Quote:
Originally Posted by Lalwendė
Why aren't these woodlands on the map? Is it purely for aesthetic reasons, namely the need to fit in labels of other features and so forth. Or is it that only the most tangled woods where significant story developments happened are included?
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Both, I would guess. Also those without a major role but that are of some significance (such as Taur-im-Duinath by its size).
The maps in the books are only a basic guide to the reader of where things took place; they are not meant to be studied as an independant thing. But people like me and you love maps, so we have to "draw in" the details where we read about them, and - unfortunately - leave the places blank where no events took place.
I don't have any Books-About-Tolkien books, so I actually made som esketches of the geography. The most confusing for me was Nanduhirion/Lorien. I could not understand How they could be going South from Cerin Amroth to Galadhon if they've just crossed Nimrodel Northward. I had to search the web for an actual map where I saw that Nimrodel doesn't flow straight east but rather south-east, and it all made sense then... (in case you're wondering why I didn't look in the books, at that time I still only had my Russian translation that does not feature maps).