- "I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama."
- —JRR Tolkien
It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, or what texts should be considered canon; quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.
There are various reasons for the canon problem:
- Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with regard to Gandalf and the Elves. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.
- Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the revised versions of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are considered canon, but with The Silmarillion and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.
- To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In one of his letters (#144) he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that "even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally)." Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.
- I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the L.R. is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of Valinor to the Downfall of Númenor and the flight of Elendil.
- The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien #247
For the purposes of this wiki, canon will be defined as anything pertaining to Middle-earth that was written by JRR Tolkien or developed under license from Tolkien Enterprises. With this definition the number of works that are considered canon is extremely large, and the sheer size invites many contradictions within itself. That fact does not invalidate any one source as canon. Tolkien himself wrote canon works that contradict each other on more then one occasion. It also does not mean that one of these versions is correct while other are not. As will all myths, which the history of Middle-earth is, there are contradictory stories about events and the people that it describes. In any place where conflicting stories are told, it is best to cite the sources for each to help allieviate any confusion.
