A paradise on Middle-Earth

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Oh my! I know what Laurinque would say!

But of course I love the Shire... but Doriath would be great, before Melian left of course! But if I lived in the Shire I would want to see the WR and the old Shire and the summer of 1420 SR! You see all of this horrible bad things happen, and then you see a lovely ending!

[Groin Redbeard]

Wow this is a toughy! I like the Shire for it's simplicity and beautiful landscapes, but there's no excitement in that region of Middle Earth. It would have to be somewhere where there is lots of open space.

I was thinking about Moria, but that place is too much like a dwarf cloister. Erebor, would have to be the place! Wonderful place to be!

[Mithalwen]

I always thought that Rivendell would be the most comfortable and cosmopolitan, but I might find the mountains claustrophobic. Lorien is lovely and I would love mallorns I am sure. The havens, would surely be lovely but maybe a little depressing with so many leaving or just passing through. I have lived by the sea for nearly all my life and so Dol Amroth has a lot going for it.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I agree, Mithalwen, about the cosmopolitan aspect of Rivendell, and that's one reason it would be my choice as a Middle-earth paradise. With so many different people of various races coming and going, it would never get boring! I'm not sure I would want to live exclusively among Elves.

Above all, Tolkien himself wrote that Rivendell, with Elrond as its Master, was the ideal place for any activity in which one might desire to engage:

His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.

No boredom there, but no enforced programme either! He then adds an important note:

Evil things did not come into that valley.

(Besides, a widowed host, "as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer" might be interesting to spend some time with... )

[Laurinquë]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

Oh my! I know what Laurinque would say!

But of course I love the Shire... but Doriath would be great, before Melian left of course! But if I lived in the Shire I would want to see the WR and the old Shire and the summer of 1420 SR! You see all of this horrible bad things happen, and then you see a lovely ending!

Do you now? Well I don't, not completely, but off the top of my head I would say Lothlorien. I loved it there....flowers...trees...Elves...it's just wonderful!

But I also loved Ithilien, I totally agree with A Little Green, it's border on Mordor is not a detriment to it.

I'd probably choose Nan-tathren, the Land of Willows. Rivendell sounds like a great place to live, but I don't know that I'd label it "paradise."

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Given my fascination with the Ainur, I would probably choose some part of Valinor. Valmar, most likely (the thought of all the bells appeals to me as a musician), or perhaps Tirion.

[alatar]

I'd say that all of Middle Earth is paradise, with the possible exception of Mordor. Or maybe it is for those we read about in LotR. I like that even when the Fellowship is traveling with tight belts, and when Frodo and Sam are down to their last drop of water, it still doesn't seem too bad as I watch from a well-fed and hydrated distance. No one gets sick, is bugged by bugs (with the exception of the midges) and no one ever goes to the ... ah... facilities. The FotR encounters elves and so sees, smells and tastes life in HD format. They also encounter orcs and heroically dispatch them in droves without so much a peep from a loyer or police officer.

Pre-3018, what exactly did Frodo do all day? Take walks, enjoy inns, hang out with his friends, read books. What's not to like about that?

The world is filled with magic, princesses and princes, elves and orcs, lembas, books, wizards and Balrogs. What more of a paradise could you want?

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by alatar

Pre-3018, what exactly did Frodo do all day? Take walks, enjoy inns, hang out with his friends, read books. What's not to like about that?

This raises an interesting point. Perhaps "paradise" is less dependent upon geography, environment, company. Perhaps any place can be a paradise if one is, like Frodo and Bilbo, wealthy enough not to have to work to earn one's bread on the table, but instead is free to dally as one wishes or chooses.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

This raises an interesting point. Perhaps "paradise" is less dependent upon geography, environment, company. Perhaps any place can be a paradise if one is, like Frodo and Bilbo, wealthy enough not to have to work to earn one's bread on the table, but instead is free to dally as one wishes or chooses.

Agreed, though for some "work" and being "free to dally as one wishes or chooses" just might be the same paradisal place.

Note that, for those concerned that I'm not productive at work, my job is to hunt down missing socks and return them to their rightful owners, and so the job does have some down time while I'm analyzing and comparing sock DNA, and so I have time to post now and again while remaining fully productive.

Or maybe the Downs, being cathartic, is part of my health plan.