The Tolkien Road Podcast: Recent Episodes
John Carswell
Hey there, Fellowship!
This video is a walkthrough of Tolkien’s Tragedy, using the table of contents as a kind of map into the deeper structure of the book.
Check it out here!
Hey there, fellow travelers! I’ve got some exciting news: my new book Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age is finally here.
This has been years in the making. In fact, when I first started outlining it, Amazon’s Rings of Power series hadn’t even been announced. Now we’re two seasons in, and I think this book offers insights that are more timely than ever.
The full text is almost finished, but I’m still deciding on the best way to publish it. For now, I’m sharing it chapter by chapter over on my new Substack — that’s TolkienRoad.Substack.com. You can read the introduction and first chapter for free, and if you’d like to go deeper, you can get the rest with a Patreon or Substack membership.
What you’re about to hear is the introduction to Tolkien’s Tragedy. I can’t wait to share it with you, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
So, head over to TolkienRoad.Substack.com to follow along — and now, let’s dive in!
Listen to "0397 » Introducing Tolkien’s Tragedy: My New Book on Númenor & the Second Age" on Spreaker.
Today, February 2, 2025, marks 10 years since our very first episode was released.
At that time, we called the podcast Talking Tolkien. We changed the name to The Tolkien Road a few episodes later, as there was already another podcast out there with a name similar to Talking Tolkien (not sure if it’s still around or not).
A lot can change in 10 years. As a mark of how much Greta and I have changed, here are a few photos to mark the advance of time.
This one is from a Super Bowl watch party on Feb. 1, 2015. That’s our youngest there, dressed up as a knight, which seems highly appropriate given that we were about to embark on this journey. (BTW, he’s 16 now, and drives – heads up!)
Here’s one from January 24, 2025. A whole lot of gray can happen in 10 years, especially for my beard, it would seem!
Life comes at you fast, doesn’t it? I’d like to think all that gray in my beard signifies a little bit of wisdom gained in a decade, and if it does, then it is in no small part due to being immersed into Tolkien’s works for the sake of this wonderful journey.
Thank you to everyone who has accompanied us in some form or fashion. It’s been such a blessing to meet and get to know so many fellow travelers along Tolkien’s road!
Here’s to 10 more years of this journey, and many more beyond that!
A few years ago, my family watched the entire Lord of the Rings film trilogy over Christmas break (extended editions, OF COURSE).
It was great, and to my delight, it left a deep impression on my kids.
It just felt like perfect Christmas viewing.
Which is odd, because The Lord of the Rings has nothing to do with Christmas…
OR DOES IT?
While The Lord of the Rings is certainly NOT a Christmas story in any straightforward sense (Legolas ain’t one of Santa’s Elves), a deep dive into the writings of Tolkien yields a profound and surprising connection between Lord of the Rings and Christmas.
December 25th: The Fellowship Leaves RivendellLet’s start off with something very basic: Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and the rest of the Fellowship leave Rivendell at dusk on December 25th, which in later ages would be known as Christmas.
Now, this doesn’t mean much by itself. After all, lots of things happen in our world on December 25th that don’t have anything to do with Christmas as such.
However, tucked away in The Lord of the Rings Reader’s Companion is this startling admission from Tolkien:
“Dec. 25 (setting out) and March 25 (accomplishment of quest) were intentionally chosen by me.”
So why would Tolkien choose these dates “intentionally”?
March 25th: Destruction of the One RingSauron’s Ring is destroyed on March 25th, accomplishing the quest of Frodo, and bringing the Dark Lord’s power and tyranny to an end.
Now why is the date March 25th so important that Tolkien would deliberately choose it for The Lord of the Rings’ climax?
March 25th is celebrated by many Christians, including Roman Catholics like Tolkien, as the Feast of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary.
When Mary consents to God’s plan for her, she is overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and conceives the Christ Child.
This event is known in Christian theology as the Incarnation, when the Son of God became Man.
Add 9 months to March 25th, and you get December 25th, Christmas Day, when Christians commemorate the birth of Christ.
The Happy CatastropheSo this is where we begin to make the deep connection between The Lord of the Rings and Christmas.
One of the key ideas of Tolkien’s literary theory was that of Eucatastrophe (said like “You Catastrophe”) which has to do with the sudden happy turn in a story. Tolkien felt this to be one of the key marks of good fantasy.
And he felt it was key to understanding human history as well.
In fact, in his landmark work On Fairy-stories, he said:
“The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man’s history.”
Literally, Tolkien viewed human history as an epic story, with the Birth of Christ being the great, happy turn away from the disaster of evil, sin, and death.
Thus, it’s as if Tolkien wanted to make a subtle yet impactful connection between his own epic tale and the history of mankind, and in doing so, connected the destruction of Sauron’s Ring to Christmas itself.
Yet still, the connection goes even deeper.
The Coming of Christ Foreseen In Middle-earthIn the Middle-earth story Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, which takes place thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings, the immortal elf Finrod and the mortal woman Andreth discuss the nature of life and death.
At one point, Andreth makes this startling assertion about an ancient Hope:
“They say that the One will himself enter into Arda, and heal Men and all the Marring from the beginning to the end.”
Thus, in the Middle-earth legendarium, the Incarnation, the great Eucatastrophe of man’s history, is foreseen!
Everything Sad Will Come UntrueSo while The Lord of the Rings may not be a “Christmas story” per se, it has a very deep connection to Christmas as the beginning of Christ’s victory over evil, sin, and death, so much so that Tolkien seems to have felt it necessary to plant little “nods for the knowing” within the story’s plot.
Of course, this all goes hand in hand with Tolkien’s startling admission:
“The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.” – Letter 142
To borrow a phrase from Samwise Gamgee, because of the Christ Child, everything sad will indeed come untrue.
Hey there, fellow travellers!
Merry Christmas! I was recently a guest on the Lore of the Rings podcast – that’s L-O-R-E – where I joined host Aaron to discuss the ways in which Lord of the Rings is a “fundamentally religous work”.
We uncovered:
– The grace Faramir says before sharing a meal with Frodo and Sam.
– The liturgical significance of March 25 — the day the One Ring was destroyed.
– The mysterious Three Prayers of Númenor, preserved in Unfinished Tales.
– Why Tolkien preferred absorbed symbolism over overt allegory.
I wanted to share a portion of this interview on The Tolkien Road’s podcast feed, but you really need to go check out the whole thing over on Aaron’s feed.
Listen to the whole episode: https://www.ringspodcast.com/190-why-and-how-the-lord-of-the-rings-is-a-religious-and-catholic-work/
Enjoy!
Become a patronListen to "Lore of the Rings Interview » Why and How The Lord of the Rings is a "Religious and Catholic Work"" on Spreaker.EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
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Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
In The Tolkien Road Episode 396, we review The War of the Rohirrim, the newly released animated Middle-earth film from Executive Producer Peter Jackson!
I have to be honest: the first 2 seasons of The Rings of Power were so painfully bad that I was not feeling enthusiastic about The War of the Rohirrim going into seeing it last night.
The one spark of hope that I felt was the knowledge that it had Peter Jackson as an Executive Producer, and that it had nothing to do with Amazon Studios.
We stayed away from the marketing and from others’ thoughts and opinions, hoping to go into it with as much fresh perspective as we could garner.
So what did we think? Watch and find out!
Become a patronListen to "0396 » REVIEW: The War of the Rohirrim » New Lord of the Rings Anime Film" on Spreaker.EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Emiel K
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- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
- Stephanie B
- Dustin Q
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Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
I’m done with Season 2 of Amazon’s The Rings of Power, but I didn’t watch all 8 episodes. I just can’t watch anymore…
Become a patronListen to "0395 » The Rings Of Power Season 2 Is A Crushing Disaster" on Spreaker.EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
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- Jonathan R
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- Daniel D
- Harrison C
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- Andrew T
- Redhawk
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- Zeke F
- James L
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- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
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AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
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Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to The Tolkien Road Episode 394!
In this bonus MAILBAG episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll be considering your thoughts on the Foreword and Prologue to The Lord of the Rings!
Become a patronListen to "0394 » Lord of the Rings » Foreword & Prologue » Mailbag » Allegory, Stoors / Harfoots / Fallohides, etc" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Jonathan R
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- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
- Stephanie B
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Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!! 🙌
Welcome to The Tolkien Road Episode 393!
In this bonus MATHOMS episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll take a look at some fascinating footnotes to the Foreword and Prologue of The Lord of Rings!
TOPICS COVERED:
– Lord of the Rings’ attraction
– The Silmarillion adapted
– Negative reviews of Lord of the Rings
– Tolkien vs allegory
– Sarehole Mill as Hobbiton
– The word “Hobbit”
– “Dwarrow”, Dwarfs, Dwarves
– Tolkien’s description of hobbits
– The location of Middle-earth
– Arnor / Gondor meanings
– Marcho and Blanco found the Shire
– Angmar meaning
– The Shire is rural England
– Origin of “Shirriff”
Become a patronListen to "0393 » Lord of the Rings » Foreword & Prologue » Mathoms » "Hobbit" origins, Shire background, and more" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Emilio P
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- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
- Stephanie B
- Dustin Q
- Robert S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 22 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Sam’s Grand Entrance”. (This is episode 392 of The Tolkien Road podcast).
‘Well, sir,’ said Sam dithering a little. ‘I heard a deal that I didn’t rightly understand, about an enemy, and rings, and Mr. Bilbo, sir, and dragons, and a fiery mountain, and – and Elves, sir. I listened because I couldn’t help myself, if you know what I mean. Lor bless me, sir, but I do love tales of that sort. And I believe them too, whatever Ted may say. Elves, sir! I would dearly love to see them. Couldn’t you take me to see Elves, sir, when you go?’
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we conclude our journey through The Shadow of the Past, as Frodo decides on his course of action, and finds himself with a surprise traveling companion.
SECTION START: “There was a long silence.”
SECTION END: the end of the chapter
Become a patronListen to "0392 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt11 » The Shadow of the Past part 11 » Sam's Grand Entrance" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
- Stephanie B
- Dustin Q
- Robert S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 21 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Frodo, The Chosen One”. (This is episode 391 of The Tolkien Road podcast).
“It has been said that dragon-fire could melt and consume the Rings of Power, but there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough; nor was there ever any dragon, not even Ancalagon the Black, who could have harmed the One Ring, the Ruling Ring, for that was made by Sauron himself.” – Gandalf, to Frodo
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Frodo wrestles with the inevitable mission for which he has been chosen.
SECTION START: Frodo drew the Ring out of his pocket again and looked at it.
SECTION END: “The Enemy is moving.”
Become a patronListen to "0391 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt10 » The Shadow of the part 10 » Frodo, the Chosen One" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Emiel K
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- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
- Stephanie B
- Dustin Q
- Robert S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 20 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “The Power of Pity”.
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” – Gandalf, concerning Gollum, to Frodo
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf explains how Bilbo’s pity for Gollum may in fact “Rule the fate of many.”
SECTION START: A heavy silence fell in the room.
SECTION END: ‘Try!’ said Gandalf. ‘Try now!’
Become a patronListen to "0390 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt09 » The Shadow of the Past part 9 » The Power of Pity" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
- Stephanie B
- Dustin Q
- Robert S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 19 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Gandalf’s Worst Mistake”.
‘The murder of Déagol haunted Gollum, and he had made up a defence, repeating it to his “Precious” over and over again, as he gnawed bones in the dark, until he almost believed it.’
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf explains how he began to track Gollum but made a critical mistake.
Become a patronListen to "0389 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt08 » The Shadow of the Past part 8 » Gandalf's Worst Mistake" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Jonathan R
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- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
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- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
- Alan C
- Stephanie B
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Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
The second season of The Rings of Power is upon us, and in the Tolkien Road Episode 388, Greta and I give you our reaction to the first three episodes!
Become a patronListen to "0388 » Reaction: The Rings of Power Season 2" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Jonathan R
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- Andrew T
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AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN AUGUST OF 2024
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Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 18 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “The Sad Story of Gollum”.
“‘You ought to begin to understand, Frodo, after all you have heard,” said Gandalf. ‘He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself. He could not get rid of it. He had no will left in the matter.'”
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf explains to Frodo the sad story of Gollum: how the Ring used him and then threw him away.
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0387 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt07 » The Shadow of the Past part 7 » The Sad Story of Gollum" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * EarendilHope HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
- John R
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- KG
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- Emilio P
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- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN AUGUST OF 2024
- Emiel K
- Brian B
- Willbo Baggins
- Ben D
- William JH
- Henry B
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Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Hey there, fellow travelers!
Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 386!
In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll conclude our jaunt through the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings by exploring the sections “Of the Finding of the Ring” and “Note on Shire Records”!
The final two sections of the Lord of the Rings’ Prologue essentially serve to connect the story’s beginning with the events of The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, as it’s known “in-universe”.
In so doing, we’re given a glimpse into the tricksy details and false accounts that yield a deeper insight into the operation of the One Ring.
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0386 » Lord of the Rings » Prologue part 3 » Of the Finding of the Ring and a Note on Shire Records (2024)" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Melkor27
- KG
- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
- EärendilHope
- Emilio P
- Jonathan D
- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN AUGUST OF 2024
- Emiel K
- Brian B
- Willbo Baggins
- Ben D
- William JH
- Henry B
- Jonathan L
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Hey there, fellow travelers! Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 385!
In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll continue through the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings by exploring the sections “Concerning Pipe-weed” and “Of the Ordering of the Shire”!
As we discovered in the last episode, the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings contains matters which don’t, at first, seem to matter much to the overall narrative arc of the story itself.
However, for Tolkien, the background and details matter immensely. It’s why we wound up, for example, with a large volume of Tolkien’s notes concerning things like the aging process of Elves as well as the flora and fauna of Númenor.
For Tolkien, Middle-earth became an increasingly REAL place. Not that he was crazy – instead, I’d say his creative process was informed by a strong mystical streak.
While the titles of these sections may seem very dry, there are details herein which will serve to deepen our appreciation of the intricate narrative tapestry that Tolkien spent 15 years creating.
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0385 » Lord of the Rings » Prologue Part 2 » Concerning Pipe-weed and The Ordering of the Shire (2024)" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Melkor27
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- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
- Emilio P
- Jonathan D
- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Jason C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN AUGUST OF 2024
- Emiel K
- Brian B
- Willbo Baggins
- Ben D
- William JH
- Henry B
- Jonathan L
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Hey there, fellow travelers! Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 384!
In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll be talking about HOBBITS, and specifically, the history and culture of hobbits.
We’ll do so by exploring the first part of the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings, “Concerning Hobbits!”
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0384 » Lord of the Rings » Prologue » Concerning Hobbits (2024)" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
- John R
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- Melkor27
- KG
- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
- Emilio P
- Jonathan D
- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JULY OF 2024
- Chris L
- David of Pints with Jack
- Matthew W
- Werty
- Seb M
- Spencer M
- Carolyn S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 17 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Sméagol and Déagol”.
“The Ring went into the shadows with [Gollum], and even [Sauron], when his power had begun to grow again, could learn nothing of it.”
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Fellowship of the Ring‘s chapter The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf recounts the tragic story of Sméagol and Déagol, and the role it played in bringing the Ring to Frodo.
Become a patronListen to "0383 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt06 » The Shadow of the Past part 6 » Sméagol and Déagol" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- SaberSystems
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- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JULY OF 2024
- Chris L
- David of Pints with Jack
- Matthew W
- Werty
- Seb M
- Spencer M
- Carolyn S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 16 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “The Powers of the Ring”.
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf leads us on a deep dive into the history and lore of the Rings of Power!
SECTION START: “Ah!” said Gandalf. “That is a very long story.”
SECTION END: “But at last I can carry on the story, I think.”
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0382 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt05 » The Shadow of the Past part 5 » The Powers of the Ring" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Melkor27
- KG
- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
- Emilio P
- Jonathan D
- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JULY OF 2024
- Chris L
- David of Pints with Jack
- Matthew W
- Werty
- Seb M
- Spencer M
- Carolyn S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Hey there, fellow travelers! Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 381!
In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll be considering this highly important and controversial question: WHAT DID TOLKIEN SAY LORD OF THE RINGS WAS ABOUT?
We’ll do so by exploring Tolkien’s Foreword to the Lord of the Rings.
Or should I say…Fore-WORDS!
Indeed, the first and second editions contain entirely different Forewords by Tolkien, and each has its own peculiarities that will be of interest to all of us Tolkien deep-divers!
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0381 » Lord of the Rings » Tolkien's Foreword(s) » What LOTR Is About, According To Tolkien" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Melkor27
- KG
- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
- Emilio P
- Jonathan D
- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JULY OF 2024
- Chris L
- David of Pints with Jack
- Matthew W
- Werty
- Seb M
- Spencer M
- Carolyn S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 15 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “The Fiery Letters”.
