I see Middle-earth

[alatar]

Have you ever 'seen' a place from Middle Earth as you're walking/driving around? Now that the movies are out, we all have new images of ME available to replace those created in our heads when we first read the books (Note that PJ was pretty spot-on when it came to the scenery).

However, for me the old images still persist, and there are places around where I live that to me are Middle Earth. For example:

There's a coke plant (the material used to make steel, not the beverage) nearby that I always see as Mordor. At night the place has an eerie, menacing look with orange fires and red lights playing atop towers of black. Ever present smoke smudges the view, and the bridges/ramps jutting out of buildings at odd angles make it look more like a growth of black crabgrass than something made by men.

The place is surrounded by coal fields where (obviously) coal is stored. Machines pile it into small mountains, then remove it again as it is needed for processing. This makes the ground appear black, sharp and lifeless. Puddles of rain collected in depressions appear as sickly mirrors, as there's always some oil to add color. I always see this as Gorgoroth, especially as the air has a sharp sulfur smell, and on a good day can really get you coughing.

The hills across the river, downwind and so receiving most of the pollution, are barren of color for most of the year. These 'Brown Hills' are mostly dirt and rock with some patches of scratchy weeds that never seem to turn green.

As kids we used to play in the remains of an old deserted terra-cotta pipe mill near where we lived, and the concrete roads and structures served as Moria. Fire-blackened brick furnaces still remain, and we could see where the Dwarves made their livelihood and also marks of the Balrog's passage. The underground sewer that runs from the mill to the river (about 100 yards) gave an understanding to the meaning of "long dark road" as we made our way sans lights from one end to the other.

A private owner now lives in Lothlorien, and not wanting to trespass I can only see what is visible from the street. It's rumored that the owner (or former owner) of this estate is a botanist, and she brought and planted trees from all over on the grounds, and now the exotic trees of many colors, textures, etc give the place a wooded, elvish feel. The trees are large and so block some of the sun, adding to the mystery. In winter snow adds to the effect, as the 'whiteness' makes me think more of Galadriel.

A man-made hill of slag juts up above the treeline near a road I travel, and one day I would like to get a closer look at the top of Weathertop to see if there are any rocks there that are scored with a 'G' rune - you never know.

Anyway, anyone else so afflicted?

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Nothing so interesting as that, I am afraid. Those are some interesting examples you post, especially Gorgoroth. :)

I am reminded of the Shire a lot; British countryside will do that to you.

[Glirdan]

It is a very interesting thought, but there isn't really anything around here (Canada) that reminds me of ME, except maybe the mountains here. They kind of remind me of Caradhras. :)

[alatar]

I really hope that it's not just me being a little too geeked out about ME. Note that I've left out places that as a teenager I'd named as ME locations just because they have one attribute in common.

[Lathriel]

I am somewhat afflicted

For exampl when I see an extremely dark red sunrise It reminds me of Mordor and I call it a Mordorian sunrise. This view is however affected by the movies.

But i also have the old forest nearby. Althought it is a very small old forest since Alberta doesn't have many deciferous trees. :rolleyes:

[mark12_30]

There are beech groves nearby that sing to me of Lothlorien.

Pine ridges that remind me of Frodo's desire to check out the Pine Ridge in Rivendell.

Drumlins (that's what New Englanders call rocky outcroppings on the tops of old hills) remind me of trolls caves in the Ettenmoors.

Any beach reminds me of the Grey havens or of the older elf-havens to the south (Edhellond.)

Streams remind me of the stream near Bag End that both Bilbo and Frodo crossed as they departed (with the little wooden bridge, there are a few of those around.)

...I could go on and on...

[alatar]

...I could go on and on...

Do these places always make you think about ME, or is it when ME is on your mind (or when you're reading the books) you look at the location and think (for example) Lothlorien?

In the examples that I provided, I always think that the locations are ME. I've had the idea that I should take pictures of the same, label them, format them as a calendar and distribute them as 'Middle Earth is Here!' (I'm sure that some lawyers would have a long talk with me if I did so).

Might have trouble coming up with 12 good ones...

Anyway, wanted to add one more. At the bottom of this steep hill is a square doorway - aged, dark, of stone construction. Try as I might I cannot see where it leads, and again it is on private property so... I assume that the actual purpose of the 'room' is for some kind of storage, like a root cellar frm years past. However, to me it just inspires visions of the Paths of the Dead.

[mark12_30]

The places drive the thoughts, not the other way around. Any beech grove reminds me of Tolkien. And there's this one magnificent beech tree at the top of a hill... the roots spread all around the hilltop, and the branches are plentiful and close, and the trunk is thick. I call it the Crown Beech. I am sure Tolkien would have been pleased with it.

I often look out into our oaks in my backyard and try to decide where to put my talan.

Very cool, your stone doorway...

[Formendacil]

Well, I would say that I have beheld the Misty Mountain (ie. the Canadian Rockies) from my front yard. I know what the wide flatlands of Rohan look like (the natural flat grasslands of the prairie). I have beheld the mostly barren, but with scattered trees and shrubs and hills, and altogether unpopulated Eriador (Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, where the prairie and forest meet in a rather bumpy terrain). I feel like I have walked in the Woody End (anywhere up in the Parkland band of forest. Elk Island Nat. Park springs to mind). I have walked in the pine-forest of Dorthonion, tracking the footsteps of Barahir and his men (lodgepole pine forest, either in Cypress Hills or Waterton Nat. Park). I have gone down the River Running in a canoe (Red Deer River).

Yes, I have seen Middle-earth.

[alatar]

Thanks for the replies.

Around here we have these huge sycamore trees that I picture as examples of the 'Party Tree' - especially when they stand along. However, the areas around the same do not lend themselves feelings of the Shire.

[Snorri Swifthammer]

My aunt has a cabin up near Imperial, PA that struck me as a good vision of Woodhall. Nice old trees with some good paths between them. Clearings that my family maintained. Racoon Creek is literally down a hill from the cabin.


For exampl when I see an extremely dark red sunrise It reminds me of Mordor and I call it a Mordorian sunrise.

Is it just me or would that make a great drink name?

[Glirdan]

That would be a very interesting drink name Snorri. There's this really big forest in the back that reminds me of Mirkwood. It's dark and creepy so, you understand why hopefully.

Glirdy

[Thinlómien]

I don't know is this related to the topic, but I'll write it anyways.
My father visited France a few years ago and found a place called Lorien. He even visited a village named Rohan. There was an inn in the middle of the village called Le Cheval Blanc , which means The White Horse. Tolkien ever visited Northern France? :confused:
(The Lorien-thing was probably a coincidence, since it's Elvish, but what about Rohan? Was (the village or) the inn named after Tolkien's inventions or did Tolkien get the idea from a little village in France? The place was coincidentally named Rohan and a Tolkien-fan named his inn the White Horse?)
Well, anyways I think it's funny. :D

[alatar]

Well, anyways I think it's funny. :D

That's cool. Might be random chance, but surely there are a few Tolkienists out there who've influenced names, etc - kinda like (Pittsburgh) Steeler fans who live in LA.

[Glirdan]

I agree with alatar. Maybe all of this is just coincadential, well, for the inn anyway. But the town Rohan? I think Tolkien was inspired by that town. But that's just my opinion.

Glirdy

P.S. Notice how its just you, AragornII and myself in the thread of "If they still had Gandalf."? Wish other people would join that.

[Formendacil]

I agree with alatar. Maybe all of this is just coincadential, well, for the inn anyway. But the town Rohan? I think Tolkien was inspired by that town. But that's just my opinion.

Actually, "Rohan", like "Lorien", is a word with meaning in Tolkien's Sindarin. "Rohan" is a slightly softened (or whatever the technical term is) form of "Rochan", which means knight-land, basically. A knight is a "Rohir", as can be seen in the name "Elrohir". Tolkien MIGHT have had the town Rohan in the back of his mind somewhere when devising a name for the horsefolk, but I think that the name "Rohan" was chosen quite plainly for its meaning.

