The spellbinding world of Middle-earth is full of beasts and battles, heroes and heroines, and the struggle between good and evil. In this dictionary of sources, Tolkien scholar and best-selling author David Day's four decades of research inform us about the lands, inhabitants, languages, geography and history of Middle-earth. This compelling encyclopedia on Tolkien's world also includes over 200 illustrations and an appendix that examines the legends that were key sources for Tolkien's creations - the Völsunga Saga, the Nibelungenlied, and Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle