<P> Mewlips are legendary creatures mentioned in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil . They said to live in a fortress beyond Merlock Mountains and the Marsh of Tode (though it is not clear if these are actual places). They capture their victims and drag them down into the fortress to feast upon . </P> <P> Turtle - fish are a race of giant sea turtles mentioned in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil . Fastitocalon, the last of the Turtle - fish, emulates an island, waiting for people to land on his back . Then he turns over, sending them to their deaths in the sea . </P> <P> The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are presented as Tolkien's retelling of events depicted in the Red Book of Westmarch, which was written by Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, and other Hobbits, and corrected and annotated by one or more Gondorian scholars . Tolkien wrote extensively about the linguistics, mythology and history of the world, which provide back - story for these stories . Many of these writings were edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher . </P> <P> Among them is The Silmarillion, which provides a creation story and description of the cosmology that includes Middle - earth . The Silmarillion is the primary source of information about Valinor, Númenor, and other lands . The Unfinished Tales and the multiple volumes of The History of Middle - earth include many incomplete stories and essays as well as numerous drafts of Tolkien's Middle - earth mythology, from the earliest forms down through the last writings of his life . </P>

What is the middle earth in lord of the rings