Lands

This section considers the major realms and regions of of Arda.

Middle-earth[]

The great central continent of Ambar, setting of the great tales of Elves, Men, Dwarves, and Hobbits.

Westlands[]

The westernmost regions of Middle-earth, shaped by ancient Elvish history and the remnants of sunken realms.

Beleriand[]

The legendary realm of the Elves in the First Age, which was largely drowned in the great sea after the devastating wars against Morgoth. Only a few areas such as Lindon and the Blue Mountains remained.

Blue Mountains (Ered Luin): The ancient border range between Beleriand and Eriador, which became coastline after Beleriand's drowning. Home to Dwarven clans and some Elves.

Lindon: The last remaining fragment of Beleriand west of the Blue Mountains. From here many Elves sailed to Aman, and Círdan the Shipwright ruled in the Grey Havens.

Eriador[]

The vast lands between the Blue Mountains and the Misty Mountains, once center of the Elven-smiths and later of the North-kingdom of Arnor. After Arnor's fall, a sparsely populated but strategically important region.

Angmar: The dark Witch-realm in the high north of Eriador, founded by the Witch-king of Angmar. This kingdom destroyed the successor states of Arnor and spread terror for centuries.

Arnor: The North-kingdom of the Dúnedain, founded by Elendil the Tall after Númenor's fall. After the death of the tenth king, divided into three successor realms: Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur.
- Arthedain: The northwesternmost and longest-lasting of Arnor's three successor kingdoms. Here lay Fornost, the last capital of the North-kingdom, as well as the Shire and Bree.
  - Bree-land: A small region around the village of Bree, where Men and Hobbits lived peacefully together. Important crossroads junction of the old King's Roads.
  - The Shire: The fertile homeland of the Hobbits, a peaceful corner of earth with rolling hills and well-ordered villages. Long spared from the great events of Middle-earth.
- Cardolan: The southern successor kingdom of Arnor between the rivers Baranduin and Gwathló. After devastating wars and the Great Plague, largely depopulated and turned to wilderness.
  - Minhiriath: The "lands between the rivers," once densely forested, then turned to barren wasteland through deforestation. Barely inhabited in the Third Age.
  - Eryn Vorn: A last remaining forest remnant on the coast of Minhiriath. The name means "Dark Wood."
- Rhudaur: The easternmost and most mountainous successor kingdom of Arnor, between the Misty Mountains and the Ettenmoors. Early fallen under Angmar's influence and the first of the three kingdoms to fall.
  - Rivendell: The hidden Elven valley under Elrond Half-elven's rule, a place of knowledge and refuge. Here the Council was held that decided the fate of the One Ring.
  - Trollshaws: A wild woodland area east of Rivendell, haunted by Trolls and other dangers. Here still stood the ruins of old arnorian fortresses.
- Enedhwaith: The "middle lands" between Greyflood and Isen, thinly populated and mostly wilderness. Transit land between Eriador and the south kingdom.
  - Dunland: The hill country west of the Misty Mountains, home of the Dunlendings. This people saw themselves displaced by the Rohirrim and often stood in conflict with Rohan.
  - Eregion (W."Hollin"): The realm of the Elven-smiths in the Second Age, where the Rings of Power were forged. Destroyed by Sauron when his deception was revealed; in the Third Age merely a ruined wilderness.

Forodwaith[]

The icy wastelands in the Far North]] of Middle-earth, barely explored and nearly uninhabitable. Here once lay Morgoth's fortresses.

Forochel: The icy bay and land of the Lossoth, an arctic people in the high north. Here the last King of Arthedain met his death in the ice fields.

Gondor[]

The mighty South-kingdom of the Dúnedain, founded by the sons of Elendil. Despite internal strife and external threats, it remained the strongest realm of Men in Middle-earth during the Third Age.

Andrast: The wild, rocky cape between the mouths of Isen and Lefnui. Barely settled and never fully controlled by Gondor.
Harondor: The contested borderland between Gondor and Harad south of the Poros. Long a bone of contention and frequent scene of border wars.

Mordor[]

The Black Land, Sauron's realm behind the protecting mountain chains of Ered Lithui and Ephel Dúath. Here he forged the One Ring and gathered his armies for the conquest of Middle-earth.