‘Hold it up!’ said Gandalf. ‘And look closely!’
As Frodo did so, he now saw fine lines, finer than the finest pen-strokes, running along the ring, outside and inside: lines of fire that seemed to form the letters of a flowing script. They shone piercingly bright, and yet remote, as if out of a great depth.
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as the true nature of Frodo’s Ring is definitively revealed by Gandalf!
SECTION START: Frodo took it from his breeches pocket…
SECTION END: “How, how on earth did it come to me?
Become a patronListen to "0380 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt04 » The Shadow of the Past part 4 » The Fiery Letters" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Melkor27
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- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
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- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JULY OF 2024
- Chris L
- David of Pints with Jack
- Matthew W
- Werty
- Seb M
- Spencer M
- Carolyn S
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 14 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “About That Ring, Frodo…
“‘It would be a grievous blow to the world, if the Dark Power overcame the Shire; if all your kind, jolly, stupid Bolgers, Hornblowers, Boffins, Bracegirdles, and the rest, not to mention the ridiculous Bagginses, became enslaved.'”
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf reveals to Frodo all that he has learned of his Ring in the past 17 years.
SECTION START: Next morning after a late breakfast…
SECTION END: “Give me the ring for a moment.” Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0379 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt03 » The Shadow of the Past part 3 » About That Ring, Frodo..." on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- SaberSystems
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- Emilio P
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- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JUNE OF 2024
- Richard BW
- Teresa C
- James L
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
Welcome to Episode 13 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Sam at the Green Dragon”!
“And I’ve heard tell that Elves are moving west. They do say they are going to the harbours, out away beyond the White Towers.’
Sam waved his arm vaguely; neither he nor any of them knew how far it was to the Sea, past the old towers beyond the western borders of the Shire. But it was an old tradition that away over there stood the Grey Havens, from which at times elven-ships set sail, never to return.”
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as we listen in on Sam’s speculations at the Green Dragon concerning Elves and Tree-men!
This section begins with the words: “Little of all this, of course, reached the ears of ordinary hobbits.”
And ends with: “…and they stayed up far into the night.”
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0378 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt02 » Sam At The Green Dragon » The Shadow of the Past Part 2" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
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- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JUNE OF 2024
- Richard BW
- Teresa C
- James L
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
“For some years [Frodo] was quite happy and did not worry much about the future. But half unknown to himself the regret that he had not gone with Bilbo was steadily growing…”
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll begin exploring The Shadow of the Past (Book 2, Chapter 2 of Lord of the Rings), by finding out what Frodo is up to as the lone master of Bag-End, and what is going on in the wider world beyond the borders of the Shire!
This section begins with the words: “The talk did not die down in nine or even ninety-nine days…” And ends with…“but they had no name.”
Join us!
Become a patronListen to "0377 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch02.Pt01 » 17 Years Later » Bilbo's Fate, Freder Bolger, Folco Boffin, more" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
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- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JUNE OF 2024
- Richard BW
- Teresa C
- James L
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we hit the mailbag for your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party.And by the way, you guys delivered BIG TIME!
While we won’t be able to get to nearly everything you wrote in the YouTube comments, on our Patreon page, and elsewhere, we’re going to hit some great stuff from a lot of different folks so buckle up for a fun ride!
Become a patronListen to "0376 » Lord of the Rings Bk1.Ch01.Pt11 » Mailbag » Proudfoots, Eleventy, Michel Delving, Winyard, and more!" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Melkor27 * KG * SaberSystems * Jeremy D HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
- John R
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- Melkor27
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- SaberSystems
- Jeremy D
- Emilio P
- Jonathan D
- Richard K
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Chris B
- Tuor91
- Carolyn S
- Emiel K
- Brian O (the 2nd)
- Jonathan R
- Matthew W
- Daniel D
- Harrison C
- Seb M
- Willbo Baggins
- Ms. Anonymous
- Andrew T
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O (the 1st)
- Zeke F
- James L
- Chris L
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Eric B
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN JUNE OF 2024
- Richard BW
- Teresa C
- James L
Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!!
“My father bestowed immense pains on the creation of The Lord of the Rings, and my intention has been that this record his first three years of work on it should reflect those pains.” – Christopher Tolkien, Return of the Shadow, Foreword
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we undertake our inaugural MATHOMS episode as we explore heretofore neglected matters great and small from The Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party.
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“Good-bye now! Take care of yourself! Look out for me, especially at unlikely times! Good-bye!” – GANDALF
In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we complete our journey through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party!
After the commotion of the “day after” at Bag-End, Frodo is able to finally enjoy some peace and quiet – until Gandalf comes knocking…
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“You’ll live to regret it, young fellow! Why didn’t you go too? You don’t belong here; you’re no Baggins – you – you’re a Brandybuck!”
In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party!
With Bilbo having hit the Road, Frodo is left to clean up the mess. He’ll discover that sometimes being the Master means working like the Servant!
Also: we’ll see that many hobbits have a knack for the art of insult comedy! Finally: the Sackville-Bagginses STRIKE AGAIN!
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Gandalf: “Go away and leave it behind. Stop possessing it. Give it to Frodo, and I will look after him.”
In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party!
Herein, Bilbo finally hits the road, and Frodo finds Gandalf waiting for him at Bag-End with an important assignment.
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In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party!
As Bilbo sneaks back to Bag-End and prepares to leave the Shire once and for all, Gandalf confronts him about the Ring, and an ugly argument ensues.
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In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, Bilbo delivers his unforgettable birthday speech and shocking surprise, as we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party!
We’ll take time to consider every detail of his speech, and do the math on the most memorable line of them all:
“I don’t know half of you as half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”
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In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, Bilbo’s birthday festivities begin, as we continue through LORD OF THE RINGS Book 1, Chapter 1, A LONG EXPECTED PARTY!
We’ll take time to envision the layout of the party field, and consider the variety of entertainments and meals that made it one of the greatest birthday celebrations of all time!
This section begins with the words “Before long the invitations began pouring out…” and ends with the words “…and to cheer at every full stop.”
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Tolkien Reading Day 2024 is upon us, and boy do we have a curve ball for you!
What do Tolkien and Quentin Tarantino have in common? Apparently more than you’d think!
Greta and I watched Tarantino’s 2019 film “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” twice this week, and found some fascinating synchronicities with Tolkien’s own vision of fairy tales from “On Fairy-stories”, including one that has me convinced that Tarantino MUST HAVE read Tolkien when creating the film.
We had a blast discussing Tolkien and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and you will too, so do yourself a favor and join us!
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Welcome to Episode 367 of The Tolkien Road, or Episode 3 in the Do Not Be Hasty – reckoning!
In this episode, we’ll explore Gandalf’s arrival at Bag End with fireworks in tow, and his subsequent discussion with Bilbo about his party, plans, and upcoming joke.
Perhaps most importantly, we’ll answer that important question: just HOW BIG were Gandalf’s eyebrows???
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In this episode, we grab a pint with Sam’s dad at the Ivy Bush as we resume our exploration of Lord of the Rings Book 1 Chapter 1 A Long Expected Party by considering the section from “Twelve more years passed…” to “…this very month as-is.”
The bulk of this section concerns Hamfast Gamgee, aka The Gaffer, and his conversation with other Shire-folk including Daddy Twofoot, Sandyman the Miller, and Old Noakes.
Through their humorous back and forth, we’ll come to understand how Bilbo and Frodo are generally viewed around the Shire, and discover something of where the Gaffer’s son, Samwise, gets his personality.
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With this episode, we begin a new journey, as we return to The Lord of the Rings for something epic (in scope) and Entish (in pace). Join us!
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With Sauron having been defeated and disembodied at the end of the Second Age, and a time of peace settling in upon the free lands of Middle-earth, how do we arrive at the events of The Lord of the Rings, some 3,000 years later?
The account we’ll be looking at in this episode is taken entirely from Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, and describes the major events that lead up to A Long-Expected Party, and the forming of the Fellowship of the Ring.
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With Elendil and his sons having founded Arnor and Gondor after the downfall of Númenor, Sauron wastes little time in launching an assault upon them, his aim to conquer the free lands of Middle-earth once and for all!
Become a patronListen to "0363 » The Fall of Númenor Pt 37 » SA3329-3341 » The Last Alliance of Men and Elves" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * SaberSystems * Melkor27 * KG HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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The full title of this chapters is “c1500 – The Elven Smiths Instructed By Sauron Reach The Height Of Their Skill. They Begin The Forging of the Rings of Power.”
n this episode, we discuss the nature of Sauron’s “gifts” to the Noldor, and how their nature and past makes them particularly prone to Sauron’s malevolent plot.
Join us as we discuss!
Become a patronListen to "0346 » The Fall of Númenor Pt 21 » SA1500 » Sauron The Generous Demon" on Spreaker.Watch Without Ads At PatreonEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Jacob Lockham * John H * Melkor27 * KG HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ * view transcript for this episode » https://tolkienroad.com/transcripts/tr0345-transcript.txt SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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In this chapter, we find rumors of Sauron beginning to unveil his plot. In fact, it’s even debatable what Sauron’s “plot” was from the beginning!
Even so, Gil-galad and Elrond refuse to treat with him, though the Elven-smiths of Eregion are won over. All the while, the Númenoreans begin to make permanent havens in Middle-earth (and that's a bad thing).
Join us as we discuss!
In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through the Fall of Númenor by exploring the chapter 1075 - TAR-ANCALIMË BECOMES THE FIRST RULING QUEEN OF NÚMENOR. Having covered the life and significance of one of Númenor’s most important rulers, Tar-Aldarion, we now turn to a rather brief description of the reign of his daughter: Tar-Ancalimë, the first Ruling Queen of Númenor.
In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through the Fall of Númenor by exploring the chapter c1000 SAURON CHOOSES MORDER. After our deep dive in to the story of Númenor’s pivotal 6th king, Tar-Aldarion, we return now to Sauron, and take a look at the founding of Mordor and the building of Barad-dûr.
This chapter concludes the era of Aldarion, one of the most important kings in the history of Númenor. As we learned in the last episode, his father, Tar-Meneldur, chose to turn the rule of Númenor over to Aldarion earlier than was normal, due to a letter from the Elven High-King Gil-galad. asking for Númenor’s aid amidst the increasingly dire situation in Middle-earth. In this chapter, we’ll explore Aldarion’s reign, as well as what becomes of his wife Erendis and daughter Ancalimë.
This chapter continues the story of Aldarion, destined to be Númenor’s 6th King. While it begins with the wedding, long-expected, of Aldarion and Erendis, it concludes with many events unexpected, including word from Gil-galad to the King of Númenor regarding “ a new shadow arising in the East”.
This is a long chapter dense with nuance and character development, perhaps the richest glimpse we get into the various psyches of Númenoreans as individuals, and while I’d love to give it a much more in depth reading, I’m only going to hit the high points as regards this history of Númenor.
However, if you’d like a more in-depth discussion of this story between me and Greta, please check out the notes, or just go back and find episodes 183, 185, 186, and 187.
Over the next 3 episodes in our Fall of Númenor series, we’ll return to the story of Aldarion, whom we met 2 episodes ago.
Aldarion is the son of Tar-Meneldur and the expectant heir to Númenor's throne. But as we will learn, he is a man torn between a deep longing for the sea and his destiny as Númenor’s king.
We have in fact covered this story before, in great detail, in episodes 183, 185, 186, and 187. For a more detailed discussion of the story itself, I’ll refer you to to those episodes. Check the show notes for more info.
However, in this episode, I’d like to touch on some of the prevailing themes in this story that relate to the larger story of Númenor, and unpack some key passages from this chapter.
In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by exploring The Voyages of Aldarion, the grandson of Vëantur, and future King of Númenor.
While we don’t have any narratives from the Second Age on the scale of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or even some of the greater legends of The Silmarillion, we do have the better part of one story concerning the people of Númenor: the tale of Aldarion and Erendis, aka The Mariner’s Wife. In this chapter, we’re introduced to the figure of Aldarion and his great longing for the sea, and the tensions this longing will introduce into the history of Númenor.
In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by exploring The Voyages of Aldarion, the grandson of Vëantur, and future King of Númenor.
While we don’t have any narratives from the Second Age on the scale of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or even some of the greater legends of The Silmarillion, we do have the better part of one story concerning the people of Númenor: the tale of Aldarion and Erendis, aka The Mariner’s Wife. In this chapter, we’re introduced to the figure of Aldarion and his great longing for the sea, and the tensions this longing will introduce into the history of Númenor.
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In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by examining Númenor’s return to Middle-earth in the year 600 of the Second Age. Join us!
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In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by considering the curious case of Silmariën, the daughter of Elendil (but not the sister of Isildur). Join us!
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In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by examining the return of Sauron around the year 500 of the Second Age!
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In this episode, we’ll be continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor as we explore the section title “The Life of the Númenoreans.” In this section, we’ll learn about the every day life of Númenoreans, according to Tolkien!
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Happy Easter everyone! (we’re Catholic, and so was Tolkien, so it’s still Easter…)
In this episode, we read Samwise’s astonished awakening in The Field of Cormallen after the destruction of the One Ring, and discuss how it relates to the overwhelming joy of Easter.
“The Resurrection was the greatest ‘eucatastrophe’ possible in the greatest Fairy Story – and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in Love.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 89
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In this episode, we’ll be continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor as we explore the section title “The Life of the Númenoreans.” In this section, we’ll learn about the every day life of Númenoreans, according to Tolkien!
Become a patronListen to "0332 » The Fall of Númenor Pt 8 » The Life of the Númenoreans" on Spreaker.EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Jacob Lockham * John H * Eru27 HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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In this episode, we’ll be continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor as we explore the section title “The Natural Life of Númenor.” In this section, we’ll learn about the beasts, birds, plants, and other natural phenomena of Númenor, according to Tolkien!
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How big was Númenor? What was it like? Did it have any cities? In the latest episode, we’re discussing the geography of Númenor. Join us!
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Númenor becomes a reality in year 32 of the Second Age. In this section, we’ll learn about the people who became Númenoreans, the various figures that aided them in establishing Númenor, and how they came to Númenor in the first place. Join us!
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In this episode, we’ll be exploring the “Foundation of the Grey Havens and of Lindon” in Year 1 of the Second Age. Topics include the overthrow of Morgoth, Thranduil (father of Legolas), Gil-galad, Galadriel, Celeborn, Elrond, and Elros. Join us!
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This is the third episode in my series exploring The Fall of Númenor, the recently published collection of Second Age writings, edited by Brian Sibley.
“Before The Second Age” is, in a way, the book’s second introduction. Here, Sibley goes into the Middle-earth legendarium’s internal history, putting to heavy use what is probably Tolkien’s most famous letter, The Waldman Letter, in which Tolkien gave a thorough account of Middle-earth’s entire timeline to a prospective publisher.
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Leaf By Niggle, 2023!
Dr. Chris Hackett (https://HackettWrites.com) joins us for what has become an annual tradition on The Tolkien Road. While we’ve covered Leaf By Niggle several times in the past, and frequently refer to it, it’s an incredible gem, hidden behind the mountainous wonder that is the Middle-earth legendarium. For me, it’s a story that never ceases to fill me with wonder and joy, and if I’m being honest, it always manages to get me a little choked up. I suppose this effect has something to do with what Tolkien called “Christian joy”, that “which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in Love.”
I wish people knew about this story like they knew about The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I believe it is truly a life-changing story, bearing the aura of supernatural inspiration, like so much of Middle-earth. And it’s a joy to discuss this story with others, and to learn what they see in it.
Learn more about Dr. Chris Hackett and his books » https://hackettwrites.com/
Become a patronListen to "0326 » Leaf By Niggle 2023 » Featuring Dr. Chris Hackett » Tolkien's Purgatorial Myth" on Spreaker.EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Jacob Lockham * John H * Eru27 HELPFUL LINKS take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout) * listen to TOLKIEN’S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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This is the second episode in my series exploring The Fall of Númenor, the recently published collection of Second Age writings, edited by Brian Sibley.
Sibley’s introduction is titled “The Saga of a Dark Age”. Tolkien himself termed the Second Age a “Dark Age” in an important letter. Why did he do so? Watch and learn!
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I’m beginning a journey through The Fall of Númenor, the recently published compilation of Tolkien’s Second Age and Númenorean writings! Join me!
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Finally, we arrive at SMITH OF WOOTTON MAJOR!
In this episode, we’ll be reviewing the story and having a knock-down, drag-out, deep dive discussion, classic Tolkien Road style!
