LOTRProject to Launch New Web App on Dec. 4th

The Lord of the Rings Family Tree Project, or sometimes known as LOTRProject, is a non-profit website dedicated to chronicling and detailing the extensive geneological information featured in the world of Middle-earth.  It has been discussed in Wired, Time Magazine, The Guardian and the Huffington Post. Founded in January 2012 by Chemical Engineering student and Lord of the Rings fan  Emil Johansson, LOTR Project is dedicated to providing fans with innovative and interactive timelines and geneologies that follow the history of Middle-earth from the very first words of Eru and on.

Though it was founded as a personal project of Mr. Johansson’s, LOTR Project has grown into something far more. When speaking at TEDxGöteborg in October 2012, Johannson was quoted as saying that LOTR Project has “changed his life.” Emil’s dedication to detail and his passion for Middle-earth are something he describes as a “grand adventure,” and it shows in his website.

The Lord of the Rings Family Tree Project offers concrete stastical data on the Free People of Middle-earth. Johansson breaks the races and people of Middle-earth down, showing side-by-side comparisons of each of the races of the world and how they compare to one another. They are broken down by population and gender.

The cornerstone of LOTR Project is the absolutely massive geneology featured on the website. Covering elves, dwarves, men and hobbits, the LOTR Project offers a database that features 923 characters who reside in Middle-earth.

But LOTR Project is more than just a set of statistics, numbers, facts and maps. Johansson’s work reflects not only a passionate love of Middle-earth, but it also helps continue to explore exactly why Middle-earth feels real. The way Johansson breaks this information down and attempts to present it as “real and important” (as he says), then the massive series of events of Middle-earth show the patterns featured in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings.

Beginning on December 4th, Emil Johanson will unveil the newest addition to the Lord of the Rings Family Tree Project: Six Degrees of Sauron. This interactive web application was designed in coordination with sci-fi and fantasy author Henry Herz and will allow users to plug in two names from the world of Middle-earth and reveal the connections between the characters. It should reveals ome interesting information and help show how interconnected the world of Middle-earth really is.

Be sure to regularly visit The Lord of the Rings Family Tree Project as Emil Johansson continues to add more and more information to the website and continues to show the grandness of Tolkien’s work. The Lord of the Rings is a non-profit website, but they do accept donations and offer an Android app to support the maintenance of the site and continued exploration of the people of Middle-earth.