Tolkien was uniquely placed to influence the vocabulary of modern English. In one sense, he was the last of the Victorians; he did not really live in the Victorian era, but was born at the tail end of it and carried along some of those traditions. Amongst those is a certain sense of propriety and conservatism and, I think, a love for being English; something that seemed to wane after the trauma of the World Wars. He had a deep passion for antiquity and ancient European languages, a love for the aesthetics of language (philology), and care for the natural world. As such, he included many older words we now rarely use to describe geographical features, at least in modern American English, and many plants we may not be familiar with.
With an interest in those words, I've compiled here a list of geographical terms we see in the Lord of the Rings. Enjoy!
With an interest in those words, I've compiled here a list of geographical terms we see in the Lord of the Rings. Enjoy!
