Middle Earth

Middle-Earth is the setting where the events of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion take place in (chronologically, Silmarillion -> The Hobbit -> LotR). The geography changes significantly from its creation to the Third Age when the story takes place, though this article will mostly cover how it is during the books.

Not to be confused with New Zealand, though the country has rebranded itself as the real Middle Earth.

General clarification

The known regions of Middle-Earth

Middle-Earth is not the name of The World of the Tolkien's mythos, the term for that would technically be Arda. Middle-Earth refers to the general landmass where the events of the books take place (hilariously enough, another name for Middle-Earth used by the elves was Endor, possibly a subtle reference by George Lucas). At the same time Arda is not an alien planet or alternate universe but rather a lost era of our world with Middle Earth being roughly where Europe was (and yes, that does mean that there are analogous to the Americas, Africa and Asia in Lord of the Rings). This is in its own way quite sad when you think about it since it would mean that after the events of the books where our heroes sail off to Valinor all the cultures of Gondor, Rohan, Dale/Laketown and so forth that our heroes have fought to save in various ways gradually falter and fail totally, leaving only cave men. An major driving element of the mythos is that the magic of the world is gradually winding down. However, the books do say that the line of Finwë (the ancestor of Elrond and Aragorn) will always endure, so their descendants would still be alive today.

Arda used to be a flat world until the later 2nd Age with the destruction of Númenor and "the bending of the roads". Said event also turned a flying sailing ship into Venus.

Regions

Eriador

Located in the northwest, Eriador is generally remote and isolated from most of the goings-on of Middle-Earth. It was once home to the human kingdom of Arnor and the Elven kingdom of Eregion, but both collapsed by the time The Hobbit takes place and the Grey Havens was the last remnant of the Elven Kingdom of Lindon. What's left is a mostly depopulated and rustic region. Typically, the only travellers to the region are Dwarves on their way to the Blue Mountains, or Elves going to the Grey Havens. Besides subsistence agriculture, there's only one major industry that the area's known for - pipeweed. Despite the plant being used by Numenoreans as a fragrant ornamental plant, it wasn't until the hobbits started smoking and cultivating it that it became the commercial crop that its known as.

• The Shire - Here be Hobbits. Described as being geographically and ecologically similar to England, it is a peaceful rural country divided into the four farthings, with a recently colonized fifth called Buckland. It's capital and largest town is Michel Delving to the East, far from Bree. At the center is Hobbiton, where the Baggins family is from.
• Bree - A small settlement surrounded by a few satellite hamlets populated by men and hobbits living together in harmony, and one of the few settled towns in the region. Few people stray far from the surrounding countryside, as its very near to the Barrow-Downs.
• Old Forest - One of two remnants of a primeval forest. Its trees are sentient and full of malice, and will try to direct all trespassers to Old Man Willow. However, Tom Bombadil and his wife also live here, and will guide travelers to safety.
• Barrow-Downs - Formerly part of Arnor, but all that's left now are tombs. It has since become haunted after the Witch-King of Angmar sent evil spirits to inhabit the dead bodies, creating the Barrow-Wights.
• Rivendell - Imladris in Sindarin. It is a small town hidden in a valley within the Misty Mountains and is populated by elves belonging to the House of Elrond.
• Amon Sûl - Known by locals as Weathertop. A ruined watchtower where Frodo got stabbed by the Nazgûl.
• Grey Havens - The Westernmost part of Middle Earth, and the last remnant of the Elven kingdom of Lindon. At this harbour, elves leave for the Undying Lands, abandoned after the last Elves departed around the year 120 of the Fourth Age.
• Arnor - The other Kingdom of the Dúnedain. Used to encompass pretty much the entirety of Eriador. It fell to ruin centuries before the events of the book due to civil strife and the Witch-King of Angmar fighting a long war against it. Aragorn, due to being the direct descendant of Elendil, is technically the King of Arnor, although he doesn't reign over it until he is crowned king at the end of the trilogy, where he also unifies Arnor and Gondor.
• Eregion - Destroyed realm just west of Moria that was one of the two remaining High Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth (the other being Lindon). The Rings of Power were made here.
• Forodwaith and Forochel - Technically not part of Eriador, Forodwaith is the northernmost part of Middle-Earth. The foul magic Morgoth used in the prehistorical Valian Years to build the demonic fortress of Utumno is still radiating from its ruins, trapping the land in eternal winter. The only living inhabitants of Forodwaith are Cold-drakes and whatever remaining Dragons are left. Forochel lies north of Angmar and Arnor, being the only known inhabited region of this arctic wasteland. Forochel's inhabitants are mainly the Lossoth, a hardy tribe of Inuit-look-alikes who live around the Cape of Forochel. The last reigning King of Arnor died here, after a rescue party sent by the Elves of Lindon failed to save him.
• Fornost - Also known as Norbury of the Kings, former capital of Arnor, now just a pile of ruins known as Deadman's Dike. The Greenway used to connect Fornost to Gondor, passing through Bree before connecting the Great Western Road at Isen.

Rohan

The kingdom of the Horse Lords, Rohan is a wide open plain that was gifted to the Rohirrim by Gondor. To the west is the Gap of Rohan where Isengard is located, and where Dunland lies just beyond.

• Edoras - Capital city of Rohan. The Golden Hall Meduseld stands at the apex of the hill that Edoras is built on.
• Helm's Deep - Rohan's main fortress, built into the White Mountains by the legendary Rohirric King Helm Hammerhand. The castle keep; the Hornburg; was originally built by Gondor to keep watch over the southern half of the river Isen, to match its northern counterpart of Isengard. Its keep leads into a cave system into the mountains, and is defended by a long wall.
• Dunharrow - A refuge in the White Mountains where the Rohirrim mustered for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The valley behind it leads directly to a haunted region known as the Paths of the Dead, where the traitorous Oathbreakers of the White Mountains linger in undeath.
• Fangorn Forest - The other remnant of the primeval forest. This one is populated by the Huorns, trees capable of movement, and the Ents, the tree-herders. Huorns are either Ents who stood still a bit too long, losing some sapience and becoming feral, or possibly sufficiently old trees that graduated to Huorn-hood.
• Isengard - A fortress on Rohan's western border that watches the river Isen (hence the name). In the centre is the tall black tower of Orthanc, which had been built by the Númenóreans during the Second Age and was made of a type of black stone that was virtually indestructible. Saruman was using it as a base of operations as he plotted his betrayal.
• Dunland - Just west-northwest of Rohan proper, Dunland was populated by primitive tribesmen, known as Dunlendings or Wildmen, who were often at war with Rohan. They coveted the lands of Rohan, as they were the original native inhabitants of it before the Rohirrim came. They allied with Saruman in his war against Rohan, but they were granted clemency after Saruman's defeat.

