What if Merry and Pippin Returned to the Shire from Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings? Pt. 1
After the Council of Elrond, Elrond has misgivings about Merry and Pippin going on the quest with Frodo and suggests they should instead return to the Shire to warn the Hobbits. What might have chang...
22 Marras 202119min
How Long Ago Was Lord of the Rings? Tolkien Tells Us in “Nature of Middle-Earth”
Tolkien’s legendarium is meant to be a mythic pre-history for our own world, but we never knew just how long ago it was meant to be—until “The Nature of Middle-Earth” was published. Other Links: Rumbl...
15 Marras 202116min
Why Is Gollum Allergic to Elven Rope and Lembas?
A listener asked me this question recently in the comments, and it turns out to be a fascinating journey into Tolkienian metaphysics. Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://ody...
8 Marras 202117min
Are All Tolkien’s Favorite Heroes Spider-Slayers? | Halloween 2021
One of the most frequently recurring manifestations of evil in Middle-earth is the giant spider. And Tolkien loves to have his (arguably) favorite heroes exterminate them with a vengeance. Credit to ...
1 Marras 202120min
Middle-Earth Metaphysics: Tolkien’s Orc Problem
After he finished The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien set about revising the stories of the First Age, which would come to be published by his son Christopher as The Silmarillion. In the process, he wrest...
25 Loka 202125min
The History (and Mystique) of Isengard and Orthanc
Isengard and the Tower of Orthanc are architecturally and strategically significant, but historically obscure. They’re a perfect showcase of how Tolkien draws us into his world by giving us just a ha...
18 Loka 202123min
What Do Sir Lenny Henry’s Recent Comments Tell Us about LOTR on Prime?
Sir Lenny Henry, an actor in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series, recently made some comments about his role in a radio interview on the BBC, and they raise a lot of questions…. The article from whic...
11 Loka 202122min
What Does that (In)famous Footnote in “The Nature of Middle-Earth” Mean?
A footnote by Tolkien in the recently released “The Nature of Middle-Earth” has lots of people claiming that it proves gay Elves are canonical in Tolkien’s legendarium, but a careful analysis undermin...
4 Loka 202124min