But here’s the thing: as you’re going to find out, Smith of Wootton Major is one of Tolkien’s biggest mysteries. And a lot of other folks have written extensively about WHAT IT MEANS, including Tolkien himself. For that reason, there will be Part 2 coming at a later date. So you’ll want to make sure and subscribe NOW so you don’t forget, because THEN you’ll never find out what this bad boy is all about, according to the REAL EXPERTS.
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In episode 322, I’m joined by Andrew Snyder of The Mythic Mind podcast. We talk Middle-earth, Tolkien, Christianity, Kierkegaard, The Shadow, and the consolation that Tolkien provided in Andrew’s life during a very dark period. Join us!
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Merry Christmas, fellow travelers! Let’s take a close look at the Middle-earth / Christmas connection as well as the recent Rings of Power discussion with Amazon Studios’ Vernon Sanders. Join us!
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What was the purpose of Númenor? In this episode, we explore that question through the lens of the song of Númenor.
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- Amy H EPISODE TRANSCRIPTlovely is numenor but my heart resteth not here forever for here is ending and there will be an end and the fading when all is counted and all numbered at last but yet it will not be enough not enough what will the louvitar oh I loveitar give me in that day beyond the end when my son faileth hey there fellow Travelers welcome to the Tolkien Road episode 320. in this episode we’ll be taking a close look at the song of numenor an obscure poem of tolkiens that gets to the heart of numenor’s story before we get started on that I’d like to give a double up air 5 to our patrons three two one whoops hope I didn’t catch you off guard special thanks to this episode’s executive producers John R Caitlin ft with Tolkien Jacob blockham John H scotchy Bobo and aru27. become a patron by visiting patreon.com Tolkien Road your financial support helps the Tolkien road to keep on evering on and lend you some cool perks along the way learn more at patreon.com Tolkien Road check out truemistress.com for Tolkien Road merch like t-shirts signed copies of my books and the Glorious two trees camper mug just like this right here you’re use promo code lost 320 to get 10 off your order that’s truemidspress.com check out the show notes for the link and hey YouTube hit that like button don’t forget to subscribe and let us know what’s on your mind in the comments below all right so that bit of poetry I read at the beginning is from a passage in the Lost Road right here actually it’s from a footnote in the Lost road so we’ll get a little bit into that what was the purpose of numenor many of you know that I have argued that numenor’s purpose went beyond being a mere reward for the descendants of the Adine and seemed to be filled with symbolism and rituals intended to point them to a greater Destiny both in this world and Beyond it I’ve explored that in other videos we’ve talked about that on our rings of power reaction videos but you know I’m really starting to get into those kinds of questions more is I’d Begin work on my next book and um and I as I was reading through the Lost Road recently I found this poem and just was blown away by its beauty but also how it gets really to the heart of the numenorian legend like like what’s really there what caught what what Tolkien was thinking when he first conceived of this Legend right back in the late 30s
um so let’s let’s talk about a little background of it first it’s found in the history of Middle Earth part five the Lost Road and other writings um you can go back and watch our video we did on this particular volume of the history of Middle Earth um but it’s actually it’s going to be in the section in the section titled the Lost Road and you have to go all the way to the footnote or to the endnotes uh footnotes and notes whatever you want to call them um notes on the numenorean chapters of the Lost Road and it’s it’s in note number 12 right there in which Christopher gives some context for it Tolkien actually wrote this thing in uh what he was calling Edison at that time it’s a form of Elvish but there’s a translation given there as well and that’s the translation that’s given in the text is the one we’re going to be using as we discuss this song of numenor um the Lost road is a legend that was written is a story that was written in the in the late 30s it’s a really interesting story I hope we can do kind of a focused view of the of what we have from the Lost Road uh maybe sometime in the new year sometime in 2023 because I think it’d be worth spending some time just talking about this especially now that the rings of power is out and numenor is you know kind of a little bit more known now than it maybe previously was in the on the popular scale I think it’s fascinating to go back and understand the origins of the legend and it’s really found in the Lost Road right that’s the first place where Tolkien really wrote in a great great deal about this place of numenor what’s really interesting is that numenor was not originally a part of the legendarium as we think of it right you just you can kind of think of this as Tolkien wrote the stories that became the silmarillion the stories of the first age he wrote those going all the way back to uh World War one kind of began writing those during World War One um you know started started giving those kind of a formless recognizable to us into the early 20s had these stories continued working on them continued developing the legendarium of that period of time wrote The Hobbit in the mid 30s The Hobbit kind of found its way accidentally um into into the Middle Earth legendarium the stories of you know kind of connected to the stories of the first age even though it wasn’t in the first stage um he he was like why not just make this little connection here and uh and then after he wrote The Hobbit and it was somewhat of a success they wanted him to write it sequel Tolkien wanted to get the silmarillion published he also had the Lost Road uh which he had been working on the Lost Road was a um was an idea that came from his friendship with C.S Lewis actually many of you know C.S Lewis wrote the space Trilogy right out of the Silent Planet pearlandra and That Hideous Strength well the deal was that Tolkien and Lewis kind of weren’t big fans of the uh speculative fiction that was around at that time and so they challenged one another to uh to to see if they could write something better right and so uh Lewis’s job from Tolkien said Louis you’re going to write the time the space travel story and that became out of the Silent Planet and then perilandra and That Hideous Strength those stories have been pretty well known for a long time um tolkien’s job was to write the time travel story Tolkien of course it was notoriously slow in writing and getting to a in notoriously a perfectionist uh so he never really got the Lost road to the point where he wanted it to be but you know his approach to writing this was very interesting it was not um it wasn’t what we kind of generally think of as time travel stories and the popular culture of our time we probably think of like Back to the Future right that’s probably the most well-known time travel story this wasn’t about uh people getting into a time machine and traveling to a different period of time this was much this was this was more of a like time overlapping like two periods of time an ancient period of time and modern time kind of overlapping in a way um but again I’m going to save all that until we go into the Lost Road and in full in detail um in a late much later episode so um the Lost Road was begun he got about four chapters into it the first two chapters would you wouldn’t even recognize how they connect to any of this probably unless you like really read it in detail but chapters three and four of the Lost Road uh that Tolkien wrote they look very familiar right these these talk about uh well-known like characters we already know especially elindil right and there’s another character herendale who eventually became a sildor right later on um so a Lindale and an early version of isildura are both characters in these later chapters of the Lost Road here um so uh the Lost road again we’ll get into how lost Road became the notion Club papers and was eventually unfolded into the backstory of The Lord of the Rings and now you know and how it was developed later on into the Middle Earth legendarium that’s all that’s all information for another episode further on down the road or probably a series of episodes in reality so that’s a little bit of the background here um let’s let’s look at the song in context before so like I said the the actual poem uh the snippet of which I read at the beginning is actually found in in a footnote slash endnote for the Lost Road um but I want to read the context within the story where we get some little Snippets of this song so that we have an understanding of how it fit into the story all right and I’m going to use some technology here to allow you all to read along with me if you’re on YouTube the light was fading swiftly as they passed up the paths of the garden amid flowers pale and luminous in the Twilight the trees were shedding sweet night sense a lomalende began its thrilling bird song by a pool above them Rose the house its white wall is gleamed as if Moonlight was imprisoned in their substance but there was no moon yet only a cool light diffused and shadowless through the clear sky like fragile glass small Stars stabbed their white flames a voice from a high window came falling down like silver into the pool of Twilight where they walked elendil knew the voice it was the voice of firiel a maiden of his household daughter of laurentor his heart sank for firiel was dwelling in his house because Iran tour had departed men said he was on a long Voyage others said that he had fled the displeasure of the king elindil knew that he was on a mission from which he might never return or return too late and he loved orantor and feriel was fair now her voice sang an even song in the Edison tongue but made by men long ago the Nightingale ceased a Lindale Stood Still to listen and the words came to him far off and strange as some Melody and archaic speech sung sadly in a forgotten Twilight in the beginning of man’s journey in the world
the father made the world for elves and Mortals and he gave it into the hands of the Lords who are in the West so saying firial on high until her voice fell sadly to the question with which that song ends montare antava nineluvatar ilubitar in
Arena
give me in that day beyond the end when my son faileth Amon antavvaro what will he give indeed City Lyndale and stood in somber thought she should not sing that song out of a window said hirendil breaking the silence they sing it otherwise now Melco cometh back they say and the King shall give us the son forever I know what they say serial indil do not say it to thy father nor in his house he passed in at a dark door and hit India shrugging his shoulders followed him all right so um apologies for any mispronunciations on the Elvish there uh did my best uh not language foreign languages not always my strong suit but I do love reading Elvish it’s it’s fun to uh to attempt it and it’s just truly beautiful when it rolls off the tongue um so if I got anything mispronounced anything there let me know in the comments um so what do we have here well we have this uh in the context we have this conversation going on between elendil and herendil or who we will later be isildur right um and they hear this song coming out of a coming out of a window as they’re on this walk uh and it is this uh Maiden filiel who is uh who is the the friend of or the daughter of a friend right of illendale and um and this song that she’s singing right um it is you know it’s kind of a a Melancholy song Right speaking about how lovely numenor is but the but her you know her heart can’t rest here forever in fact it actually begins with something is that was as I was pondering it it almost reminds me of like a creedal statement right the father made the world for elves and Mortals and he gave it into the hands of the Lords right it’s almost like the statement of belief right the numenorian like statement of belief um they’re in the west they are holy blessed and beloved save the dark one he has fallen right what’s really interesting is that this kind of basic idea of the new minority of the downfall is already here right we find um you know this this tension of uh you know she shouldn’t be singing this song right or she’ll be heard by the wrong people right she’s in numenor but she’s singing this song and it’s clear that they these are the people these are like of the faithful right the faithful party of numenor right the ones that want to keep to the Friendship of the elves uh the worship of a louvitar right as opposed to uh the worship of melkor right and we see there Melco right that that Melco has been kind of there’s a version of the song that has come along that talks about Melco will be the one coming back right the Melco will be coming back and doing melchorage things so we see that tension there right that the uh the kind of the forces of evil are taking over numenor right and having their sway in numenor one would suppose because they’ve been deceived by Sauron so that’s the context of this song um you know let’s let’s look a little more closely at it so I’m going to read the translation that is in uh that is uh in footnote 12 here let me see if I can find it all right so highlight it here and I’ll share this with you guys all right the father made the world for elves and Mortals and he gave it into the hands of the Lords there in the west they are holy blessed and beloved save the dark one he has fallen Melco has gone from Earth it is good for elves they made the moon but for men the Red Sun which are beautiful to all they gave in measure the gifts of illumitar the world is fair the sky the Seas the Earth and all that is in them lovely is numenor but my heart resteth not here forever for here is ending and there will be an end and the fading when all is counted and all are numbered at last but yet it will not be enough not enough what will the father O Father give me in that day beyond the end when my son faileth so you know let’s just kind of parse this a little bit and you know understand what’s being said in this you know what’s being sung here um so you know begins like I said with kind of this creedal statement right the father made the world for elves and Mortals elves and Men right so the father who’s that referring to it’s referring to illumitar that’s actually uh that’s actually the word in the um in the uh the Edison the Elvis tongue given here all right so illumitar made the world for elves and Mortals for Mortal men and he gave it into the hands of the Lords who are the Lords they are the Valar right into the hands of the Valar the Lords of the West right they are holy blessed and beloved save the dark one so it’s it’s clear that uh uh firiel who’s singing this song and when one would suppose that Lindell and herendale view the Lords of the West favorably right they view them as holy blessed and beloved save the dark one right the Fallen one he has fallen that’s Melco Melco melkor as we would know him has gone from Earth it is good so this is again like the whole idea of him being cast out at the end of the first stage is our is here as well right it’s in this story you know I read this and I’m like well Tolkien was already working it’s like even from this starting point he was already working the the framework of Middle Earth into uh this Legend even though it came uh you know even though he maybe didn’t conceive of it in that way it’s almost like the stories that he had come up with initially you know and uh in his younger younger years we’re just so much a part of him he had to work them into everything he did um I mean you could see that a lot of his writings that supposedly aren’t related to Middle Earth um uh yeah I think of I think of even something like Smith of Wooten major which we hope to cover here soon on the podcast uh along with Greta um I I even think of something like that which came much later on and it’s and it seems to work in a lot of those uh you know a lot of those themes right a lot of those um ideas from Middle Earth all right so for the elves they made the moon the Lords of the West made the moon the Valar but for men the Red Sun which are beautiful to all they gave and measure the gifts of illumitar the world is fair the sky the Seas the Earth and all that is in them so that’s you know we we get to the end of kind of the first part of this and it’s this the world is fair it kind of talks about the moon the stars the Sun the world is fair the sky the Seas the Earth and all that is in them they’re all fair it’s all beautiful the world is a wonderful place right and she says lovely as numenor right maybe even you know we’re supposed to understand that like above all numenor is lovely right it’s this paradise for Mortals this Mortal Paradise right but my heart resteth not here forever my heart resteth not here forever if you’re familiar at all if you’ve read a calibath if you’ve read other uh other writings that concern numenor you know that this question of rest in this world uh is a key one and it’s a reason it’s a large reason why numenor eventually Falls because the hearts of men cannot seem to find rest in this world they want to find rest and and for those who are able to acknowledge that they can’t find rest in this world they’re able to pass on in peace right they’re able to pass out of this world in peace but it’s later on when they abandon the friendship with the Elves and the Lords of the West when they abandon the heartfelt true Devotion to a louvitar that they begin to uh they begin to fear death right they begin to fear passing away from this world and um and they become Restless right there they won’t allow themselves to fall to fall asleep right you have kind of the peaceful death early on of so many of the Kings and later on it’s like these agonizing deaths where they’re just holding on they’re holding on past where they should okay um
you know it’s it’s I kind of I think you know it’s it’s a moment this story Maybe uh it’s the story of Newman was kind of a Memento Mori right it’s like it should make us think like how will I react when it comes time for my death right um and that’s a hard question to answer but it’s it’s worth asking ourselves from time to time you know am I looking just at this world is all that there is or is there something Beyond it and it’s clear that for the the faithful of numenor from the very beginning of this Legend um tolkien’s conception of this Legend the faithful of numenor look Beyond right and we see that in the second half of this song my heart resteth not here forever for here is ending and there will be an end in the fading when all is counted and all numbered at last but yet it will not be enough not enough when will the father O Father give me in that day beyond what I’m sorry what will the father O Father give me in that day be on the end when my son faileth yeah so what’s you know what’s going to be given uh to me when when there is no more world right when this world ends completely okay ethereal is thinking to that right she’s looking Beyond what’s here and now to that now this is not I don’t think this is furiel’s song originally right um this is a song that uh had perhaps been around for a long time it’s maybe like a Hymn of the numenorian religion right um and you know she’s singing it here and then Lindale and herendale are familiar enough with it to reflect upon it and to uh you know and to think deeply about it um but that’s you know it’s those final lines that really get to the heart of this legend of numenor what is there for me Beyond this world right the numenoreans know that their lives even though they live longer lives their lives are numbered right they’re mortal as compared to the elves as compared to the Valar so what is there for them this world may be a lovely place right how many of us can say that right this world is a lovely place but what is there for me Beyond this world whether I’m around when it ends for good or whether I end before it does right is there anything for me Beyond it that’s really the question that’s that I feel is at the heart of the new minority Legend you see it all over the place you see it in a collabath you see it in um in the very shape of the Island right a star-shaped Island they get to numenor by following this star and they can see the Blessed land of the Earth but it’s like the Blessed realm of valinor they can kind of Glimpse it dimly from the very tall mountain but they can only Glimpse at dimly and they know they can’t go there right they know they they know they’re forbidden from going there from reaching Earthly Bliss right the undying lands of this world but instead when they’re Standing On That Mountain the mental tarma what are they drawn to well their eyes should be drawn up to the heavens right to see the star of Arendelle right that they’re drawn like air indel to the Stars to the heavens okay that their lives are drawn upward and we see that because they’re standing on the mental tarma where they go and they’ve been given this worship of a louvitar right that they’re supposed to be Heaven oriented right star oriented okay not not necessarily the physical Stars right but but the heavens right they’re supposed to be oriented to the things that go beyond this world that’s a Louis vuitar’s will for them that’s why they’ve been brought to numenor right they they can Glimpse the undying lands but they can’t go there that’s not for them they have a greater purpose Beyond this world and that’s the key they have to understand that it’s a greater purpose okay now you know this is it it’s all this this doesn’t seem like it’s a really like negotiable interpretation to me this seems very intentional on tolkien’s part again you know we don’t necessarily see him saying this is what the story of numenor is about except that he actually does say the story of numenor is about God’s sole right to Divine Worship in one of his letters right but what is the point of that worship right it’s it’s not see like Tolkien would have understood this it’s not about God needing our worship right it’s not about a louvitar needing the worship of the numenoreans it’s about the worship of God makes strong heals the numenoreans right the worship of God heals us right the proper worship the right worship okay that’s the central question you know that’s where these stories overlap with tolkien’s own faith right so um you know so so it’s worth pondering this story this song right that’s told here and understanding that from the very beginning the numerian legend had this connection right it had this basis from the mind of Tolkien so you know I I think this is just fascinating you know it’s it’s definitely something I’m going to be exploring in my next book um art which I’ve already you know begun begun good work on hoping to share more about that with you all in the not too distant future um and um you know it’s something I’d really you know as much as I’ve struggled with the first you know enjoying the first season of the Rings of power I’d really love to see them work these kinds of things in to the into the rings of power in future Seasons because it’s the heart of the story right and if you don’t have the heart of the story it’s really hard uh to tell it well okay um I wasn’t I wasn’t super impressed by that in the first place anyway I didn’t want to get too much into a criticism this isn’t about criticism of the show but uh but it’s relevant right it’s relevant here because the song of numenor is um uh you know it it’s not something that Tolkien he may not have included this in his later writings but it’s not something he left behind in terms of the themes that are in the story The akalabath all these sorts of things in fact it’s so beautiful that it kind of makes me wonder like this this scene is so beautiful I kind of picture this like um you know like I could see this happening within the show right these are the kinds of things that it’s like why make it up and I know there’s the whole thing about do they have the rights to use this but you could kind of do something like this right you don’t use the same names or even the same language but you could probably do something very similar to it um just a truly kind of beautiful moment where Father and Son Lindell and herendale AKA sildor are conversing while they hear this beautiful song right uh you know being sung Okay so so that’s the song of numenor what do you guys think did uh you think you think uh my interpretation of it is right on you think it’s off base for some reason let’s talk about in the comments below all right well um hey I wanted to read a uh a little bit of Correspondence so trying to get back to doing some correspondence on a regular basis I’m going to read uh since we’re on the theme of poetry this week I wanted to read a couple of haiku that were left over this is from listener uh John W and uh John says greetings John and Greta I’ve been a huge fan of your show since 2017 but I’m not very talkative I’ve enjoyed listening on Spotify and you’ve got five star rating there I deeply appreciate your talented presentation um so thank you John I appreciate the rating over on Spotify that’s awesome to hear and John shared uh three Haiku so um the first one is thoughts on Amazon’s rings of power silver spent time lost honor gray Wicked clever waves of discontent very nice beautiful the next one is on a calabath dangerous reward Pride cometh before the Fall Mountain under waves ah the dangerous reward I love it that’s great um yeah one of the key things that Tolkien said about the numenorian legend was reward The Perils are reward that it’s more that reward is more dangerous for men than punishment right I think that’s almost the verbatim quote from one of his letters on the themes of new from the Waldman letter actually so good stuff there John and his final one on on the uh of the third age in the rings of power one ring to find them deceived for power and pain friends will march to war very good stuff thank you so much John appreciate you all right well hey you want to be like John drop us a line you can correspond with us in a number of ways check out the show notes to learn more YouTube tolkienroad.com email Twitter uh you can find us easily on Instagram and Facebook we don’t check those as often but I usually get notified if somebody drops us a line over there so hopefully that’s still working all right we’ll do our best to respond to you somehow and at some point all right well that’s all for this episode you all thank you to our amazing patrons especially the following John R Caitlin of t with Tolkien Jacob lockham John H scotchy Bobo aru27 Ms Anonymous Andrew T Redhawk Shannon S Brian o Emilio P Zeke F James a James L Chris L Chuck F ozzyavi ish of the hammer Teresa C David of pints with Jack Jonathan D Eric B 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Have you ever asked yourself how the Rings of Power work? In other words, WHY did Sauron’s Ring bring him mastery over the other Rings? What sorts of power did the Rings convey? Let’s take a close look at these questions!