Gondor

The main human kingdom of the setting; Gondor was once a mighty kingdom that is now failing, having endured centuries of political strife and decay. The last king has long ago disappeared with no heir, leaving it under the rule of the house of Stewards. It has become increasingly militarised to deal with threats from the East, at the expense of its former cultural and intellectual advances. Gondor used to stretch all the way east to the Sea of Rhun and South to Harad, but they have since been beaten back and lost the eastern side of the Anduin river, where Ithilien and Minas Ithil were located.

• Minas Tirith - Formerly Minas Anor. The current capital of Gondor, this city is built into the White Mountains and is built around seven concentric circles with seven gates. Minas Tirith is extremely well fortified, but that didn't stop the armies of Mordor from nearly taking it in an enormous siege.
• Osgiliath - The former capital of Gondor. It straddled the Anduin river, but was abandoned due to plague and became a contested region when Mordor conquered Ithilien.
• Dol Amroth - A principality of Gondor, from where Imrahil and his Swan Knights come from. Formerly an Elven Kingdom that existed concurrently with Gondor, but was subsumed by Gondor when the last of its elvish inhabitants sailed West. The princes retain elvish ancestry and customs from Dol Amroth's past.
• Pelargir - One of the first settlements of Gondor and its biggest port city. Came under attack by Umbar during the War of the Ring.
• Ithilien - The easternmost province of Gondor, right up against the mountains on Mordor's western edge. Ithilien was abandoned when Sauron returned to Mordor, but the Rangers of Gondor maintained a presence through secret camps to harass any invading armies.
• Lossarnach - Another principality of Gondor, the description of the land itself and its people make it sound a lot like Scotland.
• Anórien - Land just northwest of Minas Tirith and directly under its jurisdiction. Also houses a thick forest where a tribe of forest dwelling humans reside that help the Rohirrim to get to Minas Tirith faster during the War of the Ring.

Misty Mountains

A long mountain range that runs North-South. It represents a major obstacle as only a few safe passages exist. Various kingdoms have also been set up here as well.

• Pass of Caradhras - The route the Fellowship attempted to take first, but they were waylaid by Wargs, blizzards, and avalanches, thus causing them to try for...
• Moria - Formerly Khazad-Dûm, the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-Earth. It was the sole source of Mithril, but the city was destroyed when the Dwarves accidentally awoke the Balrog known as Durin's Bane. It has since been taken over by Orcs.
• Goblin-Town - A Goblin settlement situated on the High Pass. Gollum lived in the deepest part of the cave with the One Ring until he was found by Bilbo.
• Angmar - A kingdom of Wicked Men and Orcs that was ruled by the chief of the Nazgûl who would become known as the Witch-King of Angmar. Angmar lay west of of Mount Gundabad and North of Eriador. Angmar subverted Rhudaur; one of the successor kingdoms of the fractured kingdom of Arnor; and played the other two successor kingdoms against their puppet kingdom. Angmar succeeded in outright destroying the southern successor kingdom of Cardolan and succeeded in wiping out the royal lineage of Arthedain; the last remnant of Arnor. Angmar itself was destroyed alongside Rhudaur when Gondor and the High Elves of the Noldor vanquished its armies and drove the Witch-King back to Mordor.
• Mount Gundabad - The mountain where the first Dwarves awoke, considered a holy site for their race. Later taken over by Orcs in the second and third ages. The antagonistic Orcs of The Hobbit originated from here.

Rhovanion

The large stretch of land that lies East of the Misty Mountains, and Northeast of Rohan. Many realms exist here, though they are frequently exposed to attacks from the Easterlings of Rhûn.

• Mirkwood - A massive dark and spooky forest that's become inhospitable. The Northern part is relatively safer and is part of the Woodland Realm, a Sindarin Elf kingdom. The southern part is dominated by Dol Guldur, an ancient fortress controlled by Sauron. He hid here before revealing himself and taking control of Mordor.
• Lothlórien - A mystical forest realm controlled by Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. At its centre is Caras Galadhon, a Sindarin Elf city. All of the houses are built upon the unique Mallorn Trees.
• Erebor - The Dwarven kingdom located within the Lonely Mountain. Smaug had driven the Dwarves out, but they reclaimed the city after Smaug was killed. While Erebor lacked Moria’s vitally important Mithril deposits, it was very strategically located as it guarded against the frozen North and the lands of the East; Sauron was very keen to retake Erebor, even offering three of the Dwarven rings in his possession for information on the One Ring.
• Dale & Laketown - Dale was a human kingdom allied with Erebor, until it had been destroyed by Smaug. The survivors fled to the lake and built Laketown, which was also destroyed when Smaug re-emerged. The survivors would go on to rebuild Dale and named Bard the Bowman king for killing Smaug.
• Vales of Anduin - the valley between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood. Here live the Beornings and Woodsmen, though they didn’t have any major settlements and lived scattered, rustic communities.
• Amon Hen - Another ancient watchtower, it was here that the Fellowship was broken, and where Boromir was slain by the Uruk-hai of Isengard. The river descends down a waterfall into Gondor proper. Used to mark Gondor's northernmost border, but has long since fallen to ruin. Located near Amon Hen is the Argonath, a FUCKHUEG waterfall flanked by the two giant statues of the first kings of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur and Anárion.
• Emyn Muil - A foggy and craggy land where Frodo and Sam got lost, and encountered Gollum.
• Dagorlad - The swamp past Emyn Muil where the Last Alliance fought against Mordor. The fallen soldiers may seem to be somehow preserved in the water, but it is implied to be a trick of residual dark magic from Mordor creating ghostly Will-o-Wisp-like apparitions within the waters.
• Dol Guldur - Sauron's hideout in the south of Mirkwood and his largest base outside of Mordor. Was governed by Khamûl the Black Easterling of the Nazgûl after Sauron's return to Barad-Dûr, and used by him as his base of operations during the War of the Ring against Lothlórien, Dale, and Erebor.