In case anyone asks, the reason that the Riders' country has a Sindarin name is that Rohan is the name given to the country in Gondor. In their own land, they call it the Riddermark (Rider-land, sorta....) and they call themselves the Eorlingas (Eorl-lings, people of Eorl).

[Glirdan]

You know, I never knew that before now, very interesting indeed.

[Thinlómien]

That's true about the name of Rohan - I didn't remember. It still - though it is elvish - might have been influenced by the little village...

[alatar]

One note that I'm in (almost) total agreement with Peter Jackson is where he states something like "we strove to get the scenery right."

Some of the places that he filmed were straight out of my head (the Shire, some general scenery like farms, woods, etc). The valley of Rivendell must have come from a someone's artwork as it was in my head too. Never pictured the 'last homely house' like PJ created it, though.

Anyway, I've not found many examples of elvish country (with the exception of Lothlorien) as it's hard to 'see' a place that otherworldy while sitting in this world.

Picturing Rohan as Tennessee and Gondor as some city by a river is much easier than seeing what Lothlorien looks like in Spring.

[Celebuial]

I used to walk to school through this cemetary every day. It had a big long road down the middle and there were trees on either side. The tops of the trees would cover the space above the road in the summer and It could get quite creepy. It always reminded me of The Road where Frodo is assailed by the Black Rider, especially when it's windy as all the dead leaves kinda blow up in the air. It looked exactly like it did in the film!

Once, when I was with my friend we saw a man standing right up on the top of this tree that had collapsed during a storm. He was moving with such ease and grace and he was 'clad all in green and brown'. We both stopped and looked at each other, certain that we'd just seen Legolas!!!

[Lathriel]

Yesterday was a very sunny day in Calgary,Alberta. Suddenly dark clouds formed, they were dark blue,purple and almost black. Some even had a orange tinge. These clouds were slowly covering the blue sky untill you could see just a tiny strip of blue sky. Needless to say this reminded me of the shadow of Mordor approaching Gondor . It was actually quite scary.

[Celebuial]

Yesterday I was on the bus on the way to college, whilst listening to the TT soud track at full blast on my Walkman, I looked out of the window. To my astonishment, I saw a white tree, but not just any white tree, it appeared to be dying. Although it was half dead it still looked so beautiful, as sunlight just started to touch the top of its low branches.

I of course exclaimed loudly that Elessar would soon replace the dead tree and that I was going to get off the bus and wait. My friend grabbed by the arm and told me that Viggo Mortenson wasn't going to walk down the street and Aragorn certainly wasn't because he didn't exist. My friend knows that I like to think of LotR as a part of history so she just burst out laughing at the sad look on my face.

When I got on the bus on the way home and looked at the tree it had lost all it's appeal and no longer looked like The White Tree, but just a withered and sorry sight.

[Bêthberry]

Well, I would say that I have beheld the Misty Mountain (ie. the Canadian Rockies) from my front yard. I know what the wide flatlands of Rohan look like (the natural flat grasslands of the prairie). I have beheld the mostly barren, but with scattered trees and shrubs and hills, and altogether unpopulated Eriador (Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, where the prairie and forest meet in a rather bumpy terrain). I feel like I have walked in the Woody End (anywhere up in the Parkland band of forest. Elk Island Nat. Park springs to mind). I have walked in the pine-forest of Dorthonion, tracking the footsteps of Barahir and his men (lodgepole pine forest, either in Cypress Hills or Waterton Nat. Park). I have gone down the River Running in a canoe (Red Deer River).

Yes, I have seen Middle-earth.

Interesting how often Alberta, Canada seems connoted with Rohan! I can't say that when I have seen these places, I believe I see Middle-earth, but rather when I read about Rohan, I think of the foothills, where mountain and grassland come together. Places like Nordig and Rocky Mountain House, or even farther south, like Frank, near Crowsnest Pass.

I have, one dank, grey November day, looked out upon a beech tree, its orange leaves dead but drooping on its limbs, and its white bark shimmering, and seen Lothlorien, a land of memory and commemoration like a moment out of time.

[Bêthberry]

Well, I wasn't atop a mountain, nor did I see a burning bush, although some of the euonymous shrubs here are a brilliant burst of screaming scarlet. I did however come face to face with Eru today.

An Emergency Rescue Unit (yes, it really is labled in large- lettered acronym, ERU) pulled around the corner without siren or lights flashing and raced into my lane. You cannot guess what imaginings I felt as I faced this music. Luckily I was able to stop in time and so the sight did not foretell my doom.

[Lalaith]

Some years ago I visited Romania and it struck me that the dictator Ceausescu had done his best to turn it into Mordor. Wherever there was a particularly beautiful valley or castle, he had stuck a hideous sprawling steel factory belching out filthy yellow smoke. I kept muttering Mordor, Mordor to myself, to the concern of my travelling companion who misheard me and thought I had turned homicidal... :eek:

[Lhunardawen]

This is posted at the door of a room in my univ's Bio building (of sorts):

NUMENOR is a COMPUTER ROOM.



It is NOT a tambayan*!

*a place for hanging out in Filipino

To think that will be my home in the univ...that's so cool! :D

[Farael]

Well, I just read the thread about "walking to Rivendel" and I had an epiphany. There is this this great forest which I once went biking to with a friend. It was not the best idea as it had just rained and the trails were very muddy.... but while biking around I got this feeling of re-tracing Frodo's journey... specially as the mosquitoes drove my friend and I away. I think next summer I will go walking rather than biking... and who knows? I might just find Rivendel lost in there!

[alatar]

A man-made hill of slag juts up above the treeline near a road I travel, and one day I would like to get a closer look at the top of Weathertop to see if there are any rocks there that are scored with a 'G' rune - you never know.


Anyway, wanted to add one more. At the bottom of this steep hill is a square doorway - aged, dark, of stone construction. Try as I might I cannot see where it leads, and again it is on private property so... I assume that the actual purpose of the 'room' is for some kind of storage, like a root cellar frm years past. However, to me it just inspires visions of the Paths of the Dead.
Both pictures were taken from my car, and so they might not be the best. Plus I didn't want to be seen, as the 'truth' if asked why I was taking the pictures might have landed me in the loony bin.

"Well, there's this online forum where all we talk about is Tolkien..."

[Formendacil]

Weathertop is sweet, Alatar, but I must quibble with your Paths of the Dead. Tolkienish they look indeed, but they conjure up an image more of the Barrow Downs... (Not these ones, the ones by Tom Bombadil's house. :p)

Thanks for sharing. Clearly, you live in a mystical neighbourhood.

[alatar]

Weathertop is sweet, Alatar, but I must quibble with your Paths of the Dead. Tolkienish they look indeed, but they conjure up an image more of the Barrow Downs... (Not these ones, the ones by Tom Bombadil's house. :p)
Actually, I would agree, as in the PotD, what I see is in this case not 'what I see.' Completely illogical, but there it is.


Clearly, you live in a mystical neighbourhood.
Maybe, but it may be all in my head, as I think that the neighbors wish I lived in some other mystical neighborhood.

Neighbor #1 to neighbor #2: "If he says, 'You shall not pass!' one more time to me..."

Edit: Note that the "Weathertop" hill is situated just above a major road, as it should be.

[Rhod the Red]

There's a sort of park in central Edinburgh alongside London Road, with trees and a path. It's hilly, with shrubs and I can't help feel like an Istari wandering through some woods in Middle-earth everytime I walk through it.

[Laitoste]

A year or so ago, I would have said, yes, I have seen Middle-Earth, and would have proceeded to give a lengthy list of places near my house that somehow reminded me of ME. Now, however, I have to say, no, I have not seen Middle-Earth. I have seen Earth. Perhaps my imaginings of ME have sharpened my interest and awareness of Earth, but, then again, the beauty of our world has shaped my imagination of that world. I cannot go out to the natural lands on campus and say I see the plains of Rohan, nor can I explore the forest behind my dorm and say I have seen the Old Forest or Lothlorien or Fangorn (although sometimes I feel like a hobbit out there ;) ). All I can say is, I have seen Minnesota, I have seen Wisconsin, I have seen the various other states I have lived in, and I have loved them. I don't want to see Middle-Earth, however much I love it. I want to see Earth.

