Yes while Middle-Earth is accused of a subtle racism against "the other" (depicted as coming from the south and east), in the broader mythology important events are tied to all the cardinal directions, especially evil residing in the North. Interestingly, the most important evil within Middle-Earth was the coming of the Noldor FROM the West, and south into Beleriand/Middle-Earth. This represented an apostasy against the angel maiar of Erua, and self-imposed mortification of the hroa (the Elves bodily presence) through the unfolding history of the downfall of the Great evil, and the consequences of the return of lesser, but still Great evils. The history of the Noldorin is essentially the history that Numenorean/Westron and Elvish peoples inherit. This history was the wisdom Elrond guarded (and of course Galadriel and Cirdan); In the introduction to LOTR Tolkien writes Biblo's original prominence in Fourth Age Westronic literature was his translations of Quenya (records of the Noldor) into Westron (which was read by Gondorian/Sindarin scholars). As a refresher, I say this is the most important because in the history of the Middle-Earth the Noldorin exile within Middle-Earth directly resulted in calamity for two ages of the Sun, and led to the exiles suffering another age of slower declines after the cataclysms of the prior 6000 years. This history of the delcine of the Noldor within the unfolding of the Music of Ainur was the central thrust of much of what Tolkien spent writing into his history for Middle-Earth, especially certain motifs like the fall of Gondolin (ie cities, generally), the sinking of a continent, scorching of the earth, and crafts/works of art bringing about self-defeat or self-destruction, and about hole-dwellers (gnomes/noldor, dwarves, hobbits, etc) trapped or threatened by invasion in enclosed spaces. Essentially, the Noldorin themes embody Tolkien's vision of moral beings striving for nobility while trapped in epic wars.