Mordor

One does not simply walk to Mordor. A wasteland where Sauron built his kingdom, defended by three mountain ranges and a generally inhospitable landscape. It does not meet EPA standards.

• Udûn - The valley beyond the Black Gate, where Sauron's armies muster. The Black Gate is the only passage where large armies can pass through. Nearby is Barad-dûr, Sauron's main fortress.
• Gorgoroth - The volcanic plain beneath Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had to cross this way from Cirith Ungol to reach their goal. Littered with an unholy number of scattered Orc campsites. Home territory of the Great Beasts of Gorgoroth.
• Nurn - The only inhabitable region of Mordor. Nurn is fertilised by Mt. Doom's volcanic ash and the waters from Nurnen, and is used to grow food for Sauron's armies. It was inhabited by human slaves, but Aragorn liberated them and gifted the region to them after Sauron's destruction. Given Sauron's MO it would probably be something to the effect of vast fields scattered with barracks were slaves were kept penned up when they were not working with Orcish overseers driving them and sending off supplies of maggoty bread to feed the workers and the armies.
• Minas Morgul - Formerly Minas Ithil, it was a city of Gondor until Mordor conquered Ithilien, and has hence become the Nazgul's stronghold. It is a horrifying place of sorcery, which even emits a fell "corpse-light". It was razed by Aragorn after the end of the War of the Ring.
• Cirith Ungol - The only other way into Mordor is up a tall stair across the mountains, and into Shelob's Lair. On the other side is the tower of Cirith Ungol, which is guarded by Orcs. Also a pretty good band.
• Mount Doom - Also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth (the latter of which is the name of another pretty awesome band), Mount Doom was where the One Ring was forged by Sauron. Essentially, it is a huge volcano, and is connected to Barad-Dûr via road. Mordor is known as the Land of Shadows primarily because of the eruptions of this mountain.
• Barad-Dûr - The Dark Tower, and primary fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the tallest structure in Middle-Earth until its destruction at the end of the War of the Ring. Typically, it is described as being made of black steel and iron or adamant, but given that its foundations could not be destroyed even after Sauron's defeat at the end of the Second Age, it is likely that it is enchanted or made of some unknown metal.
• The Black Gate/Morannon - A massive wall with three Gates (at least in the books; Peter Jackson's interpretation of it was that the entire wall was one massive iron gate) that Sauron built to guard the largest passage into Mordor proper. Following his first defeat, Gondor claimed it and fortified it further with two large towers, but it fell to ruin during the decline of Gondor's power during the middle years of the Third Age and was retaken by Sauron when he returned to Mordor. It is now his biggest fortress apart from Minas Morgul and Barad-Dûr.
• Durthang - Old Gondorian castle that oversaw the interior of Mordor as opposed to the entrances as with the Morannon and Minas Ithil. Has long since fallen into Sauron's hands.

Rhûn

A general name for the East, Rhûn is not covered in much detail. It has many kingdoms and tribes of Wicked Men that have allied themselves with or were subjugated by Sauron and worship him as a god. The Easterling armies fought in the War of the Ring, and even put up a tough fight after Mordor had been defeated at Pelennor Fields. Four of the dwarves clans live in Rhûn, though many escaped west after Sauron’s takeover of the East. Even before the War of the Ring, these assholes were always trying to raid and conquer Gondor and Rhovanion. Extra-canonical adaptations cannot seem to make up their mind as to whether Easterlings are Mongol-type nomadic peoples or barbarians similar to the ones who conquered Rome. Some of the historic peoples of the east include the Wainriders, the Balchoth, and the Swarthy Men of the first age who followed Ulfang the Black.

• Cuiviénen: located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Helcar, this was where the first elves awoke and lived before migrating west towards Aman. Due to the extreme old age of this journey, we’re unsure of where exactly it would be located; Christopher Tolkien himself speculated that the seas of Rhûn and Núrnen might be all that’s left of the Sea of Helcar, indicating that the geography of the East changed dramatically since the elves left. Whether any of the Avari (elves who didn’t migrate west) still live here is unknown, though by this point they’d either be living in hiding or exterminated by Sauron’s allies. Whatever few hiders, assuming any hadn't left already, then went to Aman along with all other elves.
• Hildorien: south of the Red Mountains and Cuiviénen, the homeland of men faced the easternmost sea. Here, Morgoth tricked men into believing that they were made mortal by Ilúvatar as some sort of divine punishment. Those who refused to follow Morgoth became the Edain and were the first to move West, eventually reaching Beleriand. Those who came after became the ancestors of the people of Rhûn and Harad, though some men who were distantly related to the Edain but didn’t enter Beleriand became known as the “Middle Men.”

Harad

The realm south of Gondor; Harad is home to various tribesmen collectively known as Southrons living in the deserts and jungles. According to Tolkein, Harad was inspired by Ethiopia (or more accurately, apocryphal encounters of medieval Europeans with sub-Saharan Africans translated from Old English - because Tolkien), but the New Line films take a more Middle-Eastern tract in terms of aesthetics.

