Switzerland in Tolkien's Middle-Earth: In the footsteps of his adventurous summer journey in 1911-with hiking suggestions

by Martin S Monsch, John Howe (Foreword by)

Overview

A journey in search of Middle-earth

In 1911, at the age of nineteen, J. R. R. Tolkien embarked on an adventurous journey through the Swiss Alps; with a heavy pack, he hiked over many high passes. More than fifty years later, he mentioned in a letter to his son Michael that this trip had deeply affected him. Bilbo's journey in The Hobbit from Rivendell to the other side of the Misty Mountains, he said, was based on his own adventures in 1911.

Tolkien himself named a few specific sources of inspiration, most explicitly the Silberhorn (Silverhorn). So I wondered: Was this perhaps only the tip of the iceberg? Following in Tolkien's footsteps, I myself set out into the spectacular mountain world with its stories, myths, and legends, in search of his sources of inspiration; and little by little, a vivid and mysterious world revealed itself to me: a world that helped shape Middle-earth.

More than 100 color images accompany the author's research and discovery journey, along with 11 hiking and 3 road trip suggestions that allow readers to recreate Tolkien's experience with all its impressions themselves in the Swiss mountains.

"This book is above all else an invitation to step into Tolkien's hiking shoes, shoulder his pack, and step back a century into a world which is as far from today as Middle-earth is from our world; a guidebook of impressions, a walking tour of the nature of imagination and the imagination of nature." - John Howe

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783907323021
Publisher:	Martin S. Monsch
Publication date:	07/29/2021
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	519,196
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Martin Monsch is a lawyer and data scientist with a passion for puzzles, stories, innovations, and natural worlds. Growing up in the gardens of Eglisau and the mountains of Davos, he now lives in the Lake-town of Zurich. Middle-earth seemed familiar to him from his first immersion-which was perhaps no coincidence. And because treasures of inspiration have always magically attracted him, the project Switzerland in Tolkien's Middle-Earth was born a few winters ago.

Currently, Martin is planning his first novel, in which he will take his readers into a world both familiar and foreign. It is a historical fiction work that could also suit the tastes of fantasy fans, nature lovers, and adventurers. If you are interested, please visit his website and let him know. This would make him extremely happy!

My website: msmonsch.com

Table of Contents

Foreword by John Howe: The Wilderland of the Imagination IX

Departure XIII

Part 1: In the Bernese Oberland: Rivendell and the Misty Mountains

Rivendell 19

I. The Path to Lauterbrunnen 19

II. Lauterbrunnen as Rivendell 21

III. Inspirations from Goethe 24

The Misty Mountains 26

I. The Jungfrau, the Silberhorn, and the Rottalhorn as the Mountains of Moria 26

II. The Mines of Moria 31

III. Possible Inspiration in Legend, Art, and Poetry 36

Characters with a Possible Swiss Connection. 51

I. English Hobbits in Switzerland 52

II. Gandalf the Oberland Mountain Spirit 53

III. Galadriel the Witch of the Alps 58

IV. Gollum the Shepherd of Lake Heli 61

V. Bilbo, Aragorn, and Sauron as Dietrich von Bern 67

Dark Creatures with a Possible Swiss Connection 80

I. Orcs and Goblins 80

II. Dubious Dwarves: An Unexpected Party 90

III. The Nazgûl and the Lords of Gafertschinken 91

IV. Grindelwald and Beowulf 94

The Dead Marshes at the Totensee 96

Part 2: In the Valais: Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor

Tolkien's Way into the Valais 101

Mirkwood and the Wood-Elves 104

Rohan and the White Mountains 108

I. The Upper Rhône Valley as Rohan and the Weisshorn as the White Mountains 108

II. Brig as Edoras 112

III. Belalp as Dunharrow 114

IV. Rohan Under Attack: Fires in the Valais in August 1911 124

V. Further Locations of Interest 129

Mordor 138

I. Tolkien in Zermatt 138

II. Mordor in the Valais 140

III. Mount Doom 143

IV. Arolla, the Bertol Hut, and the Pass into Mordor 150

V. Mont Miné as Mount Doom or Minas Morgul 153

Gondor 156

I. The Roman Empire 156

II. The Romance Lower Valais 158

III. The Name Gondor 159

IV. Warning Beacons of Gondor on August 1st 160

V. Sion as Minas Tirith 161

The Battle of the Pelennor Fields 166

I. In The Lord of the Rings 166

II. Pyrrhos and Hannibal 166

III. The Huns 169

IV. The Hungarians 174

V. Mongols and Ottomans 181

VI. Possible Sources of Inspiration in Switzerland 185

Three Basic Theses 195

Part 3: Back to Lake Thun: The Finale of The Hobbit

From the Misty Mountains to the Long Lake 199

I. Over Hill or Under Hill 199

II. Into the Woodland Realm at Blausee 206

III. Esgaroth and the Alpine Lake Dwellings 207

IV. Lake Thun as the Long Lake 209

V. Interlaken or Thun as Lake-Town 212

Inspiration in the Local World of Legend 215

I. Gotthelf's The Black Spider 215

II. The Dragon and the Dwarfs 217

III. Gold Caves in the Rothorn and near Lauterbrunnen 221

The City of Dale and the Lonely Mountain 222

I. The Niesen as the Lonely Mountain 222

II. Mount Pilatus as the Lonely Mountain 224

III. Wimmis as Dale 226

IV. Dale and Esgaroth in Flames 228

Bonus: John Howe's Inspirations for the Film Adaptations 232

Concluding Remarks 235

Appendix 1: Hiking Suggestions 241

Appendix 2: Key Dates in Tolkien's Life 275