Rhovanion[]

The "Wilderland" east of the Misty Mountains, a vast land of forests, rivers, and plains. Home to Northmen, Wood-elves, Dwarves, and for a long time also the ancestors of the Hobbits.

Grey Mountains (S."Ered Mithrin"): The mountain range in the high north of Rhovanion, temporarily settled by Dwarves. Later infested by Dragons and abandoned.
Misty Mountains: The massive mountain range running through Middle-earth from north to south, full of dangerous passes and ancient Dwarf-cities. Home to Orcs, Trolls, and other dark creatures.
- Gundabad: The northernmost great peak of the Misty Mountains, revered as holy by Dwarves. In the Third Age it became an Orc stronghold.
- Goblin Gate: One of the dangerous passes in the high mountains, from the Misty Mountains to Rhovanion. Entrance to the extensive Orc-caves.
- Isengard (S."Angrenost"): The ring-shaped fortress at the southern end of the Misty Mountains, built by Gondor. In the Third Age, seat of Saruman, who here planned his betrayal of the Free Peoples.
- Moria (Kh."Khazad-dûm"): The greatest and most magnificent Dwarf-city of all time, deep-delved into the mountain. After awakening the Balrog, it became a city of death, shunned by all.
Withered Heath: The desolate area at the eastern end of the Grey Mountains, where Dragons nested and laid their eggs. A place most travelers avoided.
Realm of the Bardings: The kingdom of the Lake-town people after Smaug's fall, united under Bard Bowman and his descendants. Encompassed Dale and the regions around the Lonely Mountain.
Erebor (S. "The Lonely Mountain"): once the richest Dwarf-mansion under Thrór, then conquered by Smaug. After the Dragon's death, rebuilt and resettled.
Esgaroth (N."Lake-town"): The trading city of Men built on stilts in the Long Lake. Important junction between Dwarves, Elves, and the southern realms.
Mirkwood: The huge, gloomy forest, once called Greenwood, which was corrupted through Sauron's influence. Home to dangerous spiders, Orcs, and other creatures.
Realm of the Necromancer: The southern Mirkwood under the shadow of Dol Guldur, where Sauron secretly rebuilt his power under the name "Necromancer." The darkest region of the forest.
Dol Guldur: The "hill of dark sorcery" in southern Mirkwood, Sauron's secret lair. From here he spread fear and darkness over the former Greenwood.
Woodland Realm: The realm of the Wood-elves under Thranduil in northern Mirkwood. Located in underground halls, they long resisted the shadow from the south.

Drúwaith Iaur[]

The "Old Drû-wilderness," an inhospitable hill country southwest of Rohan. Refuge of the shy Drúedain, an ancient race of Men.

Uvanwaith (The Noman-lands)[]

The desolate, devastated areas northwest of Mordor, scenes of ancient battles. Barely inhabited, full of marshes and corrupted land.

Brown Lands: The dried-out, treeless plains east of Emyn Muil, once fertile gardens of the Ent-wives. Devastated in war and turned to desert.
Dagorlad: The great plain before the Black Gate, scene of mighty battles against Sauron. The ground still strewn with remnants of combat.
Dead Marshes: The eerie marshes northwest of Mordor, where the fallen of the Last Alliance lay in treacherous waters. Will-o'-the-wisps and corpse-faces lurked for the lost.
Emyn Muil: The labyrinth of jagged rocks and hills between Nen Hithoel and the Dead Marshes. A confusing, difficult-to-traverse area.
Nindalf (S."Wetwang"): The extensive marshland around the mouth of the Entwash, where the Anduin divided into countless arms. Full of birds, but dangerous to cross.

Wild Lands East and South[]

The largely unknown and unexplored regions beyond the borders of the Westlands, of which only few legends told.

See:

Outside the Westlands...

Far North[]

The icy, inhospitable regions in the extreme north of the world, largely unexplored.

Northern Waste: The endless ice deserts and tudras of the high north, largely uninhabited and hostile to life.
Northern Peninsula: A landmass in the northeast, of which hardly anything was known. Possibly covered by Dark and Slumbering Woods. Here once lay Utumno, Morgoth's first fortress.

Khand[]

The lands east of Mordor and south of Rhûn, home of the warlike Variags. Allied with Sauron and regularly involved in raids on Gondor.