• Harondor - The southernmost province of Gondor, arid but still liveable, constantly changed hands between the Wicked Men of the South and Gondor.
• Near Harad - A big desert that runs along Mordor's southern mountain range and stretches south until it meets the completely unlivable Haradwaith.
• Haradwaith - An even larger desert that takes up the central and eastern regions of Harad, a completely desolate and arid wasteland.
• Lostladen - Located between Near Harad and the Mountains of Shadow which make up Mordor's southern border. Other than it likely being extremely desolate and unlivable, we know nothing about it.
• Far Harad - A jungle far, far, far to the South. This was where the Mûmakil/Oliphaunts came from. Also apparently of great size and analogous to Africa.
• Umbar - A bay that had been settled by the Black Númenóreans who built a great port town, and remained enemies of Gondor ever since. Over time the original Númenóreans either died out or interbred with the native Southrons. The city became a pirate scourge after traitors who lost the civil war known as the Kin-Strife in Gondor fled to Umbar with a large portion of Gondor's navy, thus creating the Corsairs of Umbar, who mercilessly raided Gondor for the rest of the Third Age.
• Khand - Just East of Harad and South of Mordor. Very little is known about Khand except that it has nomadic horsemen that raided Gondor and is home to Wicked Men known as "Variags", it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word Variag being derived from the Russian word for Varangian implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.

Beleriand

A former land mass West of Eriador. It was here that the first Elven and human kingdoms were built in the First Age, though they had to contend with many invasions by Morgoth and his allies from the East. Eventually things got so bad that one of the inhabitants, a half-elf named Eärendil, sailed all the way to the Undying Lands and petitioned the Valar to intervene. The resulting battle basically broke Beleriand apart and it sank into the sea; the survivors either moved Eastward, or travelled to the new island of Númenor.

• Gondolin - The biggest and most impressive kingdom of the Noldor Elves. It was hidden deep within the mountains until the city was betrayed by an incestuous elf prick who was jealous that his cousin married a human (No seriously, look it up). The weapons Sting, Orcrist, and Glamdring were forged here.
• Doriath - The kingdom of the Sindarin Elves, ruled by Elu Thingol. The capital, Menegroth, was hidden deep within a large forest and protected by Thingol's demigoddess wife Melian. When Thingol got his hands on a Silmaril, he got the brilliant idea to add it to the most beautiful necklace ever made. The Dwarves of Nogrod did the job, asked for the improved necklace as payment, and killed him after he insulted them, two of the little shits survived the resulting retributive slayings, and returned to Nogrod to spread lies about them being refused payment and slaughtered. Grieving, Melian returned to Aman, and the Dwarves of Nogrod sacked the defenceless, leaderless city, avenging the extermination of the Petty-Dwarves and centuries of insults besides, even though the hypocritical midgets hated the petty-dwarves, having exiled them in the first place, and didn't even give a damn about the Petty-Dwarves being mistaken for animals and hunted by the Sindar. The Dwarves of Nogrod failed to recover the necklace, but the sons of Fëanor had little trouble destroying the much-diminished kingdom afterwards.
• Nargothrond - An underground Noldor Elf kingdom fashioned after Doriath, which allowed the Noldor to fend off invasion from Morgoth's forces - until an arrogant prick named Túrin convinced the Noldor to build a bridge across the Narog river to sally out of, thereby allowing the first ever dragon Glaurung to destroy Nargothrond.
• Angband - Morgoth's fortress to the North. It was described as an impregnable fortress within an inhospitably cold region and guarded by a massive three-peaked mountain. Angband was destroyed along with the rest of Beleriand.
• Minas Tirith - Not to be confused with Gondor's tower. This one was built during the First Age, as a watchtower to guard the river Sirion for any raids and invasions from Angband. It was later taken over and ruled by Sauron for some time and its name thus changed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves). It changed hands a couple more times and at one point was brought to ruin by Lúthien.
• Ossiriand - A forested region on the east edge of Beleriand, between the Gelion river and the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin, later Ered Lindon). Mostly populated by elves. Beren and Luthien lived on an island here after they were reincarnated. It's questionable whether the land north of the forest, Thargelion, counts as part of Ossiriand or not. Either way, parts of Ossiriand (and Thargelion) survived the destruction of Beleriand and became known as Lindon in later ages, from where the elves would depart back to Aman.

Hithlum

Normally considered a separate region from Beleriand, to the northwest, it is separated by the Mountains of Shadow. In the northern area of that mountain chain the river Sirion is born, which passes through Beleriand. It was in Hísilómë (Hithlum) that the exiled Noldorin first arrived from Aman, coming both from the sea and through Helcaraxë. Like its neighbouring region, it too sank at the ending years of the First Age.

Regions that are technically not Middle-Earth, but are important to the story

Aman

Known to mortals as "The Undying Lands," this is where the Valar live, and where elves go when they cross the sea or if they die and are revived but confined to a specific fortress here. Aman used to be connected to Middle Earth via a dangerous ice bridge known as the Helcaraxë, literally "grinding ice." After Númenor attempted to invade Aman (it's considered a big no-no for Mortals to try to enter) Ilúvatar separated Aman from Middle-Earth and turned the formerly flat Arda into a sphere; Elves can still travel there via the "straight road" but cannot return with a singular exception given to Glorfindel who had fallen in battle and went to the resurrected elf-quarantine but was allowed to return so that he could remain until the last Elves departed Middle Earth, and also so that he could give out the Witch-King cannot be killed by a man prophecy and to escort the wounded Frodo to Rivendell. Only a handful of mortals are known to have ever lived in Aman; the ring-bearers Frodo and Bilbo, and possibly Samwise Gamgee (who sailed after his wife's death and leaving the Red Book to his daughter and son-in-law) and Gimli the Dwarf (who went with Legolas after Aragorn died of old age, presumably along with the last lingering Elves including Glorfindel, at year 120 of the Fourth Age). It’s important to remember that Aman does not grant immortality, but instead is an unchanging land specifically intended for the immortal elves who require permanence and stability to be content. As the elves warned men, even without the Ban of the Valar, they’ll find that living in Aman would actually decrease their lifespan as they’d find it so unbearably unchanging that they’d wither away (presumably Tuor, Frodo and friends didn’t have such an experience, but they would have died eventually).

