Part I The Geography of Middle-earth 7 --
Chapter 1 The Worlds of Middle-earth 9 --
Where in the World Is Middle-earth? 9 --
The Meaning of Middle-earth 11 --
The origin of the term "Middle-earth" 12 --
"Stuck in the middle again ..." 12 --
Middle-earth as a Fantasy World 13 --
On the nature of the fairytale 14 --
The fairytale as "sub-creation" 15 --
Middle-earth as a Mythic World 15 --
"Fortunate" calamities in myth and legend 16 --
Background myths of "The Lord of the Rings" 17 --
Middle-earth as a World of Diverse Beings 18 --
Middle-earth as a Historical World 19 --
Middle-earth as a World of Language 20 --
Chapter 2 The Lands of Middle-earth and Beyond 21 --
Eriador, the Home of the Shire 22 --
Arnor, the Land of the King 22 --
Angmar, the Witch Kingdom 23 --
The Shire, home of the hobbits 23 --
The village of Bree 24 --
Rivendell, the Last Homely House 25 --
Eregion, the Land of Holly 25 --
Khazad-dum, or the Mines of Moria 26 --
Rhovanion, the Wilderland 26 --
The Lonely Mountain and Lake Town 26 --
Emyn Muil and the Argonath 27 --
Lothlorien, the Golden Wood of Galadriel 27 --
Fangorn, or Treebeard's Forest 28 --
Isengard, the Iron Enclosure 28 --
Rohan, Land of the Horse-lords 29 --
Edoras, the royal city of Rohan 30 --
The Hornburg and the Glittering Caves of Helm's Deep 31 --
Dunharrow and the Pukel-men 31 --
Gondor, the Land of Stone 32 --
Osgiliath, Fortress of the Stars 33 --
Minas Tirith, the Tower of the Guard 33 --
Minas Ithil/Minas Morgul 33 --
Druadan, forest home of the Woses 34 --
Pelargir, the harbor of the royal ships 34 --
Mordor, the Land of Shadow 35 --
Barad-dur, the DArk Towr 36 --
Cirith Ungol, the Spider's Pass 36 --
Aman, the Western Paradise 36 --
Valinor, home of the gods 38 --
The Elvenhome (Eldamar) 38 --
Taniquetil, the Mount Olympus of Aman 39 --
Beleriand, the Original Western Middle-earth 39 --
Numenor, Tolkien's Atlantis 40 --
Part II The Beings of Middle-earth 45 --
Chapter 3 The Divine Ainur 47 --
Eru and His Angelic Ainur 48 --
The powers of the Valar 49 --
The Valar and the gods of mythology 50 --
Osse and Uinen, Maiar of Ulmo 53 --
Melian, Maia of Vana and Este 54 --
Olorin, Maia of Lorien and Nienna 54 --
Sauron, Maia of Aule and Melkor 55 --
The Valaraukar, those nasty Balrogs 55 --
Chapter 4 The Fair Race of Elves 57 --
The Role of the Elves 57 --
The Great Journey to the Blessed Realm 58 --
The mustering of the Elves 59 --
The dividing of the Elves 60 --
The Origin of Tolkien's Elves 60 --
The Downfall of the Elves 62 --
Legendary Elves of Middle-earth 63 --
Feanor, the maker of the Silmarils 63 --
Elwe, King Thingol of Doriath 64 --
Galadriel, Queen of Lothlorien 67 --
Gil-galad, the legendary Elf 69 --
Legolas, Prince of the Woodland Elves 70 --
Chapter 5 The Mortal Race of Men 73 --
Mankind's Role in Middle-earth 73 --
Mortality as God's gift to Men 74 --
The freedom of mortal Men 75 --
The Awakening of Men 75 --
The Different Tribes of Men 76 --
Great Heroes of Middle-earth 81 --
Beren, son of Barahir 81 --
Turin, son of Hurin 82 --
Earendil, the Blessed Mariner 84 --
Elendil, Isildur, and Anarion 86 --
Theoden, King of Rohan 87 --
Eowyn, Lady of Rohan 88 --
Faramir, son of the Steward of Gondor 89 --
Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King of the Reunited Kingdom 90 --
Chapter 6 The Hardy Race of Dwarves 95 --
The Origin of Tolkien's Dwarves 95 --
The Awakening of Aule's Children 97 --
The Role of Dwarves in Middle-earth 98 --
The Death and Rebirth of Dwarves 99 --
The Downfall of the Dwarves 100 --
The fashioning of the Nauglamir 100 --
The Dwarf-Rings and the downfall of Moria 102 --
Legendary Dwarves in the History of Middle-earth 105 --
Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain 105 --
Gimli, Son of Gloin 107 --
Chapter 7 Those Homespun Hobbits 109 --
Concerning the Nature of Hobbits 109 --
Lao-tzu's description of an ideal hobbit life 112 --
Hobbits and their homespun wisdom 112 --
A pocketful of riddles 113 --
Hobbit-sized heroes 114 --
Concerning the Origin of Hobbits 116 --
Concerning Hobbit Clans and Government 117 --
Official history and Shire Reckoning 118 --
The management of the Shire 119 --
The Shire as Tolkien's utopia 120 --
Legendary Hobbits of Middle-earth 121 --
Bilbo Baggins of the Shire 121 --
Frodo Baggins, the "famousest of the hobbits" 122 --
Samwise Gamgee, the stouthearted 124 --
Peregrin (Pippin) Took 124 --
Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck 125 --
The roles of Merry and Pippin in The Lord of the Rings 126 --
