J.R.R. Tolkien Resources

The quality of Tolkien scholarship is very uneven. There are sadly many well-meaning Web sites that have been started but never finished, some by very qualified, capable people. But there are also some Web sites that promote false and misleading information about Tolkien and Middle-earth.

How does the average Tolkien fan distinguish between the ill-informing sites and the truly useful sites? One good test is to look at the purpose of the site. Does it attempt to speak for many people or does it simply represent the author's own point of view? People who strive to be "fair" and "honest" about representing other points of view -- especially those with which they disagree -- are the most unreliable sources of information.

The unhappy truth is that there are many arguments and disagreements throughout the Tolkien fan community. And while you may want to believe that everyone tries to be fair, the personal bias either side feels cannot easily be set aside. The more determined an essay is to explain the other side's point of view in tedious detail, the more likely it proves to be that the essay is only striving to make the other point of view look inadequate, faulty, or erroneous.

These types of Tolkien resources either blatantly, falsely represent what other people say or else they deliberately, intentionally leave out information that helps the reader see the flaws in their own arguments.

The best resources stay focused on presenting a coherent explanation of an idea or set of ideas without attempting to make other points of view seem unimportant. If you find yourself reading an essay that speaks of "the minority" opinion or point of view, ask yourself: on the basis of what authoritative research or certification does the essayist claim or imply that the other point of view is in the minority?

Historians have long recognized that the most powerful kings and rulers in history usually issued letters, declarations of laws, and treaties that very briefly and simply introduced the rulers without embellishment. The weaker, less effective rulers almost universally introduced themselves with long titles, embellishing flourishes and curses, and unearned praise. The voice that simply presents the facts without stressing how important or authoritative it is usually turns out to be the most credible one.

Even in the highly contentious world of literary research and opinion, there are always inconvient facts that are omitted or buried beneath comparisons of value. The best researchers do not feel the need to justify themselves or their work.

Tolkien Studies on the Web provides an introduction to Web resources that help readers learn more about the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and his literary creation.

The Tolkien Society offers an Education resource page on their Web site.

The Tolkien Linguistic Fellowship provides a linguistics resources page.

Green Books, a scholarly section on the popular fan site TheOneRing.Net, includes question-and-answers, colums, book revies, and more.

J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle-earth Articles and Links, a guide to Tolkien and Middle-earth research on the Web provides an extensive listing of great Web sites.

SF-Worlds has a dedicated Middle-earth section with essays and links.

SF Fandom has a Tolkien Forum and a Lord of The Rings Forum for fans of Tolkien and the Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" movies.

The Tolkien and Middle-earth Topic at Suite101 features well over 100 Tolkien essays by Douglas Charles Rapier and Michael Martinez. Although no longer active, the section features well over 100 essays.

MERP's essays section features over 100 Tolkien essays by several well-known Tolkien researchers, including Chris Seeman and Michael Martinez.

The Tolkien Socity includes a Tolkien Essays section on its Web site.

Biography and Tolkien Essays at Timeline Universe.

Finduilas' J.R.R. Tolkien Page has many great Tolkien essays written from an enthusiastic fan's point of view.

Helge Fauskanger's Ardalambion site offers many Tolkien essays about the languages of Middle-earth.

Mellonath Daron, the language guild of Forodrim, offers some of the best Tolkien essays on the Web, especially about Tolkien's languages and The History of Middle-earth.

The Tolkien Trail is an imaginitive, inventive collection of Tolkien Essays by several enthusiastic Tolkien fans.

Professor Eugene Hargrove offers a collection of well-written Tolkien essays in his "Concerning Tolkien's Middle-earth" section.

The Electronic Tolkien Encyclopedia Project is one of the oldest collections of Tolkien essays on the Internet.

Michael Martinez has published a free eBook called Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth, 3rd Edition that is one of the most widely read collection of Tolkien essays. It was called one of the leading Tolkien scholarly resources on the Internet by Yahoo! Internet Life.

The Busse Library Web indexes some of the very best (and worst) resources for Tolkien essays on the Web. Stay away from the National Geographic site, Encyclopedia of Arda, but some of the other sites are okay.

An interesting essay by Michael Martinez talks about Balrogs on Andre Norton's Web site, where her Balrog Award is described. Norton received the first-ever Balrog Award given.

The Barrow-downs Middle-earth Encyclopedia has a brief but interesting essay about the Balrogs.

Michael Martinez wrote about Balrogs in "Flying Away On A Wing And A Hair...". He has an older Balrogs essay that looks at the Balrog Wings Debate. Another essay pokes fun at the Balrogs and wings argument through a parody of the much-discussed chapter in The Lord of the Rings.

SciFi Stuff has an interesting Balrogs essay.

Someone wrote a whole Web site about Balrogs.

Another good essay about Balrogs goes into some detail about their nature.

This essayist also takes a look at Balrogs and why they are such fascinating imaginary creatures.

Rolozo Tolkien has a great collection of paintings and pictures of Balrogs in the Balrogs Collection.