• Valinor - The main kingdom of the Valar. Populated primarily by the Vanyar Elves, and was formerly home to the Two Trees of Light.
• Tirion - A large city built by the Noldor Elves in the mountain gap separating Valinor from the sea.
• Tol Eressëa - An island off the cost of Aman that had been used to ferry the Elves across the sea. The Falmari Elves settled down here.
• Lórien: Not to be confused with Galadriel's kingdom Lothlórien; these are the gardens of the Valar tended to by Irmo and his wife Estë, and is a place of healing and rest. Elves and even Men may visit these gardens in their dreams, where they receive prophetic visions.
• Halls of Mandos- The aforementioned revived-elf quarantine place. Only two people were ever allowed to leave, Luthien when she chose to be human and was granted a resurrection to live with her human love before dying as a human and going to the human afterlife, and Glorfindel on the condition that he return when the last Elves left after Aragorn's death early in the Fourth Age.
• Avathar- Between the mountains that barricade Aman and the sea, Avathar is a lightless valley where Ungoliant lived. This valley was unknown to the Elves, but Morgoth came here to recruit Ungoliant in his destruction of the Two Trees of Light.

Númenor

Middle-earth's Atlantis, the Valar created Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought against Morgoth during the First Age. In time, Númenor became a mighty sea-faring empire that rivalled the Elves and had colonies all over Middle Earth. Its first king was Elros Tar-Minyatur, the Half-Elven son of Eärendil and Elwing. Like his brother Elrond, the Valar had Elros choose whether to live as an Elf or as a Man. Though Elros chose the Gift of Men, he lived for over five hundred years. His descendants would inherit his vitality, though it dwindled as it passed down the generations; his most well-known descendant, Aragorn, lived for 210 years.

Sauron used that lack of immortality as the wedge to turn Númenor into his pawns against the Valar when its last king invaded Middle Earth and took him prisoner. After bargaining his way into an advisor role and subverting the kingdom and converting it to fantasy-Satanism (complete with human sacrifice), he convinced Ar-Pharazôn that he could defy the Ban of the Valar, sail into the West, and use his nation's military might to force the Valar to grant immortality to Men. As soon as Ar-Pharazôn set one foot onto the soil of Aman, Ilúvatar reshaped the world, removing any physical path to the Undying Lands that the inhabitants of Arda could take to reach it; the upheaval also caused Númenor to fall into the sea, save for the highest peak Menelterma.

Only the Faithful in Elendil's fleet escaped to Middle Earth when Númenor sank, these refugees would go on to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

Important Characters

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Humans

The second-born of Eru Ilúvatar’s children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself.

Edain of the First Age and Outlaws

The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age.

• Beren Erchamion (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium). Beren’s ring of Barahir becomes the only relic of the Numenorean Royal family that survives into the Third Age, used to mark Aragorn’s royal lineage.
• Hurin Thalion:(the Steadfast) - one of mankind’s bravest warriors and a close ally of Turgon of Gondolin. He and his men fought to allow Turgon to escape Morgoth, with Hurin being the sole survivor. Morgoth tortured Hurin for the location of Gondolin, but Hurin refused to betray them, so Morgoth cursed Hurin’s children and for Hurin to witness their doom from afar.
• Turin Turambar (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, son of Hurin, known to be THE Kullervo expy way before Elric. Went from great hero to An Hero thanks to Morgoth placing a curse over his family. He's said to finally get his revenge against Morgoth in the Dagor Dagorath.
• Tuor Eladar (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, chosen by the vala Ulmo to find Gondolin and warn its inhabitants that the city will fall. In spite of Turgon's reluctance to leave he was able the city's population. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond. His symbol is the Swan, a motif kept by his human descendants.
• The Gaurwaith: The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.

Followers of Melkor in the First Age

• Ulfang the Black: Chief of one of two Easterling tribes that migrated westwards and became friends with Elves. Unlike his fellow chieftain Bór, however, he was a traitor serving Morgoth all along. And yeah, his sons and tribesmen basically gave the Dark Lord the second biggest army in his service (after Orcs, of course).

Númenóreans

The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.

• Pre-Schism Edain:
  • Elros, or Tar-Minyatur as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
• The King's Men - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
  • Tar-Atanamir, founder of the King's Men faction and thirteenth king of Númenor. Atanamir openly opposed the Valar and Elves and coveted their immortality. Because men were forbidden to sail west, he sent his men east to start colonies in Middle Earth and extract its wealth for his kingdom, though he didn't have the balls to stop using an Elven name, the arrogant egomaniacs that followed him dropped that.
  • Ar-Phârazon the Golden, last king of Númenor. Ar-Phârazon usurped the throne from its rightful queen, his cousin Tar-Miriel, by a forced marriage. Ar-Phârazon defeated Sauron in open combat and brought him back to Númenor as a hostage to prove his might; this however turned out to be a trap, as Sauron manipulated Phârazon and the King's Men into believing that by worshipping Morgoth and making human sacrifices to him, they'd be able to challenge the Valar and take immortality for themselves. The moment Ar-Phârazon and his men set foot on Aman, however, his armies became trapped beneath the Earth, Aman was permanently separated from the rest of the world, and Númenor sank beneath the seas as divine punishment.
• The Faithful - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
  • Tar-Palantir, the final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies. Tar-Palantir prophesied that the line of kings would end if the White Tree was felled; this came partially true, as the kings of Numenor ended with Ar-Pharazon after he sacrificed the White Tree to Sauron, but a sapling of the tree was saved and the line of kings continued through the line of Elendil.
  • Elendil, Lord of Andunie, which is a cadet branch of the Royal line and had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor, after his father Amandil. Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans

Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor.

