High Towers and Strong Places: A Political History of Middle-Earth
Timothy R Furnish
Language: English
Pages: 166
ISBN: 1940992516
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Dr. Timothy R. Furnish applies Primary World analysis-political, cultural, social, and economic- to Middle-earth's 7,000 years of recorded history in High Towers and Strong Places. Steering clear of literary criticism, the standard approach to Tolkien for the last six decades, this book instead uses Tolkien's writings to examine each of the major races of Middle-earth in some detail. It then delves into how each speaking people's anthropological traits informed the political systems they devised. Middle-earth's many states, Beleriand to Barad-dur and Utumno to Umbar, from First through early Fourth Ages, are compared and contrasted with Primary World examples such as Rome/Byzantium; the Carolingian Empire; and the Islamic caliphates before being classified as monarchies, aristocracies or democracies. High Towers and Strong Places also offers a grander geopolitical analysis, looking at the international relations and balance-of-power politics over millennia of Middle-earth's history. Particular attention is paid to little-studied issues: Numenor's Second Age imperialism; the longue duree planning of immortal beings such as Sauron and Galadriel; and Gondor's role as Third Age hegemon. Morgoth and Sauron, powerful but ultimately failed god-kings, receive specific scrutiny-especially the relationships with their minions, both major (Balrogs, Dragons) and minor (Goblins, Orcs and Trolls). High Towers and Strong Places: A Political History of Middle-earth can be read as a stand-alone volume or as an introductory work to the upcoming Bright Swords and Glorious Warriors: A Military History of Middle-earth. Fans of fantasy books and movies, as well as gaming fans will find High Towers and Strong Places a fascinating read as well as a valuable resource."
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first known, was created by Eru Ilúvatar “coëval with Manwë”219—thus these two were the twin, greatest archangelic Valar. Morgoth, like Satan, desired to be ruler, not ruled, and so did all he could to thwart the designs of Eru and the Valar who remained loyal—primarily by seeking dominion over Arda (Earth). To this end, Morgoth pursued a dual strategy: he “let most of his being pass into the physical constituents of the Earth”220 such that he “stained” them all with his evil, which made all of
each of these? This is an important question, because the kind(s) of warfare utilized by each combatant in every conflict derives, in no small measure, from the nature of the particular political system involved in that clash. The inhabitants of Middle-earth—certainly the Men—are not creatures of Fairy or somehow totally alien: “I have not made any of the peoples on the ‘right’ side, Hobbits, Rohirrim, Men of Dale or Gondor, any better than men have been, or are, or can be.”280 Thus, their
Transformed,” “Orcs,” MR, p. 410. 263. Ibid. 264. “X,” “Orcs,” “Myths Transformed,” MR, p. 417. 265. “VIII,” Orcs, “Myths Transformed,” MR, p. 410. 266. “X,” “Orcs,” “Myths Transformed,” MR, p. 417. 267. Which Saruman had become, de facto, when he turned to evil. Emphasis added. 268. “X,” “Orcs,” “Myths Transformed,” MR, pp. 418-19; see also “Treebeard,” LotR, p. 473 and the entire chapter “The Uruk-Hai,” LotR, pp. 444-60. 269. “Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor,” S,
Rangers protecting the Shire and, indeed, all of the former realm of Arnor in a less obvious, more asymmetric-warfare manner than that of Gondor’s “stalwart tower;”10 the various nomad and Corsair invasions of Gondor;11 even perhaps the entire War of the Dwarves and Orcs,12 which was more a populist bloodbath than under the directed purview of any Dwarf state. Both state and non-state warfare will be covered at length in the successor volume to this work. The aim of this particular chapter of the
likewise for the Grey Mountains realm under Thorin I. More problematic is assessing the type of government employed by the Dwarves of the (northern) Blue Mountains, and of Aglarond under Gimli son of Glóin. Throughout the Second and Third Ages there existed a remnant community of Dwarves in the Blue Mountains, left over from “when the ancient cities of Nogrod and Belegost in the Blue Mountains were ruined at the breaking of Thangorodrim.”54 But there is no indication in the sources that another
