Subject: The Climate of Middle-earth
Author:
Posted on: 2014-01-02 15:22:00 UTC
Um.
So.
The Climate of Middle Earth (sic), by 'Radagast the Brown, Rhosgobel, nr. Carrock, Mirkwood, Middle Earth'.
Someone (well, some wizard) has created climate models for Middle-earth in the Second Age - and written a paper on it. He's even uploaded what attempt to be Cirth (Dwarvish) and Tengwar (Elvish) versions - though, sadly, they seem to be created just by changing the font, so the Tengwar version in particular doesn't make the blindest bit of sense.
Several aspects of the Middle Earth simulation are discussed, including the importance of prevailing wind direction for elvish sailing boats, the effect of heat and drought on the vegetation of Mordor, and the rain-shadow effects of the Misty Mountains.
I am sorely tempted to work on a Quenya translation of this - or at least of the Abstract. Hmm...
Sorry, getting distracted. So, apart from the fact that this is awesome (it is, right?), are there any other examples of scholarly papers which treat fictional worlds as real? Anyone? This is pretty fun.
hS