Finally finished reading LOTR, got a few questions. (Obvious Spoilers)

[BD2003]

Great story, quite possibly the best set of books I've ever read, but man with all the names and places it can get pretty confusing. Two towers was definitely the best of the lot.

Ok so some questions. WTF is Numenor? Seems pretty damn important, and quite large, and likely a stupid question, but where/what is it? I couldnt find it on the map.

And I take it theres no mention of what exactly is over the sea? I suppose its just the great beyond? Because middle earth didnt seem all to big for them to be able to walk across it in a matter of weeks.

And are wizards there own little race? It seems as if gandalf is a few thousand years old, but theres only mention of 3 or so wizards total.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

All will be revealed

Worlds best web site for LOTR

 

[Wallydraigle]

Numenor is what we call Atlantis. In some language in the book it is even called Atalanté or somehting similar. It was between Middle Earth and the island of Eresea, where the Elves sail to. It sank when the last king of Numenor invaded the lands of the elves looking for immortality. After that Eresea and everything beyond was no longer part of the world, and could only be reached by the elves. Further westward beyond Eresea was Valinor. That's where the Valar lived. Lower beings sometimes called the Valar "gods". Gandalf is like Sauron and the Balrogs. He's a Maia, an immortal being like the Valar but not as powerful. There were five wizards. The two not in LOTR were called Alatar and Pollando or something like that. They wandered far into the east on sort of a missionary tour. No one ever found out what actually happened to them, but it was thought that had they not gone and done their thing that Sauron may have had even more help from the folk of the east lands.

 

[BD2003]

So is middle-earth supposed to be part of the same "earth" that we're living on? Kinda looks like england to me in a freakish kinda way.

 

[Martin]

<< So is middle-earth supposed to be part of the same "earth" that we're living on? Kinda looks like england to me in a freakish kinda way. >>




nope, middle earth is imaginary.



I suggest you read the Silmarillion. Not only does it answer the numenor question, but it also answers pretty every other question you'll have about LotR.


LotR takes place at the end of the Third Age. The Silmarillion describes the events from before creation (Even talks about their god, Illuvatar, and the Lord of the West, the Valar) up until LotR.

Amoung the answers found:
What a balrog is, who gandalf and saruman really are, why the differentces between races, the West, Numenor, who saruman really is etc etc.

 

[Wallydraigle]

Actually Tolien did mean for Middle Earth to be our world. There are numerous hints at this. Several are in the form of the poems Bilbo made like the one that Frodo sang in the Prancing Pony. Tolkien said that nowadays most of the words were forgotten, and it's clearly supposed to be our nursery rhyme, Hey Diddle Diddle. Another was when the orc Golfimble invaded the Shire and Bandobras Took knocked his head of and it rolled down a rabbit hole. Tolien said that Bandobras won the battle and invented golf at the same time. Also in the book Roverandom, which is about a dog from this world who has many misadventures, Roverandom swims in the ocean and sees the elvish isle of Eresea in the distance. I think in some convoluted sort of way Tolkien meant for Eresea to become England, but I don't think he ever got to it, but I think he was getting there in The Book of Lost Tales, which I never finished, so I don't know.