• Isildur - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while.
• Anarion- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
• Gondorians: The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
  • Denethor II - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed the death of everyone and the triumph of evil. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent.
  • Boromir: Elder son of Denthor and a great captain of Gondor (also daddy's favorite). Despite being a great warrior and leader, Boromir ultimately fell to the temptation of the ring and tried to take it from Frodo. Despite that, he made up for it by sacrificing his life to rescue the rest of the Fellowship from the orcs, and acknowledged Aragorn as his kinsman and king.
  • Faramir: Younger son of Denethor and leader of Gondor's rangers. Faramir, while a skilled warrior, had no love of war and preferred to study ansought council with Gandalf. Denethor disliked Faramir and even told him he would've preferred Faramir to die and Boromir to live. Despite the toxic family environment, Faramir became a worthy steward and passed the rule of Gondor to Aragorn.
  • Prince Imrahil: Prince of Dol Amroth, who aided in the defense of Minas Tirith and accompanied the Host of the West against the Black Gate.
• Arnorians: The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
  • Chieftains of the Dúnedain:
  • Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar): Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen.
• Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar: Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since.

Men of Middle Earth

Men not related to the Númenóreans also play significant roles in the world.

• Northmen/Men of the North

Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.

• • Rohan
    • Théoden: King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defence against Isenguard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader.
    • Théodred: Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
    • Eomer: Nephew of Theoden and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
    • Eowen: Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war.
    • Grima Wormtongue: Adviser to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) and was shot with arrows for his troubles.
  • Dale
    • Bard the Bowman: First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
    • Master of Lake-Town: an unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
• The Wildmen of Dunland: Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
• Beornings and Woodsmen: named after their progenitor Beorn, a large wild man who could transform into a bear, an ability his descedants would share. They lived primarily in the lands between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood. While not overly friendly to outsiders, they were willing to aid the Free Peoples in the fight against Sauron and his minions. They are likely distant relatives of the Rohirrim. The Woodsmen were Edainic men who lived in Mirkwood and were allies of Thranduil and the Beornings. Afterthe War of the Ring with Dol Guldur destroyed, the Beornings and Woodsmen reclaimed central Mirkwood for themselves.
• Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. Despte their reclusiveness, the Druedain had been allies of the Edain and their descedants as far back as the First Age, so they appear periodically among the free peoples. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army. Somewhat like a smaller version of a Sasquatch, or more size-accurate, the Orang-Pendak of Vietnam.
• Men of the East: commonly referred to as “Easterlings” and come from the vast lands East of the Sea of Rhun.
  • Rhun: men from the vast and uncharted lands of the East. Rhun is made up of many kingdoms and tribes, most of which are under Sauron’s dominion. However, it should be noted that one of the missions of the Blue Wizards was to raise a resistance in the lands of the East and South; we don’t see them in the stories because they likely were too busy fighting in their homelands.
• Men of the South: collectively referred to as “Southrons” and live south of Gondor and Mordor.
  • Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad: tribesmen of the deserts and jungles of Harad. Like the Easterlings they lived under the sway of Sauron, but earlier in their history they also suffered under the dominion of the King’s Men of Numenor (who became the Black Numenoreans and Corsairs of Umbar); this would give them a pre-existing hatred for the descendants of Numenor. Also like the Easterlings, some had allied with the Blue Wizards and refused to fight for Sauron.
  • Men of Khand/Variags of Khand of all the Men under Mordor’s rule we know about Khand the least, other than that they were horsemen who attacked Gondor.

Elves

Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland. Elves are immortal, but suffer from weariness if they remain in Middle Earth for too long, hence why nearly all ended up living in Valinor. Elves' spirits are bound to the world as well; when they die, either they reincarnate in Aman in the Halls of Mandos, or if they reject Mandos, they become disembodied spirits that haunt the land and are vulnerable to corruption by necromancers, especially Sauron.

Vanyar

The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.

• Ingwë: The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
• Ingwion: The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
• Indis: second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

Noldor

The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.

• Finwë Ñoldóran (Finu): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
• Curufinwë Fëanáro (Fëanor): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead and swore vengeance, which doomed all Noldor who went back with him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth.
• Nelyafinwë Maitimo (Maedhros): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, which was not approved by his younger brothers. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
• Ñolofinwë Aracáno (Fingolfin): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, taunting him, dueling him for hours on end and wounding the Bad Guy seven times before finally falling. What a Chad.
• Arafinwë Ingoldo (Finarfin): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
• Kanafinwë Makalaurë (Maglor): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
• Telperinquar Kurufinwion (Celebrimbor): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
• Findekáno Ñolofinwion (Fingon): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
• Turukáno Ñolofinwion (Turgon): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
• Artafindë Ingoldo (Finrod): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
• Artaresto Angarátowion (Orodreth): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and foght him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
• Artanis Nerwen (Galadriel): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor for being a creep, and in an insult to him she gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time. Galadriel is arguably the most powerful magic user in Middle Earth by the Third Age (she literally destroys Dol Guldur with a wave of her hand), being one of few elves still alive who came from Valinor and learned magic directly from Melian; however, the two parted ways when Melian learned of the Noldor’s role in the Kinslaying, and Galadriel was unable to return to the Undying Lands until she was finally pardoned after the War of the Ring. Galadriel earned her pardon after resisting the One Ring when Frodo offered it to her; as her original failing was her joining Feanor's rebellion to satisfy her desire to rule her own kingdom, and instead accepting that the Elves’ time in Middle Earth was over.
• Artanáro Artarestowion (Gil-galad): The son of Finrod Fingon Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.
• Earendil the Mariner: The son of Tuor and his wife Idril, father of Elrond and Elros by his wife Elwing. Earendil was a half-elf who lived in the final days of the First Age; after his homeland of Gondolin was destroyed and his people scattered across Beleriand, his own family was nearly destroyed because his wife was in possession of one of the Silmarils and the sons of Feanor wanted it by any means. Earendil and Elwing were forced to flee, eventually sailing to Valinor to beg the Valar to intervene on behalf of elves and men. Earendil and his wife never returned to Middle Earth, but Earendil’s ship was blessed and made to fly, carrying the Silmaril on its prow and became the morning star. Earendil fought in the last battle of the War of Wrath, killing Ancalagon, the greatest of Morgoth’s dragons. As half eleven, Earendil and Elwing were given the choice of the fate of men, or the fate of elves. Earendil would’ve preferred to live as a mortal man, but chose the fate of elves with his wife.
• Elrond Half-Elven: son of Earendil, and head of the House of Elrond. He was born toward the end of the First Age, having been witness to the final atrocities that sank Beleriend beneath the sea. While his brother Elros chose the fate of men and became King of Numenor, Elros chose the fate of Elves and remained in Middle Earth, serving as herald and loremaster for Gil-Galad. After Gil-Galad's death in the War of the Last Alliance, Elrond took the Noldor elves that remained to Imladris, where they lived in peace and he served as an advisor to the other free peoples.

