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The One Wiki to Rule Them All
This page is a proposed policy on the One Wiki to Rule them All. Except for minor edits, please make use of the discussion page to propose changes and improvements to this policy.


Throughout society there is a plethora of content related in some way to J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle-earth; much of it is addressed and codified on this wiki. However, while The Lord of the Rings Wiki does not, with the exception of unpublished fan-fiction, exclude any particular facet of this content, it has become necessary to set parameters on what should have an article of its own here.

General

Anything given a name (i.e. a proper noun) in the works of Tolkien should have an article, as should any event considered to be significant in the text in which it is described. Conversely, anything not given a proper (capitalized) name does not merit a separate article unless it is clearly unique and significant, e.g. Arwen's grave or the Horn of Gondor. The same applies for adaptations of Tolkien's works. However, in both cases, proper nouns must inherently or legitimately be attached to said entity in order to warrant an article; i.e. not a name casually given to an ordinary animal or object that appears only in passing.

In rare instances, the context of a passage must be considered. To illustrate, a single usage of "Eastern Eriador" appears in the Unfinished index to The Lord of the Rings. Setting aside discussion of this index's canonicity, the context and meaning of the passage would be unchanged if the qualifier "Eastern" were uncapitalized. Since this specific term is not elsewhere named, it is not considered notable, even though it is technically a proper noun.

Ordinary things

Generic objects or entities appearing in Tolkien's works that are found in the real world (i.e. mountains, deer, apples, etc.) do not warrant an article of their own unless Tolkien ascribed to them his own significant, unique attributes. For instance, an article exists for trees because of the unique characteristics shared by them across Middle-earth which real trees lack.

Films and television

The procedure for theatrical adaptations of Tolkien's works is much the same as it is for the works themselves. Any named entity unique to that adaptation should have an article. Articles should not be created for unnamed background characters, extras, or animals, though a list may be created for those of note.

Video games

Because of many video games' extensive nature, articles created for characters, things, and locations unique to a specific game will be limited to those which have a significant role within the game or its expansions as a whole. It is impractical and unnecessary to catalog every character, object, and location in separate articles, especially since, in many cases, this has already been accomplished by wikis devoted to a particular game.

To illustrate using Middle-earth: Shadow of War as an example:

Included Non-included
Idril Marauder Tribe
Serka Grog
Caragors Ar-Benu
Seregost Ghâshgôr
The New Ring Pickaxe

Things, locations, or events that are of significant importance throughout the course of the game, and are peculiar to the game warrant articles here, as do primary characters. (In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Grog is a unique item, found throughout the game, but is excluded at this wiki because it is minimally important to the plot.) Matters concerning gameplay or technicalities alone (such as the Skirmish mode or Create-a-hero features of BFME II) do not warrant articles here.

In the case of the enormous scale of The Lord of the Rings Online, separate articles will be restricted to things central to a particular book as a whole. Thus, the Blackwolds, Thorin's Gate, and Skorgrim may have articles, but characters or objects which pertain to only a few or less individual quests may not.

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