Besides, Middle-Earth doesn't really have any lakes. On the map, and in the stories, there is one lake (Lake Evendim), two marshes (Midgewater and Dead), and two seas (Rhun and Nurnen). I would miss lakes and ponds--and ducks!

[Legolas]

I live in a small town/rural area myself. On the way to my university, I pass through another small town which reminds me of a present day Shire. There are still fields within the city limits; the houses are nothing extravagant. There are plenty of goats about. Most of the yards have at least a small garden. There are no business buildings, grocery stores, or gas stations to speak of - only a church and a post office. I've been meaning to photograph it.

[Mithalwen]

Anyway, wanted to add one more. At the bottom of this steep hill is a square doorway - aged, dark, of stone construction. Try as I might I cannot see where it leads, and again it is on private property so... I assume that the actual purpose of the 'room' is for some kind of storage, like a root cellar frm years past. However, to me it just inspires visions of the Paths of the Dead.


I think that, though I am not an expert on troll-lore ( I would redirect you to Pio) that your picture looks like a troll refuge/store room.

And Lommy, Tolkien did visit Northern France both as a tutor and a soldier.

[AragornII]

On my way to school in the morning (at 6 am :o ) sometimes I see the Barrow-downs. I have to drive along a golf course, and if it's foggy, the course looks like the Downs. There are some trees scattered around and you can't see through the fog so you can't tell what's on the other side. Also, some of the holes have hill, which look like barrows. I have a hard time not seeing an LOTr figure come walking out of the mist.

[Lalwendë]

I swear that this place, Padley Gorge, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/68744929@N00/155652817/in/photostream/) is Rivendell. We had a walk down there this morning, when I decided to pull up and see why there were cars parked at the side of the road and found this stream with waterfalls and oak groves, and huge half-carved millstones lying around in the woods. It's at one end of Longshaws (near Hathersage in Derbyshire) which I thought I knew well, but I didn't know this part existed. The pictures cannot quite capture how lovely it is.

[Texadan]

Olórë Mallë (http://people.consolidated.net/jdivy/app-trail.jpg)

[winterbaby]

All though I'm surrounded by countryside and coastal views I'm prone to think about Middle Earth quite a lot. When I go to walk TJ, our pet pooch, I tend to think like Bilbo and want to go on adventures, see mountains and all mystical creatures that go with. I would so love to find ME, but I'm already there when I pick up my books or watch my movie versions and this makes my mind visually satisfied :)

[Texadan]

All though I'm surrounded by countryside and coastal views I'm prone to think about Middle Earth quite a lot. When I go to walk TJ, our pet pooch, I tend to think like Bilbo and want to go on adventures, see mountains and all mystical creatures that go with. I would so love to find ME, but I'm already there when I pick up my books or watch my movie versions and this makes my mind visually satisfied :)


Plus it's a whole lot less trouble. ;)

[winterbaby]

Thanks Texadon :) I also wanted to add that there is this wide long road with tall trees on both sides that I take the dog for walks along, this place makes me think, especially during the Autumn time, of the road in the movie, though not so wide, when they stumble on some mushrooms and also it reminds me a little of Fangorn. I love walking down the road with the dog, it's so calming even more so when the wind takes the tree branches to create a hush sort of rusteling sound and it's much the same at night time too, though it does become a scarey place when I'm not alone.

[ArathorofBarahir]

There is a small wooded area that is located behind where I live and I see and associate it very much with the Shire. No matter what I can walk back through those woods and everything washes away and I am at peace, and comfortable.

[alatar]

For Father's Day, I received another homemade T-shirt, and was more pleased with that than a plasma screen TV. These homemade shirts, I must also note, are much better than ties, which rarely see the light of day. Anyway, this shirt, like some in the past, has the kids' (and dog's) handprints next to each child's name in bright colors on the back. My wife, who supervises the project, says that the kids really enjoy getting to cover their hands with paint and not getting in trouble for making a big gooey handprint on something.

Anyway, this shirt was a little different. My son took it upon himself to decorate the front with a hand drawn picture. How he describes it, when I asked, is that it's me there in the yellow, on a brown bridge, throwing a black sword at a dragon who flies over a lake. Not sure where he got the inspiration, as I know of no cartoon or movie that may have contained the same images. I did, however, since he was a small child, give him the short version of the Hobbit before he'd fall asleep at night...

Anyone else see Bard and Smaug?

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Appropriately, there are some nice hills around the Parbold area (where I live) that were, a while back, covered in mist and fog. My first thought? "Hmm its misty." But my second was far more interesting, "WOW! Fog on the Barrow Downs!"
I would have taken pictures but I didn't have one to hand at the time. :( But ever I will wait for the time of the misting upon the hills!

Also, there is a restaurant in the near by town of Wigan, called, "The Morgul Tandori" I wonder what kind of food you get there? Orc burgers?

[Lalwendë]

Appropriately, there are some nice hills around the Parbold area (where I live) that were, a while back, covered in mist and fog. My first thought? "Hmm its misty." But my second was far more interesting, "WOW! Fog on the Barrow Downs!"
I would have taken pictures but I didn't have one to hand at the time. :( But ever I will wait for the time of the misting upon the hills!

Also, there is a restaurant in the near by town of Wigan, called, "The Morgul Tandori" I wonder what kind of food you get there? Orc burgers?

In Wigan? Meat & Tater Pie Vindaloo, no doubt.

Just be careful not to go on Croston Moss at night when it's foggy because that's when the White Lady goes a-walking and she's an omen of doom! :eek:

[alatar]

Finally the weather is beginning to stabilize. Sure, the temperature has changed 50 degrees Fahrenheit in one day, but you take what you get, and the trend is lending to warmth and even somewhat dry (or less wet). Anyway, so this weekend I took the kids for a hike, our first one of the season, and for some reason Tolkien was on the mind.

With four small kids, it was if I were Aragorn with the four hobbits, size-wise (though I always tend to think more of myself as Gandalf). A ways into the woods a little stream fed an even smaller waterfall, yet the sound was pleasant, and I was reminded of the FotR and Nimrodel. We walked up a hill after hopping two muddy streams (no, I was not reminded of PJ's bridge scene), and after a small rest at the top (hills are mountains to little legs), we found a BMX track that some teenagers (teenagers can at times be like orcs) constructed within the wood.

They must have spent many hours making the sharp "^-shaped" mounds, and they made a circuit that my kids thought of as one big dirt obstacle course. Again, being taller, I could hop from ^-top to ^-top, and then it came to me that this is how Tom must feel, sans yellow boots. Within the circuit was a burnt trunk of a hollowed tree, and it may have been able to house one to two of my kids.

Waiting for the kids to assemble that we might begin our journey home, I looked down below where I stood into a scooped out hollow and there were four white barked trees, not together, but near each other. I couldn't decide whether they were ents or scions of Celeborn.

[Nerwen]

There's a lot of places in South-west Victoria that I think look rather Middle-earth-ish. Here's a couple.

One of these is the view from a hill near my family's house. I forget exactly where the other was taken.

[Mithalwen]

*sighs* part of my heart will belong in Victoria forever ......

The great ocean road could be part of ME's coastline surely .. and I remember being taking to Gippsland and finding it looked very "familiar".

[Nerwen]

The great ocean road could be part of ME's coastline surely.

I've always thought so– and now I've actually managed to find some seascapes that don't have me in front of them (my mother's the family photographer, and, well, she thinks a lot of me...:rolleyes:)

These places have definitely influenced the way I picture Middle-earth.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

That last photo of the coastline reminds me of a coast in Odsherrede (herred(e) being the Danish version of (The)Shire), unfortunately I did not have my camera with me when i was there last time. . . and the sky was ever so enchanting !

[Selmo]

I live close to the quiet fields and little rivers of The Shire on one side and to Mordor on the other.

