ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the most important "secondary world infrastructures" J. R. R. Tolkien created for Arda. It also addresses Tolkien's theorizing of his own world-building and attempts to situate it in its cultural/intellectual context. Tolkien's Arda is inhabited by a number of different beings and "races" who are often understood to exist in a hierarchical scale that is mainly religious/spiritual in its conception. Tolkien's contribution to world-building is not limited to the construction of Arda in painstaking detail, but also includes his interest in theorizing the process of creating imaginary worlds. Tolkien's own dedication to coherence and consistency can be seen numerous times, especially in the posthumously published works that chronicle the alterations and amendments he effected on his legendarium to make it believable. Tolkien's world-building has often been approached by scholarship via the lens of medievalism. Individual elements of Tolkien's world-building have also been explored by scholars approaching Tolkien via eco-criticism, myth, religion, and philosophy.
