#middleearth — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #middleearth, aggregated by home.social.
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This day we fight!
✅ War axe
✅ Bad attitude
✅ Suspicious amount of confidence
❌ Any actual plan
Men train.
Elves practice.
Dwarves prepare.
Orcs loudly announce victory before the battle starts.
@[email protected] #middleearth #orcs #CirithUngol -
How Many Castles In Middle-earth?
For screen readers [ Click to expand ] A six-panel comic in a cute Japanese chibi manga style follows Kael and Darvolo as they walk along a stone-paved road winding through a sunlit forest. Tall trees, wildflowers, moss-covered rocks, and patches of sunlight create a peaceful setting. Kael wears chain mail armor, a blue cloak, and carries a sword. Darvolo wears the elegant clothing of a wealthy merchant, including a feathered hat, embroidered robes, jewelry, and a decorative cloak. Their […]https://mytolkienlife.xenite.org/how-many-castles-in-middle-earth/
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Why Didn’t Sauron Create An Army Of Morgûl-Blade Slaves?
ANSWER: I have been asked about this a few times over the years, although not very often. It’s one of those questions that kind of pops into your mind when you’re reading the story for the nth time. Or maybe you’re reading a blog like this one and someone mentions an item or something and suddenly your mind starts wandering.
I received […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/why-didnt-sauron-create-an-army-of-morgul-blade-slaves/ -
Birthday present finally framed and hung. Two posters of #MiddleEarth maps done in schematic London Underground “Tube Map” style.
The schematic Tube Map style was first designed by Harry Beck and promoted until it became the London Underground standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_map
These two designs, following that style, are by Don Wilde: https://donwildeart.com/collections/lord-of-the-rings-subway-maps
adapting Christopher Tolkien's original maps to the Tube Map style. One shows the First Age (as told in the #Silmarillion), the other shows the Third Age (as told in #LordOfTheRings). There are loads of detail to delight #Tolkien fans.
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Fast And Furious Food
For screen readers [ Click to expand ] A seven-panel comic in a cute Japanese chibi manga style follows Lily through a bizarre dream. The first six panels are arranged in two columns, with a final double-wide panel stretching across the bottom. Most of the dream takes place at the drive-thru window of a stone building with a wooden sign above it reading "Food to go." Lily leans out of the serving window as increasingly unusual customers arrive. The dream becomes stranger with each order […] -
Sharing for my fellow #Tolkien folks!
“To many in the Tolkien fandom, #audiobooks are a vital way to explore #JRRTolkien’s and Christopher Tolkien's work. To date… Christopher Tolkien's ‘The History of Middle-earth’ as a complete set with consistent and separate narration for Christopher and J.R.R's voices remains undone.
“Let's show HarperCollins that we have the interest and support to make these audiobooks happen. Share with your friends and communities!” #petition #MiddleEarth #fantasy
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Q: Why Were J.R.R. Tolkien’s Works So Revolutionary?
ANSWER: I think people sometimes give J.R.R. Tolkien credit for inventing things he didn’t invent. Tolkien did not invent Elves, Dwarves, dragons, magic swords, enchanted rings, heroic quests, ancient kingdoms, or supernatural enemies. Other writers had created imaginary worlds before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were published, and […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/why-were-j-r-r-tolkiens-works-so-revolutionary/ -
Q: Why Did The One Ring Allow Frodo To Hand It To Bombadil?
ANSWER: I had half-written this article and then had to stop working on it. I left the browser window open but when I came back to it the article vanished. So it’s possible I haven’t reconstructed all my previous ideas and I may miss something in what follows (as I wrote it hastily). I received the following questions in December […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/why-did-the-one-ring-allow-frodo-to-hand-it-to-bombadil/ -
Q: What Was Sauron’s True Name?
ANSWER: Sauron’s “true” name must be one of the most popular topics among Tolkien fans who dive deep into the minutiae of the books. When Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were discussing the Orcs whom Boromir had killed, they pondered what the “S” rune on their helms might represent. Aragorn dismissed the idea that it could represent “Sauron” because “he does not […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/what-was-saurons-true-name/ -
Do All Elves Have Pointy Ears?
For screen readers < fieldset> [ Click to expand ] A six-panel comic in a cute Japanese chibi manga style shows Elara and Darvolo sitting together in a cozy music studio. The room contains musical instruments, microphones, sheet music, books, potted plants, and warm natural light. Both characters hold small harps, although Elara is the one actively playing throughout most of the comic. Colorful musical notes float from her harp whenever she plays, emphasizing the gentle melody. The […]https://mytolkienlife.xenite.org/do-all-elves-have-pointy-ears/
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Q: What Did Tolkien Mean When He Used ‘Swart’ And ‘Swarthy’ To Describe Elves And Men?
ANSWER: I have deferred answering this question because of my recent post about Andy Serkis. I received this question in September 2025 and as I process my queue of visitor-submitted questions it was coming up when Andy made waves in the news. I hope enough time has passed that people won’t mind my […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/what-did-tolkien-mean-when-he-used-swart-and-swarthy-to-describe-elves-and-men/ -
Why Was Gondor Never Conquered?
For screen readers [ Click to expand ] A six-panel comic in a cute Japanese chibi manga style follows Lily, Mira, and Barath inside an ancient library filled with towering bookshelves, stone arches, wooden tables, candles, books, and rolled scrolls. The warm lighting and scholarly surroundings create the atmosphere of a place devoted to history and learning. Throughout the comic, Lily and Mira discuss why Gondor remained unconquered before Barath, an experienced researcher already studying […]https://mytolkienlife.xenite.org/why-was-gondor-never-conquered/
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Q: Why Didn’t The Elves Destroy The Three Rings?
ANSWER: People have asked many questions about the Rings of Power. I received the following question about the Elven rings in July 2025:
… why did the Elves keep the Three Rings all those years, instead of destroying them? They had access to Mount Doom for at least the first millennia of the 3rd Age. The Keepers wanted to keep the power […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/why-didnt-the-elves-destroy-the-three-rings/ -
Q: When Does A Tolkien Question Stop Being About Tolkien?
ANSWER: Through the years I receive occasional thoughtful opinions or responses to recent posts on this blog, where long-time readers feel I may have strayed beyond their expectations or – in some cases – comfort zones. Those two areas are not the same (in my eyes). There may be other, unseen boundaries I occasionally cross. Years ago, […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/when-does-a-tolkien-question-stop-being-about-tolkien/ -
And Now The Orc Mage Appears
For screen readers [ Click to expand ] A seven-panel comic in a cute Japanese chibi manga style shows seven recurring fantasy characters gathered around a large wooden table for a tabletop role-playing game resembling Dungeons & Dragons. The cozy room is warmly lit with lanterns and candles. The table is covered with colorful polyhedral dice, character sheets, pencils, books, and miniature figurines representing heroes and monsters. Kael serves as the game master from one end of the table. […]https://mytolkienlife.xenite.org/and-now-the-orc-mage-appears/
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Q: Why Were Arnor And Gondor Separate After Isildur Died?
ANSWER: I received the following question from a reader in November 2025:
Why were Armor and Gondor sundered after Isildur’s death, if long-range communications with the Palàntiri was a thing?
Technically, the realm of Elendil persisted until Third Age year 861, when Amlaith and his two (unnamed) brothers divided Arnor into three […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/why-were-arnor-and-gondor-separate-after-isildur-died/ -
Q: Did The Mouth Of Sauron Survive The War Of The Ring?
ANSWER: I received this question in October 2025:
Do you think the Mouth of Sauron could have survived Sauron’s defeat?
Therefore, could he still be alive during the fourth age and still roaming Middle earth and represent a menace?
I can see different ways he might have survived. So far as I know, unless there is some letter out there […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/could-the-mouth-of-sauron-have-survived-the-war-of-the-ring/ -
New comics from My Tolkien Life.
"A Question About Dragons"
#middleearth #tolkien #lotr #hobbit #silmarillion #fantasy #literature #comics
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Q: Were The Shire Hobbits White-skinned?
ANSWER: This question was inspired by Andy Serkis’ recent response to criticisms about his casting for The Hunt for Gollum. Serkis, according to Variety and other sources, said that “… I don’t think we will be doing a politically correct just-casting-for-the sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version of the film…” He added, “So, it’s where […]
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/were-the-shire-hobbits-white-skinned/ -
I haven't had much time to research answers to the questions that readers submit to the Middle-earth Blog this year. So to help me lighten the load, I've started a new series called Middle-earth Trivia (it requires less research). This is this first post in the series: "Little Known Details About Tolkien Elves"
#middleearth #fantasy #jrrtolkien #lotr #silmarillion #thehobbit
https://middle-earth.xenite.org/little-known-details-about-tolkien-elves/
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Just watched The War of the Rohirrim finally (on my flight), and I'm left with mixed but mostly positive feelings. The story leans heavily on familiar tropes and at times it feels a bit too much like “Éowyn, but animated” with a classic rebellious daughter arc, but it still worked for me. It was gritty enough as well.
The animation, which I don’t usually go for, felt surprisingly fitting. A visual style that respected the world more than it tried to modernise it. Helm Hammerhand’s transformation into a spectral legend? That’s pure Tolkien saga, and it was handled beautifully. Easily the most compelling part of the film. And a bit of a relief after the somewhat corporate Héra storyline.
Compared to The Rings of Power, this felt less like corporate IP exploitation and more like someone actually read the appendices and cared. It’s not flawless, and you can feel the screenplay straining a bit under the weight of trying to build emotional arcs from sparse lore. But it gets the tone right, and that matters a lot.
Would happily take more Middle-earth stories in this style, as long as the writing keeps improving.
#WarOfTheRohirrim #Tolkien #MiddleEarth #Rohirrim #AnimeAdaptation #BetterThanRingsOfPower #HelmHammerhand
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Where would you live if you could live anywhere? 🌏
I’ll answer first — New Zealand. I’ve made some acquaintances in #NZ. And they are some of the kindest, most creative, and most interesting people I’ve spoken with.
It's also home to Middle Earth, has beautiful weather year-round (though global warming has caused a bit of climate destabilization lately), and is one of the most peaceful places on Earth.
#NewZealand #MiddleEarth #DreamDestination #PeacefulLiving #ExploreTheWorld #Wanderlust