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hey there fellow Travelers welcome to the Tolkien Road episode 319. how do the rings of power work what powers do they convey that’s the topic we’ll be diving into on this episode before we get started I’d like to give a double up air 5 to our patrons and get those hands up there patrons three two one very nice felt that love coming through thank you very much special thanks to this episode’s executive producers John R Caitlin of t with Tolkien Jacob lockham John H scotchy Bobo and arrow 27 eru27. become a patron by visiting patreon.com Tolkien Road your financial support helps the Tolkien road to keep on evering on and land you some cool perks along the way learn more at patreon.com Tolkien Road also check out truemistress.com for Tolkien Road merch like t-shirts signed copies of my book books and the Glorious two trees camper mug use promo code Rings 319 to get 10 off your order that’s truemithspress.com myths like mythology check out the show notes for the link YouTube hit that like button don’t forget to subscribe and let us know what’s on your mind in the comments below all right so have you ever asked your have you ever asked yourself how the rings of power work in other words why did sauron’s ring bring him Mastery over the other Rings what sorts of powers did the Rings convey this is a crucial question for the Middle Earth legendarium but it’s one that in a sense sits in the background of the Lord of the Rings we all know the ring verse and it does and it does bear a sort of magical gravitas all its own but we only rarely see the ring at work so is the ring Justin McGuffin a mysterious plot device that only exists to serve the story and motivate the actions of the characters is there anything there in short it’s much more than a MacGuffin in fact I’d argue that the idea of the MacGuffin first made Popular by Alfred Hitchcock runs counter to tolkien’s whole theory of Storytelling for Tolkien it was important that the Ring’s power be substantiated to some degree we get some sense of this in The Lord of the Rings for starters the ring makes both Bilbo and Frodo invisible however the ring also causes Frodo to enter into an overlapping dimension of reality and allows him to be seen by both Sauron and the ring wraiths so there’s like a give and take of powers there we get other hints that the ring somehow commands the respect and even Obedience of others this is a somewhat more abstract concept but we get this sense from the reactions of characters such as Galadriel and Gandalf to being offered the ring and the rain grants long life even immortality but something like conditional immortality take Gollum for example he’s able to live in a naturally long life but not a normal life by any means in fact not really a life that any of us would want to live forever uh immortally so and Bilbo after possessing it for many years appears younger than expected but feels like butter scraped over too much bread I know exactly what he’s talking about there when he says that I feel that sometimes myself I’m sure many of you do as well so while Tolkien doesn’t give a nice tidy list of the powers that the ring conveys we know some of the powers it confers and we know that in the hands of certain actors of high stature it would be a catastrophically powerful weapon so the ring is much more than a McGuffin this sort of plot device that doesn’t really matter however as we seek to understand what Tolkien was getting at with the ring we need to realize one very important thing the ring for Tolkien is simply that sauron’s ring it’s not meant to represent or symbolize anything else this is something Tolkien insists upon in his frequent rebuff frequent rebuffs of allegory so you know it’s not like an allegory for Atomic power or something like that right that was something Tolkien addresses in one of his letters now the ring is the thing it is in the book right that’s what it is in the book now whether it has um uh ways in which it overlaps with other aspects of our reality right with aspects of our reality yeah those things are entirely possible but that would be more of a case of applicability as Tolkien would put it not allegory
um so it doesn’t mean it’s unrelated to whatever things it might bear relation to for whatever reason and I do think Tolkien had certain ideas very strongly in mind when he wrote The Lord of the Rings in fact I know he did for Tolkien the ring is indeed a magical device but he had something very clearly in mind when he spoke of it in such a way as a magical thing for him magic was not something meaningless in terms of the primary World in fact by the term magic he very clearly meant what we in the modern world would call the machine in the Waldman letter he said by magic or machine I intend all use of external plans or devices of development of instead of development of the inherent inner powers or talents let me try that again by magic or machine I intend all use of external plans or devices instead of development instead of development of the inherent inner powers or talents or even the use of these talents with the with the corrupted motive of dominating bulldozing the real world or coercing other Wills the machine is our more obvious modern form though more closely related to magic than is usually recognized make use my machine here that I’m working on and make uh make my my text a little larger so I’m not messing up so much all right for Tolkien magic is not some pretty modern thing that no longer has anything significance for us but it’s exactly the machine or in other words technology that thing that we moderns like to believe makes us so happy right go back to that definition he just used the machine so uh it’s uh using the uh these talents with the corrupted motive of dominating okay um and Oh I thought I thought I had this quote in there but he also says very close to this in the same letter he says for making the will more effective right they’re powerful the machines are things that are powerful making the will more effective but for him it’s magic a machine or the same thing right so like an ancient sorcerer in tolkien’s mind is doing the same thing that a uh you know a powerful person with a you know a powerful machine is doing nowadays right there they have something that’s useful for making their will more effective more efficient more effective foreign magic and machine are pitted against Art which the elves by Nature tend to employ art is the development of the natural potential of something to bring out more of its inherent Beauty and possibility as opposed to Magic and machine which seek to exploit natural faculties in order to achieve greater domination or power if you want to know the fruits of these two different perspectives consider the Elvish Realms of Rivendell or lothlorian versus the ring obsessed Realms of ice and guard or Mordor right picture those places in your mind okay uh Mordor versus Rivendell or lethalorian okay I’d much rather be in Rivendell or left lorian beautiful places the you know these people that abide there they’ve used their natural talents to beautify these places to make them these like Wonders on Earth these places do you truly want to visit Mordor eisengard lands of slavery right lands of slavery lands of Ash and dust right just horrible places so how does this all play out in the legendarium and specifically as it relates to the rings of power in other words how does sauron’s ring work its magic so um you know I I’d have a I have so many thoughts on this you guys but the thing that I brought up when I was watching the rings of power on one of the episodes we were watching the rings of power as it struck me for the first time that a really a really good analogy for the way that the rings of power work are something that’s very familiar to all of us in fact it’s something you may be using right at this moment as you watch this video it’s our smartphones right our smartphones um now how how does that work remember let’s start from let’s start from what Tolkien said about magic and machine right magic it’s kind of the ancient term we think oh well we don’t really believe in magic we don’t even have magic now right and machine but for Tolkien they’re the same thing right it’s just different terms for the same thing it’s this uh you know these devices these methods these schemes we construct in order to make our Wills more effective especially for Domination but I really like the example of the smartphone and hopefully that’s going to really illustrate this you and this for you and bring home exactly how the rings of power work right how they work within the legendarium well let’s look at the ring verse though let’s look at the ring verse because this is a very familiar passage for most of us and it can be easy to gloss over it but I think there’s more there when you read it closely than you realize three rings for the Elven Kings under the sky seven for the dwarf Lords in their Halls of stone nine for Mortal men doomed to die one for the dark lord on his dark throne in the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie one ring to rule them all one ring to find them one ring to bring them all and in the darkness behind them in the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie in summary the ring is really more like a ring scheme right that’s that’s where its real power lies now I think there is some truth to it you know to that there is some truth to the device right so it’s not just this uh ethereal thing it’s not just this abstract thing but because the ring is an actual thing within the world of Middle Earth right uh it is an actual device but it’s kind of like the master device right it’s the master device over all these other devices okay um three rings for the Elven Kings under the sky Tolkien spoke of the Elven rings as the first to be made in fact the Rings seemed to have been the elves idea originally whilst with Sauron serving as something like a consultant to make the Rings more effective and it worked but effective for what the elves of middle earth’s greatest desire in the second age was actually their natural one to beautify it even to preserve it from Decay to make it something like valinor the Blessed realm itself right they’d been summoned to valinor many of them had come back and they were kind of summoned to valinor again but they wanted to stay in Middle Earth right they wanted to stay in Middle Earth they wanted to kind of have their own dominion over there but make it like valinor all right so they wanted to be in valinor but they wanted to stay in Middle Earth at the same time wanted to have their cake and eat it too right um and in a way that’s something the elves were probably capable of achieving right to make this beautiful these beautiful Realms uh within Middle Earth and we think of Rivendell we think of lothalorian really they did right and and you know in certain ways so they wanted to make Middle Earth more like the Blessed Realm so I don’t think it’s any coincidence then that the Elven Rings correspond to the Realms of the three greatest Valar manwe right that’s he’s corresponds to Villa which was the Ring of air right omo he’s he’s the the Lord of waters he corresponds to Nina the Ring of uh the Ring of waters and awale uh corresponds to fire like kind of the the maker right allay is the maker um he’s of the Earth but you know you think of that as like the fires of the earth and like forming you know using fire to form things from the earth he’s narya right so these three rings allowed those who possess them to ward off the decays of time and postpone the weariness of the world now before we go any further on this ring verse let’s just revisit let’s revisit this concept of the smartphone right so your smartphone what does it do for you well it gives you all these Powers right it gives you all these powers and again I’m picking on smartphones specifically because it really hits home for us and I think they’re a certain Revolution that really corresponds extremely well to the ring scheme but it’s not like smartphones are the Rings right they’re not that that’s not necessarily what I’m saying but I’m saying like pay attention to what is going on in Middle Earth what’s going on in these stories because they are applicable to what’s going on with us and these things right so um what what do I mean by that um you know we think of the smartphone as this great machine a Marvel of modern technology but its potency lies not just in the device itself but its connectedness we can do things with our smartphones now that would Astound people even 50 years ago I mean 20 years ago quite honestly right we can communicate directly with anyone anywhere in the world at any time that’s just mind-blowing for most of human human history right the the 99.9 percent of human history couldn’t even conceive of that we can list off a whole lot of other powers too but that’s the thing when you put on the smartphone I’m putting it on right now okay holding it in my hand keeping it close by you gain many great Powers but you’re suddenly visible in ways that should be truly frightening to you okay um I’m not being sensationalist about that either who’s on the other end who’s looking in on your conversations we trust that the actors are benevolent but we better realize that they might not be okay this is just the fact of the technology right we don’t know who has access to these things at the end of the day you know for all you know and we you know we point to other what’s our solution right our solution is often more technology right well we’ll just build better encryption to ensure that those people can’t but give me a break there’s always going to be some answer to that at the technology level right at the end of the day you know we won’t really get into like how do you beat how do you beat the ring scheme um but I think the only the best answer is probably just what the elves end up doing right as opposed to the you know to the uh to men right the elves take their rings off and hide them right they they stop using them and hide them um now I I don’t I don’t know what the answer is for um you know for example uh Gandalf and uh Galadriel um you know are able to uh you know have some use of the Rings later on the Elven Rings um that’s an interesting question of itself not really one I’m prepared to dive into here uh it could be that they kind of found their own their hacks for these devices because at the end of the day the Elven rings in particular were rings that were not actually ever touched by Sauron right he gave them the technology he told he kind of instructed the uh Elvish uh ring makers how to make these rings but at the end of the day uh he did not um he did not ever touch them himself okay um now so so that could be one possible answer to why you know they’re uh Gandalf and galadrail are able to wear them use them to some degree later on um now here’s something really interesting Tolkien said about the three Elvish Rings therefore the three remained unsullied for they were forged by kellebrimbor alone and the Hand of Sauron had never touched them yet they were also subject to the one how can they be subject to the one if Sauron had never touched them because Sauron created that technology and the scheme that made them so powerful and made sure he could dominate that technology and scheme from the outset he didn’t have to touch them only invent the technology and teach it to others right so he invented the greater technology right he invented if you will uh the internet right and and then everybody and then was like Hey this this new invention just make sure they’re plugged into this thing and they’ll be great they’ll allow you to do so many powerful things okay um so let’s move on to the Dwarven Rings seven for the dwarf Lords in their Halls of stone um so you know the dwarves are an interesting case all right um they you know what what can we learn from The Ring verse about them well they dwelt in their Halls of stone not much there but what was their real goal well their real girl goal was to amass great Treasures um Tolkien says the dwarves indeed prove tough and hard to tame they ill endure the domination of others and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to Fathom nor they can they be turned to Shadows they use their rings only for the getting of wealth but wrath and an overmastering greed of gold were kindled in their hearts of which evil enough after came to the prophet of Sauron it is said that the foundation of each of the seven hordes of the dwarf Kings of old was a golden ring all right so um you know I I kind of think about this in this way um dwarves if you’ve ever seen Parks and Rec dwarves are kind of like Ron Swanson they don’t want to be seen and there is a Simplicity of intent with them if you’ve ever met someone like this you know what I’m talking about they can seem impenetrable okay so um the dwarves even though they kept their Rings they they really weren’t that that easy for uh Sauron to see them right not as easy as it was for like men later on okay so um you know so that’s the the dwarves were a frustration for Sauron in a different way than the elves were a frustration for him all right um but nevertheless they granted the dwarf certain powers Sauron just didn’t get as much back from them as he wanted right and what does sour I want he wants he wants to be able to see what’s going on he wants to be able to surveil them he wants to be able to um to to look into to to look deeper into their Spirits into their souls right so that’s what Sauron uh you know that’s what Sauron gains when he gives these Powers right remember what’s uh anatar right that was one of his names in the second age he’s The Giver of gifts right hey I’m giving you a gift but this gift comes with strings attached almost very literally right like strings that allow me to look into you right that led me to look into your motives that allow me to have some control over you but men is where it really becomes the the most significant right so let’s go back and read what does the ring verse say about men nine from Mortal men doomed to die okay and that’s a really good line there because it speaks to the motivation of men what do men want more than anything else well we know from the story of numenor that men want immortality right the men of numenor given a very long life compared to other men but it’s not immortality and towards the end of numenor’s History they start they start seeking immortality this thing that is not intended for them okay so they want immortality but it also seems that they want the ability to see more deeply into the spiritual world but that doesn’t always lead to happiness either right you know and many of us can probably understand this right we want to know perhaps uh what’s happened to loved ones who have passed on um we want to know you know uh be able to be able to access deeper secrets that maybe we can’t access on a normal natural level um we want maybe Supernatural Powers okay and so we see you know we have kind of an idea of how the nazcool how the ring race became who they are right they are granted this long life but what are they you know thousands of years later I mean they’re basically these walking Shadows these walking powerful they’re still powerful in certain ways they’re still alive after all this time way past when a man should be alive but they’re wraiths right you know they’ve they’ve been stretched so thin right over time their their bodily existence has been stretched so so thin but they’re still powerful they’re powerful how to do sauron’s will right that’s what they chiefly exist for in this time he’s able he’s able to see through them to see the things they see um he’s able to exercise even when he doesn’t have a body he’s able to ex carry out his own will through them right so we see how the Rings operate with them the trade-off initially was hey I and I don’t know actually if it ever says this anywhere and anything that Tolkien wrote but we see that that it doesn’t say it directly but we see that right and how he names it here nine for Mortal men doomed to die nine for Mortal men doomed to die this will save you from dying I didn’t say it would make you happy and be in being saved from dying I just said it would save you from dying right there he gets his power over them okay all right so and in the end how does that one ring kind of work over them all well it binds them all right it it calls them all to Mordor right to the left to the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie okay and why there because that’s where Mount Doom is right it’s forged in the fires of Mount Doom okay one ring to rule them all one ring to find them all right so it’s ruling them wherever they are it’s finding them wherever they are and and it brings them right it brings them back okay it calls them back and then it binds them into slavery all right that’s what we see going on with the power of the One Ring over the rest of the Rings again there’s the interesting question of the elves and why and Gandalf and why they’re sort of impervious to the to the operations of the One Ring much later on in history and again I think that’s probably explainable in some different ways I’m sure Tolkien had his own ideas for that and guys as I go through all of this there’s so much more that could be said about any one of these topics this is really one of those is I got it just did the research on it getting more and more into it I was like wow there’s way too much to cover here in one episode um so you know this is one where I’m really really looking forward to your all’s comments on uh because you know there’s just so much more that needs to be said so many interesting like sort of so much so much uh thinking that needs to happen as regards to uh to the Rings right to the rings of power but here’s something I find really really interesting who haven’t we considered yet we haven’t considered Hobbits okay now we all know the role that Hobbits play in this story right in the in the greater story um and and Hobbit and uh in the Waldman letter right where a lot of this stuff comes from Tolkien even speaks of Hobbits um let me see if I can find this because I’ve actually I think I’ve got the um the Waldman letter pulled up here on my on my computer let me see if I can find the specific quote I’m looking for that would be pretty sweet oh no I’m not looking the right thing um let’s see here
