We all have been discussing over the sources of inspiration that Tolkien used to create a vivid world, credible and mysterious.

Let us look in this topic at what I came to name "the Real Arda", meaning places that can be recognisable in the books as one sees them. For instance, I stumbled upon a photo of Baie de Phang Nga, in Thailand, and the similarity to the Argonath as depicted by numerous LotR artists seemed striking. Here is the place I am talking about:



And the way Ted Nasmith envisioned it...


The real one looks like I imagine the rocks when found by the Numenoreans, before being sculpted. And looking closely, we notice a rock in the middle of the water. That bears a strong resemblance to Tol Brandir, although the position is different from that in the book.

All right now, do you know of other places that look the same as fictional ones?

(And please, let's make this a visual experience and back our statements up with photos.)

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Tolkien maniac collection! - Amazon (a list that I made for people much interested in Tolkien works and studies)

What a great topic, John Wain! I can't wait to see more of the "real Arda."

Meli

It's all natural, of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phang_Nga_bay

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Tolkien maniac collection! - Amazon (a list that I made for people much interested in Tolkien works and studies)

Wow, it's beautiful, John! You know, I'm going on an excursion soon. If I see anything Arda like, I'll make sure I post!

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Here are two other beautiful photos.

The first one could easily be envisioned as the Pastures of Yavanna, in Valinor, with the horses of Orome roaming free and the Pelori Mountains in the background.




The second one shows lake Cuivienen:




They are, in fact, both in Patagonia. The second shows Desert Lake in southern Argentina, Santa Cruz.

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Tolkien maniac collection! - Amazon (a list that I made for people much interested in Tolkien works and studies)

i would like to have a house near this lake...

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You're right John, nature is most beautiful when untouched by a man's hand.
These are wonderful, wonderful photos!
My favorite is the "Pastures of Yavanna", the resemblance is clear, and what can i say I like horses, they're my top-favorite land-animals...:D

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When the cold of winter comes
Starless night will cover day
In the veiling of the sun
We will walk in bitter rain

But in dreams
I still hear your name
And in dreams
We will meet again

When the seas and mountains fall
And we come, to end of days
In the dark I hear a call
Calling me there
And back again

lol! thats very true! then i could just camp there for a little time just to have some inspiration for my book!

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I have no picture to share, but information only. As I was going through a booklet that takes travelers through the city of Aachen in Germany, I came across this piece from Charlemagne:
"..even my father Pippin encountered this heavy beast. It is said that Pippin fought it in his morning bath and tat he defeated it later on."
Who knew that Pippin was fighting beasts in his bath????

I found another great one! I admit I had to look for it specifically because this thread was somehow neglected, and I was afraid that it was dying. Tolkien's world is highly developed, but only in its northen parts; that is to say, although he makes references to the people of the Harad, I don't think an image of the Sahara desert - that is how the Harad must have looked like - would mean much 'Tolkien' to any of his readers.

However, places situated further towards the Earth's poles will naturally have the climate and therefore the resemblance of those imagined locations in LotR or The Silmarillion. In the first photo, apart from the very strong similarity of the stones to the Argonath, the vegetation is nothing like Tolkien's.

The second and third photos are better in this respect. Viewed from up close, vegetation is recognisable. And I think you will agree, it is the same in the photo I'll show you next.

First off, this is quite a good representation of Sirion in the region of Gondolin. Before you see the photo, here's a map for your easy reference:



And now, the photo itself:



This is in fact in British Columbia, Canada. The mountains whose tops are hidden in the clouds could well be the walls of Gondolin, while the river winding below is Sirion. I hope you like it.

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Tolkien maniac collection! - Amazon (a list that I made for people much interested in Tolkien works and studies)