My home area once had very dirty industies: coal and iron mining, iron smelting and steel making, pottery and brick manufacture. The mining and iron works have now gone and the ceramics industry uses cleaner energy for its kilns.
The desolation caused by pollution and coal waste and slag heaps is begining to green over, sometimes naturally and sometimes with the help of mankind. It will be many, many years before the clean-up is finished but I like to think of my home town as Mordor recovering after the fall of Barad Dur.
.

[Mithalwen]

I've always thought so– and now I've actually managed to find some seascapes that don't have me in front of them (my mother's the family photographer, and, well, she thinks a lot of me...:rolleyes:)

These places have definitely influenced the way I picture Middle-earth.

Langstrand on the Gondor coast I'd say - I think Lindon needs the Celtic bluish greh stone of Brittany or Cornwall ... hmm must see if I can scan some pictures in - I am still using film and besides when I was in Aus the first time there was no alternative...

[Aganzir]

When Brinniel was in Finland a couple of weeks ago, we showed her around Helsinki, and to our surprise discovered also new things about places we have known for long. The following pictures were taken by Volo in Suomenlinna, a sea fortress just off Helsinki.

The Barrow-downs (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/bd1.jpg)
The Barrow-Downs II (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/bd2.jpg)
The Dead Marshes (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/marshes.jpg)
Orc-tunnels in the Misty Mountains (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/caves1.jpg) (originally we thought them to be Moria, but then I was luckily helped to realise that they're most definitely not made by dwarves)
Orc-tunnels in the Misty Mountains II (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/caves2.jpg)

[Eönwë]

I think that "the Barrow-Downs II" could also be abandoned (movie-style) hobbit holes.

[Groin Redbeard]

Orc-tunnels in the Misty Mountains (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/caves1.jpg) (originally we thought them to be Moria, but then I was luckily helped to realise that they're most definitely not made by dwarves)

Nah, dwarves never build such feeble things.:D Seriously, these pictures are amazing!

[Bêthberry]

When Brinniel was in Finland a couple of weeks ago, we showed her around Helsinki, and to our surprise discovered also new things about places we have known for long. The following pictures were taken by Volo in Suomenlinna, a sea fortress just off Helsinki.

The Barrow-downs (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/bd1.jpg)
The Barrow-Downs II (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Aganzir/Photos/bd2.jpg)


Those pictures of barrows stir my imagination. They suggest that a hobbit hole was surprisingly and interestingly not necessarily very different from barrows. Both are holes in the ground. :eek:

[Thinlómien]

And note that these Finnish barrows are seaside barrows. If you have to spend centuries in a tomb, why not have a sea view? ;)

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The second barrow picture does have similarity with abandoned Hobbit holes! Here's a photo to compare: movie Hobbiton site in Matamata, NZ (http://photo.xanga.com/Estelyn/56094185469785/photo.html)

[Nerwen]

Indeed.

So are they barrows or hobbit-holes? Maybe we need a poll.

Very cool pictures anyway, Agan!

[Bêthberry]

And note that these Finnish barrows are seaside barrows. If you have to spend centuries in a tomb, why not have a sea view? ;)

Does that view come with visits from Ulmo?

[Ghazi]

...there are a few Tolkienists out there who've influenced names, etc - kinda like (Pittsburgh) Steeler fans who live in LA.

I'm curious about the reference to orcs, oops, Steeler fans in LA and their similarity with Tolkienists.

Cleveland Brown

[alatar]

I'm curious about the reference to orcs, oops, Steeler fans in LA and their similarity with Tolkienists.

Cleveland Brown
That's probably better handled via PM, but for the rest of the world, think that most would consider both Cleveland and Pittsburgh suburbs of Mordor (but at least we have a real football team ;)).

[Eönwë]

Well, last year I went to this place called Puzzle Wood, and it reminded of certain areas:

The Old Forest (http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/Eonwe-Kalmo/The%20old%20forest/DSC00037.jpg)
The Old Forest 2 (http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/Eonwe-Kalmo/The%20old%20forest/DSC00038.jpg)
The Old Forest 3 (http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/Eonwe-Kalmo/The%20old%20forest/DSC00034.jpg)

Mirkwood (http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/Eonwe-Kalmo/Mirkwood/DSC00028.jpg)

[The Might]

Ok, so when I read The Hobbit the first time in Romanian I was still living in Romania in my home town of Brasov. Perhaps some of you know of it, it is after all one of the most important cities of the country. Anyways, close to the city (about 40 km) there is a wonderful mountainous region called Piatra Craiului (King's Stone) and immediately after I visited it I not only fell in love with the region, but also imagined that is how the Misty Mountains might look like.
To give you an idea of what I am talking about, here are pictures of the area on the site of the region: http://www.pcrai.ro/engleza/fotografii.html

Actually, now that I took a good look at some of those pics, I've become quite melancholic and I miss seeing them in the distance. Anyway, if you ever happen to pass by (you can also find route info on that site), do make sure to check that out!

[Rumil]

Hi all,

Might, those are beautiful photos of the Romanian Misty Mountains!

Here's my local Barrow (near where I grew up not where I live now). Though it does have a bit of 'abandoned Hobbit hole' about it too,

http://www.jharding.demon.co.uk/index.htm#http://www.jharding.demon.co.uk/tinkwood.htm

[Feanathiel]

I live in a small town/rural area myself. On the way to my university, I pass through another small town which reminds me of a present day Shire. There are still fields within the city limits; the houses are nothing extravagant. There are plenty of goats about. Most of the yards have at least a small garden. There are no business buildings, grocery stores, or gas stations to speak of - only a church and a post office. I've been meaning to photograph it.


reminds me a little of a town near my university. every time I drive around it all I can see is the Shire. I've actually been so compelled as to pull over and just walk through some fields simply for the joy of it :)

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

There is a lake next to my neighborhood and it has Middle-earthian qualities in the park. My little brother walked around it with backpacks and walking sticks barefooted last summer, we go some strange looks, we also quoted half of FotR...:o

Some of it looks like the Old Forest, other parts of it look rather like Lorien and some of it is very Shire-like. Plus it has one of the colleges in Anchorage right next to it, so it is kind of Long Lakeish, and the Chugach mountains in the distance, which sometimes can look very much like the Misty Mountains in the winter when there is snow.

Alaska can be very Middle-earthish sometimes...

[Morthoron]

Well, I live in Michigan. I know what you're saying: "Morth, what does Michigan have to do with Middle-earth (save for Detroit being the quintessential real-world epitome of Angband)?"

Actually, if you divorce yourself from the Mordor-like industrial mega-complex of southeast Michigan, the rest of the state is quite pastoral. For the geographically disinclined, the state of Michigan is broken up into two penninsulas, both surrounded by the Great Lakes (which would be freshwater 'seas' anywhere else in the world). If one goes to the Upper Penninsula, there is a bit of Middle-earth in a place called Tahquamenon (mentioned in Longfellow's epic poem 'Hiawatha'), and more specifically the Falls...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tahquamenon_Falls1.JPG

The water of the falls is stained brown from the amount of tannin from oak leaves (so it is rather like tea). The falls froths white at the bottom, so one gets the visual effect of the gods pouring root beer. It puts me in mind of the Baranduin (or Brandywine) River, which I'd always assumed was like in coloration (Baranduin was Sindarin for "golden-brown river").

In winter:
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/tahqua/falls4a.gif

The 'Brandywine' color:
http://www.superiorsights.com/picturegalleries/tahquamenonfalls/images/21010023.jpg

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

This sounds like Copper Falls in northern Wisconsin (where the water is that reddish brown from the iron in it). www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/copper.shtml I suspect they may be part of the same larger geological system. It's been a LONG time since I visited the falls, but that part of the state and its forests always made me think of "This is the forest primeval." One could almost imagine an Ent or three among the trees and streams.

I live considerably farther south in Wisconsin, near the farms and rolling hills (and pastures and cheesemakers, of course :D), which have made me think of the Shire since I first read LotR some... oh, 44 years ago. But no pictures, alas. Perhaps I should take a few en route to my birthday vacation this weekend. :)

[skip spence]

Recently I walked parts of the Camino de Santiago, and old Pilgrim route in Northern Spain. We started in St. Jean Pied De Port in France and often I felt I was trotting along in Middle Earth.