up well okay I’m gonna get it I’m gonna get it you guys don’t go anywhere here we go all right uh
if you never like just again if you’ve never read the Waldman letter you gotta do it um okay I don’t know if I’ve got this one highlighted well enough
uh yeah I don’t see it okay basically what I was looking for you guys was um this quote where uh Tolkien talks about um the hobbit’s kind of representing this this important theme in his work and an important theme in history this idea that like it’s the unknown people of the world that are actually the truly powerful ones right that actually that actually can have the power uh that matters most in the end okay it’s not the Lords and the governors right but it’s the power but it’s the seemingly unknown and the weak right uh that that in the end are the most important and the most powerful which should make you feel good if like most of us you’re kind of insignificant and not that powerful right um so here’s what he says I I was reading through um the prologue to Lord of the Rings recently and I found this and I just found it really interesting because of certain words he says they do not and did not understand or like machines machines they possessed from the first the art of Disappearing swiftly and silently when large folk whom they don’t do not wish to meet come blundering by and this art they have developed until two men it may seem magical but Hobbits have never in fact studied magic of any kind we have it all right there right he’s speaking about Hobbits and he’s not even speaking in the same context as what he was telling to Milton Waldman in the in that 1951 letter where we talk about magic in the machine but he talks about both of those things right here okay the hobbits do not and did not understand or like machines they’re very simple right so they don’t they you know they don’t like these this idea of like these tools that make the will more effective now they’re probably not thinking of of it on that level and they probably um you know they don’t uh necessarily that’s not why they would say they dislike machines okay but they have an inherent distrustfulness of them okay so they’re not powerful they’re not looking to become more powerful that’s that says something about Hobbits in general and they possess the art of Disappearing swiftly and silently which is interesting because whenever Bilbo and Frodo put on the ring what happens is they immediately disappear okay now Tolkien says this is a property of the Rings of power in general that they they confer uh invisibility right but um you know we see we we see this happening specifically with the hobbits and we can see how that’s a very alluring thing for them so if you were going to get power over them with any of the Rings uh giving them any of the Rings it would be to you know by this virtue of invisibility because they don’t like being seen um but they’ve never in fact studied magic of any kind so anyway I thought that was interesting uh to speak about the hobbits here because they aren’t listed in the ring verse they’re overlooked but that’s the whole point of the hobbits in the end right is that they’re overlooked by Sauron they’re not thought of um and and probably to some degree because they don’t like machines okay and then there’s the whole question of Tom Bombadil why is he impervious to the power of the Ring I think it’s probably something very uh similar it could be become because he’s art completely actualized right that he’s art fully developed and completely actualized that he’s that he sort of represents that in a way um and I don’t think that’s a stretch right um he basically is this walking artwork that kind of just is odd in the rest of the in the rest of the story okay um so you know there’s so much more that I want to say on this topic and um you know I I really there’s so much more the Tolkien said on it but this this question of how the rings of power work has just been one that has been haunting me for a little while and I wanted to do some initial research on it and share that with you guys so I hope you found this viable I hope this you know the whole smartphone analogy really helps you understand that better I think there’s a lot I I think that really makes a lot of sense of what we see going on with the rings of power okay um you know again it’s not that they are smartphones themselves it’s that uh it it’s that they confer power while while requiring you to sacrifice something of your Independence right something of uh your ability to not be seen right um it you know the the now I could go on but the analogies uh you know the analogies are there so all right well let’s um let’s look at a little bit of Correspondence here so we have a note from Jake on August 2nd Jake on August 2nd
Jake said Hey brother I wish I could post this somewhere more public but this podcast is an incredible Class Act I started at episode one and now I’m on 20 and Counting it’s great banter and easy listening it’s inspiring and gives hope during the other doldrum work days the often doldrum work days I’m a father of three small ones and I commend you and your wife for your excellent work I will continue to share keep going this is awesome Jake thank you so much I hope you’ve continued on the Tolkien Road this one was sent a little bit a couple months ago been behind on catching up with my mail so really appreciate you um you know taking the time to comment on episode 300 and hope you continue to listen would love to hear from you again and continue the conversation hey everybody else drop us a line you can correspond with us in a number of ways check out the show notes to learn more and we’ll do our best to respond to you somehow at some point all right thank you to our amazing patrons especially the following John R Caitlin of t with Tolkien Jacob blockham John H scotchy Bobo aru27 Ms Anonymous Andrew T Red Hawk Shannon S Brian o Emilio P Zeke F James a James L Chris L Chuck F Aja V issue of the hammer Teresa C David of pints with Jack Jonathan D Eric B Johanna T Mike m Robert H Paul D Julia wurti Matthew W Joe bagelman Chris K Jacob S Richard K Matt R Garrett P John W Eugene D Chris B and Daniel S as well as those celebrating their patreon anniversary in December of 2022 Zeke F Shannon S Emilio P Brian o Andrew T and Amy H all right everybody thank you all so much for watching and or listening we will talk at you next time bye-bye
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- Amy H View Episode Transcripthey there fellow Travelers welcome to the Tolkien Road episode 319. how do the rings of power work what powers do they convey that’s the topic we’ll be diving into on this episode before we get started I’d like to give a double up air 5 to our patrons and get those hands up there patrons three two one very nice felt that love coming through thank you very much special thanks to this episode’s executive producers John R Caitlin of t with Tolkien Jacob lockham John H scotchy Bobo and arrow 27 eru27. become a patron by visiting patreon.com Tolkien Road your financial support helps the Tolkien road to keep on evering on and land you some cool perks along the way learn more at patreon.com Tolkien Road also check out truemistress.com for Tolkien Road merch like t-shirts signed copies of my book books and the Glorious two trees camper mug use promo code Rings 319 to get 10 off your order that’s truemithspress.com myths like mythology check out the show notes for the link YouTube hit that like button don’t forget to subscribe and let us know what’s on your mind in the comments below all right so have you ever asked your have you ever asked yourself how the rings of power work in other words why did sauron’s ring bring him Mastery over the other Rings what sorts of powers did the Rings convey this is a crucial question for the Middle Earth legendarium but it’s one that in a sense sits in the background of the Lord of the Rings we all know the ring verse and it does and it does bear a sort of magical gravitas all its own but we only rarely see the ring at work so is the ring Justin McGuffin a mysterious plot device that only exists to serve the story and motivate the actions of the characters is there anything there in short it’s much more than a MacGuffin in fact I’d argue that the idea of the MacGuffin first made Popular by Alfred Hitchcock runs counter to tolkien’s whole theory of Storytelling for Tolkien it was important that the Ring’s power be substantiated to some degree we get some sense of this in The Lord of the Rings for starters the ring makes both Bilbo and Frodo invisible however the ring also causes Frodo to enter into an overlapping dimension of reality and allows him to be seen by both Sauron and the ring wraiths so there’s like a give and take of powers there we get other hints that the ring somehow commands the respect and even Obedience of others this is a somewhat more abstract concept but we get this sense from the reactions of characters such as Galadriel and Gandalf to being offered the ring and the rain grants long life even immortality but something like conditional immortality take Gollum for example he’s able to live in a naturally long life but not a normal life by any means in fact not really a life that any of us would want to live forever uh immortally so and Bilbo after possessing it for many years appears younger than expected but feels like butter scraped over too much bread I know exactly what he’s talking about there when he says that I feel that sometimes myself I’m sure many of you do as well so while Tolkien doesn’t give a nice tidy list of the powers that the ring conveys we know some of the powers it confers and we know that in the hands of certain actors of high stature it would be a catastrophically powerful weapon so the ring is much more than a McGuffin this sort of plot device that doesn’t really matter however as we seek to understand what Tolkien was getting at with the ring we need to realize one very important thing the ring for Tolkien is simply that sauron’s ring it’s not meant to represent or symbolize anything else this is something Tolkien insists upon in his frequent rebuff frequent rebuffs of allegory so you know it’s not like an allegory for Atomic power or something like that right that was something Tolkien addresses in one of his letters now the ring is the thing it is in the book right that’s what it is in the book now whether it has um uh ways in which it overlaps with other aspects of our reality right with aspects of our reality yeah those things are entirely possible but that would be more of a case of applicability as Tolkien would put it not allegory
um so it doesn’t mean it’s unrelated to whatever things it might bear relation to for whatever reason and I do think Tolkien had certain ideas very strongly in mind when he wrote The Lord of the Rings in fact I know he did for Tolkien the ring is indeed a magical device but he had something very clearly in mind when he spoke of it in such a way as a magical thing for him magic was not something meaningless in terms of the primary World in fact by the term magic he very clearly meant what we in the modern world would call the machine in the Waldman letter he said by magic or machine I intend all use of external plans or devices of development of instead of development of the inherent inner powers or talents let me try that again by magic or machine I intend all use of external plans or devices instead of development instead of development of the inherent inner powers or talents or even the use of these talents with the with the corrupted motive of dominating bulldozing the real world or coercing other Wills the machine is our more obvious modern form though more closely related to magic than is usually recognized make use my machine here that I’m working on and make uh make my my text a little larger so I’m not messing up so much all right for Tolkien magic is not some pretty modern thing that no longer has anything significance for us but it’s exactly the machine or in other words technology that thing that we moderns like to believe makes us so happy right go back to that definition he just used the machine so uh it’s uh using the uh these talents with the corrupted motive of dominating okay um and Oh I thought I thought I had this quote in there but he also says very close to this in the same letter he says for making the will more effective right they’re powerful the machines are things that are powerful making the will more effective but for him it’s magic a machine or the same thing right so like an ancient sorcerer in tolkien’s mind is doing the same thing that a uh you know a powerful person with a you know a powerful machine is doing nowadays right there they have something that’s useful for making their will more effective more efficient more effective foreign magic and machine are pitted against Art which the elves by Nature tend to employ art is the development of the natural potential of something to bring out more of its inherent Beauty and possibility as opposed to Magic and machine which seek to exploit natural faculties in order to achieve greater domination or power if you want to know the fruits of these two different perspectives consider the Elvish Realms of Rivendell or lothlorian versus the ring obsessed Realms of ice and guard or Mordor right picture those places in your mind okay uh Mordor versus Rivendell or lethalorian okay I’d much rather be in Rivendell or left lorian beautiful places the you know these people that abide there they’ve used their natural talents to beautify these places to make them these like Wonders on Earth these places do you truly want to visit Mordor eisengard lands of slavery right lands of slavery lands of Ash and dust right just horrible places so how does this all play out in the legendarium and specifically as it relates to the rings of power in other words how does sauron’s ring work its magic so um you know I I’d have a I have so many thoughts on this you guys but the thing that I brought up when I was watching the rings of power on one of the episodes we were watching the rings of power as it struck me for the first time that a really a really good analogy for the way that the rings of power work are something that’s very familiar to all of us in fact it’s something you may be using right at this moment as you watch this video it’s our smartphones right our smartphones um now how how does that work remember let’s start from let’s start from what Tolkien said about magic and machine right magic it’s kind of the ancient term we think oh well we don’t really believe in magic we don’t even have magic now right and machine but for Tolkien they’re the same thing right it’s just different terms for the same thing it’s this uh you know these devices these methods these schemes we construct in order to make our Wills more effective especially for Domination but I really like the example of the smartphone and hopefully that’s going to really illustrate this you and this for you and bring home exactly how the rings of power work right how they work within the legendarium well let’s look at the ring verse though let’s look at the ring verse because this is a very familiar passage for most of us and it can be easy to gloss over it but I think there’s more there when you read it closely than you realize three rings for the Elven Kings under the sky seven for the dwarf Lords in their Halls of stone nine for Mortal men doomed to die one for the dark lord on his dark throne in the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie one ring to rule them all one ring to find them one ring to bring them all and in the darkness behind them in the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie in summary the ring is really more like a ring scheme right that’s that’s where its real power lies now I think there is some truth to it you know to that there is some truth to the device right so it’s not just this uh ethereal thing it’s not just this abstract thing but because the ring is an actual thing within the world of Middle Earth right uh it is an actual device but it’s kind of like the master device right it’s the master device over all these other devices okay um three rings for the Elven Kings under the sky Tolkien spoke of the Elven rings as the first to be made in fact the Rings seemed to have been the elves idea originally whilst with Sauron serving as something like a consultant to make the Rings more effective and it worked but effective for what the elves of middle earth’s greatest desire in the second age was actually their natural one to beautify it even to preserve it from Decay to make it something like valinor the Blessed realm itself right they’d been summoned to valinor many of them had come back and they were kind of summoned to valinor again but they wanted to stay in Middle Earth right they wanted to stay in Middle Earth they wanted to kind of have their own dominion over there but make it like valinor all right so they wanted to be in valinor but they wanted to stay in Middle Earth at the same time wanted to have their cake and eat it too right um and in a way that’s something the elves were probably capable of achieving right to make this beautiful these beautiful Realms uh within Middle Earth and we think of Rivendell we think of lothalorian really they did right and and you know in certain ways so they wanted to make Middle Earth more like the Blessed Realm so I don’t think it’s any coincidence then that the Elven Rings correspond to the Realms of the three greatest Valar manwe right that’s he’s corresponds to Villa which was the Ring of air right omo he’s he’s the the Lord of waters he corresponds to Nina the Ring of uh the Ring of waters and awale uh corresponds to fire like kind of the the maker right allay is the maker um he’s of the Earth but you know you think of that as like the fires of the earth and like forming you know using fire to form things from the earth he’s narya right so these three rings allowed those who possess them to ward off the decays of time and postpone the weariness of the world now before we go any further on this ring verse let’s just revisit let’s revisit this concept of the smartphone right so your smartphone what does it do for you well it gives you all these Powers right it gives you all these powers and again I’m picking on smartphones specifically because it really hits home for us and I think they’re a certain Revolution that really corresponds extremely well to the ring scheme but it’s not like smartphones are the Rings right they’re not that that’s not necessarily what I’m saying but I’m saying like pay attention to what is going on in Middle Earth what’s going on in these stories because they are applicable to what’s going on with us and these things right so um what what do I mean by that um you know we think of the smartphone as this great machine a Marvel of modern technology but its potency lies not just in the device itself but its connectedness we can do things with our smartphones now that would Astound people even 50 years ago I mean 20 years ago quite honestly right we can communicate directly with anyone anywhere in the world at any time that’s just mind-blowing for most of human human history right the the 99.9 percent of human history couldn’t even conceive of that we can list off a whole lot of other powers too but that’s the thing when you put on the smartphone I’m putting it on right now okay holding it in my hand keeping it close by you gain many great Powers but you’re suddenly visible in ways that should be truly frightening to you okay um I’m not being sensationalist about that either who’s on the other end who’s looking in on your conversations we trust that the actors are