Fanart: A LOTR Space AU

[Nerwen]

Cuivienen
It's not clear exactly where the Sea of Helcar lay, but it was it was in the far north-east of Middle-earth, effectively off the map as far as the rest of the story is concerned. (Tolkien did draw a map showing it lying right next to the Blue Mountains, but I think this was an early conception- it certainly won't fit the action of the published Silmarillion, anyway.) Cuivienen ceased to exist at some point, but it's not specified when or how.

The Great Journey from Cuivienen
No, this wasn't just across Beleriand, but right over the "known" lands (Rhovanion, Eriador, etc.), plus, presumably, some others that are, again, outside the borders of the maps. It is supposed to have taken two hundred years or more. Not all Elves took it, and of those that did, many dropped out before reaching Beleriand, and were therefore the first people to settle those areas.

The Helcaraxe
This lay somewhere to the north of Beleriand. No relation to the Sea of Helcar.

The Two Trees
These could not be seen from Middle-earth, which at that time was lit only by starlight.

[Galadriel55]

http://www.carpepm.net/images/2007_arda.jpg

On this map the locations are not too precise, I'd say, but it gives a general idea. The Two Trees are in Valinor (on the left), the Sea of Helcar is on the top right, way above the "known" map of ME (which is a pretty small thing in the middle of the right continent). Helcaraxe is that dubious passage on the far north, between the continents.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

http://www.carpepm.net/images/2007_arda.jpg

On this map the locations are not too precise, I'd say, but it gives a general idea. The Two Trees are in Valinor (on the left), the Sea of Helcar is on the top right, way above the "known" map of ME (which is a pretty small thing in the middle of the right continent). Helcaraxe is that dubious passage on the far north, between the continents.

That map is from infamous David Day's Bestiary and while in general it is okay, it messes up lots of things, and most of all, it creates confusion by putting things from different ages to one map. In reality, many of those should overlap. Lake Almaren should be in the middle of Arda, so basically somewhere in the sea - but the map puts it far to the east, because they still want it there. I like much better Karen Wynn Fonstad's map (from her Atlas of Middle-Earth), who also e.g. interprets Helcar as a huuge inland sea, which later shrunk and parts of it remained as Lake Rhun and Núrnen.

I found the First Age map from Fonstad's Atlas available here, so you can take a look for comparison. It shows Cuiviénen, Helcaraxë and you can sort of guess the route of the Elves (in the Atlas, there are actually some maps devoted specifically to that, and also a series of small maps of pre-First Age Arda, with Lake Almaren and all).

In any case, don't let details hinder you. I think the ideas you are coming up with for your project are fascinating, and I'm very much looking forward to see more.

[Yeade]

Thanks for all the information, Nerwen, Galadriel55, and Legate of Amon Lanc! I really appreciate the help!

Though the Elves clearly journeyed across the other known lands of Middle-earth in addition to Beleriand on their way from Cuiviénen to Aman, I'm afraid that's just not going to be possible in my sci-fi adaptation. I've got my heart set on the Valar being the source of the general technological upgrade, which in turn means nobody can take off as interplanetary explorers until the Noldor return in pursuit of Melkor and their scientific knowledge has a chance to disseminate.

So, Anor and Isil are binary stars separated by, say, a mean distance of 200-500 AU (astronomical unit), with Beleriand and later Númenor in orbit around the latter. Elves, Men, and Dwarves can travel between the two planetary systems throughout the First Age, perhaps to escape the ravages of Morgoth, and for most of the Second Age before the Downfall of Númenor renders hyperspace inaccessible except for the Straight Road. I rather like that this gives the Elves and Númenórean exiles an additional reason to honor Isil in their iconography. Isil, while still visible as the brightest star in the night sky, and the worlds of their origins are forever lost to them by the Third Age.

A couple more questions:

The mearas or their ancestors are supposedly brought to Middle-earth by Oromë, right? I've brainstormed some preliminary ideas for the Rohirrim already and need to work out how their most famed horses fit in. Another alien species?

Are there any canon descriptions of the Havens of Umbar? The harbor must be deep and wide enough to stage a fleet of warships, and there are presumably extensive quays, upon which Aragorn as Thorongil fights the Corsair captain. A poster over on LJ mentioned that there's a white pillar with a shining crystal globe set at the top--a sort of lighthouse, I guess? I admit I've never heard of any such thing. Is this maybe referenced in The Silmarillion ("Akallabêth"?), HOME, or elsewhere, like Tolkien's letters?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Yeade

The mearas or their ancestors are supposedly brought to Middle-earth by Oromë, right? I've brainstormed some preliminary ideas for the Rohirrim already and need to work out how their most famed horses fit in. Another alien species?

Yes, it's said they are basically the creatures of Oromë. How do you handle "normal" horses? How about just some sort of intelligent carriers (vehicles)? Or is everything you make still more of the "organic" type? You could just make them similar to your Eagles, of course (the basic idea behind it is the same - clever animals specifically "made" by/for one of the Valar).

Are there any canon descriptions of the Havens of Umbar? The harbor must be deep and wide enough to stage a fleet of warships, and there are presumably extensive quays, upon which Aragorn as Thorongil fights the Corsair captain. A poster over on LJ mentioned that there's a white pillar with a shining crystal globe set at the top--a sort of lighthouse, I guess? I admit I've never heard of any such thing. Is this maybe referenced in The Silmarillion ("Akallabêth"?), HOME, or elsewhere, like Tolkien's letters?

