Why did J.R.R. Tolkien call his world Middle Earth?

The Elves were originally from Norse mythology as well. Where humans lived in Middangeard, Middle-Earth, the Elves had their own world, Álfheimr, the Elvenhome. The original name of one tribe of the Elves was "Gnomes", a Germanic name for the race. read more

In a very clever, subtle way Tolkien had returned to his original idea — to create a mythology for England — and he expanded upon it, creating a mythology for northern Europe — or for the entire Earth itself. The culmination of years of literary experimentation, Middle-earth became the crowning achievement of J.R.R. Tolkien’s creativity. read more