Timeline for Compass/magnetic directions in Middle-earth
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 2023 at 18:34 | comment | added | Simon Crase | @Buzz I had forgotten about Tolkien's geocentric universe. While he doesn't tell us whether Eru Ilúvatar endowed the remodeled Earth with an iron core, I wonder whether a hypothetical core would develop a magnetic field on a non-rotating Earth. | |
| Jan 5, 2023 at 9:04 | comment | added | Luaan | @DarrelHoffman A magnetic compass is quite treacherous underground, I doubt they would use that - especially when they're fond of living in mountainous terrain which commonly has large magnetic anomalies. Of course, we've had good and reliable ways of mapping out underground spaces almost as soon as we started serious underground mining. Some of those instruments were pretty clever :) | |
| Jan 5, 2023 at 2:22 | comment | added | Ben | @DarrelHoffman I don't think Dwarves travel huge distances underground. It's not like all the dwarven kingdoms were connected by ridiculous tunnel networks. In their holds, they probably navigate the same way we do inside giant buildings like shopping centres and airports; maps and signs, counting turns, etc. You don't typically need to know (or at least I usually have no clue) which way is north when you're inside a complex 3d structure. But dwarves would use different techniques to navigate when travelling long distances between dwarf holds, which would likely include celestial navigation. | |
| Jan 4, 2023 at 22:56 | comment | added | chepner | Dwarves still travel extensively above ground; while they prefer underground dwellings for habitation, I think the amount of time they spend "indoors", so to speak, is exaggerated. | |
| Jan 4, 2023 at 17:34 | comment | added | Darrel Hoffman | The weird part about this is we're talking about dwarves. Celestial navigation makes sense for elves and men and even hobbits, but the dwarves live underground most of the time, and looking to the sky for navigation wouldn't even be an option for them. A magnetic compass might be something they'd have access to, even if it wasn't explicitly called out in the books. Or they could just navigate by recognizable landmarks, e.g. the prominent mountain range... | |
| Jan 4, 2023 at 11:13 | comment | added | Tristan | "Middle-earth exists on a round planet (or has at least since the seas were bent in the Second Age)" *except for the Elves | |
| Jan 4, 2023 at 3:59 | history | answered | Buzz | CC BY-SA 4.0 |