Smeagol/Gollum, hero and villain 127 --
Chapter 8 The Wily Wizards 129 --
The Wizards of Middle-earth 129 --
Merlin and Odin: Possible sources for Tolkien's wizards 131 --
The Role of Tolkien's Wizards 132 --
Radagast the Brown 137 --
Chapter 9 Beorn, Tom Bombadil, and Treebeard 139 --
Understanding Tolkien's Nature Beings 139 --
Beorn, the Skin Changer 140 --
Beorn the berserker 141 --
Beorn and the Wargs 141 --
The Role of Tom Bombadil 142 --
Tom Bombadil as a "natural" pacifist 143 --
Ents, Tree-herds of the Forest 145 --
The Ents as the children of Yavanna 146 --
The search for the Entwives 147 --
The relationship between Ents and Huorns 147 --
Chapter 10 The Enemy and His Minions 149 --
Melkor/Morgoth, Lord of Might and Darkness 150 --
Melkor as Tolkien's Lucifer 151 --
The attempted rehabilitation of Melkor 152 --
Tolkien and the idea of irredeemable evil 152 --
The final defeat of Melkor 153 --
Sauron, the Enemy of Freedom in Middle-earth 153 --
Sauron and the forging of the Rings of Power 154 --
Sauron and the downfall of Numenor 155 --
Sauron and the Exiles of Numenor 156 --
The last act and Sauron's final destruction 157 --
The Ringwraiths, Loyal Servants of Sauron 158 --
The Dragons of Middle-earth 159 --
The Two Giant Spiders, Ungoliant and Shelob 160 --
Ungoliant and her taste for light 160 --
Shelob and her fear of light 161 --
Of Balrogs, Trolls, and Orcs 162 --
Balrogs as corrupted Maiar 162 --
Trolls as dumb as stones 163 --
Orcs as corrupted Elves 163 --
On Werewolves, Vampires, Wargs, Wights, and Watchers 164 --
Part III The History of Middle-earth 167 --
Chapter 11 The Valarian Ages 169 --
An Overview of the Valarian Ages 169 --
The Spring of Arda 170 --
The Days of the Bliss of Valinor 171 --
The Noontide of the Blessed Realm 173 --
Chapter 12 The First Three Ages and Then Some 177 --
"Here Comes the Sun ..." 177 --
Highlights of Events in the Three Ages 179 --
The First Age and the War of the Silmarils 179 --
The Second Age and the Sinking of Numenor 182 --
The Third Age and the War of the Ring 184 --
Part IV The Languages of Middle-earth 187 --
Chapter 13 Tolkien and Language 189 --
Tolkien as a Linguist 189 --
The etymological mythmaker 190 --
Invented language and its need for a mythology 191 --
Euphony in Tolkien's Languages 192 --
The Power of Sound 193 --
Singing the physical world into being 193 --
Singing a mythical world into being 195 --
The Power of Words 195 --
The power of spiritual words 196 --
Controlling others through voice 197 --
Chapter 14 The Tongues of Tolkien 199 --
Why the Hobbits Seem to Speak English 199 --
Old English and the Languages of the Men of Middle-earth 200 --
Quenya and Sindarin: The Languages of the Elves 202 --
Guide to Middle-earth Pronunciation 202 --
Tolkien's Scripts and Letters 204 --
Feanor's Tengwar script 204 --
Tolkien's Cirth script 208 --
Part V The Themes and Mythology of Middle-earth 211 --
Chapter 15 The Struggle Between Good and Evil 213 --
The Nature of Evil 213 --
Tolkien and the last battle against evil 216 --
Chapter 16 Immortality and Death 219 --
Relations Between Immortals and Mortals in Middle-earth 219 --
The Immortality of Elves 220 --
Elven Death in Middle-earth 221 --
The death of Miriel Serinde 222 --
The death of Feanor 222 --
The death of Finrod Felagund 223 --
Human Death in Middle-earth 225 --
Exploiting Men's fear of death 226 --
The death of Boromir 227 --
The deaths of Aragorn and Arwen 228 --
The Hope in a Mortal Life 229 --
Tolkien's answer to death as a Christian 230 --
Bearing your own Ring of Power 231 --
Chapter 17 The Heroic Quest 233 --
The Nature of the Heroic Quest 233 --
The Nature of Tolkien's Heroes 234 --
Aragorn as Tolkien's Classic Hero 235 --
Aragorn as Strider 235 --
Aragorn as Estel, son of Gilraen 236 --
Aragorn as Isildur's heir 237 --
Treading the Paths of the Dead 237 --
The return of the rightful king 238 --
Bilbo as the Hesitant Hero 238 --
Bilbo, the thief of Thorin's company 239 --
Bilbo and Gollum's ring 239 --
Frodo as the Unwitting Hero 240 --
Frodo's courage and internal struggle 241 --
Frodo's Christ-like suffering 242 --
Frodo as the failed hero 243 --
Frodo as the wounded hero 243 --
Sam as the Common Hero 244 --
Gollum as the Unintentional Hero 245 --
Chapter 18 Chivalry and True Love 247 --
Courtly Love in the Age of Chivalry 248 --
Romantic Love in the Modern Age 249 --
Tolkien's True Love 249 --
The Love Story of Beren and Luthien 250 --
Beren and Luthien Reprised: The Love Story of Aragorn and Arwen 254 --
Chapter 19 Fate and Free Will 257