[Frodo Baggins]

Ahh Lovely! Well, I shall tell you what I think.

Tolkien was a Medievaist is some ways, and a fan of Medieval literature. Throughout all Europe from probably the late Roman era or just after Rome fell and on through the Renaissance , "Middle-Earth" was a term, often poetical, for the world itself. The term came from the concept of having Heaven above, Hell below and Earth in the middle. In fact, the Mediterranian sea still preserves this name: Medi-terra-nea "Sea of Middle-Earth".