Though Middle Earth is not the only place to explore in the Lord of the Rings universe – there's also the Undying Lands, for example – it is what most people think of when thinking of the story of Lord of the Rings. Some Lord of the Rings fans might be wondering, however: why is it called Middle Earth? Does that mean other earths exist? Or is there another reason for the name?
Did J.R.R. Tolkien take the name of our planet and stick the word Middle in front of it? Or is there a deeper reason why the land is called Middle Earth? Most likely, it's the latter. Tolkien was, after all, a very creative writer and didn't seem like the type to name things haphazardly or without full consideration.
Therefore, there must be some reason why the land in Lord of the Rings is called Middle Earth. There are several reasons for this. One of the reasons is that the lands that make up Middle Earth are centrally located on Arda (Earth). They are therefore in the middle of the landmasses and therefore it makes sense that they would be called Middle Earth. There is also the fact that to the west of these lands is Valinor, where the Valar live. And to the east of them are the Easterlings, who worship Morgoth, the Dark Lord before Sauron. Therefore Middle Earth is in the middle in that respect as well.
Besides the name just making sense for the land being in the middle, why is Middle Earth called that in Lord of the Rings? Surprisingly, Tolkien did not make up the name "Middle Earth." It was derived from the Middle English middel-erde, which came from the Old English middangeard. Tolkien would've probably been familiar with both of these terms. There is also another possible origin for the term "Middle Earth." Tolkien might've also been familiar with Norse mythology, which also sort of refers to the world where men live as a "Middle Earth," also known as Midgard.
There is also perhaps a deeper reason why Middle Earth is known as that in Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's story is meant to tell a story of our Earth, just a long time before we inhabited it. And as Tolkien was a spiritual man, he might have considered our Earth as being in the middle, with Heaven above it and Hell below it. Therefore, it would be known as Middle Earth.
Another possible reason for Middle Earth being known by that name in Lord of the Rings, is that Middle Earth is not only home to the Race of Men, but also Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, and many other fantastical creatures. So perhaps it is also, in a way, in the middle of magic and the mundane. It is a world where Men and Elves coexist, where the ordinary is right beside the extraordinary. It is therefore in the "middle" in that it makes a sort of bridge between fantasy and reality. It would be believable to think that perhaps, once, a long time ago, all of these fantastical stories happened. That perhaps places like Gondor and the Shire really did exist. Perhaps Elves and Hobbits walked among us. One can never know.
Because of this realism, the Races of Middle Earth feel so genuine to Lord of the Rings fans. And that is likely something Tolkien would be proud of. After all, he wanted Middle Earth to be our Earth, just a long time in the past. So the more realistic the world and its characters are, the better. This realism also leads to fans having passionate feelings about the characters, and rooting for them to do well or hoping that they are defeated, depending on the character.
So why is it called Middle Earth? There are a couple of in-universe reasons as well as possible inspirations Tolkien had when naming the land of Lord of the Rings. There are not other earths, however the name "Middle Earth" still makes sense in several other contexts. There is indeed a reason why the lands of Lord of the Rings bear this name. Hopefully, Lord of the Rings fans who were wondering are now satisfied as to why Middle Earth is called that.
Tolkien likely had many more reasons for calling it Middle Earth that fans might not know about. But the ones that fans do know about are intriguing. Though Tolkien may not have invented the name Middle Earth for Lord of the Rings, it is still a good name and one that fans won't soon forget. And it will always now be tied to his creations, something he probably couldn't have anticipated, but would probably be pleased to hear. After all, many authors like to live on through their work. And Tolkien definitely has.
