The Weather of Middle Earth...

[curiouswombat]

I thought some of my friends might find this article in The Guardian interesting.

A Bristol University expert on past climate change has traced some of Tolkien's detailed maps, and then effectively "scanned" that into the university's computer to determine the weather patterns of Middle Earth.

He has come up with a number of interesting observations - for example

• Much of Middle Earth would have been covered in dense forest if the landscape had not been altered by dragons, orcs, wizards etc.

And that the climate around Mount Doom is very like that of Los Angeles...

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Tolkien did base the Shire on rural England, or an idealized version of it.


It is the idea of it being Lincolnshire that is interesting to some people - the assumption is that Tolkien was thinking of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Visually I'm sure he was, not Lincolnshire - so now we have to think of those counties with the weather of Lincolnshire. Hopefully without the flooding!

I have wondered, too, about the cost of the Grey ships - the wood they doubtless simply cultivated, but the shipbuilders, presumably, were paid to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Perhaps the usual passengers each paid a fare?

In one of my drabbles they left their horses, if they had them - and maybe poorer elves would give some token or another?