(Sorry if the images are a bit large)

Rivendell (St. Jean Pied De Port):
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1563.jpg

Rohan (Crossing the Pyrenees):
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1602.jpg

The Barrow-Downs (Crossing the Pyrenees):
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1607.jpg

[skip spence]

The Old Forest (Crossing the Pyrenees):

The Hobbit similarity is purely incidental. That's a fully grown man with a poncho and a backpack.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1621.jpg

Minas Tirith (12th century monastery in Estella):
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1721.jpg

The Road Goes Ever On (that's me with the straw hat):
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1784.jpg

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Veery nice pictures, skip! Although here shows, as always, the difference in imagination among different people, because I wouldn't label the pics like you did, although I'd definitely label them as from Middle-Earth. But: #1 - not Rivendell, but obvious Buckland; #2 - Barrow-Downs, #3 - Hollin (or these barren lands north of it), #4 - some forest near Mitheithel, simply the scene from The Hobbit just before meeting the trolls.

But once again: fabulous!

[skip spence]

Veery nice pictures, skip! Although here shows, as always, the difference in imagination among different people, because I wouldn't label the pics like you did, although I'd definitely label them as from Middle-Earth. But: #1 - not Rivendell, but obvious Buckland; #2 - Barrow-Downs, #3 - Hollin (or these barren lands north of it), #4 - some forest near Mitheithel, simply the scene from The Hobbit just before meeting the trolls.

But once again: fabulous!

Thanks, Legate. When I was in St. Jean Pied de Port I didn't think of ME at all but looking at that picture the first thing that popped up in my head was Rivendell. Of course, Tolkien never described Elrond's abode in any detail neither architechturally or geografically but this is much like my mental image of the place. Buckland? Nah!;)

Anyway, here's another picture from another recent holiday. Obviously the description isn't dead on here either but I certainly think it's Middle Earth-ish enough.

View of the Grey Havens: (Edit: I forgot to mention, this is a pic from the island Senya in the north of Norway)
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1419.jpg

[Andsigil]

Well, I live in Michigan. I know what you're saying: "Morth, what does Michigan have to do with Middle-earth (save for Detroit being the quintessential real-world epitome of Angband)?"

Actually, if you divorce yourself from the Mordor-like industrial mega-complex of southeast Michigan,

Hence the location in my sidebar profile... ;)

Actually, I was going to post something about the industrial areas around here. On a foggy night, the Rouge Steel complex in Dearborn looks exactly as I would imagine Utumno or Gorgoroth. It also reminds me of Saruman's Isengard as he girded for war against Rohan.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2674816404_4ca10d20de.jpg?v=0

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Thanks, Legate. When I was in St. Jean Pied de Port I didn't think of ME at all but looking at that picture the first thing that popped up in my head was Rivendell. Of course, Tolkien never described Elrond's abode in any detail neither architechturally or geografically but this is much like my mental image of the place. Buckland? Nah!;)

Anyway, here's another picture from another recent holiday. Obviously the description isn't dead on here either but I certainly think it's Middle Earth-ish enough.

View of the Gray Havens:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/skip_spence/DSCN1419.jpg

I like Legate would have placed the labels differently, but this one I think you have spot on.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Actually, I was going to post something about the industrial areas around here. On a foggy night, the Rouge Steel complex in Dearborn looks exactly as I would imagine Utumno or Gorgoroth. It also reminds me of Saruman's Isengard as he girded for war against Rohan.

Yes, that is sooo Isengard. Especially, at first glance, the two... whatever... columns... on the right, I thought them to look exactly like Orthanc. On second sight, of course, not, but still, had their division into two (as it is shown on the picture) been somewhere further up, it might look indeed like Orthanc.

And skip, with this one I must agree, too - this is so Grey Havens! Or, maybe eventually some port in the Bay of Belfalas, especially while there were still Elven ships flowing from there.

[Groin Redbeard]

Wonderful pictures Skip, truly amazing. :) That last picture looks very much like I imagined the port city of Pelegir, with the Anduin river curving northward.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I swear I saw the Shadow of Mordor coming over my school building a couple days ago! Coming over the highway, I knew highways were evil...

[Lalwendë]

The Emley Moor transmitter, AKA Orthanc:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/garyjs/1149353003/

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

The Emley Moor transmitter, AKA Orthanc:
Wow, definitely - so BIG, compared to the houses below, that it's almost scary... (Well, why almost... it IS scary.)

I have one Orthanc pretty close to where I live, it is smaller, but in a way more Orthanc-ish, I think. Maybe I could take a photo of it and post it here. Also there are some other things I can think of...

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Yesterday while going to church, all of Anchorage was covered in fog, we don't get much fog at all. I swear I was in the Old Forest! It's fall so all of the leaves on the trees are turning yellow and brown plus the trees could honestly come alive any second and drag somebody into a river! It's not very hilly here, just the mountains... I don't suppose you could call the mountains the Barrow-Downs could you?

[alatar]

Yes, I know that it only fits the description of Bilbo's Party Tree in that it is a tree, still every time I drive by this tree in the fall, I cannot but help to think of Bilbo's last Shire party.

[alatar]

I see 'Fog on the Barrow Downs' and 'the Brown Hills.'

[Bandobras Tunnelly]

Several years ago I was living in northern Alabama, and was driving between there and my native Indiana quite a bit. There are places along the way (most notability in northern TN) that take your breath away. Vast stretches of green forest as far as the eye can see. Save for the silver gray line of the highway it reminds me of Bilbo's climb above Mirkwood.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Nice hills, alatar, we don't get hills like that in Alaska, we have mountains instead. Although some of the coasts here make me think of Tuor's journeys when he came to Gondolin. Can't say why though...

[alatar]

Nice hills, alatar, we don't get hills like that in Alaska, we have mountains instead. Although some of the coasts here make me think of Tuor's journeys when he came to Gondolin. Can't say why though...
Thanks, I guess. Not sure if mountains, as to hills, would be better or worse. What really creeps me out is the lack of anything - hills or mountains - in the horizon.

And it's normal, at least to me, upon seeing certain places to think of a part of a journey of some character within LotR.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Well, this isn't a landscape, but I found out that there's a real life location named after a Tolkien character: Bilbo Baggins Restaurant with Green Dragon Pub (http://www.bilbobaggins.net/default.html). Has anyone who lives near there been there?

[Nessa Telrunya]

There are the pastures behind my house that I've always seen as Rohan, and even more so now that we have horses back there. And there is a dirt road leading into the woods that reminds me of a road Frodo might take on his journey to Rivendell.

[alatar]

Well, this isn't a landscape, but I found out that there's a real life location named after a Tolkien character: Bilbo Baggins Restaurant with Green Dragon Pub (http://www.bilbobaggins.net/default.html). Has anyone who lives near there been there?
Thanks for the find, Esty. If only I could get the kids rounded up for a road trip.

[Laurinquë]

Alaska is fine place to locate Middle-earth. What with our volcanoes, massive mountain ranges, miles of verdant green tundra, and great forests it's a wonder they didn't film the Lord of the Rings films here! Or so I like to think. Here be some evidence of my claims:


The Barrow-downs (not in the film but whatever):

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMGP2967-1.jpg

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMGP2966.jpg

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMGP2991.jpg

[Laurinquë]

And the Mountains of Shadow:
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMGP3347.jpg

[Groin Redbeard]

Absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of how I imagined northern Gondor.

[Pitchwife]

Stunning! The 'Barrow Downs' remind me of parts of Wales where I used to go on vacation some years ago *nostalgic sigh*. And the 'Mountains of Shadow' are quite perfect - isn't that the very road leading south from the Morannon that we see there?

[Nerwen]

Great pics, Laurinquë!