Aragorn does not fight the Corsairs in Umbar, he fights at the Mouths of the Anduin, in Pelargir. Umbar is much, much more south from there, but it used to be the greatest Númenorean port there. There is supposed to be the pillar with the shining globe - it is not really a lighthouse, but it's a monument build by Ar-Pharazon to mark the victory over Sauron (sort of boastful thing, since we know how the captive Sauron managed to corrupt the rest of the Númenoreans and that was the end of it). I think it's mentioned either in Akallabeth (in fact, pretty sure it's there) or in the Unfinished Tales, or both.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

Aragorn does not fight the Corsairs in Umbar, he fights at the Mouths of the Anduin, in Pelargir. Umbar is much, much more south from there, but it used to be the greatest Númenorean port there.

Ah, but he does fight the Corsairs in Umbar at a different time. It's one of my favourite Appendix stories (and unlike some others *coughPJandcocough* I can actually provide a quotation):

At last [Aragorn/Thorongil] got leave of the Steward and gathered a small fleet, and he came to Umbar unlooked for by night, and there burned a great part of the ships of the Corsairs. He himself overthrew the Captain of the Haven in battle upon the quays, and then withdrew his fleet with small loss.

[Yeade]

Yeah, I was referring to Aragorn's exploits in Umbar as Thorongil, Legate of Amon Lanc. Which is one of my favorite stories from the appendices, too, Galadriel55! Tolkien intended to write more of Aragorn's time in Rohan and Gondor, IIRC, but either never got around to it or misplaced whatever he managed to finish. Ah, well! I suppose that's what fanfic's for!

At any rate, thanks for explaining Ar-Pharazôn's monument. I'll look it up in the appendices and try to incorporate it whenever I finally start on Umbar, since it's apparently one of the very few descriptions given of the Corsair port. Though, recently, I had a sudden brainwave and realized I don't yet have any underwater cities in this AU. That's kind of a sci-fi tradition, along with all the planets and moons that rather improbably have only a single habitat, lol. Having a submersible base and vessels is a pretty good way for the Corsairs to both elude the Gondorian navy and launch surprise raids on the southern fiefs, IMO.

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

How do you handle "normal" horses? How about just some sort of intelligent carriers (vehicles)?

With the general technological upgrade, the Rohirrim can't very well ride horses into battle, true. As an alternative, I'm thinking speeder bikes, which you can see in action in Genndy Tartakovsky's awesome animated microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003). Swoops are basically the sci-fi equivalent of cavalry, I figure, with similar speed and mobility compared to infantry, artillery, and more heavily armored vehicles. They're often employed as scouts, too, and would naturally be in the vanguard of an army or screening the flanks of a force on the march.

However, I also feel the Rohirrim are too associated with horses to do away with the animals entirely, so horses still exist in their familiar forms, native to Rohan. I'm now developing the notion that, as you propose, the Rohirrim's speeder bikes are intelligent and that this AI is partly derived from some sort of digital imprinting process done on their prized horses, which copies or even transfers intact the animal's consciousness with all the instincts and training. The Rohirrim can then retain their canon status as horse masters, with their children and soldiers learning how to ride horses so as to better understand how the AI in their most critical technologies would react to stimuli. Being programs, though intricately complex, the AI can be uploaded from the swoops to starfighters, as well.

Perhaps the adaptation loss I regret most here is that, when Théoden arrives to relieve the siege of Minas Tirith, there's no euphonious "Ride of the Rohirrim." 'Cause, you know, the Rohirrim are flying about in spaceships and all.

Originally Posted by Nerwen

What about having the Valar provide the Elves with a sort of movable habitat, maybe a hollowed out asteroid, in which to make the journey? It would be more or less an equivalent to the island on which they're towed across the ocean in The Silmarillion - and then it could remain in orbit around Planet Aman (or whatever you have in mind) as Tol Eressëa, the Lonely Asteroid.

LOL! What a great idea! I hadn't really thought past the Valar sending spaceships with hyperdrives. I do already have hollowed out asteroids in Rivendell (and Moria), though, so maybe just an impressively large starbase? Not so cramped and utilitarian as a spacestation but housing a giant terrarium and many other airy structures. The massive construction isn't the fastest thing in space, lol, and there's a delay in disembarking the Vanyar and Noldor when they reach Aman, then resupplying, so it takes a while before Ulmo can return to Beleriand for the Teleri. I like it! Headcanon accepted!

I'm redrawing the Two Trees, being most dissatisfied with my first attempt, so that picture's going to be unavailable except at deviantART for now. Mount Doom is already conceptualized--I decided relatively early on how Frodo's quest would end--but I've yet to put marker to paper. In the meanwhile, I'm so very happy to be able to discuss my crazy project with folks here! It's been informative and inspiring.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Yeade

Thanks for all the information, Nerwen, Galadriel55, and Legate of Amon Lanc! I really appreciate the help!

Though the Elves clearly journeyed across the other known lands of Middle-earth in addition to Beleriand on their way from Cuiviénen to Aman, I'm afraid that's just not going to be possible in my sci-fi adaptation. I've got my heart set on the Valar being the source of the general technological upgrade, which in turn means nobody can take off as interplanetary explorers until the Noldor return in pursuit of Melkor and their scientific knowledge has a chance to disseminate.

What about having the Valar provide the Elves with a sort of movable habitat, maybe a hollowed-out asteroid, in which to make the journey? It would be more-or-less an equivalent to the island on which they're towed across the ocean in The Silmarillion- and then it could remain in orbit around Planet Aman (or whatever you have in mind) as Tol Eressea, the Lonely Asteroid.

A poster over on LJ mentioned that there's a white pillar with a shining crystal globe set at the top--a sort of lighthouse, I guess? I admit I've never heard of any such thing. Is this maybe referenced in The Silmarillion ("Akallabêth"?), HOME, or elsewhere, like Tolkien's letters?

It's mentioned in the Lord of the Rings Appendices (for real- though I feel saying that is becoming a bit of a joke).