Happy weekend everyone!

I’ve been playing with a thought experiment and would like a sanity check from people who know the legendarium and lore better than I do.

The idea: UNESCO’s World Heritage List protects places of “Outstanding Universal Value,” judged against ten set criteria. What if Middle-earth had its own list? I’d set the first round at the beginning of the Fourth Age. Sauron is gone, the realms of men rebuild, but the Elves are still around, and the scars of the War of the Ring are fresh. So to answer what would be some Heritage of Middle Earth, I took a look what makes something World Heritage today

UNESCO’s criteria, in short

Cultural:

• (i) A masterpiece of human creative genius
• (ii) Shows an exchange of influences between cultures
• (iii) Bears testimony to a culture or civilization
• (iv) An outstanding example of architecture or landscape
• (v) A traditional settlement or way of land use
• (vi) Linked to events, ideas or beliefs of universal significance

Natural:

• (vii) Natural beauty
• (viii) Earth’s geological history
• (ix) Ecological and biological processes
• (x) Biodiversity and protection

Based on this, I thought about some iconic and relevant places that could fit this criteria

My first 12

1. Minas Tirith (i, iv, vi): Stunning and unique in its architecture, serving as one of the last battlegrounds against Sauron and with the White Tree newly replanted as a symbol for the age of men.
2. Rivendell (ii, iii, vi): Elrond’s valley kept Elven lore alive for thousands of years and was welcoming for many cultures of the Free Peoples throughout the ages
3. The Shire (iii, v): A traditional hobbit landscape, and Aragorn’s decree barring Men acts like a protected-area status. Potentially also a mixed Heritage with vii for its calm beauty?
4. Lothlórien (iii, vii, x): Mallorn forest and Caras Galadhon exist nowhere else, but it is fading as the Elves depart.
5. Erebor and Dale (ii, iv): Dwarven halls and a Men’s town beside them show trade and cultural exchange, rebuilt after Smaug and heavily involved in the War in the North.
6. Khazad-dûm (Moria) (i, iii, iv, vi): A vast Dwarven city and mining masterpiece, in poor condition after Durin’s Bane and the orcs. The awakening of the Balrog was one of the most significant events for the Dwarves in a negative sense
7. Edoras and Meduseld (iii, v): The clearest surviving expression of Rohirrim horse culture.
8. Helm’s Deep (iv, vi): The Hornburg and the Wall as fortress masterpieces and because they were a site of a decisive battle. This is probably the one I would switch the most, possibly with the Grey Havens?
9. Fangorn Forest (ix, x): An ancient forest tended by Ents, nothing else like it found anymore
10. Isengard / Tower of Orthanc (i, iv, vi): A Númenórean masterpiece with the surrounding land badly damaged. It is being rebuilt, but also serves as a warning via the fall of Saruman.
11. Mount Doom and Gorgoroth (vi, viii) : Mount Doom is tied to events of universal significance as the forging point of the One Ring and it is a unique geological formation. Takes a bit of inspiration from UNESCO sites that are reminders of tragical events
12. The Argonath (i, iii, vi): The colossal statues of Isildur and Anárion guarding the Anduin as reminders of the former glory of Gondor - perhaps as a bit of a symbol of what to inspire to

Where I’d like some input - thanks in advance :)

• Is the start of the Fourth Age the right moment, or would you pick another?
• Which would you swap out? I wondered about Osgiliath, Grey Havens, Bree and the Glittering Caves (Aglarond) as replacing e.g. Helms Deep.
• Are my criteria right?
• The east and south are thin in canon. Would Umbar, Dorwinion or the Sea of Rhûn deserve a place in a later round?

Thanks in advance for some feedback and thoughts about the first selection :)

Hey there everyone, new to this sub reddit but have always been fond of LOTR and Middle Earth. I want to read as much as I can, but was wondering how to go about this.

I obviously know that The Hobbit comes before the LOTR series, I also know of the Silmarilion (i think that's how it's spelled😅) and wondered, is the Silmarilion a pre-cursor to the Hobbit and LOTR or more of a collection of stories set within Middle Earth during different eras etc.?

If anybody has or could provide a reading list that woukd help very muchly. TIA!

The next stage of my 20 metre Minas Tirith mega-project has begun.

After two videos building the enormous 4 metre-wide front gate, I’m now moving further up the city and starting work on the Fountain Court at the top of Minas Tirith.

The plan is to eventually build the entire city as a huge Warhammer Middle-earth gaming board — around 20 metres long, with massive sections of Minas Tirith, Osgiliath, Minas Morgul, Helm’s Deep, Orthanc, Barad-dûr and more.

The front gate is almost complete, and now the real challenge begins: building the upper levels of Minas Tirith and making the whole thing work as one gigantic playable battlefield.

Everything is designed and 3D printed by me specifically for the project, with the aim of creating something that can actually be played on rather than just displayed.

This is going to be a seriously long-term project, so if you'd like to follow the entire build from the first walls all the way to the finished 20m battlefield, please subscribe to the channel.

