Jude Vais & Stef Midlock

Athrabeth

Arts EN ↓ 117 episodes

Athrabeth is a monthly podcast that invites you down the lesser trod paths of Tolkien's Legendarium. Each episode we pick a single chapter, essay, fragment, or topic, and do a deep dive, exploring it as both fans and scholars.

Author

Jude Vais & Stef Midlock

Category

Arts

Podcast website

podcast.athrabeth.com

Latest episode

Jul 1, 2026

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android 5M+ downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

Episode 17: Father Christmas Letters Part 1: Middle-Earth Connections 04.12.2019

Join Athrabeth's Discord! Sources Tolkien, J.R.R., Letters from Father Christmas , edited by Baillie Tolkien, “eISBN 978-0-547-95190-4 v2.1216” (Accessed Nov 25, 2019). Fimi, Dimitra, “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Christmas letters to his children bring echoes of Middle-earth to the North Pole” December 21, 2017, from the website called “The Conversation”- http://theconversation.com/j-r-r-tolkiens-christmas-l...

Episode 16: Tolkien's Languages: Part 2: The Tree of Tongues 06.11.2019

Join Athrabeth's Discord! References Map of Beleriand (drawn by Christopher Tolkien) Sources J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Two. Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings: Chapter 5: The Lhammas” J.R.R. Tolkien, "Tengwesta Qenderinwa and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets Part 2", in Parma Eldalamberon XVIII (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden...

Episode 15: Tolkien's Languages: Part 1 02.10.2019

Join Athrabeth's Discord! References, Notes and Useful Links Brackmann, Rebecca. “‘Dwarves Are Not Heroes’: Antisemitism and The Dwarves in J.R.R. Tolkien's Writing.” Mythlore, vol. 28, no. 3, 10 Apr. 2010. 109/110 Spring/Summer. https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=mythlore Tolkien reciting namarie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6de_SbVUVfA Tolkien singing namarie: http...

Episode 14: Quenya Catholic Prayers 04.09.2019

Sources Tolkien, J.R.R. ""Words of Joy": Five Catholic Prayers in Quenya. (Part One)" Ed. Patrick Wynne, Arden R. Smith, and Carl F. Hostetter. Vinyar Tengwar 43 (2002): 5­38. Print. Tolkien, J.R.R. ""Words of Joy": Five Catholic Prayers in Quenya. (Part Two)" Ed. Patrick Wynne, Arden R. Smith, and Carl F. Hostetter. Vinyar Tengwar 44 (2002): 5­20. Print. To...

Episode 13: Tolkien Fanfiction Culture 07.08.2019

This episode Jude and Stef talk to Dawn Walls-Thumma, founder of the Silmarillion Writers Guild and author of a fascinating survey on the culture and practices of the Tolkien Fanfiction community. Dawn's Socials Twitter: @DawnFelagund Silmarillion Writers Guild Dawn's Personal Page Show Notes Join Athrabeth's Discord! Works Referenced This Episode Walls-Thumma, Dawn (2019) Data on Tolkien Fanficti...

Episode 12: A Tale of Two Tolkien Biographies 03.07.2019

Jude and Stef review the new Tolkien biopic, as well John Garth's "Tolkien and the Great War". Some beefs are had. Show Notes Join Athrabeth's Discord! Works Referenced This Episode Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth Karukoski, Dome (Director) (2019) Tolkien

Episode 11: The A-Neigh-zing Horses of Middle Earth part 2 05.06.2019

From the noble Mearas of the Rohirrim to the dark mounts of the Black Riders, we close out our Horsey series with some of the most notable steeds of Middle-earth Show Notes Join Athrabeth's Discord! Works Referenced This Episode Hrothgar's Horses: Feral or Thoroughbred? by Jennifer Neville “Hwær Cwom Mearh? The horse in Anglo-Saxon England” by Sarah Larratt Keefer , from the Journal of Medieval Hi...

