[Findegil]

Amb-02; about all the World => about all Eä: I thought about that change as well, but found it awakward to have “About all Eä are the Eärambar, or Walls of the World.” But in the end it does not really matter if we double Eä or World in this sentence.

World = Eä; world = Arda: I am nit sure if this can be our solution. JRR Tolkien was very unspecific in his usage of the word ‘World’ (equily if big or small case). We either can live with his unspecific usage or we must go through all case where he uses the word and decised what to do – a huge work but not impossible. But it would be changes for clearness only and the unclearness was not created by our editing. So fare the project avoided such bettering of JRR Tolkien’s works.

Melkor returning over the Walls of Night: I think we must not be more correct here then JRR Tolkien was. For the Ainur the Walls of Night are not really a barrier. The Walls are concifed as such a barrier for anythink else within Arda. From what we hear about them one could assume that they are a kind over dimensional soup bowl, filled with Ekkaia. But the rim is a good deal above the water surface plane (as it should always be in a good kitchen). Thus Melkor could easily go over the top and came down into Arda.
I said before that probably Morogth after his defeat at the end of the First Age has no mind to return to Arda as long as he does not see a new chance for himself to win the fight against Manwë and his allies. In MT we hear that Melkor dissipated himself into all the matter of Middle-Earth. Thus part of his being could not be removed and would work farther for his case, what so ever the Valar did. And we hear in MT that Morgoth incontrast to Sauron could grow again. So we might expect him to come back in Dagor Dagorath but not earlier.

Gates of Morning: Akalabêth does not specifiy what it was that the Númenoreans saw. It could be a pass in the Walls of the Sun. Anyhow that mountain range would prevent the sailors to see Gate of Morning if it was a in Walls of Night.

Amb-06: I think if we take AcrusCalions point of view, which is a decent decision, we have to remove some of the attributes of Ando Lómen:

The Land of Valinor slopes downward from the feet of the Mountains, and its western shore is at the level of the bottoms of the inner seas. And not far thence, as has been said, are the Walls of Amb-06c{the World}[Night]; and over against the westernmost shore in the midst of Valinor is Ando Lómen the Door of Amb-06.05{Timeless }Night that pierceth the Walls and opens upon the Amb-06.1b{Void. For the World is set amid Kúma, the Void, the Night without form or time}<MT vast <editorial addition empty >spaces within Ëa>. But none can pass the chasm and the belt of Vaiya and come to that Door, save the great Valar only. And they made that Door Amb-06.2{when Melko}[in the time Melkor] was overcome and put forth into the Outer Dark; and it is guarded by {Earendel}[Eärendil].

Amb-06.1b: I think we should remove the reference to Kuma, the Void, here, because with that we would only farther the confusion. I think we should move it and as we use the Doors of Night here we have to remove them earlier:

Amb-02b<moved from bellow{For the}The World is set amid Kúma, the Void, the Night without form or time.> About all the World are the {Ilurambar}[Eärambar], or Walls of the World. They are as ice and glass and steel, being above all imagination of the Children of Earth cold, transparent, and hard. They cannot be seen, nor can they be passed Amb-02.05{, save by the Door of Night}.

Amb-06.2: What gondowe refers to is that Earendil is already sailing in Ilmen before Morgothe was thrust through the Door of Night, so that it might be that the Valar had made the Door ready before Eonwë marched against Morgoth.

Amb-08.5b: But the ruin of the Lamps did creat great burnings. What about removing the Lamps:

Amb-08b But <editorial addition Melkor assailed> the pillars{ were made with deceit, being wrought of ice; and they melted}, and the lamps fell in ruin, and their light was spilled. But the Amb-08.5c{melting of the ice}[fall of the pillars] made two small inland seas, north and south of the middle of the Earth, and there was a northern land and a middle land and a southern land.

Diagrams and Maps: I think we have to edit them and that is why I said if we can manage it. Of course we are not going to make an elaborated Altas like Karen Wynn Fonstad, but must clear them from issues we have identified here, and we probably have to include some missing features like the Hithaeglir (which is of course the most problematic part).

Amb-09b: Agreed.

{Ambrakanta}[Ambarcanta]: Thanks for pointing this out.

Respcetfully
Findegil