Exploring Tolkien

We did it!  And this time we wrangled Dan in to give us his BIG THOUGHT again! 🙂 In this final episode of Season 2, one dwarf delved too deep (and then we find out the real problem there–political intrigue!), the elves (despite help from the magically appearing dwarf army) retreat, Galadriel fights Sauron then just steps off a cliff, the Stranger’s (not so secret) name is revealed in...

Yeah.  They kissed. We also get the worst battle in the history of Middle-earth, the greatest smith of Eregion acceds to Sauron willingly, the dwarves turn back and entire army to face one person, and a troll that is quite truly full of sound and fury signifying nothing. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join...

Michael is back as we examine how wrong The Rings of Power treats the elves (as simple imbeciles), how the Númenoreans are now deciding rulers based on what big animals do, and how Tom Bombadil inverts one of Tolkien’s most important lines from Lord of the Rings into a disgustingly evil turn. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and l...

It was disappointing but not surprising to see how badly Hollywood writers treat the Númenorean’s faith.  We take a deep look at episode 5 of season 2 of The Rings of Power (Michael is still moving across the country–we’ll get back to The Hobbit soon!). BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join...

Not sure how this Tom Bombadil came into existence–but he’s definitely incredibly different from Tolkien’s Bombadil.  He’s involved.  He cares about everything.  He lies to Gandalf.  He explains everything. In short, he’s a mentor to the powerful in Middle-earth. And that’s all wrong. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our priva...

Season 2 of The Rings of Power is here! And with it comes new hackneyed phrases, ridiculous contrivances, and incredible coincidences. Things aren’t looking up. Don’t worry, though… we’ll be back reading thru The Hobbit next week! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for $5 a month o...

We discuss the the latest visions of Middle-earth by Amazon and Warner Bros… we’ll get back to The Hobbit soon! This week we: * React to The War of the Rohirrim trailer * Take a look at how The Rings of Power is changing Bombadil * Examine why Galadriel in The Rings of Power might be the antagonist * Find that Gil-Galad in The Rings of Power is the most inept King. In our extended epis...

In Chapter 3, A Short Rest, for the first time we meet the elves of Rivendell… and they certainly seem different than the same characters in The Lord of the Rings. In this episode, we look at: How Elrond was a “Fortunate Accident”! The indistinct descriptions of Middle-earth–following by the distinct description of Rivendell. What inspired Tolkien’s description of RIv...

We weren’t huge fans of Tolkien’s changes to chapter 1 of The Hobbit in his abandoned 1960 rewrite–but chapter 2 surprised us with it’s pitch-perfect changes! Some of the things we discuss are: Want the first edition of The Hobbit? Get ready to pay! Middle-earth gains space–and is now the “character” we know Gandalf’s got a horse–and he’s...

Join our Free Discord Channel! It’s not that the trolls aren’t scary… or are they? Did Tolkien mean for them to be frightening? In this episode we get into how the trolls find a balance, of sorts, between, fear and goofiness–and maybe it all starts with their accents (Michael breaks down exactly where their accent is from too!). We discuss: * The Hobbits and The King * Trol...

Join our Free Discord Channel! We make our way through the first 1/2 of Chapter 2, Roast Mutton… First, though, we reveal a Hobbit fact that makes one big connection between The Hobbit and The Silmarillion! Bilibo finally makes his way out the door–but was it his decision or did Gandalf force him out?  And who is this “king” that’s mentioned? In our extended episode (...

Join our Free Discord Channel! When Tolkien set out to rewrite The Hobbit in 1960, much was lost, but much was gained… Do the gains outweigh the losses? We review his rewritten 1st chapter of The Hobbit, newly title “A Well-Planned Party”. We discuss: * Fairy Rabbit’s are NOT Hobbits… but AI can still imagine them. * Fairy Rabbit #1 * Fairy Rabbit #2 * Fairy Rabbit #3...

Join our Free Discord Channel! Bilbo loses the comfort of his home and finds that the Tookish side of his mind is starting to overcome the Baggins side We discuss: * The three things that pushed Bilbo over onto the Took side of his personality. * How the Dwarven song of the Misty Mountain helps us glimpse the greater world of Middle-earth that Tolkien hadn’t integrated into The Hobbit yet. *...

