Beleriand / Middle Earth

[Twista]

I never acually read the Silmarillion. Im going to though.

I have seen the map of Beleriand tho, whats bugging me is that i want to know where it is in relation to middle earth. Or i remember someone telling me it is middle earth, just ages ago. lol. can someone tell me what/where it is please?

[Valandil]

Well... it IS part of Middle Earth in a way... the ocean floor just west of Eriador! Don't want to spoil the ending, but there's a big 'knock-down, drag-out' at the end that re-shapes the surface of the world... and Beleriand pretty much goes under. The Blue Mountains are in the east of Beleriand... note how they're at the western edge of Eriador... same mountains!

[Twista]

eh?? what do you mean it goes under? lol. A massive tidal wave goes over it like in depp impact? lol. So you wont tell me bcus it will spoil the ending? lol

also do you know whats east of mordor? are there any maps showing any of it?

[Sister Golden Hair]

Well, I'll give you just a little quote from the book. At the end of the First Age:

the land was changed and broken, and foundered under destroying seas.

[Dolenloteiel]

i have seen some maps that show that East of Mordor is a wasteland. All Tolkien says of the East is:

...And they went into the East and do not come into these tales...

In relation to the Blue Istari

[Twista]

so theres just nothing on the east side? what about the north of the Iron Hills? What about south of South Gonder? whats there? lol... its been annoying me

[Wayfarer]

Ya know. Stuff.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Twista
eh?? what do you mean it goes under? lol. A massive tidal wave goes over it like in depp impact?

More much like the foundations of the land were torn up by the Valar, digging up the the vein of Morgoths power that he have spread out under the land durring the War of the Jewels, to weaken him enough to then break Angband. This left great fissures, apparenly, from the description of Madhros's end, down to volcanic stata. Then, over a period of time, months or years, Beleriand broke up and sank.

[Twista]

Ah cool, take it the joining of ice at the top broke up too?

[Lefty Scaevola]

Yep, a much larger gap then between Araman (that northern bit of Aman bending to the east) and what was left of NW Middle earth.

[Thorin II]

Originally posted by Twista
so theres just nothing on the east side? what about the north of the Iron Hills? What about south of South Gonder? whats there? lol... its been annoying me

Yeah, I'm with you on this one. With as much time and effort as Tolkien put into his world, it seems weird to me that he left so much of it blank, so to speak.

Then again, he was pretty good at leaving some things mysterious to make them more compelling.

[Turgon_Turambar]

In the lord of the rings it says that in the south (past south gondor) there are dark forests and apes swing in them so im guessing there like jungles and harad well thats just like a big desert.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Thorin II
Yeah, I'm with you on this one. With as much time and effort as Tolkien put into his world, it seems weird to me that he left so much of it blank, so to speak..

Tlkien seems to have had had some sort of mental block about making maps. Various notes of his and his collabetors mention his difficulty when he tried to amke them. He was unable to complete the maps that were inluded in LoTR and chritopher had to finish them for him.

[Twista]

'The Besterie book' i was talking about in another thread has an amazing map of all of middle earth, and the undying lands. Ill tey and get a scan for all to see.

[Earniel]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
Tlkien seems to have had had some sort of mental block about making maps. Various notes of his and his collabetors mention his difficulty when he tried to amke them. He was unable to complete the maps that were inluded in LoTR and chritopher had to finish them for him.

Making maps is darn difficult. I'm trying to piece one together as well and I can tell you it's bloody hard putting your rivers and mountains in logically. It's like a big puzzle when you're trying to figure out which land goes next to which region and such. The hardest thing is to make the map fit what you have written.

[Falagar]

I remember making maps as a child, almost impossoble to make them realistic.

[Raistlin]

one good idea is get the map first and then the story around the map

[Earniel]

Yes, that would be a good idea, but how many people start making a map and then make up stories that go along with it? Surprisingly little IMO. Goes to show that logic isn't always one of humanity's best points.

[Beor]

I found when I started to write a story that it is good to come up with a base concept, and write some that can give you a general idea of where everything is at, then draw a map and fill in the details. Also, read a short book or textbook on geology, and go off of that for realism (unless too much realism doesnt fit). A good understanding of geology makes making up worlds a whole lot easier.

Also (just to be on topic), the south east of Middle Earth has always bothered me too, along with any other continents that there may have been after the drowning of Numenore and the whole thing with the removal of Aman to the... no strait roads to Aman? Well, you know what I mean.