Amon Sûl

Richard and Fr. Andrew resume their deep-read of the Silmarillion with Chapter 10 “Of the Sindar.” We find out what has been happening in Beleriand while Feanor was busy ruining paradise, talk about where trolls come from, and find possibly the only time anyone ever took Melian’s advice. Fr. Andrew shares his favorite bits about orc-speech. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (ww...

What does Legolas and Gimli's conversation in "The Last Debate" about rebuilding Minas Tirith tell us about creativity? Dcn. Nicholas Kotar and Jonathan Pageau team up with Fr. Andrew to discuss Elvish and Dwarvish making in Middle-earth and what that means for us Men, whose deeds hold both promise and disappointment. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Lice...

In this special edition of The Last Homely House, Richard interviews Dr. Timothy Patitsas, Interim Dean of Hellenic College and Assistant Professor of Ethics at Holy Cross Seminary. Dr. Patitsas is also the author of a book called The Ethics of Beauty, which Richard tries to mention every time he records a podcast. Today, Dr. Patitsas joins us to talk about Tolkien and how he relates to Orthodoxy...

Dr. Cyril Jenkins, Richard and Fr. Andrew get together to look at three passages from The Nature of Middle-earth: “Beauty and Goodness,” “Mind Pictures / Knowledge and Memory,” and “Manwë’s Ban.” But first they discuss two listener comments -- on how Tolkien’s works inform one’s Christian faith and whether Tolkien risks being “canonized,” thus stifling further mythopoeic creativity. Hidden Past an...

Richard is joined by Fr Andrew and legendary Tolkien scholar Carl Hostetter for Part 1 of their discussion of Carl’s (and JRR Tolkien’s!) new book, The Nature of Middle-earth. If you’ve ever wondered about the question of “canon” in Tolkien’s legendarium, how old Elves are when they marry, or what an E.L.F. is anyway, you won’t want to miss this episode. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kev...

Fresh from keynoting DoxaMoot 2021, Richard joins Fr. Andrew in his Emmaus studio to debrief the moot experience. They also discuss a grab bag of topics suggested by the mooters, including Old English and its relationship to Orthodox Christianity and Tolkien, what it means to see things through Morgoth’s eyes, Gandalf’s last words to the hobbits before the Scouring of the Shire, what Richard think...

Richard is rejoined by Tom Hillman as they discuss the qualities you need to get into the high-pressure, fast-paced, and unbelievably profitable world of Tolkien scholarship! They also finish their discussion of “Of the Flight of the Noldor” and a new epithet for Ulmo is coined. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attributi...

Tolkien scholar Dr. Lisa Coutras returns to the podcast to continue the discussion of Túrin Turambar, focusing on her two Túrin chapters in Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty. They start with a disappointed note from a listener and ask: Is Túrin a hero? What exactly is an Elf-Friend? And what version of the Túrin story does Elrond know? Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompet...

Richard is joined by insightful Tolkien scholar, book seller, and long-time friend Tom Hillman. They talk about pity, peril, the Flight of the Noldor, and the Doom of Mandos. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Fr. Andrew and Richard team up to talk the Master of Doom himself, Túrin Turambar. They take a long look into his many names, wrestle with the question of fate, doom, and free will, and ask this burning question: What is Túrin’s spiritual gift? Fr. Andrew wraps up by putting Richard in the hot seat and takes those hobbits to Isengard. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.inco...

Richard is joined by fellow Data Analyst and Philology student Jeremy Morgan. They discuss The Darkening of Valinor, the nature of evil, and the anti-liturgy of Ungoliant. Is Ungoliant a Maia or not? Find out on this episode of The Last Homely House. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creati...

Dcn. Nicholas Kotar returns to the podcast to talk with Fr. Andrew about one of the darkest chapters in the Legendarium -- The Akallabêth, the Fall of Numenor. They start by talking about how Christianity uses fairy tales, then take a topical survey of major themes in the Akallabêth -- the Numenoreans as a people, sacred geography, the problem of death, Numenor as a remix of Atlantis and the Bibli...

Dr. Lisa Coutras returns to the podcast to discuss the Orthodox veneration of the Theotokos and the many Marian figures in Tolkien’s legendarium. Richard forgets some basic Greek words along the way. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Is evil a “thing” in Middle-earth? What are the differences between Morgoth/Melkor and Sauron? Michael Haldas joins Fr. Andrew to shine a light on the darkness, and they wrap up with Fr. Andrew dragging in bits of what he called poetry (in Old English!). Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://cr...

Fr. Andrew and Richard read about the making of the Silmarils and talk about the concept of holiness in the Legendarium. Along the way, they discuss the re-enchantment of the primary world, and Fr. Andrew gets to vent his spleen a little. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.or...

Fr. Andrew and Richard take a deep journey into Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, his retelling of major elements of Norse mythology. They romp through all things Germanic in Tolkien (including, naturally, a certain horse-focused culture we all love), placing Tolkien within mythology and mythology within Tolkien. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)...

Richard is joined by Dr. Augusta Hardy to talk about even more Elven migration patterns, the participatory aspects of subcreation, and all of Fëanor’s mommy issues. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Fr. Paul Hodge joins Fr. Andrew to look at the leaders of the legendarium, both great and small, good and evil. Is Bilbo a leader? What about the more obvious ones like Aragorn and Gandalf? Or the less likely, like Feanor or Aldarion? They wrap up with a reading from The Notion Club Papers, Tolkien’s abandoned time travel novel. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetec...

Richard Rohlin discusses everyone’s second least-favorite chapter of the Silmarillion with John Wayne Coatney. Along the way, they discuss camel husbandry and shower genealogies. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Steven “Yay!” Christoforou returns to the podcast to talk with Fr. Andrew about using Tolkien and other imaginative fiction in ministry, about what it means to live (and not live) in Sarumanic fashion, and how confronting monsters is at the core of the Christian life. Thrill as Steve can’t remember not to call him Sauron, Fr. Andrew badly pronounces Old English, and both make a plethora of allusio...

Richard interviews “The Tolkien Professor” and Signum University president Corey Olsen, and they discuss the Silmarillion in its various conceptions and whether it really even exists. Richard also vents his spleen. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Fr. Anthony Cook returns to the podcast to take a deep dive with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick into the Ainulindalë, Tolkien’s myth of how the creation is sung into being, including the origin and problem of free will and evil, as well as the making of the Tolkienian divine council. They wrap up with a new segment, looking at the Finnish epic The Kalevala, a highly influential piece in Tolkien’s forma...

Fr. Andrew and Richard Rohlin introduce “The Last Homely House,” a new series of episodes hosted by Richard, and discuss “Of Aule and Yavanna” from The Silmarillion. And Fr. Andrew shockingly uses an Elvish pejorative. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tolkien scholar and history professor Bradley Birzer joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to discuss his Tolkien books, legend-making, Tolkien in culture and as a Christian humanist, and the Nativity of Christ as the eucatastrophe of human history. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommo...

AFR station manager Bobby Maddex (finally!) joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to geek out about the Peter Jackson film trilogy, and how it compares with the books, the good and bad unique to the films. And of course the hobbits get taken once more to Isengard, courtesy of fan-submitted quiz questions. Hidden Past and Celtic Impulse, both by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative...