The Standing Stone - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Priya · 08-18-2025, 09:18 PM

Hello Huinesoron

Those links were very much appreciated. The one of Mayburgh Henge is, as you say, a great match - and I quite agree.

By the way, is there a ‘real’ English region (with a capital D) called the Barrow-Downs?

So with that - switching the conversation from the storyline back to a real world fit - I want to throw out to readers of this thread, an idea.

All the real-world examples (or more accurately - the vast majority) folk cite for the standing stone and stone rings in the Barrow-downs chapter tend to focus on English parallels. But although Tolkien might well have used his visits to Wayland’s Smithy and Lambourn Downs to include similar designs into the tale, perhaps his actual siting of them for the story was considered to be outside of ‘home’ territory?

One reason is that the barrows, stone rings and standing stone in the novel are, quite obviously, located outside of the Shire.

Tolkien said the following:

“ ‘The Shire’ is based on rural England and not any other country in the world …”,  
– The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #190 – 3 July 1956, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 (Tolkien’s emphasis)

“Buckland … occupied a position with regard to the Shire such as Wales does to England; …”.  
– The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Appendix on Languages – pg. 50

I’m rather reminded here of one of Tom Shippey’s chapter titles in The Road to Middle-earth where he uses the term ‘A Cartographic Plot’.

Of course Tolkien equated some geography of Middle-earth with our world (e.g. Florence, ancient Troy & Oxford per Letter #294). So would it be beyond the realms of possibility that the Barrow-downs of our tale, lay in Tolkien’s mind, outside of mainland British borders (England & Wales) in the agglomerate land mass of Middle-earth?

The obvious candidates where monoliths are found in abundance close by to Britain are: France (Brittany) and Ireland. Could Tolkien have based the Barrow-downs locale on a region within one of these countries?

Please throw stones or even rocks if such an idea seems outrageous. But there again, if you’re going to do so - please provide some reasonable logic along with scholastically based criticism!

08-18-2025, 09:18 PM	#5
Priya Pile O'Bones Join Date: Sep 2023 Posts: 16	Hello Huinesoron Those links were very much appreciated. The one of Mayburgh Henge is, as you say, a great match - and I quite agree. By the way, is there a ‘real’ English region (with a capital D) called the Barrow-Downs? So with that - switching the conversation from the storyline back to a real world fit - I want to throw out to readers of this thread, an idea. All the real-world examples (or more accurately - the vast majority) folk cite for the standing stone and stone rings in the Barrow-downs chapter tend to focus on English parallels. But although Tolkien might well have used his visits to Wayland’s Smithy and Lambourn Downs to include similar designs into the tale, perhaps his actual siting of them for the story was considered to be outside of ‘home’ territory? One reason is that the barrows, stone rings and standing stone in the novel are, quite obviously, located outside of the Shire. Tolkien said the following: “ ‘The Shire’ is based on rural England and not any other country in the world …”,   – The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #190 – 3 July 1956, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 (Tolkien’s emphasis) “Buckland … occupied a position with regard to the Shire such as Wales does to England; …”.   – The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Appendix on Languages – pg. 50 I’m rather reminded here of one of Tom Shippey’s chapter titles in The Road to Middle-earth where he uses the term ‘A Cartographic Plot’. Of course Tolkien equated some geography of Middle-earth with our world (e.g. Florence, ancient Troy & Oxford per Letter #294). So would it be beyond the realms of possibility that the Barrow-downs of our tale, lay in Tolkien’s mind, outside of mainland British borders (England & Wales) in the agglomerate land mass of Middle-earth? The obvious candidates where monoliths are found in abundance close by to Britain are: France (Brittany) and Ireland. Could Tolkien have based the Barrow-downs locale on a region within one of these countries? Please throw stones or even rocks if such an idea seems outrageous. But there again, if you’re going to do so - please provide some reasonable logic along with scholastically based criticism!