benevolent but we better realize that they might not be okay this is just the fact of the technology right we don’t know who has access to these things at the end of the day you know for all you know and we you know we point to other what’s our solution right our solution is often more technology right well we’ll just build better encryption to ensure that those people can’t but give me a break there’s always going to be some answer to that at the technology level right at the end of the day you know we won’t really get into like how do you beat how do you beat the ring scheme um but I think the only the best answer is probably just what the elves end up doing right as opposed to the you know to the uh to men right the elves take their rings off and hide them right they they stop using them and hide them um now I I don’t I don’t know what the answer is for um you know for example uh Gandalf and uh Galadriel um you know are able to uh you know have some use of the Rings later on the Elven Rings um that’s an interesting question of itself not really one I’m prepared to dive into here uh it could be that they kind of found their own their hacks for these devices because at the end of the day the Elven rings in particular were rings that were not actually ever touched by Sauron right he gave them the technology he told he kind of instructed the uh Elvish uh ring makers how to make these rings but at the end of the day uh he did not um he did not ever touch them himself okay um now so so that could be one possible answer to why you know they’re uh Gandalf and galadrail are able to wear them use them to some degree later on um now here’s something really interesting Tolkien said about the three Elvish Rings therefore the three remained unsullied for they were forged by kellebrimbor alone and the Hand of Sauron had never touched them yet they were also subject to the one how can they be subject to the one if Sauron had never touched them because Sauron created that technology and the scheme that made them so powerful and made sure he could dominate that technology and scheme from the outset he didn’t have to touch them only invent the technology and teach it to others right so he invented the greater technology right he invented if you will uh the internet right and and then everybody and then was like Hey this this new invention just make sure they’re plugged into this thing and they’ll be great they’ll allow you to do so many powerful things okay um so let’s move on to the Dwarven Rings seven for the dwarf Lords in their Halls of stone um so you know the dwarves are an interesting case all right um they you know what what can we learn from The Ring verse about them well they dwelt in their Halls of stone not much there but what was their real goal well their real girl goal was to amass great Treasures um Tolkien says the dwarves indeed prove tough and hard to tame they ill endure the domination of others and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to Fathom nor they can they be turned to Shadows they use their rings only for the getting of wealth but wrath and an overmastering greed of gold were kindled in their hearts of which evil enough after came to the prophet of Sauron it is said that the foundation of each of the seven hordes of the dwarf Kings of old was a golden ring all right so um you know I I kind of think about this in this way um dwarves if you’ve ever seen Parks and Rec dwarves are kind of like Ron Swanson they don’t want to be seen and there is a Simplicity of intent with them if you’ve ever met someone like this you know what I’m talking about they can seem impenetrable okay so um the dwarves even though they kept their Rings they they really weren’t that that easy for uh Sauron to see them right not as easy as it was for like men later on okay so um you know so that’s the the dwarves were a frustration for Sauron in a different way than the elves were a frustration for him all right um but nevertheless they granted the dwarf certain powers Sauron just didn’t get as much back from them as he wanted right and what does sour I want he wants he wants to be able to see what’s going on he wants to be able to surveil them he wants to be able to um to to look into to to look deeper into their Spirits into their souls right so that’s what Sauron uh you know that’s what Sauron gains when he gives these Powers right remember what’s uh anatar right that was one of his names in the second age he’s The Giver of gifts right hey I’m giving you a gift but this gift comes with strings attached almost very literally right like strings that allow me to look into you right that led me to look into your motives that allow me to have some control over you but men is where it really becomes the the most significant right so let’s go back and read what does the ring verse say about men nine from Mortal men doomed to die okay and that’s a really good line there because it speaks to the motivation of men what do men want more than anything else well we know from the story of numenor that men want immortality right the men of numenor given a very long life compared to other men but it’s not immortality and towards the end of numenor’s History they start they start seeking immortality this thing that is not intended for them okay so they want immortality but it also seems that they want the ability to see more deeply into the spiritual world but that doesn’t always lead to happiness either right you know and many of us can probably understand this right we want to know perhaps uh what’s happened to loved ones who have passed on um we want to know you know uh be able to be able to access deeper secrets that maybe we can’t access on a normal natural level um we want maybe Supernatural Powers okay and so we see you know we have kind of an idea of how the nazcool how the ring race became who they are right they are granted this long life but what are they you know thousands of years later I mean they’re basically these walking Shadows these walking powerful they’re still powerful in certain ways they’re still alive after all this time way past when a man should be alive but they’re wraiths right you know they’ve they’ve been stretched so thin right over time their their bodily existence has been stretched so so thin but they’re still powerful they’re powerful how to do sauron’s will right that’s what they chiefly exist for in this time he’s able he’s able to see through them to see the things they see um he’s able to exercise even when he doesn’t have a body he’s able to ex carry out his own will through them right so we see how the Rings operate with them the trade-off initially was hey I and I don’t know actually if it ever says this anywhere and anything that Tolkien wrote but we see that that it doesn’t say it directly but we see that right and how he names it here nine for Mortal men doomed to die nine for Mortal men doomed to die this will save you from dying I didn’t say it would make you happy and be in being saved from dying I just said it would save you from dying right there he gets his power over them okay all right so and in the end how does that one ring kind of work over them all well it binds them all right it it calls them all to Mordor right to the left to the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie okay and why there because that’s where Mount Doom is right it’s forged in the fires of Mount Doom okay one ring to rule them all one ring to find them all right so it’s ruling them wherever they are it’s finding them wherever they are and and it brings them right it brings them back okay it calls them back and then it binds them into slavery all right that’s what we see going on with the power of the One Ring over the rest of the Rings again there’s the interesting question of the elves and why and Gandalf and why they’re sort of impervious to the to the operations of the One Ring much later on in history and again I think that’s probably explainable in some different ways I’m sure Tolkien had his own ideas for that and guys as I go through all of this there’s so much more that could be said about any one of these topics this is really one of those is I got it just did the research on it getting more and more into it I was like wow there’s way too much to cover here in one episode um so you know this is one where I’m really really looking forward to your all’s comments on uh because you know there’s just so much more that needs to be said so many interesting like sort of so much so much uh thinking that needs to happen as regards to uh to the Rings right to the rings of power but here’s something I find really really interesting who haven’t we considered yet we haven’t considered Hobbits okay now we all know the role that Hobbits play in this story right in the in the greater story um and and Hobbit and uh in the Waldman letter right where a lot of this stuff comes from Tolkien even speaks of Hobbits um let me see if I can find this because I’ve actually I think I’ve got the um the Waldman letter pulled up here on my on my computer let me see if I can find the specific quote I’m looking for that would be pretty sweet oh no I’m not looking the right thing um let’s see here
up well okay I’m gonna get it I’m gonna get it you guys don’t go anywhere here we go all right uh
if you never like just again if you’ve never read the Waldman letter you gotta do it um okay I don’t know if I’ve got this one highlighted well enough
uh yeah I don’t see it okay basically what I was looking for you guys was um this quote where uh Tolkien talks about um the hobbit’s kind of representing this this important theme in his work and an important theme in history this idea that like it’s the unknown people of the world that are actually the truly powerful ones right that actually that actually can have the power uh that matters most in the end okay it’s not the Lords and the governors right but it’s the power but it’s the seemingly unknown and the weak right uh that that in the end are the most important and the most powerful which should make you feel good if like most of us you’re kind of insignificant and not that powerful right um so here’s what he says I I was reading through um the prologue to Lord of the Rings recently and I found this and I just found it really interesting because of certain words he says they do not and did not understand or like machines machines they possessed from the first the art of Disappearing swiftly and silently when large folk whom they don’t do not wish to meet come blundering by and this art they have developed until two men it may seem magical but Hobbits have never in fact studied magic of any kind we have it all right there right he’s speaking about Hobbits and he’s not even speaking in the same context as what he was telling to Milton Waldman in the in that 1951 letter where we talk about magic in the machine but he talks about both of those things right here okay the hobbits do not and did not understand or like machines they’re very simple right so they don’t they you know they don’t like these this idea of like these tools that make the will more effective now they’re probably not thinking of of it on that level and they probably um you know they don’t uh necessarily that’s not why they would say they dislike machines okay but they have an inherent distrustfulness of them okay so they’re not powerful they’re not looking to become more powerful that’s that says something about Hobbits in general and they possess the art of Disappearing swiftly and silently which is interesting because whenever Bilbo and Frodo put on the ring what happens is they immediately disappear okay now Tolkien says this is a property of the Rings of power in general that they they confer uh invisibility right but um you know we see we we see this happening specifically with the hobbits and we can see how that’s a very alluring thing for them so if you were going to get power over them with any of the Rings uh giving them any of the Rings it would be to you know by this virtue of invisibility because they don’t like being seen um but they’ve never in fact studied magic of any kind so anyway I thought that was interesting uh to speak about the hobbits here because they aren’t listed in the ring verse they’re overlooked but that’s the whole point of the hobbits in the end right is that they’re overlooked by Sauron they’re not thought of um and and probably to some degree because they don’t like machines okay and then there’s the whole question of Tom Bombadil why is he impervious to the power of the Ring I think it’s probably something very uh similar it could be become because he’s art completely actualized right that he’s art fully developed and completely actualized that he’s that he sort of represents that in a way um and I don’t think that’s a stretch right um he basically is this walking artwork that kind of just is odd in the rest of the in the rest of the story okay um so you know there’s so much more that I want to say on this topic and um you know I I really there’s so much more the Tolkien said on it but this this question of how the rings of power work has just been one that has been haunting me for a little while and I wanted to do some initial research on it and share that with you guys so I hope you found this viable I hope this you know the whole smartphone analogy really helps you understand that better I think there’s a lot I I think that really makes a lot of sense of what we see going on with the rings of power okay um you know again it’s not that they are smartphones themselves it’s that uh it it’s that they confer power while while requiring you to sacrifice something of your Independence right something of uh your ability to not be seen right um it you know the the now I could go on but the analogies uh you know the analogies are there so all right well let’s um let’s look at a little bit of Correspondence here so we have a note from Jake on August 2nd Jake on August 2nd
Jake said Hey brother I wish I could post this somewhere more public but this podcast is an incredible Class Act I started at episode one and now I’m on 20 and Counting it’s great banter and easy listening it’s inspiring and gives hope during the other doldrum work days the often doldrum work days I’m a father of three small ones and I commend you and your wife for your excellent work I will continue to share keep going this is awesome Jake thank you so much I hope you’ve continued on the Tolkien Road this one was sent a little bit a couple months ago been behind on catching up with my mail so really appreciate you um you know taking the time to comment on episode 300 and hope you continue to listen would love to hear from you again and continue the conversation hey everybody else drop us a line you can correspond with us in a number of ways check out the show notes to learn more and we’ll do our best to respond to you somehow at some point all right thank you to our amazing patrons especially the following John R Caitlin of t with Tolkien Jacob blockham John H scotchy Bobo aru27 Ms Anonymous Andrew T Red Hawk Shannon S Brian o Emilio P Zeke F James a James L Chris L Chuck F Aja V issue of the hammer Teresa C David of pints with Jack Jonathan D Eric B Johanna T Mike m Robert H Paul D Julia wurti Matthew W Joe bagelman Chris K Jacob S Richard K Matt R Garrett P John W Eugene D Chris B and Daniel S as well as those celebrating their patreon anniversary in December of 2022 Zeke F Shannon S Emilio P Brian o Andrew T and Amy H all right everybody thank you all so much for watching and or listening we will talk at you next time bye-bye
2022 was a pretty busy year for this podcast and for Tolkiendom on a broad scale! It was pretty intense to cover both The Silmarillion and The Rings of Power.
And, to quote Bilbo, it’s made me feel like butter scraped over too much bread. I may have been TOO HASTY at times!
There’s so much Tolkien still to cover. And to re-read!
But sometimes you need to slow down and breath a little deeper…
Become a patronListen to "0318 » Where Do We Go From Here?" on Spreaker.EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien * John R * Jacob Lockham * John H * Scotchy Bobo * Eru27 HELPFUL LINKS – take 10% OFF our merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/2023 (use promo code 2023) * listen to The Silmarillion and Tolkien’s other works for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon * buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5 * buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa * buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/ * buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/ * Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda SHOUT-OUTSSpecial thanks to the following patrons:
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- Ish of the Hammer
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- Matthew W
- JoeBagelMan
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AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN DECEMBER OF 2022 »
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In this episode, we will be looking back on The Rings of Power season 1, and most importantly, discussing some of the in-depth feedback we’ve received along the way!
In this episode, we will be looking back on The Rings of Power season 1, and most importantly, discussing some of the in-depth feedback we’ve received along the way!
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age", an account that covers six millennia of Middle-earth history, from the beginning of the Second Age to the end of the Third.
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore "Akallabíth", the legend of Númenor's fall from JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Learn about the rise of Sauron, Pharazôn's assault on Valinor, and the escape of Elendil and Isildur to establish Arnor and Gondor.
The first season of The Rings of Power is behind us, and for a lot of us, including me and Greta, it was pretty disappointing.
In this episode, I’m going to explore how I would have approached telling the story of the Second Age.
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath", the 24th chapter of JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Learn about Eärendil's and Elwing's journey to the Blessed Realm, the final battle with Morgoth, and the fates of the Silmarils and the Sons of Fëanor.
In "The Great Wave", Míriel is haunted by a prophetic dream, Galadriel touches a Palantír, and Arondir delivers a message from Adar! Join us as we discuss it all!
In "The Great Wave", Míriel is haunted by a prophetic dream, Galadriel touches a Palantír, and Arondir delivers a message from Adar! Join us as we discuss it all!
In "The Great Wave", Míriel is haunted by a prophetic dream, Galadriel touches a Palantír, and Arondir delivers a message from Adar! Join us as we discuss it all!
In "The Great Wave", Míriel is haunted by a prophetic dream, Galadriel touches a Palantír, and Arondir delivers a message from Adar! Join us as we discuss it all!
In "The Great Wave", Míriel is haunted by a prophetic dream, Galadriel touches a Palantír, and Arondir delivers a message from Adar! Join us as we discuss it all!
In "Adar", we finally arrive in Númenor, and we're introduced to a mysterious orc father-figure. Join us as we discuss it all!
"Adrift" introduces Dwarves, Khazad-dûm, Eregion, Halbrand, and "The Stranger", and we're covering it all in Episode 305. Join us!
The Rings of Power is upon us! Greta and John discuss Episode 1, The Shadow of the Past, and go into all of the things Amazon got right and wrong. Join us!
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin", the 23rd chapter of JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Learn about Tuor's journey and Ulmo's efforts to save Turgon and his people from doom!
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore "Of the Ruin of Doriath", the 22nd chapter of JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Learn about Morgoth's twisted plot to defeat Thingol, and the role the Silmaril of Beren and Lúthien plays in it!
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore "Of Túrin Turambar", the 21st chapter of JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Learn about the tragic tale of the ill-fated son of Húrin, one of the Great Tales of Middle-earth's First Age!
Join us for an in-depth discussion of "Of Beleriand and Its Realms", the 14th chapter of The Silmarillion. Get the most out of your Silmarillion reading from this exploration of the map of Middle-earth's First Age.
Join us for an in-depth discussion of "Of Beleriand and Its Realms", the 14th chapter of The Silmarillion. Get the most out of your Silmarillion reading from this exploration of the map of Middle-earth's First Age.
Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explore "Of Beren and Lúthien", the 19th chapter of JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Learn about the story Tolkien called "the seed of Middle-earth", in which a forefather of the Men of the West sets out to obtain one of the Silmarils from the Iron Crown of Morgoth!
