Brandywine: Fill & Download for Free

Forty leagues it stretched from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge, and fifty from the northern moors to the marshes in the south.A “league” is three statute miles, so it was 120 miles wide by 150 miles high, north to south, or 18,000 square miles in total. This doesn't count Buckland, which was on the eastern side of the Brandywine. The Westmarch was added to the Shire after the War of the Ring was over, when the population rose sharply in 1420 (Shire Reckoning). This was caused by the earth from Galadriel’s garden, which increased the fertility of everything, hobbits included.Tolkien's map is formatted for a paperback book, and so gives a false impression of the shape of the Shire. It's really taller than it is wide.

I first became aware of this unlikely chain of events a couple of years ago through the magic of Wikipedia freefalling.Around 1703, a nobleman in what is now Eritrea, in the Horn of Africa, was defeated by invading Ottoman Turks. His five year old son, Ibrahim, was sold into slavery. Ibrahim eventually ended up in Istanbul, and about a year later was purchased by Russian diplomats and sent to the court of Peter the Great.The Czar took a liking to Ibrahim and became the boy’s godfather. Ibrahim was educated in France before returning to Russia to become a Military Engineer.Abram Petrovich Gannibal, as he became known, eventually became a prominent general and nobleman. His descendants include author Alexander Pushkin.Around 1740 Gannibal overheard his neighbor, Vasiliy Suvorov, complaining about his twelve year old son, Alexander. Alexander was a somewhat sickly child and Vasiliy feared he wasn't cut out to be a military man, as he was. Gannibal offered to speak to Alexander, and, impressed with the boy, advised Vasiliy to support Alexander in whatever career he chose.Not only did Alexander grow up to be a soldier, he grew up to be one of the greatest generals ever to walk the earth. Alexander Suvorov never lost a battle.Among the adversaries bested by Suvorov were the members of the Bar Confederation, a group of Polish noblemen who attempted to throw off Russian influence over their nation. One of their key leaders was Casimir Pulaski.Pulaski was also a brilliant commander, but he and his allies were defeated by Suvorov in 1771 and Pulaski was forced into exile. Although defeated and on the run, Pulaski’s talents caught the attention of one Benjamin Franklin.(Even if you've never heard of any of those other guys, you’re probably familiar with this guy.)Franklin convinced George Washington to recruit Pulaski, and the Polish commander joined the American cause. He is one of the most celebrated heroes of the Revolution, and is known as one of the fathers of the American cavalry. His heroic charge at the Battle of Brandywine turned the tide of battle to a Continental victory and saved Washington’s life. Pulaski was killed in battle near Savannah, Georgia, in 1779.America as we know it might not exist if Washington had been killed in 1777, which he might have been if not for Pulaski, who wouldn’t have come to America if he hadn't been defeated by Suvorov, who probably would not have become a general were it not for the advice of his father’s neighbor Abram Gannibal, who wouldn’t have been living in Russia if he hadn't been kidnapped by slavers at the age of five over seventy years before.I'm sure history is full of stuff like this, and it blows my mind.EDIT: Thanks for all the love, y'all. I've been informed by a couple people that the Battle of Brandywine was a defeat for the Americans, not a victory, but without Pulaski’s charge it could have been an absolutely crushing defeat. Sorry about that, thanks for pointing out my inaccuracy.

Its name was Orodruin in Sindarin. Mount Doom was the Common Tongue or Westron name that the hobbits would use. Simple as that. In Tolkien’s world it’s not uncommon for places to have more than one name.In the Shire, the River that ran down the eastern bounds between the Shire proper and Buckland was originally named the Baranduin (Brown River) but the hobbits had dubbed it the Brandywine. The hill where the Ringwraiths attacked the hobbits and stabbed Frodo was called Weathertop, but its proper name was Amon Sûl.And so on and so forth.