Join our Free Discord Channel! As we get into the first chapter of The Hobbit, we discuss how coming at The Hobbit from a how does this fit into the Middle-earth cosmology perspective is probably not the best start. We discuss: * How The Hobbit wasn’t really in Middle-earth in the beginning. * How “Good Morning” is used so expertly by tolkien * How Bilbo’s Tookish side is s...

Join our Free Discord Channel! This week we begin our read through of The Hobbit–but we’re focusing first on how Tolkien actually evolved the Hobbit from his first edition in 1937 to a revised edition that’s more in line with The Lord of the Rings in 1951 to an abandoned rewrite in 1960. We discuss: * The History of The Hobbit — based on his recollection, and how it differs...

Join our Free Discord Channel! You know that the film The War of the Rohirrim will be released later this year, right?  Well, here is Tolkien’s story of Helm Hammerhand, as HE told it.  Michael and Jonathan look at the history of Rohan and the true story of Helm Hammerhand, not the story retold for Modern Audiences we’ll be getting later this year In our extended episode ( available fo...

Join our Discord Channel! Join our Discord Community (for free)! 👉 https://discord.gg/fRATdAqEFr On what I just realized was our 2 year anniversary, we brought our original amigo, Dan Coats, back to talk about Tom Bombadil, The Rings of Power, The Hunt for Gollum, and more! In our extended episode ( available for our members — but this week everybody gets it!) we talk about: * Does Dan miss...

Join our Discord Channel! Here’s one more episode in our series of interviews from the December 2, 2003 roundtable discussions (check them all out at https://www.theonering.com/interviews-with-the-cast-and-crew-of-lord-of-the-rings). In addition to the interview we discuss the upcoming film “Fellowship: Tolkien and Lewis” now in production at Angel Studios. This time we sat with...

Join our Discord Channel! The films brought us a dark and evil Bree — but Tolkien calls it “friendly” and “familiar”! And Barliman Butterbur has a simple cameo. And then nearly the entire “Strider” chapter is removed–we have no real information on him by the time the Hobbits leave Bree with him in the films! Become a member at https://theonering.com/...

Join our Discord Channel! Dropping the Barrow-downs removes one of the most important callbacks in the final Battle of the Pelennor Fields before Minas Tirith. It also excises some of the wonderful depth of Middle-earth that Tolkien reveals in these nods and glances. We also take a look at the new game, “Tales of the Shire.” Become a member at https://theonering.com/members or https://...

Join our Discord Channel! Tom Bombadil is a polarizing figure in Middle-earth. Some hate him, some love him. Peter Jackson decided to completely avoid that discussion and simply excise him from the film. What’s really interesting is that his comments about Bombadil really mirror JRR Tolkien’s own points made in a letter in 1954. Become a member at https://theonering.com/members or http...

Join our Discord Channel! The first REAL dangers outside of the Shire were cut from the films. So, how much did we REALLY lose by not having The Old Forest or Old Man Willow in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films? Become a member at https://theonering.com/members or https://theonering.com/patreon to hear our thoughts on: What about other evils in Middle-earth? Did Jackson do a disservice...

Join our Discord Channel! Peter Jackson cut the one Hobbit who had the backbone to stand up to a Nazgul, the one who struck fear in the hearts of other Hobbits — but was also a serious family man! We also look at the complete loss of Crickhollow. How did that affect the story, and more importantly, the relationships between the Hobbits? Become a member at https://theonering.com/members or ht...

Join our Discord Channel! We’re back and looking at ALL the changes in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings!  This week we head over to Orthanc and the changes made to Gandalf’s visit to Saruman: Gandalf visiting Saruman isn’t just a flashback–and what about all those little changes made there?! Saruman and Gandalf throw down in a Wizard duel for the ages — Michael...

Join our Discord Channel! Here’s another episode in our series of interviews from the December 2, 2003 roundtable discussions (watch https://youtu.be/JqhF91GJbGg and https://youtu.be/avh0HxUI8Vs episodes), we spoke with Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore. He really goes in depth on his thoughts and composing process! In this episode, Mr. Shore discusses: What it’s like to adapt li...