Join us for an in-depth discussion of "Of Beleriand and Its Realms", the 14th chapter of The Silmarillion. Get the most out of your Silmarillion reading from this exploration of the map of Middle-earth's First Age.
Join us for an in-depth discussion of "Of Beleriand and Its Realms", the 14th chapter of The Silmarillion. Get the most out of your Silmarillion reading from this exploration of the map of Middle-earth's First Age.
Join us for an in-depth discussion of "Of Beleriand and Its Realms", the 14th chapter of The Silmarillion. Get the most out of your Silmarillion reading from this exploration of the map of Middle-earth's First Age.
Join us for an in-depth discussion of "Of Beleriand and Its Realms", the 14th chapter of The Silmarillion. Get the most out of your Silmarillion reading from this exploration of the map of Middle-earth's First Age.
Join us for an in-depth discussion of "Of Beleriand and Its Realms", the 14th chapter of The Silmarillion. Get the most out of your Silmarillion reading from this exploration of the map of Middle-earth's First Age.
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm…
Listen to “0285 – All Things Tolkien March 2022 Livestream” on Spreaker. Hey there, fellow travelers! You are about to listen to an audio recording of our MARCH 2022 YouTube livestream. For the video of this replay, including all of the chats from those who were live with us, check the show notes for the […]
With Melkor having been imprisoned, Valinor enters a long era of peace. To Finwë, High King of the Noldor, a son is born: Fëanor, the “Spirit of Fire”, whose destiny is bound up with the fate of many. And all the while, a perilous shadow grows upon the Blessed Realm… In Chapter 6, we’ll learn: […]
Amazon plans to “compress” the 3,500 year timeline of the Second Age into a “single point in time”. There are so many problems with this, and in this video I’m beginning to explore all of those problems. Let’s talk about this in the comments! From https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/amazon-the-rings-of-power-series-first-look » ‘In the novels, the aforementioned things take place […]
Amazon plans to “compress” the 3,500 year timeline of the Second Age into a “single point in time”. There are so many problems with this, and in this video I’m beginning to explore all of those problems. Let’s talk about this in the comments! From https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/amazon-the-rings-of-power-series-first-look » ‘In the novels, the aforementioned things take place […]
We’ll be discussing all of these topics live with you all!
TOPICS:
- Rings of Power Teaser
- Vanity Fair articles
- The Silmarillion
- War of the Rohirrim
- All Things Tolkien
Join us!
Amazon plans to “compress” the 3,500 year timeline of the Second Age into a “single point in time”. There are so many problems with this, and in this video I’m beginning to explore all of those problems.
Let’s talk about this in the comments!
From https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/amazon-the-rings-of-power-series-first-look »
‘In the novels, the aforementioned things take place over thousands of years, but Payne and McKay have compressed events into a single point in time. It is their biggest deviation from the text, and they know it’s a big swing. “We talked with the Tolkien estate,” says Payne. “If you are true to the exact letter of the law, you are going to be telling a story in which your human characters are dying off every season because you’re jumping 200 years in time, and then you’re not meeting really big, important canon characters until season four. Look, there might be some fans who want us to do a documentary of Middle-earth, but we’re going to tell one story that unites all these things.”’
Having taken a scenic detour in Chapter 2, in Chapter 3 we pick up where Chapter 1 left off. Though the Blessed Realm of Aman is now lit by the Two Trees of Valinor, the rest of Middle-earth lay in “twilight under the stars”. While the Valar and their people dwell in relative security, Melkor labors ceaselessly to dominate the rest of the world, even as the dawn of the Children of Ilúvatar draws nigh.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
Artwork
- “Awakening of the Elves” by kuliszu
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“It is doom that the Firstborn shall come in the darkness, and shall look first upon the stars. Great light shall be for their waning. To Varda ever shall they call at need.”
– The Silmarillion, Chapter 3
CONTENTS
- Quote Of The Week » 4:30
- Middle-earth In Twilight » 9:20
- Discovering The Elves » 26:10
- The War Against Melkor & The Siege Of Utumno » 34:30
- Summoning The Elves » 48:20
- Vanyar, Noldor, Teleri, etc » 59:40
- Haiku » 1:08:30
Helpful Links
- listen to The Silmarillion for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon
- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5
- buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa
- buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/
- buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/
- Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
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- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Matthew W
- JoeBagelMan
- Chris K
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (FEBRUARY OF 2022) » Sarah W, Dyreanir, Robert H, Jon R, Ish of the Hammer, Cat L, Asya V, David Bigwood, Sarah M, Eric B, Chuck F
RELATED EPISODES
0283 » Of Eldamar & the Princes of the Eldalië » The Silmarillion Chapter 5
Amazon plans to “compress” the 3,500 year timeline of the Second Age into a “single point in time”. There are so many problems with this,
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0282 » Of Thingol and Melian » The Silmarillion Ch 4 » Elwë, Grey-Elves
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Good morning! We’re breaking down the new teaser for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power.
It was revealed during the Super Bowl last night. If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCLoZI-FOYA
We share our initial reaction to seeing it during the game, and then break it down scene by scene.
Join us!
After the epic span of Chapter 1, which culminated in the creation of The Two Trees of Valinor and introduced the juxtaposing natures of Elves and Men, Chapter 2 is something of an interlude, though one of great consequence. In it, we learn about the creation of the Dwarves, and the mysterious origins of other important creatures as well.
We also get a “behind the scenes” glimpse into the creative relationships of certain Valar.
The major events of Chapter 2 include:
– Aulë’s creation of the Dwarves & Ilúvatar’s Intervention Therein
– Yavanna Response to Aulë’s Secret Deeds
– Yavanna’s Collaboration With Manwë for the Protection of Her Creations, OR How The Ents Came To Be
THUMBNAIL ARTWORK » kuliszu » https://www.deviantart.com/kuliszu/gallery/24745272/the-silmarillion
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“For [the Dwarves] say that Aulë the Maker, whom they call Mahal, cares for them, and gathers them to Mandos in halls set apart; and that he declared to their Fathers of old that Ilúvatar will hallow them and give them a place among the Children in the End. Then their part shall be to serve Aulë and to aid him in the remaking of Arda after the Last Battle.”
– The Silmarillion, Chapter 2: Of Aulë and Yavanna
CONTENTS
- Quote of the Week » 2:10
- Aulë Creates The Dwarves » 5:00
- Ilúvatar’s Response » 8:58
- Aulë’s Defense » 13:22
- Ilúvatar’s Mercy » 17:00
- The Nature of Dwarves » 25:00
- Yavanna’s Response to Aulë » 28:30
- Yavanna Consults Manwë » 32:30
- Yavanna and Manwë Collaborate » ENTS » 40:20
- Haiku » 45:40
Helpful Links
- listen to The Silmarillion for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon
- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5
- buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa
- buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/
- buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/
- Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda
- Episode 5 » https://youtu.be/wXCx-6SQkcg
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Matthew W
- JoeBagelMan
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (FEBRUARY OF 2022) » Sarah W, Dyreanir, Robert H, Jon R, Ish of the Hammer, Cat L, Asya V, David Bigwood, Sarah M, Eric B, Chuck F
RELATED EPISODES
0283 » Of Eldamar & the Princes of the Eldalië » The Silmarillion Chapter 5
Amazon plans to “compress” the 3,500 year timeline of the Second Age into a “single point in time”. There are so many problems with this,
Read More »
0282 » Of Thingol and Melian » The Silmarillion Ch 4 » Elwë, Grey-Elves
Amazon plans to “compress” the 3,500 year timeline of the Second Age into a “single point in time”. There are so many problems with this,
Read More »
0280 » Of The Coming Of The Elves & The Captivity Of Melkor » The Silmarillion Chapter 3
https://youtu.be/2ZEa5HCYYYA Having taken a scenic detour in Chapter 2, in Chapter 3 we pick up where Chapter 1 left off. Though the Blessed Realm of
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Our reaction to the Vanity Fair article released on 2/10/2022.
“Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Rises: Inside The Rings Of Power” » https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/amazon-the-rings-of-power-series-first-look
Having established their home in Valinor of the Blessed Realm, the Valar begin a new work: the Two Trees of Valinor. What are the Two Trees and what is their significance for Middle-earth? Furthermore, how do they prepare the way for the coming of Elves and Men, and work against the dark designs of Melkor? Join us as we discuss the second half of The Silmarillion, Chapter 1: Of the Beginning of Days!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
But the light that was spilled from the trees endured long, ere it was taken up into the airs or sank down into the earth; and the dews of Telperion and the rain that fell from Laurelin Varda hoarded in great vats like shining lakes, that were to all the land of the Valar as wells of water and of light. Thus began the Days of the Bliss of Valinor; and thus began also the Count of Time.
– The Silmarillion, Chapter 1: Of the Beginning of Days
CONTENTS
- Quote of the Week » 2:22
- Synopsis » 6:30
- Yavanna & Nienna Create The Two Trees of Valinor » 9:00
- A Description of the Two Trees » 18:30
- The Bliss of Valinor » 29:50
- The Valar and Their Individual Concerns » 33:10
- The Natures of Elves & Men » 45:30
- Death As Ilúvatar’s Gift » 54:50
- Haiku » 1:08:10
Helpful Links
- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5
- buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa
- buy Tolkien’s Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/
- Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda
- Aman, The Blessed Realm » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Aman
- Episode 4 » https://youtu.be/8UNmaiMJeTQ
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Matthew W
- JoeBagelMan
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (FEBRUARY OF 2022) » Sarah W, Dyreanir, Robert H, Jon R, Ish of the Hammer, Cat L, Asya V, David Bigwood, Sarah M, Eric B, Chuck F
RELATED EPISODES
0278 » Silmarillion 2022 » Ch 1: Of the Beginning of Days – Part 2
Having established their home in Valinor of the Blessed Realm, the Valar begin a new work: the Two Trees of Valinor. What are the Two
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0277 » Silmarillion 2022 » Ch 1: Of the Beginning of Days – Part 1
We explore Chapter 1 of The Silmarillion, Of the Beginning of Days. Join us!
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0274 » Valaquenta 2022 » Silmarillion » Valar, Maiar, Melkor, Sauron, Gandalf
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
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Chapter 1 picks up the story where “Ainulindalë” left off. The Valar have entered the world created by their music, only to find it essentially UNFORMED, and in need of their labor to achieve the shape they had envisioned. And, ultimately, to set the stage for the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The dealing of the Ainur have indeed been mostly with the Elves, for Ilúvatar made them more like in nature to the Ainur, though less in might and stature; whereas to Men he gave strange gifts.
– The Silmarillion, Chapter 1: Of the Beginning of Days
CONTENTS
- Quote of the Week » 1:30
- Synopsis » 5:00
- The First War / Tulkas vs. Melkor » 8:10
- The Two Lamps / The Spring of Arda » 17:05
- Melkor Destroys The Two Lamps » 25:25
- Arda Changed / The Blessed Realm / Valinor » 31:45
Helpful Links
- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5
- buy The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3KLOxQa
- Timeline of Arda » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda
- Aman, The Blessed Realm » https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Aman
- Episode 4 » https://youtu.be/8UNmaiMJeTQ
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Matthew W
- JoeBagelMan
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (JANUARY OF 2022) » Tyler W, Mike M, Elina V, Richard K, Melanie, Scott W, Jason T, David G, John R
RELATED EPISODES
0278 » Silmarillion 2022 » Ch 1: Of the Beginning of Days – Part 2
Having established their home in Valinor of the Blessed Realm, the Valar begin a new work: the Two Trees of Valinor. What are the Two
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0277 » Silmarillion 2022 » Ch 1: Of the Beginning of Days – Part 1
We explore Chapter 1 of The Silmarillion, Of the Beginning of Days. Join us!
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0274 » Valaquenta 2022 » Silmarillion » Valar, Maiar, Melkor, Sauron, Gandalf
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
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Who is Tom Bombadil? This is a topic we’ve covered several times on the Tolkien Road, but it’s an undying enigma for Lord of the Rings fans, and we’re always hungry for new insights into the mysterious nature of The Old Forest’s Master.
In episode 275, John discusses this topic with writer C.R. Wiley, whose new book IN THE HOUSE OF TOM BOMBADIL is receiving rave reviews for its treatment of the subject.
Join us!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Tom Bombadil is not an important person – to the narrative. I suppose he has some importance as a ‘comment’. I mean, I do not really write like that: he is just an invention (. . .), and he represents something that I feel important, though I would not be prepared to analyze the feeling precisely. I would not, however, have left him in, if he did not have some kind of function.
– JRR Tolkien, 1954 (Letter 144)
CONTENTS
- An Apology?
- Theories of Tom » Ilúvatar, Maiar, Tolkien Himself???
- Tom As Master
- The Nature of Nonsense
- Harmony & Nature
- The Mystery of Goldberry
- Making Sense of the Barrow-wight
- Gandalf and Bombadil
Helpful Links
- buy In the House of Tom Bombadil » https://amzn.to/3fzHMCS
- C.R. Wiley Website » https://crwiley.com/
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Matthew W
- JoeBagelMan
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (JANUARY OF 2022) » Tyler W, Mike M, Elina V, Richard K, Melanie, Scott W, Jason T, David G, John R
RELATED EPISODES
0275 » In The House of Tom Bombadil » C.R. Wiley Interview
https://youtu.be/wb80qngLtFg Who is Tom Bombadil? This is a topic we’ve covered several times on the Tolkien Road, but it’s an undying enigma for Lord of
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0216 – The Bombadil Enigma – An Interview with Keith Mathison
https://youtu.be/iiFIWF6BtUo Who is Tom Bombadil? In all of the Middle-earth legendarium, there is no other figure as puzzling and strange. From his interactions with Old
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Tolkien’s Overture – Ch6 – Tom Bombadil, the Musical Master
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In episode 274, we explore Valaquenta, the pantheon of Middle-earth’s gods!
“Valaquenta” introduces us to the Valar, the Maiar, and the main Enemies of Middle-earth. We get to know a few about figures like Manwë, Varda, Ulmo, and Yavanna, and this really helps when you’re diving into The Silmarillion.
Join us!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd.”
– JRR Tolkien, 1951 (The Waldman Letter)
CONTENTS
- Quote of the Week » 3:54
- Textual History of Valaquenta » 11:18
- Valaquenta » What it means » 14:40
- The Valar » 17:40
- Manwë & Varda (Elbereth) »21:10
- Melkor » 22:38
- Ulmo » 31:00
- Aulë & Yavanna » 32:17
- Mandos & Vairë » 37:00
- Lórien & Estë » 39:40
- Nienna » 40:09
- Tulkas & Nessa » 47:55
- Oromë & Vána » 49:28
- The Maiar » 51:20
- Ilmarë » 51:56
- Eönwë » 52:53
- Ossë & Uinen » 53:00
- Melian » 56:03
- Olórin (Gandalf / Mithrandir) » 56:27
- Gandalf in LOTR on Prime? » 59:40
- Other Maiar? (Saruman / Radagast / Mermaids / Dryads / Eagles) » 1:00:30
- Melkor » 1:02:15
- Valaraukar (Balrogs) » 1:02:45
- Sauron (Gorthaur the Cruel / Mairon) » 1:03:10
- Haiku » 1:04:30
Helpful Links
- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5
- Valaquenta 2015 » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxKN8C6V1pY&t=0s
- Etymology of Valaquenta » http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Valaquenta#Etymology
- The Eagles Are Maiar (Nature of Middle-earth) » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGub_7-s_I0&t=1570s
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
- Matthew W
- JoeBagelMan
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (JANUARY OF 2022) » Tyler W, Mike M, Elina V, Richard K, Melanie, Scott W, Jason T, David G, John R
RELATED EPISODES
0278 » Silmarillion 2022 » Ch 1: Of the Beginning of Days – Part 2
Having established their home in Valinor of the Blessed Realm, the Valar begin a new work: the Two Trees of Valinor. What are the Two
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0274 » Valaquenta 2022 » Silmarillion » Valar, Maiar, Melkor, Sauron, Gandalf
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
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0222 – Is Middle-earth Pagan?
From the very beginning of its history, it is clear that Middle-earth is brimming with great spiritual powers. From the kingship of Manwë to the
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In episode 273, we explore the Middle-earth Creation myth, “Ainulindalë”, otherwise known as the Music of the Ainur.
“Ainulindalë” is one of the most fascinating legends that Tolkien wrote, and it introduces key characters and themes into the legendarium. Furthermore, it sets the stage for everything that comes after, from the First Age to the Third (and beyond)! If this is your first time reading it, you’re in for a big treat!
Join us as we discuss “Ainulindalë”!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I don’t believe in absolute evil, but I do believe in absolute good.”
