Conceptualizing fantasy maps...

[Redrobes]

Middle Earth was based on our real earth in a mythical earlier time, but the undying lands kinda throws the whole 'is it a globe' thing into doubt (for me). To have them both displayed as continents on one map is what put the doubt in my mind.

I refer the honorable gentleman to the response given (by my fairly loonie Tolkien expert me-dem-mer) Carl... See post #10+
http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=1239

I'll ask him to comment more if you think it would help. I duck the issue cos I don't know anything about it. I am a me-dem Tolkien fraud !

[ravells]

LOL! I would of course defer to Midgard!

[Karro]

Mythologically, as I understand it, Middle Earth was at one time understood to be a flat world but, through the magic of magic, it was transformed into a round world following the second age, when the Undying lands were removed from the world (in a stricly physical sense), which is what prevents all but the elves (who apparently can sail on metaphysical seas) from reaching them.

I'm not 100% sure on that, though, but it's something I've read about recently.

Anyways... I think it's been covered here, you can have the edges of your world be due to any number of things. The ocean plunging away into a bottomless abyss is but one of many fun ways to create your world. Go with whatever strikes your fancy!

[Ramah]

Mythologically, as I understand it, Middle Earth was at one time understood to be a flat world but, through the magic of magic, it was transformed into a round world following the second age, when the Undying lands were removed from the world (in a stricly physical sense), which is what prevents all but the elves (who apparently can sail on metaphysical seas) from reaching them.

Hehe. That sounds like complete bobbins.