[Mithalwen]

Yes .. but I think your idea of Downs is a bit rugged for somewhere so close to the Shire perhaps a wilder part of middle earth... There are barrows on downs on the Isle of Wight ( a short ferry ride away from me) . The last Wight walking festival had one event that was "Walk the Barrow Downs"!!!

http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=7055

[Laurinquë]

Thank you so much! I have a lot more photos I could add if you like these, even a few of Mount Doom that I took in Hawaii.

Yes .. but I think your idea of Downs is a bit rugged for somewhere so close to the Shire perhaps a wilder part of middle earth... There are barrows on downs on the Isle of Wight ( a short ferry ride away from me) . The last Wight walking festival had one event that was "Walk the Barrow Downs"!!!

You're probably right, but we Alaskans have to make do with what we have. Earth-covered piles of bones are few and far between here. As are most nice things. :(

[alatar]

Laurinquë, I am *so* jealous (as I live in the east side of Mordor)! Those pictures are absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing them.

[skip spence]

Yeah, great pictures Laurinquë, those are some beautiful vistas!

Can't help to shudder though. It looks cold, windy and desolate. *brrrrrrrr*

Reminds me of that Sean Penn movie, Into The Wild. Seen that one?

[Mithalwen]

You're probably right, but we Alaskans have to make do with what we have. Earth-covered piles of bones are few and far between here. As are most nice things. :(

Oh I didn't mean to be insulting:o ..the pictures are amazing. We don't get that sort of "Big sky country" here.

I suppose for me that I have always seen the Shire and nearby as being very English and the further landscapes being more imposing or exotic. So in England I see lots of places that make me think Shire but only in the States or Australasia have I got glimpses of say the Misty Mountains.

[Laurinquë]

I'm glad everyone liked my previous pictures so much! In thanks you will receive more pictures! Here they are:

Somewhere on the Plateau of Gorgoroth?
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/2219742933_13b462e65c_b.jpg

If you can think of any particular spot this fits I'd be glad to hear about it. I took these photos whilst on holiday in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

More Plateau of Gorgoroth.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/2219744711_da6aeaed3f_b.jpg

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/2220542544_87b0d29b57_b.jpg

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Eugh! A TRUE plateau of Gorgoroth!! (The first one also made me think a bit of the desolation before Morannon. Posibly from a large part because of the rocks. The third could be a shot from the other side of the Gate, somewhere inside Udun. Ha, in other words: you are a bad photographer, Lauri, why did you not take a picture of the Black Gate, when it's obvious that it is just right there outside the frame! :) )

[Aganzir]

Lauri I'd rep you again for those photos but unfortunately I don't think I'm allowed. ;) Very beautiful work. And now you've made up my mind for me to stop in Hawaii on my future round-the-world trip.

[Loslote]

I live in a huge valley, and the mountains look just like the Misty Mountains right now. I can't get a good picture, though, because the roads/fence/satellite dish/telephone wires keep getting in the way. :mad: Also, the forest behind my house looks very Fangorny. :p

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I live in a huge valley, and the mountains look just like the Misty Mountains right now. I can't get a good picture, though, because the roads/fence/satellite dish/telephone wires keep getting in the way. :mad: Also, the forest behind my house looks very Fangorny. :p
Well, don't they all in Alaska? It's not very Shire like here, but there is always something that catches your fancy, something that looks like Middle-Earth.

[Loslote]

Actually, there's a field near my house that does look Shire-esque. Unfortunately, it has no trees, so when the big winds come, you can't drive there for fear of being blown off the road because there's nothing to slow it down. :rolleyes:

[Andsigil]

Michigan's Upper Peninsula reminds me a lot of Middle Earth.

This is the town of Copper Harbor (http://www.copperharborschool.org/big_map.jpg), which is on the northernmost tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula (of the Upper Peninsula), as viewed from the top of Brockway Mountain in October:

[Andsigil]

This lighthouse in Manistique (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&um=1&q=manistique&ndsp=20&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Manistique,+MI&gl=us&ei=z_HsSuexLIiYMZTKsYwJ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CAsQ8gEwAA), Michigan, on the south coast of the U.P., looks like something from Dol Amroth:

[Andsigil]

This is the stone harbor wall/pathway that leads to the lighthouse. Very Gondorian, if you ask me:

[Andsigil]

This is the rest of the wall/path around the 90 degree bend. We took these pictures on vacation a week ago:

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Actually, there's a field near my house that does look Shire-esque. Unfortunately, it has no trees, so when the big winds come, you can't drive there for fear of being blown off the road because there's nothing to slow it down. :rolleyes:
Is that near where that fire happened. Every time we drive past those dead trees, I think of Saruman and it makes me sad. The funny thing though, is that those trees have been dead almost as long as I've been alive!:eek:

[Eönwë]

Wow! Those are some amazing pictures Lauri!

The first three look to me like a stonier version of Rohan, or possibly some of the wilderness in the North, and yes, the fourth does look like the Mountains of shadow to me as well.

I agree with Legate about the last three.

Great photography, Laurinquë!


Yes .. but I think your idea of Downs is a bit rugged for somewhere so close to the Shire perhaps a wilder part of middle earth... There are barrows on downs on the Isle of Wight ( a short ferry ride away from me) . The last Wight walking festival had one event that was "Walk the Barrow Downs"!!!

Well when you have Barrow Downs in the Isle of Wight, it's not too hard to imagine a Tolkienish environment, is it? ;)

[Loslote]

Is that near where that fire happened. Every time we drive past those dead trees, I think of Saruman and it makes me sad. The funny thing though, is that those trees have been dead almost as long as I've been alive!:eek:

No (it's a farm thingi) but I know what you mean, and it does look like something Saruman would do. There's a marsh thing near my house that sometimes looks like the Paths of the Dead. :eek:

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

No (it's a farm thingi) but I know what you mean, and it does look like something Saruman would do. There's a marsh thing near my house that sometimes looks like the Paths of the Dead. :eek:
Nice. Its always lovely to be able to walk by something that might be a bit creepy.

[Laurinquë]

Wow! Those are some amazing pictures Lauri!

The first three look to me like a stonier version of Rohan, or possibly some of the wilderness in the North, and yes, the fourth does look like the Mountains of shadow to me as well.

I agree with Legate about the last three.

Great photography, Laurinquë!

Thank you! The 'Barrow-downs' pictures were taken at a place called Finger Mountain about 140 miles north of Fairbanks. And I am quite open to interpretations of the whereabouts of these pictures, do feel free to improve on my assumptions.

Lauri I'd rep you again for those photos but unfortunately I don't think I'm allowed. Very beautiful work. And now you've made up my mind for me to stop in Hawaii on my future round-the-world trip.

Thank you very much! And yes, you really should stop in for a visit there! There's no other place like it in the world. ;)

Eugh! A TRUE plateau of Gorgoroth!! (The first one also made me think a bit of the desolation before Morannon. Posibly from a large part because of the rocks. The third could be a shot from the other side of the Gate, somewhere inside Udun. Ha, in other words: you are a bad photographer, Lauri, why did you not take a picture of the Black Gate, when it's obvious that it is just right there outside the frame)

Oh believe me, I would have but alas my camera ran out of battery right then. But perhaps this may interest you:

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/BigIsland173.jpg

Ignore those annoying trees, they were just some Ents that were insisting on following me about and getting in the way of my picture.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Oh believe me, I would have but alas my camera ran out of battery right then.
Ah, all right. Well, good warning for you for the next time - recharge your battery properly, or at least get some backup batteries!

Ignore those annoying trees, they were just some Ents that were insisting on following me about and getting in the way of my picture.

Aren't they getting a bit too bold lately? I mean, attacking Isengard is one thing, but storming the Black Gate itself is quite a daring deed... :eek:

Anyway, very nice!! (if that is the proper word to use for the appearance of Mordor...)

[skip spence]

I see Old Man Willow, or at least his kid brother:
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs088.snc3/15550_101904146497033_100000323430073_49720_250249 2_n.jpg

[Lush]

ZOMG

How'd I always overlook this cool thread?

There is an old cemetery next door that's Barrow Downs material, especially now that so many graves are completely overgrown.