Episode 10: The A-Neigh-zing Horses of Middle Earth part 1 01.05.2019

What started as a joke about ranking of all the horses of Middle-earth as a palate cleanser for Stef after so many episodes about souls and eschatology, has turned into two of our best episodes, courtesy of Stef's unbridled enthusiasm for hoses and Tolkien! Enjoy this first in our two part series on the Horses of Middle-earth! Show Notes Join Athrabeth's Discord! Works Referenced This Episode Hrot...

Episode 9: Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth part 2: grief and partings 03.04.2019

In the conclusion of first episodes on the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, we cover the second half of the conversation, discuss the Tale of Adanel, and give our final thoughts on this amazing piece. We also talk about our recent trip to New York to attend the Tolkien and Inspiration symposium at the Morgan Library! Show Notes Join Athrabeth's Discord! Tolkien and Inspiration: A Multidisciplinary Sym...

Episode 8: Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth part 1: death, faith and hope 06.03.2019

Part 1 of our first foray into the work that gave our podcast its name, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth! We meet the our interlocutors and dive into this fascinating exploration of death, faith, and hope in Middle-earth. Show Notes Join Athrabeth's new Discord! Tolkien and Inspiration: A Multidisciplinary Symposium at the Morgan Library Works Referenced This Episode J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien...

Episode 7: Thought Transmission and Elven Resurrection 06.02.2019

Part 2 of our discussion of souls, eschatology, and the elven afterlife examines the properties inherent to fëa, including thought transmission, and then we discuss elven resurrection! Show Notes Join Athrabeth's new Discord! Tolkien and Inspiration: A Multidisciplinary Symposium at the Morgan Library Tensing the Copula by David Lewis, the philosophical essay jude referenced in this episode. (note...

Episode 6: Hröa and Fëa 02.01.2019

Part 1 of what is currently planned to be a 3 part discussion of souls, eschatology, and the elven afterlife, culminating in a discussion of our podcast's namesake essay, the Athrabeth! This episode we're laying the groundwork with a lot of terminology which Stef definitely enjoyed, and an overview of the various kinds of incarnates in middle-Earth. Show Notes Join Athrabeth's new Discord! The Fla...

Episode 5: The Fallibility of Makers 05.12.2018

The craftsmen, blacksmiths, and even celestial makers of Tolkien's middle-Earth frequently find themselves straying from the straight and narrow path laid out for them by Ilúvatar. In this episode we look at some examples of these makers to see what qualities they share that might account for their vulnerability, and how some are able to avoid it. Show Notes Content Warning - In this episode there...

Episode 4: Halloween Special: Vampires, Werewolves and Wraiths OH MY 31.10.2018

Happy Halloween from middle-Earth! In this episode we're exploring some of the season's traditional tropes as they appear in Tolkien's stories. Show Notes A brief biography of Þráinn a Wikipedia article on Hrómundar saga Gripssonar a Translation of the Griplur of the Saga Stef is going to read Beren and Lúthien , if we make her. Tweet at her with the hashtag #athrastefReadsTolkien Jude really butc...

Episode 3: LotR Appendix A part 2: The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen 03.10.2018

We conclude our discussion of Appendix A of the Lord of the Rings with the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen. We talk about what Aragorn is up to in the 30 years preceding the Hobbit, his tragic lineage, and his complicated relationship with the Lord of the Last Homely House. Linguistic Notes etymology of the word linnod

Episode 2: LotR Appendix A part 1: The Numenorean Kings 19.09.2018

In celebration of Tolkien Week, we're pleased to release our second episode two weeks early! In this, the first of two episodes about Appendix A of the Lord of the Rings, we discuss the first section "The Numenorean Kings", and how the appendix opens up the Lord of the Rings to the wider legendarium like the Silmarillion. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (amazon link) Tolkien’s Creation of...

Episode 1: On Fairy Stories 05.09.2018

In this, our first episode, your hosts introduce themselves, and then dive right in as we explore Tolkien’s 1939 lecture “On Fairy Stories”, a fundamental work in Tolkien Studies, but one often overlooked by the wider Tolkien fandom. In it, Tolkien issues a sort of mission statement on why he considers fantasy important. Where can you read OFS? The Monsters and the Critics Tolkien on Fairy-Stories...

Listen to the Athrabeth podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.