The colophon at the back of the atlas

About, Credits & Provenance

A living record of what inspired this atlas, where its materials came from, and what may—or may not—be reused.

Provenance audit in progress. Confirmed sources appear below. Assets whose origin or reuse terms still need verification are identified candidly rather than treated as cleared.

I

Fan-project status

Tolkien Legendarium Atlas is an unofficial fan-made project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorized by the Tolkien Estate, Middle-earth Enterprises, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, HarperCollins, or their affiliates. Tolkien-related names, characters, places, writings, artwork, and trademarks remain the property of their respective rights holders.

This is a personal, non-commercial project created for exploration and study.

No use of a name, character, place, quotation, image, or mark should be understood as a claim of ownership, endorsement, or permission.

II

Lore and map sources

The atlas is an interpretive companion to Tolkien's legendarium. Tolkien-related names, places, events, genealogies, and narratives originate in the published works of J.R.R. Tolkien and the editorial work associated with those publications.

Many entries provide a further-reading link to Tolkien Gateway. Those links are references for readers, not a claim that Tolkien Gateway sponsors or endorses this project.

An entry-by-entry source review is ongoing so that original summaries, adapted material, and any quotations can be distinguished more precisely. The maps are designed for exploration and should not be treated as authoritative editions or exact geographical reconstructions.

III

Artwork and image provenance

The site contains map images, location illustrations, portraits, crests, icons, and decorative textures. A per-file image register is being assembled to record each asset's creator, source, creation method, and reuse terms.

Some legacy assets do not yet have sufficiently documented provenance. They are under review and may be credited more fully, replaced, or removed. The presence of an image in this repository does not grant permission to extract or reuse it.

Shared study environment

The stationary hardwood desk visually connects the atlas volumes. Its exact transformation and local filename are recorded in the shared study-material register.

Middle-earth physical-volume materials

The leather and metal scans were resized, recolored, compressed, and integrated with an original winding-road-and-leaf SVG frame. Exact transformations and local filenames are recorded in the Middle-earth material register.

Númenor physical-volume materials

Númenor reuses the optimized leather and metal materials with a distinct indigo, sea-patina, and bronze treatment, combined with an original compass-star SVG frame. Its reuse and transformations are recorded in the Númenor material register.

Beleriand physical-volume materials

The Beleriand cloth now forms an indigo-linen mount above the shared desk. It and the metal frame scan were cropped, recolored, compressed, and integrated with original SVG frame geometry. Exact transformations and local filenames are recorded in the Beleriand material register.

IV

AI-generated artwork

Some visual assets—including the homepage study illustration and Story Mode artwork—were created with generative image tools under the direction of the project creator. They are original fan-project presentation assets, not official Tolkien or film artwork.

The completed journeys have per-file illustration registers for Sam and Frodo and Gandalf the White, recording the generation tool, creation date, shared visual direction, exact scene prompts, corrections, and post-processing. AI-assisted work is identified instead of being presented as historical or rights-holder artwork.

V

Fonts and audio

Typography

  • Cormorant GaramondSIL Open Font License
  • Libre BaskervilleSIL Open Font License
  • Material Icons & Material SymbolsApache License 2.0
  • Ringbearer display fontProvenance and reuse terms under review

The atlas hosts its fonts locally so the pages do not depend on a third-party font service at runtime. The vendored font notes are recorded in the font asset register.

Atlas sounds

The wood click, parchment flick, quill stroke, and book thump recordings come from Mixkit's free sound-effects library and are used under the Mixkit Sound Effects Free License. Their item IDs, source categories, and download date appear in the audio credits ledger. The recordings may not be redistributed as a standalone sound-effects collection.

VI

Software libraries and licenses

The atlas is built with open-source browser libraries served locally for a more resilient static deployment. Principal dependencies include:

The site also uses Leaflet Sidebar, Leaflet Arrowheads, Leaflet.GeometryUtil, and a click-tolerance helper. Exact versions and notices for the complete plugin set are being consolidated. The current local dependency inventory is available in the plugin register.

VII

Repository license

No repository-wide reuse license has yet been declared. Until one is added, public availability of the source does not itself grant permission to copy, modify, or redistribute it.

Any future repository license will apply only to original project code and material that the project creator has the right to license. Tolkien-related text, names, maps, imagery, likenesses, fonts, audio, and other third-party assets will remain excluded unless an individual asset notice explicitly says otherwise.

VIII

Corrections and rights-holder contact

If you created or own rights in material presented here, or if you identify an incomplete or incorrect credit, please open a GitHub issue. Include the relevant page or asset path, the nature of the concern, and a reliable way to verify the claim. Good-faith correction and removal requests will be reviewed promptly.

For information from the rights holders themselves, consult the Tolkien Estate's guidance, Middle-earth Enterprises licensing information, or Warner Bros. clip and still licensing.