I'll have to sneak in and take some pictures in the fog sometime.

It's a spooky place, but it ultimately gives off a good vibe. It has a calming effect on me when I stand by the fence and peer in. So maybe it's not too evil - or maybe the evil spirits are my kindred. Hardy har har.

[alatar]

Not far from the road meeting, they came on the huge hulk of a tree. It was still alive and had leaves on the small branches that it had put out round the broken stumps of its long fallen limps. But it was hollow, and could be entered by a great crack on the side away from the road. The hobbits crept inside and sat there upon a floor of old leaves and decayed wood.
http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/af297/allan233/tree.jpg

[Bêthberry]

Awwww . . . and filled with cute little hobbits too. :cool:

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Alatar, that reminds me of Old Man Willow and its eating of hobbits.

[Mnemosyne]

Alatar, that reminds me of Old Man Willow and its eating of hobbits.

There, I fixded it.

http://i45.tinypic.com/32zny41.jpg

[Loslote]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad173/LosloteSnowflower/5451_102110153135318_10000009002280.jpg

Rendezvoux Peak, aka The Barrow-Downs themselves, aka any other creepy place in ME. ;)

[alatar]

re:Mnemosyne's post: Too funny! Will definitely *not* show the kids, as they have nightmares enough...;)

And mind your pony, Loslote. :)

[Mnemosyne]

re:Mnemosyne's post: Too funny! Will definitely *not* show the kids, as they have nightmares enough...;)

Thanks, alatar. I'm glad you didn't mind, as I definitely could not resist!

[Erchamion]

The Savegre Valley in Costa Rica was very much like how I've always imagined Rivendell, a beautiful green valley which was a spot of "tamed" (with orchards and stuff - but still rural/not-built-up) countryside surrounded by wilderness.

Several other locations (a range of very misty mountains...) struck me as M-E reminiscent at the time: probably because we saw a tree called the "walking palm" (it really does move - but very slowly, a couple feet per year, up and down the hillsides, by growing more roots on one side and losing them on the other) which made me think of Ents and Huorns.

[alatar]

In regards to our recent unprecedented snowfall:

While they had halted, the wind died down, and the snow slackened until it almost ceased. They tramped on again. But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh fury. The wind whistled and the snow became a blinding blizzard. Soon even Boromir found it hard to keep going. The hobbits, bent nearly double, toiled along behind the taller folk, but it was plain that they could not go much further, if the snow continued.

http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/af297/allan233/in_snow.jpg

She is standing.

Also:

As the children are small and the snow deep, I, a lesser man with a spade, shoveled a path to where we go sledding. For some inexplicable reason, a local with a backhoe decided to clear more of the street. He'd scoop up a bucket of snow and dump it off the street; sometimes more, sometimes less. The piles on the side therefore varied. Though he said that he tried not to cover my shoveled path, he did, and I couldn't help but think that, like the Fellowship, our retreat was now cut off by a large drift. Thankfully I still had my shovel, as no elves or Steward's sons were to be had.

[Andsigil]

Alatar, are you near DC or in Michigan? We got quite a few inches yesterday here in New Angmar... I mean, Detroit.

[alatar]

Alatar, are you near DC or in Michigan? We got quite a few inches yesterday here in New Angmar... I mean, Detroit.
Pittsburgh. I like the snow, but the hills and bridges make traveling entertaining, especially when some municipalities take a passive "all natural" approach to snow removal. ;)

[alatar]

While most other dads were, presumedly, sitting on their couches watching the Olympics while sipping a brew of choice, I was outside with the family for yet another night of 'night sledding.' As we walked to our starting point, my shadow cast a well-padded figure across the new snow bed (yes, we got more :rolleyes:). The disk-like sled that I carried made the figure look like Boromir as he stood warming himself by Gandalf's unnatural fire.

Later, I shared another moment with the Steward's son character as I lugged a little one back through the snow. :)

[Laurinquë]

Here are a few Ents I saw running about in my recent travels in the Fangorn Forest. Shame most of them have been cut down by loggers. And by loggers I mean Sauruman of course.

NOTE: These Ents were of the Redwood species.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMGP5649.jpg

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMGP5681.jpg

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMGP5651.jpg

[Aganzir]

Wow those are gorgeous photos. You have a talent. :)

Where exactly is the said Fangorn Forest? :p

[Laurinquë]

Wow those are gorgeous photos. You have a talent. :)

Where exactly is the said Fangorn Forest? :p

Thank you. :) Said Fangorn Forest is in Northern California. Redwood National and State Parks.

[skip spence]

Wow, those Redwoods are absolutely amazing and I'd love to go to see them. The work of Sauruman indeed to cut them down.

[mark12_30]

While most other dads were, presumedly, sitting on their couches watching the Olympics while sipping a brew of choice, I was outside with the family for yet another night of 'night sledding.' As we walked to our starting point, my shadow cast a well-padded figure across the new snow bed (yes, we got more :rolleyes:). The disk-like sled that I carried made the figure look like Boromir as he stood warming himself by Gandalf's unnatural fire.

Later, I shared another moment with the Steward's son character as I lugged a little one back through the snow. :)

:) One of my favorite characters. Thank you for the images.

[mikelangelo11]

That redwoods are really amazing man and you captured this nicely with your photography.In photos this looks awesome so how it would be when I will see this in real.I will definitely take visit to this place.

[Laurinquë]

That redwoods are really amazing man and you captured this nicely with your photography.In photos this looks awesome so how it would be when I will see this in real.I will definitely take visit to this place.

Actually, it looks just like this. I'm not a professional photographer or anything. Just a plant enthusiast who feels the need to produce photographic proof of every specimen I come across. It's MUCH better in real life!

[alatar]

Alas, this sign was misleading...:mad:

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Lorien is now located in the sky! :eek:

[Galadriel]

I think of Eärendil when I see the stars :)

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Alas, this sign was misleading...:mad:
That must have been heart breaking!
Lorien is now located in the sky! :eek:
Nope. . . It is on the top of that pole. (Lorien as a location, is a master of balance)

[Mnemosyne]

That must have been heart breaking!

Nope. . . It is on the top of that pole. (Lorien as a location, is a master of balance)

Maybe it wasn't referring to the place, but rather the Vala?

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Maybe it wasn't referring to the place, but rather the Vala?

That is of course a possibility, it could be that if Alatar had looked up he would have witnessed some obscure valar ritual.

[alatar]

That is of course a possibility, it could be that if Alatar had looked up he would have witnessed some obscure valar ritual.That would be too optimistic a stance for me. :D

And it is the name of a filming company that was producing a movie nearby.

[Eönwë]

That would be too optimistic a stance for me. :D

And it is the name of a filming company that was producing a movie nearby.

Isn't the also a television/film company called Celador? I think Tolkien references are getting everywhere.

In fact, maybe it's time to start a thread on Tolkien names used in companies if there isn't one already.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Isn't the also a television/film company called Celador? I think Tolkien references are getting everywhere.

In fact, maybe it's time to start a thread on Tolkien names used in companies if there isn't one already.
I just saw another reference today too! :eek: Tolkien is everywhere. Eönwë, I definitely think that we should post a thread, and you are the perfect one to do it! ;)

[alatar]

Friend of mine, visiting Amsterdam, saw this and thought of me.

[Laurinquë]

Friend of mine, visiting Amsterdam, saw this and thought of me.

I want that ship. Now would as good a time as any to hand it over. :p

That also reminds me of a place in Fairbanks, Alaska I used to see quite frequently. I always meant to take a picture but getting around to it took a while.

http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/robynhalloran/IMG_0737-1.jpg

Fairbanks is an enlightened place.

[alatar]

Ah, it would make sense that Elrond packed and moved to Alaska - remote, rural, rugged.

And I'll send that ship a sailing as soon as you send some shillings (for shipping). ;)

[Snowdog]

I'll have to hunt up a couple photos that had Middle-earth relevance to me. One was the Midgewater Marshes, another was a valley in Hollin, and another was some old ruins of Arnor.


