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Welcome to The Encyclopedia of ArdaThe Encyclopedia of Arda is a personal project - a tribute to and a celebration of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The site is evolving into an illustrated hypertext encyclopedia of Tolkien's realms and peoples. It already contains about four thousand entries, and we're constantly adding new entries and expanding existing ones. Inside the encyclopediaThe Encyclopedia of Arda contains thousands of articles covering topics from J.R.R. Tolkien's world, some brief, some lengthy and some containing detailed essays and discussions. You'll also find a selection of interactive tools, including a chronicle to help you explore Tolkien's fictional history, and calendar to translate dates and events, a lexicon of names, a glossary of old and rare words, and much more. Context and approachThe content of the Encyclopedia is written in the same context as Tolkien himself used; he presented himself simply as a translator, rather than originator of the tales. Hence, we try to describe his world from a 'historical' rather than a literary perspective, though sometimes it's useful to explore ideas in their wider context. Where relevant, therefore, you'll also find a few references to Tolkien's life or opinions, or to real historical or mythological parallels to events in his universe. About the name ArdaArda was the name given by the Elves to their world and all it contained, and so 'Encyclopedia of Arda' seemed a peculiarly apt title for this project. Special thanksThanks to all those who've e-mailed us over the years with their suggestions, corrections, ideas and just general support. But the real Special Thanks, though, belong to the memory of J.R.R. Tolkien for his extraordinary and unparalleled creation. For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2024. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus is a powerful, flexible DISC profile solution - find out much more in our free guide. |
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Featured EntrySeventh GateThe Last Gate of GondolinThe last of the Seven Gates of Gondolin, set at the end of the passage of the Orfalch Echor as it ran down out of the Encircling Mountains onto the concealed plain of Tumladen. It lay just a short way along the road from the Sixth Gate, the Golden Gate, and was the final step on a journey through the mountains: it was said that no traveller who passed the Seventh Gate would ever be permitted to return. The Seventh Gate was also known as the Great Gate, the Last Gate or, as it was formed from a fence of steel spikes, the Gate of Steel. The Gate's metal fence stretched from one side of the valley to the other, and at each end, where it met the valley wall, rose a seven-storey tower of steel. Across the span of the fence stood seven steel spikes rising from the ground, and the fence itself was formed from seven horizontal bars connecting these spikes, and reinforced by forty-nine vertical rods of steel, with seven of these rods between each of the larger spikes. In the centre of the Seventh Gate, above its central spike, rose an image of the royal helm of Turgon, King of Gondolin, surrounded by diamonds. |
