Editing Worcestershire (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Elgar's birthplace.JPG|thumb|right|Classical composer Sir [[Edward Elgar]] was born in this house in [[Broadheath, Worcestershire]], currently used as the [[Elgar Birthplace Museum]].]]
The village of [[Broadheath, Worcestershire|Broadheath]], about {{convert|10|km|order=flip}} northwest of the city of Worcester, is the birthplace of the composer [[Edward Elgar]].

It is claimed that the county was the inspiration for [[the Shire]], a region of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s fictional [[Middle-earth]], described in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Tolkien was thought to have named [[Bilbo Baggins]]' house "[[Bag End#Westfarthing|Bag End]]" after his Aunt Jane's Worcestershire farm. Tolkien wrote of Worcestershire, "Any corner of that county (however fair or squalid) is in an indefinable way 'home' to me, as no other part of the world is."<ref>
Humphrey, C. 1977 ''[[J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography|Tolkien: A Biography]]'' New York: Ballantine Books. {{ISBN|0-04-928037-6}}</ref>

Worcestershire is one of the three counties associated with the [[Border Morris]] style of English folk dancing. Worcestershire Monkey is a popular Border Morris dance; although normally performed as a group of eight, it is sometimes danced ''en masse'' with multiple Border Morris sides performing the dance together.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wicketbrood.org.uk/?page_id=20 |title=Worcestershire Monkey &#124; Wicket Brood Border Morris |access-date=5 January 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106032903/http://wicketbrood.org.uk/?page_id=20 |archive-date=6 January 2014  }} Worcestershire Monkey
, Wicket Brood website</ref>

Worcestershire appeared as one of the main settings in the [[DreamWorks Animation]] animated film ''[[Shrek the Third]]''. The director [[Chris Miller (animator)|Chris Miller]] said they chose Worcestershire because it is always being mispronounced. "It just made us laugh. Plus we love the sauce, it's hugely popular in the States." The film makes multiple references to the real Worcestershire in the film, even commenting on the famous [[Worcestershire sauce|Worcestershire Sauce]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Worcester News, Worcestershire in Shrek 3|date=29 June 2007 |url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/1507723.why-worcestershire-proves-a-sauce-of-humour-for-shrek/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515130553/https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/1507723.why-worcestershire-proves-a-sauce-of-humour-for-shrek/|archive-date=May 15, 2023}}</ref>