Whether you’re taking a walking holiday to Frogmorton or you’ve got a fellowship by your side, travel is a cornerstone of Middle-earth. Whether its simply walking to Mordor or following the great East-West Road all the way to Erebor, there’s no denying that the journey is just as important as the destination in Tolkien’s world.
As clever as a hobbit, HRS, a german-based company who specializes in hotel reservations to key travel across the world at the best prices possible, has released a great digital scroll of witty words and travel-worn wisdom to help guide you as the road goes ever on and on. Titled Unexpected Journeys, it offers insight into everything from taking refuge in Rivendell to etiquette with orcs! Check it out!
I’m currently
reading The Fellowship of the Ring and I must say that I found this poster you
shared realy helpful mostly because with all the different places and
characters it is hard to remember them all. Though it is more of a promotional poster
for HRS, it’s also very fun and a nice addition to my lecture, sine it describes
some of the principal places, and characters, but with a taste of humor that
both attracts the reader and makes it easier to picture how the life in
Middle-Earth would be.
In
addition, I completely agree with what you said about the role that the journey
plays on the LOTR, Tolkien clearly focuses on the path taken by the characters
rather than the wished destiny. I believe that by doing this, Tolkien reflects that
the paths chosen, the decisions made and the experiences lived are more important
than the end itself. Relating it to our lives, when we wish to achieve certain
goal we think about how we’ll do it, and what do we need to achieve them; we
unconsciously focus more on the path than the goal itself, because after all what
we’ll forever remember will be the journey.