Middle Earth is a wonderful world of magic, dangerous creatures and epic heroes. Us fans always talk about the big battles or how powerful a certain character is, but one thing we don’t talk about enough are the awesome locations. Whether it’s an evil fortress or an island kingdom, Middle Earth has it all. Eager to know more? Here are the [Top Ten] Famous Places in Middle Earth!
10. Valinor
I bet there are some lovely beaches to chill on in Valinor!
Valinor is the place everyone wants to go on a holiday. It’s called ‘The Undying Lands’ because elves can live there forever in eternal bliss. Sounds like the perfect life, right?
Well, it wouldn’t be far off to say that Valinor is basically Middle Earth heaven. When elves die in battle, their spirits would be sent to a place in Valinor called The Halls of Mandos, where they wait to go into the afterlife. It’s nice to know that all the elves who died in battle get a peaceful end, isn’t it?
Did you know that the source of light for all of Middle Earth was once in Valinor? That’s right, before the sun and moon rose up into the sky, there were the Two Trees! The giant evil spider Ungoliant just had to suck all the light out of them, didn’t she?
9. Mordor
As holidays go, I'll pass on this place...
Folks, this is the Land of Shadow. Mordor is a terrible place with orcs, volcanoes, and most importantly it’s where Sauron lives! And any talk about Mordor needs to mention the huuuge fortress called Barad-Dur with Sauron’s eye on top that watches over the land.
So, if Mordor is such a bad place, why would anyone want to go there? Well, Frodo had to go there to destroy Sauron’s One Ring by dropping it into Mount Doom. He had to climb to whole volcano as well …with a little help from his best friend Samwise Gamgee.
Mordor is a place I certainly wouldn’t set foot in. I’m too clumsy, and would probably fall into a lava pit before I saw the first orc! Would you go there if it meant you would be saving the world like Frodo?
Here’s a link to a video showing part of Frodo and Sam's journey across Mordor:
8. Angband
You..you want to go there? Nuh-uh. I'm going back to The Shire.
Angband was an evil fortress just like Sauron’s Barad-Dur. Except this massive place was Morgoth’s, not Sauron’s. Angband was much bigger than Barad-Dur, but less well known by your average fan.
This was a bad, bad place folks. If you went into Angband, you’d find orcs, balrogs, Glaurung the wingless dragon, and who knows what else? This was meant to be a place utterly filled with evil.
Well, guess what? If you were there at the massive slaughter called the Dagor Bragollach, you would have seen all of these evil creatures coming from Angband and right for you. Imagine tens of thousands of orcs, balrogs and dragons coming at you like that?
7. Numenor
I'm not a great swimmer, so I'll pass on visiting this place any time soon.
Numenor is quite different to the rest of the entries on this list. That’s because it’s a kingdom…on an island…in the sea. You can probably understand now why the people who live here are known for their thousands of ships.
In the Second Age of Middle Earth, this place was one of the most powerful kingdoms because of how big their ship fleet was. The bad news is that this was when Sauron came back and turned the people of this island against the gods.
Want to know something interesting about Numenor’s eventual destruction? Well, it was actually a punishment by the one true god Eru Illuvitar for following Sauron. He basically made the whole island sink into the sea.
6. Eregion
Hmmm, I'd quite like to go here. Maybe they have some rings of power at the gift shop.
Oh, this is one of my all-time favourite places in Middle Earth, and it was super important as well. Eregion was led by the great elven lord, Celebrimbor. By the way, this guy happened to be the greatest smith of Middle Earth’s Second Age.
Ever wondered where the rings of power came from? Well, this was the place, and it was Celebrimbor himself that made them. Its gets even more interesting when you discover that Sauron was the one who helped Celebrimbor make the rings.
So, hopefully now you can see why Eregion was so important. I mean, it did shape a lot of Middle Earth history later down the line. Here’s a clip from The Rings of Power show leting us see Eregion in all its glory:
5. Khazad-Dûm
As an introvert, living inside a mountain sealed away from everyone seems like a great life!
So, this was the greatest Dwarven stronghold ever in Middle Earth. Pretty cool right? Well, it was also an underground kingdom too!
It’s not surprising that the Dwarves made their main home underground. After all, they do love mining and smelting ores. One of the coolest things about Khazad-Dûm is that orcs can’t really get in through the thick stone doors.
Wait, you might ask, so why aren’t there Dwarves here in the Lord of the Rings books and films? It’s surprising to know, but the Dwarves had to abandon this great place when they discovered, drum roll please…a Balrog underground!
I’ve always wondered how an evil demon like a Balrog could have made its way so deep underground. But, regardless, that was the end of Khazad-Dûm. At least we got to see it in The Rings of Power show, so here’s the link:
4. Minas Tirith
If you want to make your city feel safe, give it seven separate walls for protection!
Minas Tirith is a city we all probably remember from the third Lord of the Rings film. It was part of Gondor, the kingdom of the humans.
You might notice the weird shape of the city. Well, it does have a strange structure. There are seven levels to the city where all the people live, and at the top is the palace where the king lives!
In The Battle of the Pellenor Fields, Minas Tirith was sieged by over 10,000 orcs! And guess what? That wasn’t even Sauron’s full army!
You will be pleased to know that Minas Tirith survived the battle. Here’s a clip of the epic showdown:
3. The Lonely Mountain
If I send in my CV, can I become King Under the Mountain?
‘Lets take back Erebor!’ is all I can say when I talk about this place! Erebor, by the way, is another name for The Lonely Mountain. This was one of the richest places in Middle Earth by far with all its piles of gold.
Did you know The Lonely Mountain was once taken over by a dragon? Yeah, his name was Smaug! Its alright though, because the Dwarves took it back from him with the help of a Hobbit called Bilbo Baggins!
Are you starting to notice a theme with Dwarf homes being underground? Yeah so am I. Except this place was ruled by Dain Ironfoot II, one of the mightiest Dwarf warriors ever seen.
Here’s a link to a video showing the time when The Lonely Mountain was attacked by a huge army of orcs:
2. Rohan
Ride for ruin and the world ending!
This is a region of Middle Earth where literally everyone rides horses. Even all the soldiers fight while riding on their horses! I think I’m going to say horses a lot in this entry aren’t I?
Its amazing to know that Rohan saved Gondor during The Battle of the Pellenor Fields. Rohan had defintiely fought many battles before though, and I think the most epic one, especially in the movies, is The Battle of the Hornburg.
Did you know that Rohan has the best cavalry soldiers in all of Middle Earth? Here’s proof that their horses are amazing at taking their soldiers right into battle:
Ride to Gondor! Forth Eorlingas! (insert massive horn blowing sounds).
Watch as all the Rohan soldiers, which are called Rohirrim, absolutely destory the orc lines.
1. The Shire
All I want to do is join the Hobbits and make jam tarts in their Hobbit holes! Who's with me?
Ahhh, The Shire, such a sunny place full with the beauties of nature. Its also home to the cute little Hobbits who live in their Hobbit holes! Who couldn’t love this place?
The Hobbits even throw huge parties with fireworks that looks like dragons! You can see this when there is a huge celebration for Bilbo’s 111th birthday! Here’s a link to Bilbo’s birthday scene in the Lord of the Rings movies:
This scene will make you want to be a child again even more than you already do!
Aw it seems like such a fun place to be! I bet you didn’t know that Saruman took over The Shire after he was defeated at Isengard. Don’t worry though, because The Hobbits teamed up and found a way to beat him!
