Exploring Tolkien

In this episode, we find the footsteps of doom overtaking Túrin–despite naming himself “Turambar” (Master of Doom). We take a little extra time to discuss who is more responsible for the doom that leads to the death of so many–Túrin or Morgoth? Should we blame Túrin for any of it? Or should we blame Morgoth’s curse spoken of Húrin? Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as t...

The tale of Túrin Turambar is one of the great stories of Middle-earth — Tolkien even mentions it in 1951 as a possible publication after finishing Lord of the Rings. But it’s COMPLETELY different… Túrin isn’t really a hero–he makes bad decisions and runs from them. He refuses forgiveness. He ignores wise advice. Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they discuss this tr...

Dan, Michael, and I had a thorough, deep, and fun conversation with Austin Freeman, author of “Tolkien Dogmatics”. In our free podcast, we discuss: How Tolkien’s theology is shown in his works (and how it changed) What Tolkien thought about criticism How fantasy is actually a DEEPER look into our world, and not a rewrite What sub-creation actually is and isn’t Balrogs! Stic...

John Carswell has been producing The Tolkien Road podcast for almost 8 years– and he’s written two books! Jonathan and Michael dive into what John finds so compelling with Tolkien, his own road to finding more depth and meaning in Tolkien’s works, and what Warner Bros can do to make truly excellent films set in Middle-earth (hint: it has nothing to do with money or effects). Beco...

Bounding into Comics isn’t the usual starry-eyed, Hollywood-glorifying, news magazine–the site reports on culture and geek news, but doesn’t ever hesitate to call out the hypocrisy, double-standards, and cronyism seen in those coastal, gilded, navel-gazing circles. Michael and Jonathan had the pleasure of talking with John Trent, founder and editor-in-chief of Bounding into Comic...

Tolkien holds nothing back when the races of Middle-earth decide to take on Morgoth. There’s treachery, gore, rage, victory, defeat–pretty much what Game of Thrones tried to be. Join Jonathan and Michael as they discuss chapter 20 of The Silmarillion, “Of the Fith Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad”. This is probably one of the hardest chapters to figure out; it brings together man...

Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they close up the story dearest to Tolkien. Beren and Luthien’s tale isn’t just a love story, it’s the apex of events that sets the rest of the history of Middle-earth into motion. We also talk about Luthien’s feminine power, Morgoth’s Kaiju, and how–after reading this story deliberately and intently–we all like it better...

Did you know that “some parts of the book have aged poorly because they are problematic and offensive in ways that went uncorrected at the time.” Michael, Dan, and I TEAR APART this article that claims Tolkien’s original writing has problems that just aren’t successful with Modern Audiences ™. It’s a ridiculous, vapid, and completely meritless claim that deserve...

The story of Beren and Luthien takes a dark turn with death and cruelty, but also reveals a more fairy tale side with all the shape-shifting, magic, and a talking dog! Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they get deep into the 2nd part of Beren and Luthien’s story! Don’t forget to checkout our extended podcast by becoming a patron–it’s almost another 30 minutes of Tolkien ta...

The story of Beren and Luthien is the beating heart of Tolkien’s entire Middle-earth. It’s one of the first two stories he wrote (while serving in World War 1), and was directly inspired by moments he spent with his not-yet-wife, Edith. In this episode, we look deeply into what it must have been like for Beren to meet Thingol and Melian, question how much Beren valued the Silmarils (if...

“Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that come down to us from the darkness of those days there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death light that endures. And of these histories most fair still in the ears of the Elves is the tale of Beren and Lúthien. Of their lives was made the Lay of Leithian, Release from Bondage, which is the longest save one of...

Sauron makes his big entrance into Middle-earth in this chapter, and does some serious damage to the elves and men. But Morgoth still seems to underestimate his foes. Join Michael, Dan, and I as we read through the second part of chapter 18 of The Silmarillion! And stick around for our extended discussion on CS Lewis’s thoughts on The Two Towers and The Return of the King… SUPPORT THIS...

We delve into the first half of Chapter 18, “Of the Ruin of Beleriand and Fall of Fingolfin”, taking a long look at this valiant elf’s hopeless assault on Morgoth–an elf who ACTUALLY HAS A TEMPEST IN HIM, and not the dust devil in The Rings of Power’s Galadriel. Join us as we look at things like: Tolkien Gives us the end of the story at the beginning Fingolfin’s...

