The Encyclopedia of Arda - Wilderland (original) (raw)

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Location A wide region of northwest Middle-earth lying between the Misty Mountains in the west and the river Celduin in the east Pronunciation Probably 'wi'lderland', with 'wilder' pronounced as in the English word 'bewilder'1 Meaning Approximately 'wild country'2 Other names Rhovanion Indexes: Alphabetical: W Lands, Realms and Regions About this entry: Updated 18 August 2017 Updates planned: 2 The wilderness of Rhovanion A term for the lands of Middle-earth that lay east of the Misty Mountains. 'Wilderland' probably represents the Westron equivalent of the Elvish name Rhovanion. Notes 1 The name 'Wilderland' was invented by Tolkien, and so there is no formally preferred pronunciation. The first syllable being 'wild' might suggest a long 'i' sound, as for example in 'wildlife'. On the other hand, the name's linguistic origins in words like 'wilderness' strongly imply a short 'i' sound would be preferred. See note 2 below for more on the etymology of the name. 2 'Wilderland' is based on the word 'wilderness', which originally meant an uninhabited region. It was also influenced by the old word 'wilder', meaning 'wander, be lost', a word considered archaic in modern usage, but surviving in the word 'bewilder'. The entire name can be interpreted as something like 'empty land of wanderers'. The lands east of the Misty Mountains may have been given this name simply because they were wild and untamed, compared to the more populated areas to the west. Alternatively, the name is perhaps connected to the Nandor, who wandered away from the Great Journey as they passed through this region. See also... Great Shelf, The Wilderness Indexes: Alphabetical: W Lands, Realms and Regions About this entry: Updated 18 August 2017 Updates planned: 2 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001, 2017. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus reports have billions of combinations based on our advanced reporting engine of more than a million components.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Location A wide region of northwest Middle-earth lying between the Misty Mountains in the west and the river Celduin in the east Pronunciation Probably 'wi'lderland', with 'wilder' pronounced as in the English word 'bewilder'1 Meaning Approximately 'wild country'2 Other names Rhovanion Indexes: Alphabetical: W Lands, Realms and Regions About this entry: Updated 18 August 2017 Updates planned: 2 The wilderness of Rhovanion Map of Wilderland

A term for the lands of Middle-earth that lay east of the Misty Mountains. 'Wilderland' probably represents the Westron equivalent of the Elvish name Rhovanion. Notes 1 The name 'Wilderland' was invented by Tolkien, and so there is no formally preferred pronunciation. The first syllable being 'wild' might suggest a long 'i' sound, as for example in 'wildlife'. On the other hand, the name's linguistic origins in words like 'wilderness' strongly imply a short 'i' sound would be preferred. See note 2 below for more on the etymology of the name. 2 'Wilderland' is based on the word 'wilderness', which originally meant an uninhabited region. It was also influenced by the old word 'wilder', meaning 'wander, be lost', a word considered archaic in modern usage, but surviving in the word 'bewilder'. The entire name can be interpreted as something like 'empty land of wanderers'. The lands east of the Misty Mountains may have been given this name simply because they were wild and untamed, compared to the more populated areas to the west. Alternatively, the name is perhaps connected to the Nandor, who wandered away from the Great Journey as they passed through this region. See also... Great Shelf, The Wilderness Indexes: Alphabetical: W Lands, Realms and Regions About this entry: Updated 18 August 2017 Updates planned: 2 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001, 2017. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus reports have billions of combinations based on our advanced reporting engine of more than a million components.