Teleri

The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman.

• Olwë
• Eärwen

Sindar

Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.

• Elu Thingol (Elwë Singollo): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
• Eöl Moredhel (the Dark Elf): Easily mistaken for an Avarin Elf of Teleri descent, but is in fact described as a Sinda and Thingol’s kinsman. Eöl was a master craftsman but also one mean SOB. His tribute to Thingol was the cursed black sword Anglachel (later reforged as Gurthang), which always brought misfortune to its owner and was a big part of Turin’s fall. Eöl also kidnapped and forcefully married Turgon’s sister Aredhel when she wandered into his woods, giving him a son named Maeglin. When Maeglin and his mother fled to Gondolin, Eöl followed them there and demanded the king to return his wife and son. After Trugon denying his demand, Eöl tried to kill Maeglin; however he ended up killing Aredhel after she stood in the way. For the murder of the king's sister, Eöl was judged and thrown off the city's walls.
• Lúthien Tinúviel: Thingol's daughter. Part of a power couple with Beren. Aragorn's ancestor.
• Elwing the White: Granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien, wife of Eärendil, and mother of Elrond and Elros. Elwing inherited the Silmaril from her father Dior, but was forced to flee Doriath when it was destroyed. In the Moths of Sirion the dwealt and married Eärendil. She and her husband both fled Middle Earth entirely when the Sons of Fëanor later came looking for the Silmarils; as her husband had already left by ship to beg the Valar for aid, she jumped into the sea and was transformed into a swan, flying across the sea with the Silmaril to join her husband. Upon arrival in Aman, Elwing convinced her kinsmen, the Falmari, to aid the Hosts of Valinor in freeing Middle Earth (though they still didn’t participate in the war as they still hadn’t forgiven the Noldor for their part in the kinslaying). After the war, she and Eärendil were given the choice of the gift of elves or the gift of men; Elwing chose the gift of elves in honour of her grandmother.
• Círdan Ciryatan (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a beard) and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
• Mablung
• Beleg Cúthalion: Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
• Celeborn
• Thranduil: Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
• Legolas: Son of Thranduil and prince of the Woodland Realm. Legolas was sent as a representative for the Council of Elrond, eventually becoming one of the Fellowship of the Ring. Legolas became close friends with Gimli the dwarf - ironic since both their fathers had bitter enmity due to the events of the Hobbit - with both eventually leaving together for the Undying Lands after the death of Aragorn.

Nandor

Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the Silvan Elves, aka Wood Elves, who came under the rule of their Sindar kin.

• Haldir
• Nimrodel

Avari

Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

Dwarves

The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.

Dwarves of the First Age

• Durin (the Deathless): The eldest of the seven Fathers of the Dwarves. He's founder of the royal House of Durin and is the ruler of the Longbeards. He awoke in Mount Gundabad and travelled southwards, along the Misty Mountains, until he saw a starry crown reflected on a pool upon his head. There he'd founded Khazad-dûm, greatest of the Dwarf mansions, and which would later be known as Moria. He lived for more than two-and-a-half thousand years, hence the title "The Deathless", until the ending years of the 1st Age. Yet even after his death, it's believed that Durin returns from the Halls and incarnates as a new King Durin (presumptively thanks to massive favouritism from Aulë). In later unpublished works, Tolkien may have retconned this instead to where Durin doesn't reincarnate so much as his body regenerates and returns to the world of the living anytime that Durin's Folk is without an heir. Thus Durin restarts the royal line, and that the other Dwarf Fathers have this ability as well.
• Telchar: One of the most famous Dwarf smiths of all, whose craftsmanship could only be matched by Fëanor or equalled by very few on Middle Earth. He's the creator of Narsil, of the knife Angrist which Beren used, and of the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin.

Petty-Dwarves

The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behaviour. They were hunted down like animals in their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.

• Mîm's Family: Mîm was the last petty-dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of the exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

Dwarves of the Second Age

• Narvi

Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages

Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and presumably had been given the immortality of an Elf.

• Gimli son Gloin: Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin.
• Thrór: Ruler of Erebor before it was taken by Smaug. After the great exodus of the dwarves, Thror attempted to retake Moria. Thror was killed by Azog, but was avenged by his grandson Thorin.
• Thrain II: Son of Thror. Thrain was imprisoned by the Necromancer of Dol Guldur, later revealed to be Sauron, and had his Ring of Power stolen. He was discovered by Gandalf, and Thrain gave Gandalf the map and key to Erebor, dying shortly after.
• Thorin II (Oakenshield): Heir of Erebor and leader of the dwarves in exile. Thorin leads the quest for Erebor, eventually succeeding in retaking the kingdom from Smaug. However, he succumbs to dragon-sickness and very nearly goes to war with the Elves, but recovers from his madness long enough to join the battle against the Orcs outside the city gates. Thorin dies in battle.
• Companions of Thorin Oakenshield:
  • Gloin:
  • Balin son of Fundin:cousin to Thorin and Dain. Balin served as Thorin's advisor during the Quest for Erebor, and later attempted to retake Moria with a small expeditionary force of Dwarves. Balin's fate was unknown until the Fellowship passed through Moria and discovered his dead body. According to Gloin, he was convinced by "whispers" to retake Moria despite the obvious dangers; its speculated that Sauron or his agents may have been involved as Erebor remained a target of interest after it was retaken."
  • Fili and Kili:
• Dáin II (Ironfoot): Ruler of the Iron Hills; after the death of Thorin Oakenshield, he inherited rule of Erebor.
• Thorin III (Stonehelm):
• Durin VI: Famously known for having awakened up the Balrog that laid beep in Moria. Said Balrog slew many-a Dwarves and even Durin was killed. And so the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm were forced out and went on a great exodus.
• Durin VII (The Last): The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves peacefully died out some time after his death.

