Author

Publication

2004-10-07 - Palgrave Macmillan

Language

English

Word Count

80,000 words, Guess

Page Count

320 pages

Physical Format

Paperback

Identifiers

  • ISBN-101403966834
  • ISBN-139781403966834
  • OCLC Control Number56929643
  • Better World Books9781403966834
  • Better World BooksP8-ARJ-902
and 1 more

Classifications

  • DDC823/.912
  • LCCPR6039.O32 L63242 2003

Description

Tolkien readily admitted that the concept of Middle-earth was not his own invention. An Old English term for the Dark Age world, it was always assumed that the importance of magic in this world existed only in Tolkien's works; now Professor Brian Bates reveals the vivid truth about this historical culture. Behind the stories we know of Dark Age king and queens, warriors and battles, lies the hidden history of Middle-earth, a world of magic, mystery and destiny. Fiery dragons were seen to fly across the sky, monsters haunted the marshes, and elves fired poisoned arrows. Wizards cast healing spells, wise trees gave blessings, and omens foretold the deaths of kings. The very landscape itself was enchanted and the world imbued with a life force. Repressed by a millennium of Christianity, this belief system all but disappeared, leaving only faint traces in folk memory and fairy tales. In this remarkable book Professor Brian Bates has drawn on the latest archaeological findings to reconstruct the imaginative world of our past, revealing a culture with insights that may yet help us understand our own place in the world.

First Sentence

The gods and goddesses lived in the bright spaces of the Upperworld, along with the light elves.

Excerpt

The gods and goddesses lived in the bright spaces of the Upperworld, along with the light elves.

Subjects

Other Editions

  • The Real Middle EarthPaperbackPalgrave Macmillan2004-10-07

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