From Semi-Villain to Tragic Hero: The Soft Retcon of Isildur
The Lord of the Rings gives us relatively little back story on Isildur, and what little we learn makes him look somewhat prideful and corruptible. But when Tolkien expanded on his story in later writ...
26 Kesä 202218min
How Did Sauron Get His Ring from Numenor Back to Mordor but Not Off His Dead Hand?
In a letter, Tolkien says that Sauron had his Ring in Numenor, which seems to contradict The Silmarillion. But if he did, how did he get it back to Middle-earth when Numenor was drowned and his body ...
13 Kesä 202212min
Tolkien, Allegory, and Applicability: Freedom of the Reader Is Not License to Reinterpret
I’ve noticed that many people, when trying to justify their opinions about Tolkien’s works, resort to his statement about preferring “applicability,” which lies in the freedom of the individual reader...
6 Kesä 202229min
Upcoming Changes to Patreon and the Future of the Channel
Just a quick update on some new things I’ll be doing and how I’m updating my Patreon benefits. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: h...
1 Kesä 20229min
Who in Middle-Earth Could Effectively Wield the One Ring?
We often take for granted that Sauron’s Ring is a magical item of great power, but can just anyone use it? What could it be used for? These are questions I will address with varying degrees of certa...
30 Touko 202231min
How Sauron and "Leaf by Niggle" Teach Us More About Melkor and Manwe
Recently, GirlNextGondor (https://www.youtube.com/c/GirlNextGondor) had TheRedBook (https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRedBook) on (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UPCU25TaV0) to discuss Morgoth, an...
23 Touko 202220min
Why Couldn’t the One Ring Be Taken to Valinor?
At the Council of Elrond, Glorfindel suggests taking the Ring over the Sea as an option, but this gets shot down pretty quickly and with good reason. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-3551...
16 Touko 202220min
Why Did Gandalf Fear Sauron If They’re Both Maiar?
It might seem strange that two beings of the same created "order" would have extremely different power levels, but there are at least four reasons why one Maia (Sauron) might be more powerful than ano...
9 Touko 202221min
