The Encyclopedia is a compilation of articles, essays and images distinctly connected with the world of Tolkien and highlighting a great range of details concerning its origins, geographical layout, history and population.
The items which the Encyclopedia is comprised of have been classified under the following sections:

The Characters and Races
A collection of articles aiming to characterize and classify all the living creatures of Middle-earth. The first classification takes place according to the character’s or race’s allegiance. The list of creatures is split into the “Characters of the Light” and “Characters of the Dark” accordingly. Some articles contain images and further reference, but most include factual feedback.

The Picture Gallery
In the picture gallery itself, a collection of canvasses by different artists depicting Middle-earth and its inhabitants is found. With these are also mingled some movie snapshots which I judged to be more explicitly characteristic of a certain personality. Furthermore, the link to the Coats of Arms provides access to graphic samples of the emblems and symbols related to various peoples of Arda. The Artist Gallery, also structurally related to the main gallery, includes several individual galleries where one can find some of the most celebrated fantasy-inspired artwork by John Howe, Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, Rich Sullivan and other artists. The Landscapes is a collection of miscellaneous canvasses, sometimes of obscure origin, depicting the terrain and natural wonders of Middle-earth.

The History of Middle-earth
An interactive guide throughout the history of the world, this section has been designed for those of you who are hard put looking for the necessary date or trying to sort out the Middle-earth calendars. Here you will find date-tables reflecting the history of Arda in brief, as well as special coverage on Alliances and Quests, several special events, calendar reckoning and others.

Maps of Middle-earth
A selection of maps covering different regions of Middle-earth and Beleriand.

The Languages
The Language encyclopedia, although by now not nearly complete, aims to briefly characterize and point out the peculiarities of the different languages of Arda, as well as to give an up-to-the-point idea on how they interact.

The Emblems and Coats of Arms
Corresponds to its namesake section of the Gallery

The Religions
If, having read the LotR, you have ever been puzzled on the religious background of Arda, it is in this section that you will find the information you are looking for. The department includes expanded Characters Encyclopedia articles on the deities and religious cults of Arda, as well as individual sections devoted to each one of the Valar.

On Authorship and Copyrights
I, Daereth, am the author and designer of the Encyclopedia section of the Archives of Middle-earth. The articles in the Characters of the Light section are to be recognized as those composed by myself, the sources primarily being The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, The Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-earth and other authentic works. A few of the shorter articles have been borrowed from The Silmarillion (index) direct, for lack of more precise and extensive information in the book itself. The Characters of the Dark list and collection of articles are based on Calle Mattson’s Tolkien Monster Encyclopedia, although a great many have been expanded and brought up to date. The tables in The History of Middle-earth, apart from the one that concerns itself with the events of the First Age, are nearly identical to the ones in The Lord of the Rings appendices, and the Shire calendar was also originally found there. Some images in the The Emblems section, as well as the main Picture gallery, may have no authorship indication. Should you come across a drawing that is familiar to you or belongs to yourself, I strongly recommend that you get in touch with me. The authorship matters will be settled in due time.