Exploring Tolkien

If you haven’t listened to Jeff Johnson’s music yet, you’re missing out. I’ve been a fan of his music for over 20 years, having been first inroduced with his Songs of Albion trilogy — music based on reknowned author Stephen R. Lawheads trilogy of books of the same name. Jeff’s music stands out with music inspired by books, locations, and art. Listening to his mu...

Here’s our 3rd recording from the December 2, 2003 roundtable interviews (our Peter Jackson episode is at https://youtu.be/JqhF91GJbGg)! In this episode, Liv Tyler and Orlando Bloom joined us to talk their thoughts about the films, their careers, and the crazy premiere in Wellington for Return of the King. Become a member to at https://theonering.com/members to hear our thoughts on: Whether...

Here’s another recording from the December 2, 2003 roundtable interviews I was invited to join with a few other journalists to speak to the actors and crew of The Lord of the Rings (our Peter Jackson episode is at https://youtu.be/JqhF91GJbGg ). While the audio is terrible (we did what we could to make it listenable!), Peter Jackson’s Gandalf answered our questions earnestly and though...

We’re wrapping up Tolkien’s seminal essay this week looking at Consolation–and with that–Tolkien’s well-known term, Eucatastrophe. With so much depth, this essay isn’t easy to consume, and we really hope reading it with us helped you come to understand why Tolkien wrote it and why he believes Fairy Stories are so important! This week we look at: Why Consolation/...

What are we supposed to recover from?  And why do fairy stories provide it?  And why do we need to escape? And how do fairy stories break us out? As we get closer to finishing out “On Fairy Stories,” Michael Dan and I discuss how recovery and escape are 2 of the 3 things (consolation will be next week!) that these fantasy tales offer us.  We look at: Recovery from what? What is this &#...

When Tolkien talks about Fantasy, he doesn’t simply mean fiction stories set in sword-and-sorcery worlds.  Fantasy is the highest form of sub-creation, the “most nearly pure form”–and the most potent. An art form that is “best left to words, to true literature.” Michael, Dan, and I discuss this idea of Fantasy as the one form of Art that comes closest to true En...

This week we discussed “Children” from the “On Fairy Stories” by Tolkien.  He pushes back against the coupling of fairy-stories and children, making the point that, “If fairy-story as a kind is worth reading at all it is worthy to be written for and read by adults.” We talk about: Suspension of Disbelief vs Literary Belief How fairy-stories are not to be relegat...

This week Michael and I talked with Professor Nick Groom, author of Tolkien in the 21st Century: The Meaning of Middle-earth Today, releasing Sept. 5, 2023 (apologies for some some of the echo in the audio!). Professor Groom’s book is a detailed, in-depth, but very readable look into MIddle-earth, and how he perceives Tolkien as more relevant than ever before–particularly in a post-COV...

On December 2, 2003, I was invited to join a few other journalists to interview the actors and crew of The Lord of the Rings. For me (Jonathan), for a “kid” in his mid-20s who turned a website into one of the largest online destinations for Tolkien fans on the internet, it was the unexpected zenith of the previous 4 years running the TheOneRing.com . So, when listening, remember that n...

Diving into what the origin of fairy stories is, we realize–once again–that Tolkien doesn’t give us an encyclopedic answer, but instead lays out some boundaries that help us better understand where fairy story comes from–and what it needs to have. It’s a thought-provoking episode this week as we continue to dissect this incredibly important essay Tolkien wrote! In our...

Ted Nasmith has been creating visions of Middle-earth since the early 1970s when he decided to send JRR Tolkien one of his early pieces–and the professor responded with encouragement!  In addition to being the sole featured artist in 12 Tolkien calendars (2022 most recently), he worked closely with Christopher Tolkien to create the incredible illustrated Silmarillion in 1998 . Michael and I...

This week, Michael, Dan, and I discuss the first part of Tolkien’s seminal essay “On Fairy Stories”, where Tolkien defines what a fairy (aka fantasy) story is. Why is this important? Well, the “fairy tale” in Tolkien’s era was relegated to simple children’s fiction, something adults grew out of along with their innocence and naiveté. But to Tolkien, these...

In our final episode discussing The Silmarillion, we each get our own “Big Thought” (sorry Dan!)… We look at how Tolkien created “high beauty”, how this book truly shows Tolkien’s “Strong Women”, and talk about how The Silmarillion is truly the meat of Tolkien’s writing. Then, join us in our extended episode ( https://theonering.com/members ) w...

