In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Bilbo and Thorin’s Company of Dwarves traveled through Mirkwood to the Lonely Mountain. Mirkwood was home to the Woodland Realm, the kingdom of Legolas from The Lord of the Rings, but it was far more dangerous than the forests surrounding the other Elven Realms. Mirkwood was a dark … Read more
J.R.R. Tolkien’s massive amount of lore and worldbuilding for Arda bred the creation of some truly larger-than-life villains. From massive arachnids and mountain-sized dragons to insidiously brilliant shape-shifters, undead kings, and corrupted wizards, Middle-earth is a place that is never safe from the pending doom of the Dark Lords and their infernal monsters. Unfortunately, it’s … Read more
Since Peter Jackson released his adaptations of The Lord of the Rings in theaters, JRR Tolkien's works have reached a more mainstream audience. In fact, it's entirely possible nowadays to have fans who are completely unfamiliar with the books themselves. Although Tolkien's works have universal themes of friendship, loyalty, and love, his prose could be … Read more
The Lord of the Rings is responsible for introducing fans to what are now today’s most popular fantasy creatures. From trolls to goblins and orcs, the list of fantasy staples that the book series is responsible for revitalizing is fairly well-known. Despite this, quite a few monsters did not get their time to shine as … Read more
One of The Lord of the RingsThe biggest strengths are the depth and creativity of the world building. Fans tend to focus on the fantasy races and magical creatures invented by JRR Tolkien, but equally important to the ecology of Middle-earth were its plants, which are often overlooked. A fictional plant that has appeared in … Read more