– JRR Tolkien (watch)
CONTENTS
- Quote of the Week » 2:45
- Tolkien’s Description of Ainulindalë from the Waldman Letter » 4:30
- Characters & Setting » 7:20
- The Framework of Ainulindalë » 11:45
- The Music of the Ainur » 13:55
- Introducing Melkor » 17:55
- The Vision of Arda & History » 27:30
- The Reality » “Eä! Let these things Be!” » 35:35
- Tolkien’s Overture – Concerning the Music of the Ainur » 54:58
- Ainulindalë Haiku » 57:37
Helpful Links
- buy The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5
- listen to Tolkien’s Overture » https://youtu.be/nmmbpbFrBQA
- buy Tolkien’s Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/
- Evan Palmer’s “Ainulindalë” graphic novella » http://www.evanpalmercomics.com/ainulindale
- Evan Palmer interview » https://youtu.be/JhagbPqiRcw
- Ainulindalë 2015 » Our discussion from episode 2 » https://youtu.be/IOHfDZsdg4Y
- Book of Lost Tales I » Episode 234 » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFFm1KvPHZc
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (JANUARY OF 2022) » Tyler W, Mike M, Elina V, Richard K, Melanie, Scott W, Jason T, David G, John R
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0273 » Ainulindalë » Silmarillion 2022 » Music of the Ainur, Melkor, Ilúvatar
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0244 – The History of Middle-earth – Vol. 10: Morgoth’s Ring
This episode is brought to you by Eternal Flame, the new Tolkien-inspired album from musical artist Blind May See. Check it out now! BlindMaySee.com Oh
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0008 – Evan Palmer interview
We sit down with illustrator Evan Palmer of EvanPalmerComics.com to discuss his graphic interpretation of Ainulindalë. It’s an illuminating interview for a fascinating work! You
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So you want to read The Silmarillion, eh?
If you have any interest in Middle-earth, it’s only natural. Especially for those who have completed The Lord of the Rings (no small feat in and of itself), it’s the most logical next step.
In episode 272 of The Tolkien Road Podcast, we kick off our Silmarillion re-read that will span the better part of 2022. Over the next several months, we’ll be going chapter-by-chapter through Tolkien’s saga of Middle-earth First Age.
If you’re planning to watch LOTR on Prime, which premiers in September, this will be a great way to improve your knowledge of Middle-earth lore and history so that you can get the most out of that show.
So what are you waiting for? Join us!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
CONTENTS
- Quote of the Week » NO HOBBITS! » 4:15
- The Challenge of The Silmarillion » 7:15
- LOTR on Prime? » 11:30
- Background of The Silmarillion » 13:15
- Table of Contents » 17:50
- The Stories (incl. “Akallabêth”) » 20:27
- Silmarils? » 25:45
- Foreword, Introduction (Waldman Letter) » 28:37
- Themes of The Silmarillion (Fall, Mortality, Machine) » 33:30
- Tables of Elves & Men, Note on Pronunciation, Index of Names » 45:06
- The Map of Beleriand » 58:05
- Haiku! » 1:01:23
Helpful Links
- get The Silmarillion » https://amzn.to/3FOKAY5
- get The Letters of JRR Tolkien » https://amzn.to/3eInhDy
- get The Atlas of Middle-earth » https://amzn.to/3EIAZk7
- Intro to The Silmarillion (8-part video series) » https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqUat2OcwnPD6rnkcZw7MHykbf-yhtAGf
- Exploring The Second Age of Middle-earth » Lord of the Rings on Prime » https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqUat2OcwnPAA9xTbKdL0rQ4rKMzplEKt
- Middle-earth in The First Age Map » https://www.deviantart.com/thesidh/art/Middle-earth-in-First-Age-875414773
- The Shape of Arda » https://www.deviantart.com/matejcadil/art/Ambarkanta-The-Shape-of-the-World-900642602
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
-
- John R
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Andrew T
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH (JANUARY OF 2022) » Tyler W, Mike M, Elina V, Richard K, Melanie, Scott W, Jason T, David G, John R
RELATED EPISODES
0278 » Silmarillion 2022 » Ch 1: Of the Beginning of Days – Part 2
Having established their home in Valinor of the Blessed Realm, the Valar begin a new work: the Two Trees of Valinor. What are the Two
Read More »
0277 » Silmarillion 2022 » Ch 1: Of the Beginning of Days – Part 1
We explore Chapter 1 of The Silmarillion, Of the Beginning of Days. Join us!
Read More »
0274 » Valaquenta 2022 » Silmarillion » Valar, Maiar, Melkor, Sauron, Gandalf
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
Read More »
0273 » Ainulindalë » Silmarillion 2022 » Music of the Ainur, Melkor, Ilúvatar
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
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0272 » Silmarillion 2022 » Introduction, Contents, Map, Waldman Letter, and more!
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
Read More »
0261 » The Silmarillion » A Tale of Two Endings » Keith Mathison » Middle-earth Eschatology
In episode 259, we sit down once again with Carl Hostetter, editor of the latest volume of JRR Tolkien’s writings, The Nature of Middle-earth. We focus our attention on Appendix I: Metaphysical and Theological Themes. Join us!
Read More »
0253 – The Silmarillion: 3 Major Problems
https://youtu.be/GnPnLwpvIVg In early July, I published an 8 minute video on our YouTube channel titled The Silmarillion: 3 Big Problems (and How to Fix Them).
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LOTR on Prime: The TWO TREES???
Actor Tom Budge recently announced his departure from Amazon’s LOTR TV show. John shares his reaction to this news…
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0249 – Akallabêth 2021
In what may become an annual tradition, we re-visit The Silmarillion‘s “Akallabêth”, Tolkien’s account of the rise and fall of Númenor. And this time around, Greta
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The Silmarillion: 3 Major Problems (video)
Actor Tom Budge recently announced his departure from Amazon’s LOTR TV show. John shares his reaction to this news…
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Hey there, fellow travelers!
By far, the biggest thing to happen in Tolkiendom in 2021 was The Nature of Middle-earth, the latest collection of previously unpublished Tolkien writings.
When we interviewed Carl Hostetter, the book’s editor, back in August, we recorded a special bonus episode for our patrons, in which we got Carl’s takes on topics including Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films, LOTR on Prime, Tolkien’s Catholic Faith and the role it plays in Middle-earth, and controversy in the world of Tolkien Studies.
Carl has made an incredible contribution to Tolkien’s legacy with The Nature of Middle-earth as well as his other work in Tolkien studies and lore, and we should all be open to what he has to say on these important topics! Join us!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- Andrew T
- John R
- Ms. Anonymous
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
CONTENTS
- Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films » 1:50
- LOTR on Prime » 8:20
- Tolkien Studies » 12:34
- Tolkien & Religion » 18:10
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
- Andrew T
- John R
- Ms. Anonymous
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
RELATED EPISODES
0271 » Carl Hostetter » LOTR on Prime, Peter Jackson’s Films, Tolkien’s Catholic Faith, and more!
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
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0265 » Númenorean Living & The Nature of Middle-earth » Important LOTR on Prime Details
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
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0264 » Shocking Surprises from The Nature of Middle-earth » Gandalf, Hobbits, Eagles, Beards, more
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
Read More »
0259 » Carl Hostetter » The Nature of Middle-earth » Theological and Metaphysical Themes
In episode 259, we sit down once again with Carl Hostetter, editor of the latest volume of JRR Tolkien’s writings, The Nature of Middle-earth. We focus our attention on Appendix I: Metaphysical and Theological Themes. Join us!
Read More »
What did Gandalf REALLY Look Like?
What did Tolkien say Gandalf looked like? The answer will surprise you. In the latest Tolkien Road video, we explore Tolkien’s description!
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0251 – The Nature of Middle-earth: An Interview with Carl Hostetter
https://youtu.be/_-raTHS7vWs We are delighted to welcome Carl Hostetter to The Tolkien Road! Carl is the editor of the forthcoming book The Nature of Middle-earth, the
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JRR Tolkien is an iconic and world famous writer due to the stories and legendarium of Middle-earth. However, he wrote a number of short stories, essays, poetry, and other works over the course of his lifetime.
And “lost” works are still being uncovered, even decades after this death in 1973!
Among those is a 1936 Christmas poem titled “Noel” that was essentially forgotten until 2013. Unlike Tolkien’s main Christmas-themed publication, Letters From Father Christmas, “Noel” is a highly religious meditation upon the Birth of Christ and the role of the Virgin Mary in battling the darkness preying upon the world.
It’s a beautiful poem, a short read, and worthy of any Tolkien fan and / or Christian’s consideration!
You can read the poem here, and listen to a beautiful recitation of it here.
Here are five things to know about “Noel”, Tolkien’s lost Christmas poem…
- It Was Published Before Tolkien Achieved Fame
“Noel” was published in an obscure school literary journal in 1936, just one year before Tolkien first achieved literary fame and success with The Hobbit. At the time, it was just another poem by another guy. The name Tolkien wouldn’t have meant anything to the general public.
That’s probably why it was lost: low circulating publication along with a lack of name recognition doesn’t do much to “get the word out”.
And, having nothing do with Middle-earth, it wasn’t something newfound fans of The Hobbit were likely to dig up while they waited over the next decade for The Hobbit‘s sequel, The Lord of the Rings.
- It Was Lost For Over 75 Years
“Noel” seems to have been forgotten not just by the world at large, but by Tolkien himself. Its discovery was something of an accident actually, and the credit for it is due primarily to the diligent work of noted Tolkien scholars Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull. You can read more about the “accidental” discovery here.
Through the cooperation of the Oxfordshire school Our Lady’s Abingdon, the original publication was discovered by the Sisters of Mercy at Bermondsey in 2013.
So why did Tolkien choose to publish this poem in OLA’s annual literary journal? It’s not really clear. Tolkien doesn’t seem to have any direct connections to the school, but it’s possible that, as a devout Catholic and Oxford academic, he knew some of the staff at the time.
- It's A Ballad
“Noel” would be viewed by most as a fairly conventional poem. It’s composed of 5 stanzas of 8 lines each, following an A-B-A-B-C-D-C-D rhyme scheme. It also heavily employs alliteration, one of Tolkien’s favorite literary devices.
To that end, as with most things Tolkien wrote, he went against the fashionable literary sensibilities of his era. While the major poets of the early 20th century were enamored of a number of different styles that can mostly be labeled “modernist”, “Noel” comes across as very traditional in style, even hymn-like!
That’s due to the ballad metre in which it is written: essentially, one line has 8 beats, the next has 6 (though there is some slight variance in this). It’s also due to the strong imagery and symbolism Tolkien employs. Tolkien clearly wasn’t trying to create anything avant-garde; rather, he was aiming to create a simple, beautiful tribute to the role that Christ’s birth plays in the story of the world.
- It's Highly Christian
“Noel” as a word is essentially synonymous with the Christmas season in the English-speaking world, yet how many actually know where this word comes from?
As a professional philologist (essentially a scientist of languages), Tolkien was highly sensitive to everything having to do with language and word-choice. So what’s the story on “noel” in philological terms? Well, it comes to English via French from the Latin “natalis”, and is related to the word “natal”, which has to do with birth.
It’s all starting to make sense, right?
The poem relates the Incarnation of Christ in highly symbolic and mythological terms. The world is a wasteland of cold and dark, subject to the “lord of snows”, and then the Christ Child enters the scene via the “song” of Mary.
One very interesting note from a Catholic liturgical perspective: during Advent, the time leading up to Christmas, the “Gloria” hymn is omitted from its normal place in the Mass. At Christmas, the “Gloria” hymn returns to the liturgy, along with a sudden explosion of light. As a devout Catholic, Tolkien would have been familiar with this, and so the last stanza takes on an even greater significance.
- Is There A Middle-earth Connection?
While there’s no direct connection to the legendarium of Middle-earth, there are a number of thematic and symbolic connections. Even the villainous title “lord of snows” recalls the infamous Sauron (the “Lord of the Rings”).
Perhaps most interesting, in his classic essay “On Fairy-stories”, Tolkien coined the term Eucatastrophe as a key element of worthy fantasy story-telling. The eucatastrophe is the moment when things seem at their darkest and some unexpected twist turns things in a hopeful direction. Literally, a happy catastrophe!
In terms of Middle-earth, we might think of the arrival of the Eagles at the Gates of Mordor, just in time to save the forces led by Aragorn who are distracting the Eye of Sauron from the last leg of Frodo’s journey to Mount Doom.
According to Tolkien, the Birth of Christ is THE GREAT EUCATASTROPHE of human history, the moment when things seemed at their darkest, and God acted in a mighty and unexpected way to bring new hope into the world.
In this way, Tolkien’s lost Christmas poem challenges us to see the birth of Christ not as mere religious doctrine, but as the most dramatic turning point in the story of Mankind and the Cosmos.
Further Discussion
If you’re interested in further discussion of Tolkien’s poem “Noel”, check out episode 269 of The Tolkien Road below!
Become a patron
We did a LIVESTREAM!
As a consequence, this one will feel a little experimental – not our normal open, and lots of banter with the patrons who joined us!
We had a lot of fun doing it, and it will certainly be the first of many to come.
It was also a pilot for the WISDOM app, which you should definitely check out!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- Andrew T
- John R
- Ms. Anonymous
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
CONTENTS
- LOTR on Prime
- Silmarillion 2022
- The Nature of Middle-earth
- Haiku » Will It Return In 2022?
- Isildur » Good Guy or Bad Guy?
- Gandalf
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
- Andrew T
- John R
- Ms. Anonymous
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Redhawk
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
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In 2013, Tolkien’s lost poem “Noel” was discovered in the archives of an Oxfordshire school.
With Christmas just around the corner, we take a close look at this 1936 poem, and discover the thematic seeds of Middle-earth’s epic drama. Join us!
*THIS EPISODE IS 3 DAYS EARLY AND AD-FREE FOR OUR BELOVED PATRONS!***
*LIVE DISCUSSION – DEC 16TH @ 7PM CT »»» https://www.wisdom.audio/***
If you’ve ever wanted to engage with us LIVE, your opportunity is coming up! On Thursday, December 16th, at 7pm CT, we’ll be going live on the WISDOM app to discuss whatever Tolkien-related things you guys want to talk about!
Just follow me on the Wisdom App via @johncarswell. » https://www.wisdom.audio/
We are looking forward to talking with you, taking your questions, and we can’t wait to hear from you!
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- Andrew T
- John R
- Ms. Anonymous
- Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien
CONTENTS
- Background » 6:45
- “Noel” reading » 15:00
- Analysis » 16:50
- Correspondence » 45:15
LINKS
- “Noel” text » http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Noel
- listen to “Noel” » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0_BJ…
- “Unseen JRR Tolkien poems found in school magazine” (The Guardian) » https://www.theguardian.com/books/201…
- Our Lady’s Abingdon » https://www.ola.org.uk/
- Wayne Hammond & Christina Scull’s Blog Entry on Noel » https://wayneandchristina.wordpress.c…
- “JRR Tolkien snubbed by 1961 Nobel jury, papers reveal” » https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainmen…
- “Beyond The Hobbit” (Journal of Tolkien Studies) » https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcon…
SHOUT-oUTS
Special thanks to the following patrons:
- Andrew T
- John R
- Ms. Anonymous
- Redhawk
- Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
- Shannon S
- Brian O
- Emilio P
- Zeke F
- James A
- James L
- Chris L
- Chuck F
- Asya V
- Ish of the Hammer
- Teresa C
- David of Pints with Jack
- Jonathan D
- Eric S
- Joey S
- Eric B
- Johanna T
- Mike M
- Robert H
- Paul D
- Julia
- Werty
RELATED EPISODES
0268 » The Goblin Wars!!!
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
Read More »
0267 » Letters from Father Christmas
In this episode, we take a close look at “The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor” from Unfinished Tales! It’s a brief and fascinating account of the 3000 year history of Númenor, and contains a lot that needs to be unpacked!
Read More »
0255 – Lord of the Rings “Religious and Catholic” » What Did Tolkien Mean?
https://youtu.be/tnMDGBKCtsU Did Tolkien really say that The Lord of the Rings is religious and Catholic”? He sure did. In a 1953 letter to his long-time
Read More »
0199 – Tolkien the Anarchist – Pt 2
“I must admit that I smiled a kind of sickly smile . . . when I heard of that bloodthirsty old murderer Josef Stalin inviting
Read More »
0198 – Tolkien the Anarchist – Pt 1
“My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy…” – Tolkien Though not a particularly political person, Tolkien expressed some very interesting political views in
Read More »
0196 – Tolkien vs the Nazis
Tolkien lived in one of the greatest periods of upheaval, strife, and societal change in human history: from 1914 through 1945, the world seemed to
Read More »