Rhûn[]

The vast lands of the east of Middle-earth, beyond the river Carnen and the Inland Sea. Home to various eastern peoples, often allied with Sauron.

Lesser Rhûn: The region around the shrunk Inland Sea, remnants of the once much larger Helcar. Inhabited by various eastern peoples.
Dorwinion: The "land of wines" or "land of maidens", on the northwestern shore of the Inland Sea, famous for its vineyards. One of the more civilized regions between Wilderland and Rhûn.
Iron Hills: The ore-rich mountains east of the Lonely Mountain, inhabited by Dwarves. After Erebor's fall, the most important Dwarf-city of the region.
Rhûnaer: The vast "Inland Sea" in the east, around which various peoples lived. Possibly a remnant of the ancient, much larger inland sea Helcar.
Rhûn the Great: The enormous eastern expanses beyond the known lands, home to numerous peoples and cultures.
- Middle Lands: The central regions of the eastern areas, where in ancient times important events of early history took place.
  - Palisor: The vast grasslands in the central lands between Hildorien and the Far North.
    - Helcar: The great inland sea in the east, formed after the destruction of the Lamp Illuin. Later greatly shrunk through geological changes.
      - Cuiviénen: The "Waters of Awakening," the sacred waters on the shores of the Sea of Helcar, where the Elves first awoke. The birthplace of the Firstborn.
- Inner Seas: The inland seas of Middle-earth, remnants of the ancient lakes that formed after the destruction of the Lamps. Of these, in the Third Age mainly the Sea of Rhûn still existed.
  - Bay of Ormal: The sea bay where once stood the Lamp Ormal, before it was destroyed by Melkor. Disappeared in the First Age.
- Hildórien: The place in the middle east where the first Men awoke when the Sun first rose. Starting point of the great migrations of Men.

Uttermost East and Eastern Coast: The most distant known regions in the east, reaching to the edge of the world.
- Northeastlands
- South-eastern Regions: The lands in the southeast of the continent, of which virtually nothing is known. Possibly the home of further peoples and realms.

Harad[]

The southern continental areas, hot and partly desert-like, inhabited by numerous peoples.

Haradwaith: The extensive hot lands in the south, inhabited by numerous peoples of the Haradrim. Long under Sauron's influence and hostile to Gondor.
Near Harad: The more northern regions of Harad, which still had loose contact with Gondor.
- Umbar: The mighty harbor city on the southern coast, originally a Númenórean foundation. In the Third Age, stronghold of the Corsairs and enemies of Gondor.
Far Harad: The distant southern lands beyond the known Near Harad. From here come the most exotic peoples and creatures. From here came the feared Mûmakil-riders into battle.
- Utter South: The southernmost regions of the continent, possibly reaching to the edge of the world. Completely unexplored and known only from myths. The distant, unexplored regions in the deep south, of which only rumors and legends reached northward. Home to strange peoples and unknown realms.
  - Southern coasts
  - South of the world

Other continents[]

The great landmasses beyond Endor, separated by seas or destroyed through cataclysms.

Aman[]

The Undying Lands in the far west, beyond the Great Sea, home of the Valar and Maiar. After Númenor's fall, removed from the circles of the world and unreachable for mortals.

Tol Eressëa[]

The "Lonely Isle" in the Bay of Eldamar, dwelling place of many Elves who crossed to Aman. From here the Teleri once sailed to Valinor.

Valinor: The actual realm of the Valar, the land beyond the Pelóri Mountains. Here stood Valimar and the Two Trees, and here dwelled the Powers themselves.

Easterness and the New Lands[]

Mysterious continents or landmasses in the east, of which little was known. Possibly formed after the changing of the world.

Númenor[]

The star-shaped island in the Great Sea between Middle-earth and Aman, given to the Edain as a gift. After Ar-Pharazôn's fall, drowned in the sea when the world was made round.

Southerness or the Dark Lands[]

Another mysterious continent in the south or southeast, possibly uninhabited or settled by unknown peoples. Little regarded by the Valar and lying in eternal darkness.

Overview[]

Middle-earth:

Westlands

Wild Lands East and South:

Other continents:

Editorial Note: This entry contains speculative or fan-based material — such as fanon, fanfiction, or theory constructs — that may not be directly supported by canonical texts. Interpretations offered here are part of the NNCA’s speculative corpus and should not be mistaken for primary Tolkien sources.

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