Who is the REAL “strong” woman in Tolkien’s Middle-earth? Why do men fear elves? Death really weirds-out the elves… and why we measure our lives in milestones, and elves do not! Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they tackle the 2nd half of Chapter 17, of the Coming of Men into the West! SUPPORT THIS PODCAST AND BECOME A PATRON! Get access to the extended edition of this po...

This poem, titled “Noel”, was written by J.R.R. Tolkien before The Hobbit was published, and only just discovered in 2013 in a 1936 copy of The Annual of Our Lady’s School (a school magazine). The beautiful imagery Tolkien creates with his words resonates profoundly with the winter season’s cold and desolate landscape… but the heavens and earth are overwhelmed with jo...

Do elves regard men as enemies? Foes? Invaders? How did the elves treat men the first time they met them? Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they look at how the Noldor (surprisingly) treated men VERY differently than the Sindar. Find out about something new in our “All that is gold” this week… and see what happens with that Burger King toy! If you’re looking for a Christma...

Dan’s Big Thought is a little TOO controversial… a Disney princess!? And of course we meet the Dark Elf, Eöl — even though, as we find out, his name is not the first time Tolkien uses the capital “D” Dark Elf moniker! Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan in this discussion of Chapter 16, Of Maeglin. We talk about Rohan on steroids, a philologist’s greatest punishment...

As Turgon builds the city of Gondolin in secret, the bitter seeds of distrust between the Noldor and the Sindar find fertile ground, for Melian warns Thingol, “Their swords and their counsels shall have two edges.” Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan in this discussion of Chapter 15. They talk about Rohan on steroids, a philologist’s greatest punishment, and why Michael has to eat cr...

Location and placement were incredibly important to Tolkien–so important that an entire chapter of The Silmarillion is dedicated to who is where ! While it can definitely feel like a geography lesson, hopefully our overview will help you remember just a little bit of it! If you’re looking for some great maps, check out our map page . And don’t miss “If You Like Tolkien&#822...

Tolkien sets out the pieces of Middle-earth’s chess board, putting the characters in their proper places before the doomsday of Fëanor’s unspoken realization bears down on all the players… and we get our first glimpse of a Middle-earth dragon! In episode 17 of Window on the West, Michael, Dan, and Jonathan discuss the last sections of Chapter 13, dive deep into some AI-generated...

With Chapter 13 of The Silmarillion, Tolkien tells us Of The Return of the Noldor, revealing that the houses of Feanor, Fingolfin, and Thingol are the ORIGINAL Game of Thrones! Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they discuss Chapter 13, try to figure out which quote is Tolkien’s (thanks to our patron Linnaelin!), and lament the loss of so many listeners who aren’t hearing our extended...

************************** In “Of Men”, Tolkien gives us the first glimpse into Man-Elf relations–and it wasn’t all toxic at first (just incsrutable!). Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they talk Chapter 12 of The Silmarillion , and–as usual– again test their Tolkien aptitude with “All that is gold does not glitter” (thanks to our Patron, Naia!). SU...

I had the pleasure of sitting with Steve Babb from the band Glass Hammer to talk The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power, and what it’s like to be a creator inspired by Tolkien. Glass Hammer kicked off their career in the 90s with their first album, “Journey of the Dunadan”, a concept album based around the story of Aragorn. Then, in 2000, they recorded “The Middle-earth...

In “Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor”, Tolkien taps into a grander myth of Middle-earth and returns to the two trees of Valinor to explain how the sun and moon were made. Join Jonathan, Michael, and Dan as they talk Chapter 11 of The Silmarillion , and once again test their Tolkien (and Rings of Power) aptitude with “All that is gold does not glitter”! SUPPORT...

In our darkest dreams, we never imagined Amazon would change Tolkien’s work as dramatically as they did in  The Rings of Power. In our final in-depth review, we discuss the stupidity of Celebrimbor, the Nazgirl (?) moments, and our prayer for a rapture before 2024! BECOME A PATRON! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, messageboards, and comments! Clic...