- Cities and buildings
- Fields, plains and deserts
- Forests
- Hills and mountains
- Islands and promontories
- Lands, realms and regions
- Rivers and lakes
- Seas and oceans
Take the Free mydiscprofile Personality Test to discover your core personality and your ideal job. ![]() ![]() Which personality type are you? |
Dates
Came into existence at the same time as the world of Arda
Location
Surrounding the world, or (in the alternative later usage) Middle-earth
Meaning
Probably so named because the boundary encircled the world
Other names
Equivalent in at least some sense to the Walls of the World or Walls of Night1
|
Circles of the WorldThe boundaries of the EarthA general term that seems to refer to the boundaries between the world and the Outer Void, though its usage is vague and does not seem to be completely consistent. In its earlier uses, it appears to be a completely inclusive term, describing the entirety of the world and its surrounding seas and airs, and explicitly including the Undying Lands of Aman. The region beyond the Circles is the place where Ilúvatar dwells (presumably with those of the Ainur who did not descend into Arda), and it is the fate of Men to pass out of the Circles of the World after death. After the Downfall of Númenor, the term becomes more narrow in meaning. After the Bending of the World, and the taking away of Aman, the lands of the Uttermost West are said to be no longer within the Circles of the World, though they are clearly still part of the world in some sense. After this point, it seems that the Circles of the World are simply the boundaries of the Mortal Lands of Middle-earth. Notes
See also...Bent World, Lay of Leithian, Lord of the Dark, Nether Darkness, Nothing, ‘Release from Bondage’, The Blessed, Tower of Avallónë, Two Kindreds, Valinor For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2003, 2017. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.How do your personal strengths fit in with career matching? How can you identify them? Try a free personality test from myDISCprofile. |