Tolkien Fanartics: Mapping Arda, Part I

Tolkien cared very much for the geography of his second world, which extended to making multiple maps to help him visualize place and nail down details such as travel times. This proclivity has passed on to many of his fans. Many of us recall poring over the map in our first copy of The Lord of the Rings or flipping frequently to the back of of The Silmarillion to find a location on its map.

For other fans, Tolkien's cartography has inspired them to build beyond what he gave us by making their own maps of his world. Anérea's new series within the Tolkien Fanartics column focuses on fan-made maps of Tolkien's world. In the first part, she looks at maps that detail the building of Arda and of Aman, areas that, compared to the well-trodden paths of the Lord of the Rings, Hobbit, and even Silmarillion maps, require a lot more digging, conjecture, and imagination. In addition to finding stunning examples of maps of Tolkien's earliest legendarium, Anérea spoke with several artists about how they envision the maps they make, blending Tolkien's canon with their own imaginings.

You can read Anérea's "Mapping Arda, Part I: Terraforming" here.

Posted on 23 September 2023 (updated 4 November 2023) by SWG Moderators