The real Middle-Earth : exploring the magic and mystery of the Middle Ages, J.R.R. Tolkien and "The Lord of the Rings" / Brian Bates.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bates, Brian, 1944-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Anglo-Saxons--England--Social life and customs.

Anglo-Saxons.

Vikings--England--Social life and customs.

Vikings.

Magic--England--History--To 1506.

Magic.

History.

Manners and customs.

Great Britain--Civilization--To 1066.

Great Britain.

Civilization.

England.

Physical Description:

viii, 292 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First Palgrave Macmillan edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Summary:

J.R.R. Tolkien claimed that he based the land of Middle Earth on a real place. The Real Middle Earth brings alive, for the first time, the very real civilization in which those who lived had a vision of life animated by beings beyond the material world. Magic was real to them and they believed their universe was held together by an interlaced web of golden threads visible only to wizards. At its center was Middle Earth, a place peopled by humans, but imbued with spiritual power. It was a real realm that stretched from Old England to Scandinavia and across to western Europe, encompassing Celts, Anglo Saxons and Vikings. Looking first at the rich and varied tribes who made up the populace of this mystical land, Bates looks at how the people lived their daily lives in a world of magic and mystery. Using archaeological, historical, and psychological research, Brian Bates breathes life into this civilization of two thousand years ago in a book that every Tolkien fan will want.

Contents:

Rediscovering the Real Middle-earth

1. The Real Middle-earth 3

2. The People of Middle-earth 12

3. How They Lived 31

4. The Magic of the Forest 41

The Doom of Dragons

5. Towers of Doom 65

6. The Dragon's Lair 79

7. A Hoard of Treasure 88

The Enchanted Earth

8. Elves' Arrows 101

9. Plant Magic 112

10. Spirit Nights 120

11. Wells of Wisdom 129

Magical Beasts

12. The Raven's Omen 145

13. Shapeshifters 155

14. The Wizard's Wild Ride 165

Wizards of Wyrd

15. The Web of Destiny 175

16. The Seeress 186

Dwarves, Giants and Monsters

17. Ents 207

18. The Dwarves' Forge 216

19. Spellbinding 222

20. The Spider Monster 232

Voyage to the Otherworld

21. Journey to the Edge of Middle-earth 245.

Notes:

Originally published: London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 2002.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-284) and index.

ISBN:

1403963193

OCLC:

53343091