** Use the code “GREAT” at https://shop.theonering.com to get $2 off anything! ** It’s hard to believe, but this week we finish “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”–the last chapter of The Silmarillion! We talk about the the truth and beauty of Middle-earth (and how we’re not connected to it), how Peter Jackson portrayed the battle between Gil-Galad,...

Many of us endured Amazon’s Rings of Power show last year… and now we’ve finally reached that part of The Silmarillion. Of course, here we actually talk about the Rings more than they were featured in the show for those, erm, amazing 5 minutes. This week we take Michael to task for defending Amazon’s show, why the rings were so seductive to each race, and why do the green e...

Join us as we look back on one year of Exploring Tolkien! This week we talk why we love Tolkien so much, the path that brought us to be a part of this show, all the stats for the show… and most importantly, we ask each other our EXTREMELY personal TORC Inquisition questions 🙂 ! And join us in our extended episode where we discuss what our families think of us doing this show, if we’ve...

With the release of the new Gollum game, we decided to take a deeper dive at this character–not his motivations or history, but what Tolkien specifically said about him in his letters. Tolkien indicates that the most moving scene in all of the Lord of the Rings was Gollum’s near repentance on the stairs of Cirith Ungol, as he looked on Frodo and Sam sleeping: “Gollum looked at th...

Dan had an unexpected work trip this week (I forgive him ????), and we weren’t able to record our expected 1 year anniversary podcast, In lieu of that, here is last weeks livestream where we talked about Galadriel’s “life-changing” event in Rings of Power season 2, the Gollum game releasing May 25, 2023, the newly announced MMO game from Amazon, if we accept the reason for...

It’s a little sad that we spent 34 episodes in the 1st age, but the 2nd age only gets 2 ????… We finish up the Akallabêth this week talking about religion in Númenor, if the Valar gave up governing Arda (and for how long), if men of Númenor are addicted to the light of Valinor, and if the Rings of Power got ANYTHING right! Join us in our extended episode where we discuss if chasing the...

Jonathan, Michael, and Dan reach the 2nd age of Middle-earth, and with it are compelled to bring up The Rings of Power–and, particularly, how they couldn’t even get right the perfectly clear reason Tolkien gave for the Númenorean downfall! Join us in our extended episode where we discuss why Elwing chose to be immortal “because of Luthien”, if Tolkien made parallels between...

Michael, Dan, and Jonathan finish the first age of Middle-earth! We see the final destruction that Fēanor’s Silmarils wrought, how Ēarendil’s desperate hope drove him to Valinor, and determine that–no–Elrond and Elros are not ACTUALLY half-elven! Join us in our extended episode where we discuss why Elwing chose to be immortal “because of Luthien”, if Tolkien mad...

Here’s a bonus podcast this week — our inaugural Fellowship Fridays Live discussion! Listen in as Michael Grumbine (from Exploring Tolkien), John Trent from Bounding into Comics, John Carswell From The Tolkien Road podcast, The MIddle-earth Mixer, and Steve Babb from Glass Hammer talk Tolkien, movies, games, Steven Spielberg and more! Hope you enjoy this extra episode! You can also WAT...

The last great stronghold of the elves falls to Morgoth, even though Ulmo has been right to warn them all along. This penultimate chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion sets the stage for the final battle against Morgoth and the remaking of the world! Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they discuss Ulmo’s influence, Turgon’s pride, Maeglin’s treachery, and the Tolkien’s rule on...

Podcaster, Tweeter, and Tolkien fan, we chat with The Middle-earth Mixer about Tolkien, The Rings of Power, and where these upcoming new films from Warner Bros might be going: • How the movies were his gateway drug into Tolkien • That there might actually be some positive parts to The Rings of Power • Where Warner Bros. new movies might be going • Which of Tolkien’s stories SHOULD be made in...

Morgoth’s curse over Hurin and the Curse of Mandos over the Noldor come join forces and end up destroying the the oldest elven kingdom from the inside out.  When the Nauglamir and the Silmaril meet, all hell breaks loose: the dwarves make a move, Beren makes his return, and Fēanor’s sons strike in the aftermath. In this episode, Jonathan, Michael, and Dan discuss the power of curses (a...