blessed Realm, often called the Undying Land, home of Valar, Maiar and Elves. Valinor is to the west of Middle-earth accessible by sailing west from Lindon.
Cosmology and mythology
One of the Queens of Valar, sister of Yavanna and spouse to Oromë. Known as Ever-young: All flowers spring as she passes and open if she glances upon them, and all the…