In an endeavor to track and record every character to ever appear in J.R.R. Tolken’s fictional world of Middle-earth, Swedish chemical-engineering student Emil Johansson has started the LOTR Project: a Lord of the Rings family tree of epic proportions.
In his ongoing project, Johansson first determined the ancestry of all the characters in the book series and then went on to construct a timeline of events and interactive map of Middle-earth. However, since Middle-earth is also populated by people that don’t get mentioned in the books, Johansson performed statistical analysis on the characters’ race, gender and lifespan to determine what the population size of a given race would most likely be at a particular time. He also takes into account the disproportionate gender split (81 percent male, 19 percent female) that is representative of the world Tolkien talks about in his novels, but which might not necessarily reflect Middle-earth as a whole.
The LOTR Project was started in January 2012 and, since then, Johansson has released an Android app, which he tentatively plans to follow up with an iOS app -- just the thing to finally settle all those Lord of the Rings lineage squabbles.
Fantasy Genre Genealogy (UPDATE)
The LOTR Family Tree Compiles a Mass of Lord of the Rings Info
Trend Themes
1. Fictional World Mapping - There is an opportunity to develop mapping applications that aid in record-keeping and tracking of fictional world events and characters.
2. Data Analytics and Visualization in Fictional Worlds - Incorporating data analytics and visualization techniques in the study of fictional worlds opens up new paths for innovative storytelling and immersive experiences.
3. Genealogy and Family Tree Construction in Fictional Worlds - Building family trees and genealogy charts for fictional worlds requires a thorough understanding of imaginary worlds and their characters, creating opportunities for specialized data professionals.
Industry Implications
1. Entertainment - The entertainment industry can use these trends to create engaging apps, video games, and other immersive experiences based on fictional worlds.
2. Data Science and Analytics - Data science and analytics professionals can use these trends to expand their expertise and provide specialized services to authors and publishers of fictional worlds.
3. Education - Educational institutions can use these trends to develop curricula centered around the study of fictional worlds and the use of data analytics and visualization techniques in this field.