I want to stress that this specific scale is the only way that this map works. I think it is undeniable that this is the correct scale of Tolkien’s world, and that this proves that he was indeed writing a European mythology, not just a work of fiction. As I talk about specific regions, zoomed in pictures will be underneath the explanations. All locations match the latitude instructions left behind by the professor. Even though certain areas like the southern coastlines have some issues, the accuracy of the map and its finer details will leave you convinced that something here beyond mere coincidence. You’ll see that when this scale is used, Tolkien’s map matches the geography of Ice-Age Europe down to shockingly close detail. Now that I had two definite points, the Shire in the general vicinity of the East of England, and Osgiliath at Constantinople, I was curious to see if the rest of the map would line up with the professors instructions and the broader geography of Middle-Earth. The Shire and Rivendell are to be at latitude with Oxford, Minas Tirith at latitude with Florence, the mouth of the River Anduin at the latitude of ancient Troy, etc. In his letters, he told us the latitudes of multiple locations. We also have some detailed instructions from the Professor. Tolkien could not have been more clear with this literary connection, so what could make more sense than to place Osgiliath there. The choice was easy- Osgiliath is Constantinople, on the land bridge between the East and West, between Greece and Persia, Gondor and Mordor. In addition to this, I had to choose one more (and more defined) location for the map to work, or else I would just be sizing the map at random, and this whole article would be pointless. The first is the Shire, which Tolkien himself said it is around the latitude of Oxford. I’m sure the professor would not mind, as he said himself that he knew the scale of Middle-Earth did not match Europe, and only by changing the scale in this way is it possible to see the true nature of his world.įor this to make sense then, I needed two definite geographic points in Europe. The second thing I did was discard the normal scaling of Tolkien’s map, and lengthened and compressed it to fit the whole of Europe.

The Ice Age landscape of Doggerland fits the bill perfectly. Tolkien told us that the Europe of Frodo’s day looked very different from ours- 'Those days, the Third Age of Middle-earth, are now long past, and the shape of all lands has been changed.' Tolkien made estimations in his letters of how long ago his stories would have taken place, and the period before the sinking of Doggerland in 6500 BC does come close to his estimations. The landscape shown in this map would have been the general look of Europe until around 6500 BC when Doggerland finished its gradual sinking into the waters. The map below shows Europe during the last glacial maximum, when the British Isles were still connected to the mainland by a landmass called “Doggerland”. Tolkien’s story is set in an ancient European pre-history, and must be set before the great floods and events that “changed all lands”. I did two things differently than most that have tried to overlay these maps.įirstly, I decided to try a map of Ice-Age Europe instead of a modern map. I wanted to test if there is something more to his map-making, and his world of Middle-Earth that feels so real.Īfter doing this, I believe I can prove that Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is a map of Ice-Age Europe. With the exception of the Shire, nothing ever looked to be in its proper place. I never thought these map projections felt right. It seems an entirely fictional map of an entirely fictional world.īut if you know much about Tolkien, you know that his intent was to write European mythology, not “fantasy”. Mordor is in the Mediterranean, the sea of Rhün is in the middle of nowhere, the misty mountains are in the ocean, etc.

Middle earth world map