The Tolkien Lore Podcast

Despite the first volume of The Lord of the Rings being named “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the word fellowship actually barely appears in that volume, and only in its final chapter. Why was the group called the “Company” for so long, and how and why did it become the “Fellowship?” For the full playlist of other TolkienTubers who contributed this year, check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/...

Tolkien changed a lot of material in his legendarium over the years, but late in life he almost scrapped the entire cosmology to fit with real world history. Why did he go down this road, and what are some ofthe implications? Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur.com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: ht...

One thing that becomes clear with enough time spent in Middle-earth is that Eru can work with anything you throw at him. That includes Boromir taking Faramir’s spot in Rivendell. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: https:// w...

In response to my video on how Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy managed to win the loyalty of many book fans despite its many changes from the source material, I received a number of comments explaining how his changes were necessitated by the adaptation of a book to a movie. But does that excuse really hold water? I don’t think so. For my video on how Jackson’s trilogy got so much support from...

Finally completing this project in one fell swoop, because there's not much good to find here.... For the prior video on An Unexpected Journey, check here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Em1AN16K0 Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrt...

A while back I got an email from a viewer arguing that Gandalf was, to put it politely, a little slow when it comes to making sure Frodo got started on his quest. But just how big a mistake was that, really? Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com...

In response to my video about the character flaws of Tolkien’s heroes ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAn8r-kqD4c ),a few people commented that Gandalf’s real issue was the fact that he basically threw other people into dangerous situations to achieve his own ends. Turns out, that’s really not true. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https...

Last time ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdAKdYd7sY ) I talked about why Jackson’s films were so impressive despite messing up a huge amount of the details of the story and characters. But despite being (pretty objectively, I think) the best Tolkien films by purely cinematic standards, there are other films that have their own merits, and here’s why you should watch them if you haven’t already...

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy are great cinema, there’s no denying that. But as adaptations they leave a lot to be desired. Why is it, then, that so many book fans still think of his movies as successful adaptations? Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter...

A common critique of Tolkien is that there is no moral greyness, that every character is totally good or totally bad. If you pay even a little attention, though, it’s clear that this just isn’t true. All Tolkien’s heroes are imperfectly good at best, and have pretty significant character flaws. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumb...

By Patron request, here’s part 1 of a series exploring the details Jackson got right in The Hobbit movie trilogy. You might be surprised at how well this goes. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: https:// www.patreon.com/tolk...

A couple of Twitter posts got me thinking that Tom Bombadil has some interesting parallels to an enigmatic Old Testament anti-type of Christ. Let's delve into this idea... Want my thoughts on Tom as Adam? Check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VvXaLPMofc Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: htt...

There are a number of Christian themes in Tolkien's Middle-earth corpus, but one of the most prominent is the virtue of humility and the sin of pride. Let's take a good look at some examples of each. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlor...

Finally, my reviews of Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy is finished, with an interesting look at the second half of The Return of the King and the subtle changes PJ made to the story. Check prior videos in this series: Fellowship part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_1rDzChnJ0 Fellowship part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2dKbIlTthc Fellowship part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0kVgq_a...

I came. I saw. I now review. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: https:// www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek Xero Shoes (affiliate link): https://xeroshoes.com/go/TolkienGeek Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/EVKynAj2m9...

The final entry in Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy may radically depart from the book in many respects, but there are some areas where his changes aren’t so obvious, or at least the casual reader might not remember what he changed it from. Check prior videos in this series: Fellowship part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_1rDzChnJ0 Fellowship part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2dKbIlTthc Fe...

Still stretching a bit to find some of these moments, but there are actually some surprises that, in retrospect, we were lucky to get out of these films. Prior videos in this series: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZtLRAm3Hc&t=0s Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYwPjfhKmME Part 3: https://youtu.be/mQFGNeKajnU Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/Tol...

We've nitpicked Peter Jackson's Return of the King, now it's time to acknowledge the things he got right. But it's going to be a bit of a stretch.... Prior videos in this series: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZtLRAm3Hc&t=0s Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYwPjfhKmME Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.c...

Here at last, in the wastelands of the internet, comes an end of our fellowship in nitpicking the living daylights out of Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy. I will not say, “do not weep,” because you’ll be so happy this is over you won’t be crying anyway! For previous entries in this series check out these links: Fellowship, part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb4E0TBsrtA&t=0s Fellowship, part...

We’re down to the final movie. Can Peter Jackson clean up his act and make a more coherent film? Oddly enough, despite having some of the most egregious changes to the story, this film does fairly well on overall coherence, but it still has its problems. For previous entries in this series check out these links: Fellowship, part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb4E0TBsrtA&t=0s Fellowship, p...

In which I clarify some points from my previous video, and also explain the real problem with Rings of Power, which it shares with everyone’s favorite Lord of the Rings adaptation…. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: https:/...

Recently the Tolkien fandom erupted in yet another controversy because Corey Olsen (aka the Tolkien Professor) stated in an interview that there is no such thing as “canon” in Tolkien. Naturally this led to many people calling him a traitor or sell-out, but their criticism missed the mark. Let’s define “canon” and ask ourselves some meaningful questions before we go dog piling, shall we? Corey Ols...

It seems a natural enough topic of conversation, yet for some reason Gandalf and Aragorn never mention to Frodo that Bilbo is in Rivendell, despite that being Frodo’s destination. I have a feeling it’s because both of them would love a good surprise party. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odyse...

On the fence about acquiring a huge 3-volume hardback full of Tolkien’s poetry? Here’s the skinny on what’s in the title. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: https:// www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek Xero Shoes (affiliate link): h...

When we think of Theoden as a parallel, we often think of him as the flip side of Denethor, which is perfectly apt. But it turns out his actual story and decisions are much more parallel to the protagonist of the story, which is perhaps what you would least expect. Other Links: Playeur (formerly Utreon): https:// playeur .com/c/TolkienLorePodcast/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: http...