History of Middle-Earth, Part 6 – Peoples and the Nature of Middle-Earth

The Final Phase of the Legendarium
By the mid-1960s, Tolkien had already achieved more than most writers could imagine. The Hobbit had charmed generations, The Lord of the Rings had become a literary phenomenon, and The Silmarillion—though still unpublished—had been his lifelong labor of love. Yet he continued to write. His later years were filled with essays, fragments, and notes that delved deeper into the details of his world: the origins of races, the metaphysics of time, the nature of Elvish reincarnation, even the workings of calendars.

These writings, scattered and unfinished, were gathered into the final two volumes of The History of Middle-Earth: The Peoples of Middle-Earth and, more recently, The Nature of Middle-Earth. Together, they represent Tolkien’s last attempts to refine and complete his legendarium.

Volume 12: The Peoples of Middle-Earth (1996)
Published in 1996, this volume was the twelfth and final entry edited by Christopher Tolkien. It covers a wide range of material, much of it tied to the later development of The Lord of the Rings. Some of the key texts in this volume include,

• The Development of the Appendices – drafts and notes for the genealogies, languages, and timelines that appear at the end of The Lord of the Rings.
• Late Writings on the Silmarillion – revisions to the Quenta and Annals.
• The New Shadow – a fragment of a sequel to The Lord of the Rings, set in the Fourth Age. Tolkien quickly abandoned it, lamenting that it would be a tale of decline and corruption rather than hope.
• Essays on Races and Peoples – explorations of the fates and characteristics of Elves, Dwarves, and Men.

Why It Matters
The Peoples of Middle-Earth may lack the grand epics of earlier volumes, but it offers something equally important: a glimpse into Tolkien’s meticulous world-building. Here we see how deeply he cared about the small details—how Elvish names evolved, how Hobbit calendars worked, how genealogies tied together. For Tolkien, these details weren’t trivial; they made his world feel real.

The fragment of The New Shadow is particularly haunting. Set about a century after the death of Aragorn, it imagines Gondor slipping into corruption, with dark cults rising among the youth. Tolkien abandoned it, saying that it had no “worthwhile tale” in it. Yet the fragment reminds us that even in victory, the shadow of evil never entirely disappears.

Volume 13: The Nature of Middle-Earth (2021)
For decades, it was assumed that The Peoples of Middle-Earth was the end of the line. Christopher Tolkien himself passed away in 2020, leaving behind an unmatched legacy as his father’s literary executor. Yet one final volume emerged: The Nature of Middle-Earth, edited by Tolkien scholar Carl F. Hostetter and published in 2021.

This book is not officially part of the History of Middle-Earth series, but in spirit it belongs there. It contains Tolkien’s most technical and metaphysical writings, many never before published. Some of the key texts in this volume include,

• Time and Mortality – essays on the passage of time in Arda, Elvish aging, and the fate of Men.
• Elvish Reincarnation – detailed reflections on the mysterious process of Elves returning to life after death.
• The Physical World – notes on the geography, cosmology, and even the biological nature of creatures.
• Philosophy and Theology – meditations on the relationship between Eru (the One) and the created world.

Why It Matters
The Nature of Middle-Earth offers readers a rare look into Tolkien’s mind at its most speculative. These are not polished stories but thought experiments, explorations of “what if” questions that reveal how rigorously he applied logic and philosophy to his invented world. It is fitting that this final volume was published after Christopher’s passing, for it shows that Tolkien’s legendarium remains alive, still subject to discovery and interpretation.

Christopher Tolkien’s Legacy
It is impossible to overstate Christopher Tolkien’s role in all of this. Without him, most of these writings would have remained unknown. Across more than forty years, he edited, annotated, and published his father’s work with painstaking care.

Christopher often doubted himself, worried that he was overstepping or misrepresenting his father’s intentions. But in truth, he gave us a gift of immeasurable value. Thanks to him, we can see Middle-Earth not just as a finished story but as a living process—a mythology always in motion, always unfolding.

Why These Final Volumes Matter
The last two volumes of the series remind us of something essential: Tolkien’s world was never truly finished. He was always revising, expanding, and deepening. To read The Peoples of Middle-Earth and The Nature of Middle-Earth is to glimpse the unfinished workshop of a master craftsman.

They also remind us of the breadth of Tolkien’s imagination. He did not stop at stories of heroes and battles. He asked questions about time, death, immortality, and the very structure of reality. His legendarium was not just fantasy; it was a philosophical exploration of the human condition.

Closing Reflections
With these final volumes, our journey through The History of Middle-Earth comes to an end. Across 13 books and nearly 5,000 pages, we have watched Tolkien’s world grow from the Cottage of Lost Play scribbled in a notebook after the Somme, into the vast mythology that gave us The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, and beyond.

Middle-Earth is more than stories of Elves and Men. It is the record of a life spent creating, revising, and imagining. It is a reminder that great worlds are not built in a day but over decades, with persistence, vision, and love.

And though J.R.R. Tolkien left us in 1973, and Christopher Tolkien in 2020, the legendarium they nurtured continues to inspire readers. It is not a closed book but a living mythology—one that invites us to step inside, to wander, and perhaps, to dream our own myths in return.

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Other posts in the series

1. History of Middle-Earth, Part 1 – The Birth of a Legendarium
2. History of Middle-Earth, Part 2 – The First Five Volumes: Early Myths & Lost Tales
3. History of Middle-Earth, Part 3 – The Road to Númenor and the Shaping of History
4. History of Middle-Earth, Part 4 – The Making of The Lord of the Rings
5. History of Middle-Earth, Part 5 – The Later Silmarillion
6. History of Middle-Earth, Part 6 – Peoples and the Nature of Middle-Earth

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Bibliography

1. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 1: The Book of Lost Tales, Part I  Kindle Paperback
2. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 2: The Book of Lost Tales, Part II Kindle Paperback
3. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 3: The Lays of Beleriand Kindle Paperback
4. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 4: The Shaping of Middle-earth Kindle Paperback
5. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 5: The Lost Road and Other Writings Kindle Paperback
6. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 6: The Return of the Shadow Kindle Paperback
7. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 7: The Treason of Isengard Kindle Paperback
8. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 8: The War of the Ring Kindle Paperback
9. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 9: Sauron Defeated Kindle Paperback
10. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 10: Morgoth’s Ring Kindle Paperback
11. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 11: The War of the Jewels Kindle Paperback
12. History of Middle Earth, Vol. 12: The Peoples of Middle-earth Kindle Paperback
13. History of Middle-Earth Index Paperback
14. The Complete History of Middle-Earth Box Set Hardcover
15. History of Middle-Earth Box Set#1 Hardcover
16. History of Middle-Earth Box Set#2 Hardcover
17. History of Middle-Earth Box Set#3 Hardcover
18. History of Middle-Earth Box Set#4 Hardcover
19. The Nature of Middle-Earth Kindle Paperback Hardcover

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