Ruins in Arnor

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v616/Halasian/Bridge3.jpg


Midgewater Marshes

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v616/Halasian/Mine/MidgewaterMarshes1.jpg


Mirrormere

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v616/Halasian/hilake.jpg

[Snowdog]

Hollin looking east

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v616/Halasian/Mine/Oct3-2005006.jpg


Misty Mountainshttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v616/Halasian/Mine/MistyMountains9.jpg


Mt Doom

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v616/Halasian/Mine/MtStHelens11.jpg

[xMellrynxMaidenx]

Well, I actually live in a place something like Rivendell with the colors of the trees in the fall. We have only one waterfall here though :p I don't have pictures currently, but when I get my camera fixed I'll snap a few for ya. :)

[Eönwë]

I went on a school trip to Iceland, so:

Jökulsárlón, aka Helcaraxë:
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/Eonwe-Kalmo/Iceland/DSC00244.jpg

[Galadriel55]

This April me and my family went to a cottage near Lake Simcoe, and there were some things that reminded me of ME.

Some specific stuff (http://s1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb454/Galadriel55/April%202011%20-%20Near%20Lake%20Simcoe/I%20see%20Middle%20Earth%20near%20Simcoe/) -

The first two pics are the Dead Marshes. Just imagine that those beaver-stumps are torches. The third one is Durin's Stone - it looked more like one before I took the picture; the water was dark and opaque.

Less specific (http://s1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb454/Galadriel55/April%202011%20-%20Near%20Lake%20Simcoe/) -

Just photos of this place in general. Overall looked like a cross beteen Midgewater and Dead Marshes.

[Galadriel55]

http://nerwen20.deviantart.com/#/d3hi3sj

This one looks Shirish as well. Or maybe Breeish.

Galadriel, I see you changed yor sig as well as your avvie. I had to look at your profile to make sure its you. :p

[Galadriel55]

Not seeing ME, but hearing it...

Recently I discovered that the Rohirric tongue reminds me of Ukrainian. Probably because of the abundance of e and y sounds. But maybe that's just because that is how I see Ukranian as compared to Russian...

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Not seeing ME, but hearing it...

Recently I discovered that the Rohirric tongue reminds me of Ukrainian. Probably because of the abundance of e and y sounds. But maybe that's just because that is how I see Ukranian as compared to Russian...

Maybe also Ukraine reminds you of Rohan, because of those wide plains... being roamed by the Cossacks on horseback. :)

[Galadriel55]

Maybe also Ukraine reminds you of Rohan, because of those wide plains... being roamed by the Cossacks on horseback. :)

Yes, that too. :)

[Bom Tombadillo]

Sadly, I've nothing to contribute myself, as I don't get out much (and when I do, it's to urban areas - and not even especially Mordor-esque ones!) but Eonwe's picture of the Helcaraxe is marvelous.

[Mithalwen]

Party tree at my cousin's wedding.http://db.tt/h7U4uKx0

[Pervinca Took]

That's lovely! Was Bilbo's Party Tree inside the tent? I can't remember ....

[Mithalwen]

It was. Bilbo gives his speech under it. This tree was hung withfairy lights not lanterns and the guests wrote messages on little card butterflies and tied them to the tree.

[Elyna of Rivendell]

There is this place down by the water front near my house, and its all quiet and nobody ever goes down there exept me, but it reminds me of the place where Frodo and Sam leave the rest of the Fellowship (cant remember what its called-mental blank). Its so peaceful yet kind of menacing, and i always used to go there to write my story. You have to slide down a steep slope to get to it though, so the council decided to block it off. I WAS NOT HAPPY! :mad: However i guess it will still live in memory in this thread. :(

[Mithalwen]

I am sorry you have lost your Parth Galen(? . Hope you enjoy your time here.

[Galadriel55]

...both located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. These pictures are from the internet, not my own, cause I'm having trouble with my technology.

This place really reminded me of Dunharrow, not so much for its physical inaccessibility but more for the forbidding way the hills loom over you. And of course the look of the hills/mountains is perfect - if they were just a little more tall and steep, that's exactly how I imagined Dunharrow to look like.

https://www.isleofskye.com/images/Walking/Quiraing/SlideShow/02.jpg

https://www.visitscotland.com/cms-images/destinations/skye/the-quiraing

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg163/canisp8064/Quiraing/BeinnBheula592-1.jpg

[Galadriel55]

And this place, called the Fairy Glen, has a Barrow-Downs feel to it. For one thing, it has a lot of hills. For another, it has a lot of stones. Some small stones are placed in spirals by fairies when no one sees. But many stones of various shapes and sizes poke out here and there. Though none of them actually cap the peaks of the hills or are big enough to match the description, they create a similar feeling. They clearly are there at random, but their placement just looks not quite random enough, creating the feeling of allure and mistrust and the same time. Perfect for the Downs, no?

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/1_7/1_7_3l.JPG

https://www.isleofskye.com/images/Guide/Skye-Places/Fairy-Glen/Slideshow/Fairy-Glen-1.jpg

[Faramir Jones]

Nice places, Galadriel! :)

[Pitchwife]

I'd love to explore your Dunharrow and Downs, G55! The pictures look like a hiker's dream (at least for this hiker).

A friend sent me this today. Not a swan-ship, but hey, at least it's white.


https://i.imgur.com/r8PjVAOl.jpg

[Herenya]

It might seem preposterous, but pictures like this are now connected to early 5th Age Gondor in my imagination, despite being taken from an anime television series that has nothing to do with that particular place and time.

https://i.ibb.co/FmgjfWN/790.jpg

To be honest, I love to fantasize as if such places were located somewhere in Osgiliath (the capital of the Reunited Kingdom according to my fanfiction story), or perhaps in Dol Amroth. I'm not sure if anyone else is interested, but I've been able recently to find the corrent ideas to complete my fanfiction story, as a side effect of the exchange of messages with the members of this forum, Inziladun and Galadriel55, that took place in another thread and turned out to be really beneficial for the purpose of my project. So I can afford now to fantasize about it confidently which seems like a vacation to a peaceful fantasy realm full of pinky ponies.

[Mithadan]

Visualizing Middle-Earth is a common phenomenon among fans. To some, it is highly personal, leading many to be vocal about their dislike of illustrations by artists published in Tolkien calendars, etc. One thing that many people enjoyed about the LoTR movies was the scenery and many of the sets which corresponded to their views about what places in Middle-Earth looked like. John Garth published a book, The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien dedicated to a review of places that Tolkien had lived or visited that he suggests inspired the imagery of Middle-Earth. While Garth may go a bit too far regarding his attempts to find Tolkien's "sources," some photographs in his book do seem to portray some of Tolkien's inspirations, for example of Rivendell.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Visualizing Middle-Earth is a common phenomenon among fans. To some, it is highly personal, leading many to be vocal about their dislike of illustrations by artists published in Tolkien calendars, etc. One thing that many people enjoyed about the LoTR movies was the scenery and many of the sets which corresponded to their views about what places in Middle-Earth looked like. John Garth published a book, The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien dedicated to a review of places that Tolkien had lived or visited that he suggests inspired the imagery of Middle-Earth. While Garth may go a bit too far regarding his attempts to find Tolkien's "sources," some photographs in his book do seem to portray some of Tolkien's inspirations, for example of Rivendell.

Personally I mostly visualised specific locations, not always in great detail, often it is more about visualising an atmosphere than specifics. Some capture that atmosphere better than other (Ted Nasmith often gets the closest, but a lot of Alan Lees work gets it as well), but I seldom outright dislike illustrations of places.

Characters on the other hand... I get much more worked up about character illustrations.

[Galadriel55]

Today I found Middle-earth in an ophthalmology clinic. (Photos not mine, but I found the same product online).

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/X1MAAOSwNRRiWJrK/s-l1600.jpg

What's that word in the corner of the prisms box? Shall we take a closer look?

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/2-cAAOSwexNiWJrL/s-l500.jpg

Yup! Beren's Instruments. :D

I suppose playing around with a Silmaril helps with understanding the physics of light refraction.