144. Never Laugh at Live Dragons – The Hobbit #29

144. Never Laugh at Live Dragons – The Hobbit #29

Smaug is finally fully revealed! This week, we finish “Inside Information”, where Bilbo finally comes face-to-face with the unassessably wealthy dragon. We break down the wordplay Bilbo engages in as he denies Smaug his real name, Smaug’s memorable boasts, and how Bilbo manages to outwit Middle-earth’s greatest dragon (or maybe it’s just… luck?).

We explore:

  • Why names and riddles matter so much in Middle-earth (and how they protect Bilbo)
  • How Tolkien redefined dragons for fantasy—leaving old fairy tale clichés behind
  • The thrush’s “snail anvil,” Bilbo’s lucky break, and whether Tolkien’s worldbuilding is brilliant…or just a little too convenient
  • Dwarven treasure: legendary loot or worldbuilding gold?

In our extended episode (available for our members), we dive deeper into:

  • The mystery of Erebor’s “most useless” door—and why it locks the party inside
  • King Bladorthin: a video-game waiting to happen
  • Tolkien video game adaptations: what works, what flops, and our dream Middle-earth game
  • The famous Samwise monologue in Peter Jackson’s films—does it live up to Tolkien’s original?

Here are the images we discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to hear the extended conversation and join upcoming live chats, become a member today (free for the first month)!

🔗 Episode Links
The History of The Hobbit
The Annotated Hobbit
Join our Discord Community (for free)
Get the Extended Podcast
Become a Patreon Member

🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast
Get the Extended Podcast
Become a Patreon Member
Subscribe on Apple
Subscribe on Spotify

🔍 If You Like Tolkien
The History of The Hobbit
The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (audiobook)
The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (book)
The Silmarillion

The Children of Hurin
The Atlas of Middle-earth
Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat

Episoder(165)

44. Captain Foolhardy! – Of Túrin Turambar, Part 2 – The Silmarillion – 29

44. Captain Foolhardy! – Of Túrin Turambar, Part 2 – The Silmarillion – 29

In this episode, we find the footsteps of doom overtaking Túrin–despite naming himself “Turambar” (Master of Doom). We take a little extra time to discuss who is more responsible for the doom that lea...

4 Apr 20230s

43. The Worst Hero – Of Túrin Turumbar, Part 1 – The Silmarillion – 28

43. The Worst Hero – Of Túrin Turumbar, Part 1 – The Silmarillion – 28

The tale of Túrin Turambar is one of the great stories of Middle-earth — Tolkien even mentions it in 1951 as a possible publication after finishing Lord of the Rings. But it’s COMPLETELY different… Tú...

28 Mar 20230s

42. Sub-creation is Art, Not Power – with Austin Freeman, author of Tolkien Dogmatics

42. Sub-creation is Art, Not Power – with Austin Freeman, author of Tolkien Dogmatics

Dan, Michael, and I had a thorough, deep, and fun conversation with Austin Freeman, author of “Tolkien Dogmatics”. In our free podcast, we discuss: How Tolkien’s theology is shown in his works (and h...

21 Mar 20230s

41. Why Tolkien is Great – with John Carswell from The Tolkien Road

41. Why Tolkien is Great – with John Carswell from The Tolkien Road

John Carswell has been producing The Tolkien Road podcast for almost 8 years– and he’s written two books! Jonathan and Michael dive into what John finds so compelling with Tolkien, his own road to fin...

14 Mar 20230s

40. They Don’t Understand Tolkien – with John Trent from Bounding into Comics

40. They Don’t Understand Tolkien – with John Trent from Bounding into Comics

Bounding into Comics isn’t the usual starry-eyed, Hollywood-glorifying, news magazine–the site reports on culture and geek news, but doesn’t ever hesitate to call out the hypocrisy, double-standards, ...

8 Mar 20230s

39. Middle-earth’s Rambo – Of the Fifth Battle – The Silmarillion – 27

39. Middle-earth’s Rambo – Of the Fifth Battle – The Silmarillion – 27

Tolkien holds nothing back when the races of Middle-earth decide to take on Morgoth. There’s treachery, gore, rage, victory, defeat–pretty much what Game of Thrones tried to be. Join Jonathan and Mich...

28 Feb 20230s

38. Morgoth’s Kaiju-Wolf – Of Beren and Luthien Part 3 – The Silmarillion – 26

38. Morgoth’s Kaiju-Wolf – Of Beren and Luthien Part 3 – The Silmarillion – 26

Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they close up the story dearest to Tolkien. Beren and Luthien’s tale isn’t just a love story, it’s the apex of events that sets the rest of the history of Middle-ear...

21 Feb 20230s

37. 10 Ways The Lord of the Rings has aged POORLY?!

37. 10 Ways The Lord of the Rings has aged POORLY?!

Did you know that “some parts of the book have aged poorly because they are problematic and offensive in ways that went uncorrected at the time.” Michael, Dan, and I TEAR APART this article that claim...

14 Feb 20230s

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
stopp-verden
popradet
nokon-ma-ga
rss-gukild-johaug
fotballpodden-2
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5