Tuesday, October 11, 2022

New Maps of Westeros & Middle-earth

Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power is an epic tale which involves multiple charachters and plot-lines. So far we have been introduced to hobbits, dwarves, elves and humans. All of whom seem to be involved in their own individual journeys through Middle-earth. The show itself often uses maps to help illustrate these epic journeys being undertaken by the show's major characters. 

You can now also follow these Middle-earth journeys on an online interactive map. The Rings of Power Interactive Map is a very useful way to try to keep abreast of all the latest developments in Amazon's on-going series. The map features animated journey lines of some of the show's major journeys so you can follow along with the stories of Nori, Galadriel, Halbrand, Elrond, Elendil and Arondir. 

The map also includes a handy episode timeline which allows you to follow these individual journeys episode by episode.  If you select an individual episode on this timeline the map highlights the important Middle-earth locations featured in that episode. If you click on these location map markers you can learn more about each featured location. 

One of the many highlights from The Rings of Power have been the sumptuous and sweeping transitions from a map of Middle-earth straight into filmed (CGI) footage of the actual Middle-earth landscapes.  For example (shown above) in episode two when Elrond and Celebrimbor travel from Eregion (the Realm of the Elven Smiths) to Khazad-dûm (the Realm of the Dwarves) the journey is shown on a Tolkein inspired map of Middle-earth. 

If you want to explore these locations for yourself then the LOTR Project is another fantastic resource. The interactive map on the LOTR Project uses place names from the Third Age. The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age and many of the place-names used during this era have long since gone out of use by the time of the Third Age. 

For example Khazad-dûm is labeled Moria on the LOTR Project map (in the Second Age the dwarves were forced to leave Khazad-dûm. Subsequently this dark, empty underground kingdom became known as Moria, the Black Pit). Therefore if you want to find Khazad-dûm on the LOTR Project interactive map you need to search for Moria (the elven realm of Erigion can be found directly to the west of Moria on the map).  

If you want to have a better sense of the many locations featured in all the episodes of the House of the Dragon then you can refer to HBO's own interactive Map of Westeros. The first two episodes take place mainly at King's Landing. If you click on King's Landing on the interactive map you can learn more about some of the key locations in the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms. 

In the second episode Prince Daemon has taken up home at Dragonstone. A key scene of episode two takes place on Dragonstone, which you can find on the HBO map north-west of King's Landing at the entrance to Blackwater Bay.

No comments:

Post a Comment