Historical Comparisons

**deltahost** · January 25, 2011, 11:35 PM

From playing some other historically accurate games (Aside from Medieval Total War), I have found that Mr Tolkien had (probably) based his naming and symbology of many LOTR concepts on real world objects from some time long ago.

Here's what I've got so far:

-Most noticeably, there is an East-West crossroads theme in LOTR. All lands south and east of the Anduin are predominantly - middle - eastern. This is further connected to the real world thru naming conventions.
-Rhun, in LOTR, resembles the Turkish word Rum

. Rum, means Rome. When the Seljuks invaded Anatolia, they started controlling areas that formerly belonged to the Romans (Byzantines). So they named their new land Muslim Rome.

Even Rhun's infantry resemble the Kwarizmian (Outer rim) soldiers of the Middle East.
-Another huge giveaway is Saruman. This guy sounds a lot like Saruhan

. And it just so happens that Saruhan's flag IS IN THE SHAPE OF A WHITE PAINTED HAND.

-And then of course, the regions near the river Anduin are likely named after real life regions near the Thames river (Although all river regions may have been named the same way

).
-Oh yeah, and doesn't the map look a lot like Greece and Turkey? ... Just the Eastern part anyway...

Okay, I'm getting paranoid.

**Agamaran** · January 25, 2011, 11:42 PM

I'd hate to take away the fun to guessing, but Tolkien did a good job explaining where nearly half of his influences were drawn upon in consideration for the different factions.

As far as "historical comparison" goes, if we consider the Middle-earth mythos to be a true mythos, then the legend of the War of the Ring took place some six-thousand years ago in North-Western Europe.

**Death Blade** · January 27, 2011, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by Agamaran

I'd hate to take away the fun to guessing, but Tolkien did a good job explaining where nearly half of his influences were drawn upon in consideration for the different factions.

As far as "historical comparison" goes, if we consider the Middle-earth mythos to be a true mythos, then the legend of the War of the Ring took place some six-thousand years ago in North-Western Europe.

Yeah I was there at the time.. I miss killing orcs :/

**Miroslav Klose** · January 26, 2011, 01:27 AM

Gondor -> Basileia ton Romaion

And you could go on and on, but Tolkien never meant to create such things.

**Mikail Mengsk** · January 26, 2011, 05:39 AM

Originally Posted by Maedhros The Magnificent

Gondor -> Basileia ton Romaion

And you could go on and on, but Tolkien never meant to create such things.

Don't think so: Gondor's strategy is almost opposite.

**cezarip** · January 26, 2011, 04:30 AM

Take a look here:

The Map:
http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.c...ddle-earth.jpg

Explanation:
http://bigthink.com/ideas/21172

**Gallus** · January 26, 2011, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by cezarip

Take a look here:

The Map:
http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.c...ddle-earth.jpg

Explanation:
http://bigthink.com/ideas/21172

I can't see

from this map. It doesn't look like Middle-earth or Europe.

**KnightsTemplar** · January 26, 2011, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by Gallus

I can't see

from this map. It doesn't look like Middle-earth or Europe.

And also, where the

is that "Iberian Peninsula" ?
As I remember, Gondor's westward is by the great sea.

**Jimmy-j** · January 27, 2011, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by KnightsTemplar

And also, where the

is that "Iberian Peninsula" ?
As I remember, Gondor's westward is by the great sea.

It does explain where all those vampires come from. Mordor being in Transylvania

Vampires are just left over orcs

**Rexmundi** · January 27, 2011, 07:22 AM

Really, if you compare any events in a fantasy novel to human history your bound to find comparisons. Somewhere down the line a siege, battle, disaster etc. will look like the events in the fantasy novel.

Added to that is the fact that the novel itself is written by a human and thus influenced by his/her knowledge about history, culture etc. So ofcourse some events in history will look alike/ has influenced the events in the fantasy novel.

Trying to figure out which and if historical events are the blueprint for a fantasy book is pritty much useless. There are too much historical events that will look alike and unless the author explains it all it will always be guessing.

**jinjo** · January 26, 2011, 09:16 AM

that's old story deltahost, there were many threads similar to this
but i think it's just fake

**Arminius84** · January 26, 2011, 09:56 AM

I think Mordors siege of Minias Tirith is alot like the Ottomans siege of Vienna in 1683.
A strong fortress of the west besieged by a vast army from the east, and then saved in the last minute by allied cavalry.

**jaypolak** · January 26, 2011, 06:24 PM

in the books I dont think it was stated that rohan was meant to be scandinavian, but in the movies that what their culture reminds me most of, which also ironic in the fact that scandinavians never had a strong cavalry force in the middle ages.

**Ross141995** · January 26, 2011, 07:18 PM

Well Tolkien was make myths for the British .that is what lord of the rings is all about.

**the cooliest** · January 26, 2011, 08:20 PM

Gondor is very roman, byzantine in my mind. A great empire now but just a fragment of it's former self. It's other part fell to barbarians (Arnor to Whitch King) and now are being attack from all sides by people from the south and east (Mordor Harad Rhun=Ottomans and assorted Middle Eastern peoples). Now they rely on more barbaric allies to save them (like Romans relied on Barbarians in the end, Gondor relies on a less barbaric but still less developed Rohan). But instead of falling, they get a new awesome dude from the North who kicks major evil ass and saves the day (this didn't happen to Rome

)