Hobbits

Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See Hobbits for more details.

Valar, Maiar, and anything in between

See Ainur.

Orcs

Orcs/Goblins: See Orcs.

Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs: A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear.

Snaga: The Black Speech word for Slave or Servant. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for Sauron because they are being forced to.

Snufflers: A race of small, darkfurred orcs with big nostrils who were used like humanoid hunting hounds by their larger cousins.

Uruks: A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. Uruk is the Black Speech word for Orc, which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of Snaga within Orc society.

• Black Uruks: Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
  • Uruk-Hai: Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, Uruk is Black Speech for Orc, while Hai is the suffix for "Folk"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it? In-universe, all other Orcs hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.

Other Creatures

Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age.

Vampires: Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire; Thuringwethil; was a servant of Sauron.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, a not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description.

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

• Half-trolls: A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead Salamander-like giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues.
• Frost Trolls: A large, shaggy breed of troll native to the far north.
• Etten/Two Headed Trolls: Exactly what it says. Lived in the Ettenmoors.

Mewlips: Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travellers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead. Could also be some sort of subspecies of Orc which overcame their dislike of water to become something akin to Koalinths.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Dragons: The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, was an especially sadistic dragon who cursed Turin into marrying his own sister for sick kicks (before eventually meeting his end on Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang). Smaug is the best known dragon in the legendarium.

• Cold-drakes: Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of Forodwaith in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the Withered Heath.
• Sea-serpents: Also known as Fish-dragons, little is known about this particular breed of dragons except what they were called by, and that Morgoth had also created them. It can be devised that they were either intended to fight Cirdan and the Elven ships in Beleriand; to battle the Host of the West, which would have to cross the ocean; to contest with Ulmo, just as the winged-dragons contested with Manwë and his eagles; or even a combination of these possibilities.
• Shock-Dragon: Drakes with bioluminescent eyes.

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale.

• Glow-Worms: Giant bioluminescent worms.

Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth: Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram Grond during the Siege of Minas Tirith.

Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith: The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

Giants: Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.

Ogres: In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls.

Badger-Folk: Upright walking sapient badgers.

Lintips: Small, mousey-smelling creatures from the Moon which rode down to Middle-Earth on moonbeam.

Turtle-Fish: Giant Snapping Turtle sea monsters. Pretended to be islands before sinking when prey got off their boats and explored their shell, before consuming the drowning sailors.

Undead: exist in various forms and are specific in how they come about. The most iconic are the Nazgul, or ring-wraiths. Wraiths are a special class of undead that are apparently created and controlled by Sauron when he enslaves a mortal being to his will, principally through the life-extending rings of power. Magic is used to bind the wraith's invisible flesh to their spirit, and it is only with special magic weapons that they can be killed (or the One Ring is destroyed). Next are ghosts, as seen with the Oathbreakers. Because they have no physical presence, ghosts cannot actually interact with the mortal realm. Normally, human spirits leave Arda altogether upon death, but the Oathbreakers are a special case because of the nature of their curse. Illuvatar doesn't allow their spirits to leave Arda until their oaths are fulfilled. Lastly, you have the Barrow-Wights, which are described as dead bodies inhabited by evil spirits; its suggested that these evil spirits are the souls of dead elves (who didn't go to the Halls of Mandos) that were captured by Sauron and enslaved to his will.

Languages

Being a linguistics professor, languages were a huge deal to Tolkien and play a major role in the setting.

• Quenya - the older Elvish language and primarily spoken by the elves who reached the Undying lands. In Middle Earth, its mainly used as a ceremonial language by both elves and the men of Gondor.
• Sindarin - the other Elvish language; because the Sindar were the dominant group of Elves in Middle Earth and due to the misdeeds of the Sons of Fëanor, Quenya was forbidden from being spoken in the Sindar kingdom of Doriath, thus causing Sindarin to become the most commonly spoken language by Elves in the First Age. It would retain its dominance in the later ages of Middle Earth, and is a commonly spoken language among educated Men. As such, it's the most complete language in the Lord of the Rings.
• Westron - aka the "Common Tongue." This language is rendered as English in the books, but some original Westron words appear in the books. Westron is a descendant of Adunaic, with elvish influences. Westron is the dominant language of the Men of the West, and is used by Hobbits and Dwarves.
• Rohirric - the language of the men of Rohan. Rohirric is rendered as Old English to show the relationship between the men of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Hobbits picked up a few Rohirric words during their migration from Rhovanian to the Shire.
• Dalish - The language of the men of Dale; because the Dalish a very distantly related to the men of Gondor, Dalish is rendered as Old Norse.
• Adunaic- The language of the men of Númenor, and derived from the dialects of the Edain. After Númenor became split between the King's Men and Faithful, the King's Men used Adunaic exclusively as they hated all things Elvish.
• Khuzdul - The language of the Dwarves. Dwarves do not speak Khuzdul in everyday conversation and don't normally teach it to outsiders and indeed the Petty-dwarves sharing their Khuzdul names openly was part of the reason the little shits were exiled. It is very distinct in sound from both Elvish and Mannish languages.
• Entish - the language of the Ents. Notable for being very slow to speak, because the Ents believe that anything worth saying takes a long time to say. It presumably sounds like random tree creaking and rustling.
• Black Speech - Sauron's invented language. Derived from the elvish languages, though made deliberately to sound harsh by removing any pleasant phonetics, such as the letter "e," because it forces the speaker to smile. Used somewhat by Orcs, who mostly prefer to use some vulgar form of pre-existing languages, although they frequently bastardized in loan-words from Black Speech into the resultant mess of a language that was typically called Orkish. Pure Black Speech was typically only spoken by Black Númenóreans directly serving Sauron (such as the Mouth of Sauron), the Nazgûl, and whatever Shadow Cultists existed among the Wicked Men and subjugated peoples.