Subject: A new perspective on Middle-earth.
Author:
Posted on: 2015-06-17 09:40:00 UTC
The truth of the matter is, Tolkien lacked one important thing from his copy of the Red Book of Westmarch: he didn't have a map. All the maps drawn later were his reconstructions from the information in the text - and what the Professor never realised is that the Red Book was not written in the lands that became Europe.
Yes, that's right: Middle-earth was North America, and Aman was the entirety of Eurasafrica. The truth of this is obvious, when you think about it: where did civilisation first arise? In the Middle-east (where we can assume the Two Trees once grew - yes, it's rather further from the coast than we're accustomed to thinking, but the Eldar would think nothing of taking a two-year trip to visit them), and in China (ie, the vicinity of Tirion and Alqualonde).
The elves obviously awoke around the Great Lakes; this matches nicely with Latter-day Saint/Mormon folklore, and indicates that Joseph Smith (who all many some know was prone to translating ancient documents) had at some point a copy of the Red Book. Men first arose somewhere east of the Orocarni (the Appalachians), and journeyed west over the Misty Mountains (the southern Rockies) and the Blue Mountains (northern Rockies and everything west of the Utah valley) to reach Beleriand (now sadly sunken into the Pacific due to the actions of the San Andreas fault).
Numenor once stood in the middle of the Pacific/Belegaer, though only the central mountain and some scattered islands now remain (as Hawai'i). The Gondorian claim that after the world was made round they found 'new lands' on the other side, and sailed all the way round, is patently false: they had only nine Numenorean ships, and given the general decay of their technology, clearly didn't retain the art of shipbuilding. The Eldar simply kept quiet about the fact that Valinor was just as accessible as ever.
Japan is of course Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle: resettled by the Eldar on their return from North America. You know how DNA evidence draws a link between eastern Asia and North America? Across the Bering Straits? Yeah, that was the Noldor.
There have been some changes in the geography of Middle-earth, though not nearly as extensive as you might think if you only know Tolkien's maps. Mordor has been submerged into the combined seas of Rhun and Nurn, which have in turn joined up with the eastern ocean. Possibly at the same time, Arnor and the Shire became a desert - Utah, Nevada, and so forth. It's a sad end for the poor hobbits, but it's possibly they survived and escaped to Canada.
The Eldar have long since faded - note that the Chinese and Japanese do not have significantly longer lifespans than Native Americans (though they do retain knowledge of the healing magics they can no longer perform...), but remain in their ancient lands. And mortal men...
Well, mortal men have had it pretty bad. You see, the only logical conclusion from all of this is that Europe - the land of pale-skinned, pale-haired, pale-eyed folk - is the Halls of Mandos. We Europeans, and those of European extraction, are actually the spirits of dead elves. And we've spent the past few centuries invading every land we can get to. The race of mortal men - Native Americans - is subjugated under the hand of the incarnate spectres of the Firstborn Children of Iluvatar.
Australia is Avathar, where Ungoliant once lived and her children still do. Tolkien at one point mentioned the idea that mortal men wandered in Avathar after their deaths, so it may well be that Australian Aboriginals are similarly-incarnated former Men (ie, Native Americans). And Africa?
Well, there's only one people left to add, isn't there? Africa is clearly the home of the Maiar.
hS