And if you want to see this project become a reality, give the video a like — it genuinely helps the project reach more Middle-earth and wargaming fans.

This is only the beginning. 🏰

YouTube: Grey Wargaming

One of the most iconic structures in The Lord of the Rings has now been rebuilt in blocks.

This is Barad-dûr — the Dark Tower of Mordor, recreated using approximately 65 million blocks.

Barad-dûr was the great fortress of Sauron, rising over Mordor not far from Mount Doom. Its construction began during the Second Age and took centuries to complete, becoming the center of Sauron’s power and one of the most recognizable symbols of darkness in Middle-earth.

The fortress survived even Sauron’s first defeat in a sense: although the tower was destroyed, its foundations could not be completely erased while the One Ring still existed. Sauron eventually returned and raised the Dark Tower again.

Only when the One Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom did Barad-dûr finally collapse with Sauron’s power.

I wanted to see what a structure on this scale would feel like when reconstructed block by block, so I recreated the tower with 65,000,000 blocks.

Seeing the entire Dark Tower rise from millions of individual pieces is pretty insane — especially when you pull the camera back and realize just how enormous Barad-dûr really is.

Another legendary piece of Middle-earth, rebuilt block by block.

65 million blocks. One Dark Tower.

Hi is likely that there were there ever evil dwarves who served the dark lords Morgoth and then Sauron? Maybe in the East.

I have begun compiling a list of online texts that attempt bringing to a complete form the stories the Professor left unfinished: not mere fanfiction, but reasoned works that try to stay in the spirit of what Tolkien would have done if he stayed on the topic.

"Lost Tales": Gilfanon's Tale - https://reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1uwrt3v/finishing_the_lost_tales_a_harmonised_version_of/

"Lost Tales": Eärendel - https://reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1v0u8nq/finishing_the_lost_tales_the_lost_tale_of_e%C3%A4rendel/

"Lost Tales": Prologue and End - https://reddit.com/r/tolkienfans/comments/1v7qppi/finishing_the_lost_tales_the_end_of_the_tales_and/

"Lost Tales" (general): https://lotrfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Book_of_Lost_Tales,_Remade

The Lost Road - https://lotrfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lost_Road

Does anyone know other ones?

Got this because i loved the books but didnt want to keep checking them out from the school library lol.

Part 2 of my ridiculous 20-metre Middle-earth tabletop project!

I’ve now finished the Minas Tirith Gate, taking the project further than where I left off in Part 1.

The eventual plan is to create a huge Middle-earth battlefield made up of multiple locations from The Lord of the Rings, all built as one enormous Warhammer: Middle-earth SBG gaming board.

I'm 3D printing and building the terrain myself, and all of the 3D files are being provided for free for anyone who wants to make their own version.

This is still very early in the project, so there is a LOT more to come.

I'd love to hear what you think — especially what part of Middle-earth you think I should tackle next!

"Jo guys, i was just playing some Middle-Earth shadow of war, just wanted to attack a online fortress and i found this. im pretty sure its not supossed to be likes this XD."

I recently picked up my special edition hobbit and have been wondering what these runes mean. I'm a casual fan of lord of the rings and the hobbit and bought the book because it was on sale. I haven't been able to find a straight forward answer... yet! Any help is appreciate!

The Argonath remains one of the most breathtaking sights in The Lord of the Rings.
Carved into the cliffs on opposite sides of the River Anduin, the colossal figures of Isildur and Anárion formed the Pillars of the Kings—an ancient gateway marking the northern boundary of Gondor. When the Fellowship passes beneath them, Middle-earth suddenly feels enormous, ancient, and full of forgotten history.
We recreated this environment using 11.1 million Blocks.

Art by me "."

I wonder how he looks doing the paper work?

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I was looking at the History of Middle Earth volumes and thought "man imagine being able to teach a course on Middle Earth with these huge gigantic books" Which led to me asking how I would teach a class all about Middle Earth.

Now the most obvious is to just read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings all semester. But then we'll be missing out on the History of Middle Earth and The Silmarillion. So what if we start with The Silmarillion. With the help of the History of Middle Earth (the 12 volumes) to fill in any gaps or answer questions.

I believe there are already Tolkien classes ? But definitely not in my university! :(

So if you had the chance how would you set up your course? With lessons and homework and tests.

I've finally started what will probably be the biggest hobby project I've ever attempted.

I've designed and 3D printed the entrance to my own version of Minas Tirith, and the entrance alone is nearly 4 metres wide. The goal is to eventually build a 15–20 metre long version of the White City, with every section designed and printed from scratch.

I've just uploaded Part 1 showing how the entrance came together, and I'd genuinely love some feedback from fellow Lord of the Rings, Warhammer and 3D printing fans.

What areas of Minas Tirith do you think are the most important to include? Any details you'd love to see added as the project grows?

If you'd like to follow the build, the video is on my YouTube channel, and I'll be documenting every stage from the first walls all the way to the completed city.