Stupid Questions

Alright, this may not be a stupid question, but they seem stupid because you think you should know the answer, but why is Middle Earth called Middle Earth?

I'm not sure that is a stupid question, Tin. In fact, I think it's a darn good one! It's one I think I should know the answer to, but I don't.

Was it not an old term for northern Europe in the iron age?

From what I understand it's derived from Old Norse mythology.

Rings a bell. "Midgard" comes to mind.

Yep, "Middle-earth" (properly hyphenated and with a lower-case "e") is Tolkien's modern anglicisation of the Norse name. Tolkien mentions in Letter 183 that his phrase is directly derived from the Medieval version of midden-erd > middel-erd.

Also, I've moved this to the LotR forum because I feel that Ideas and Suggestions has become a dumping ground for all sorts of threads that fit better elsewhere.

I was thinking the same thing. A thread where it should be. Novel.

Interestingly (and completely irrelevantly) the Mediterranean translates to Middle Earth- medi meaning middle and terranean meaning earth!
My Geography teacher is always telling me that. Anyways, here to help!

Not the only example from JRRT (noting Eldorion's reference), but an interesting one from letter 211...

'Middle-earth is (...) not my own invention. It is a modernization or alteration (...) of an old word for the inhabited world of Men, the oikoumene: middle because thought of vaguely as set amidst the encircling Seas and (in the northern-imagination) between ice of the North and the fire of the South. O. English middan-geard, mediaeval E. midden-erd, middle-erd. Many reviewers seem to assume that Middle-earth is another planet!'

JRRT, Letters

I was lazy, Elthir, I should have looked up Middle Earth in the Letters. I knew I'd read somewhere where Tolkien got the idea from.

Does anyone now where the word 'balrog' came from?

Hmm, sourcing Tolkien's invented words or names can be a tricky matter. JRRT himself sometimes points to a source (although this is relatively rare enough) -- if there was one in any case, outside of a sound or sound-sequence he might like, or think fitting, when inventing a language.

Anyway the word balrog was around quite early, appearing in the 1917 Gnomish Lexicon for instance -- noted as a kind of a fire demon, with a Qenya form malkarauke or valkarauke (Q. arauke 'demon'). I don't know which came first in Tolkien's mind, the Qenya or Gnomish form, but in any case this is a very early example.

At the moment I don't remember anyone noting a word balrog 'or a similar enough word' from Primary World sources.

I have a stupid question. Why did I go and see the Desolation of Smaug?   

Morbid curiosity can be the only possible answer

Then why did I see it three times? Three times pay for all?

Tinuviel wrote:Then why did I see it three times? Three times pay for all?

I got nothin'

You... liked... it?   

Tinuviel wrote:Alright, this may not be a stupid question, but they seem stupid because you think you should know the answer, but why is Middle Earth called Middle Earth?

my best guess. because it is based on norse mythology. Asgard is the place of the gods (where the elves are can't remember the name on the top of my head) then there is jotunheim where the ugly ass creatures live, they are not allowed with the gods nor the humans, and then there is the "middle" where the humans live. Midgard. Middle "place" (in lack of better words). in the norwegian edition of LOTR middle earth is called midgard.

I like that the Norwegian translation just goes back to the old Norse.   

As for Tinuviel's seeing DoS 3 times, I saw AUJ 3 times, but that was mainly because I was trying to find a theatre that had all 3 of HFR, 3D, and the watchamacallit: you know, the big honkin' screen. Only the big honkin' screen was worth it.

halfwise wrote:I like that the Norwegian translation just goes back to the old Norse.   

me to

You would.   

Norc wrote:my best guess. because it is based on norse mythology. Asgard is the place of the gods (where the elves are can't remember the name on the top of my head) then there is jotunheim where the ugly ass creatures live, they are not allowed with the gods nor the humans, and then there is the "middle" where the humans live. Midgard. Middle "place" (in lack of better words). in the norwegian edition of LOTR middle earth is called midgard.

Yeah, in the Letters Tolkien states that Middle-earth is his Anglicization of the word Midgard.

like boss... 

IIRC, the Norse believed that Åsgard lay in the center, Midgard lay around Åsgard in a circle and outside Midgard lay Utgard, where there were monsters and such.

Tolkien uses Middle-Earth for the area we hear about in the stories, not for all of the . And I think there are just one or two named dwarves in Tolkien's ME who are not named directly from Norse mythology. In the Sil, the Hobbit and LOTR there is only Khim (?) that I can recall. Dís is also veeeery Norse sounding.

Of course, Tolkien's Midgard - except in name - has little to do with Midgard.