The Tolkien Lore Podcast

Tolkien’s legendarium is meant to be a mythic pre-history for our own world, but we never knew just how long ago it was meant to be—until “The Nature of Middle-Earth” was published. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek

A listener asked me this question recently in the comments, and it turns out to be a fascinating journey into Tolkienian metaphysics. Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek

One of the most frequently recurring manifestations of evil in Middle-earth is the giant spider.  And Tolkien loves to have his (arguably) favorite heroes exterminate them with a vengeance. Credit to my son for letting me borrow his toy spider for the thumbnail. :) Intrigued by the theme of evil being self-defeating?  I have a video on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c67oYSVgWI Mo...

After he finished The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien set about revising the stories of the First Age, which would come to be published by his son Christopher as The Silmarillion.  In the process, he wrestled with some significant questions he had not put much thought to before, including the nature of orcs. The Red Book’s video on orcish lifespans is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-CDanQA...

Isengard and the Tower of Orthanc are architecturally and strategically significant, but historically obscure.  They’re a perfect showcase of how Tolkien draws us into his world by giving us just a handful of fascinating tidbits but almost no concrete details. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore P...

Sir Lenny Henry, an actor in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series, recently made some comments about his role in a radio interview on the BBC, and they raise a lot of questions…. The article from which I pulled the transcript of Sir Lenny’s comments is here: https://bleedingcool.com/tv/sir-lenny-henry-on-being-a-black-hobbit-in-the-lord-of-the-rings/ The full interview is here with his relevant re...

A footnote by Tolkien in the recently released “The Nature of Middle-Earth” has lots of people claiming that it proves gay Elves are canonical in Tolkien’s legendarium, but a careful analysis undermines this argument. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek

Sauron’s Ring acts very differently in Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy than it does in the original novel, and those differences have pretty significant implications for the plot…. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek

Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam all changed radically due to their adventures, and in ways that strangely mirror each other.  In this video I explore how their adventures changed them—the good, the bad, and the rest.  The playlist for all the videos by my fellow YouTubers is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSf8JTB0Nrqdd1U_JmGQcTTWFrihAN_u  Other Links:  Rumble at https://ru...

Tolkien was great at recycling ancient stories, plot points, and characters, but he seems to have done the same with one of his own…. My video on The Story of Kullervo is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-FtGIqizCY Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek

The Lord of the Rings was widely reviewed both when each volume was released and many times since.  Some critics loved it; others not so much.  But did the negative critiques have any merit?  GirlNextGondor, fellow YouTuber, joins me to discuss! Check out GirlNextGondor’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs2Ia76_oHKz7IZuWcRF2NA Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-...

This is a response to a piece by Molly Ostertag over at Polygon making the case that Frodo and Sam are gay.  I think she does as good a job as anyone could, but I remain unconvinced. Molly Ostertag’s piece at Polygon is here: https://www.polygon.com/lord-of-the-rings/22550950/sam-frodo-queer-romance-lord-of-the-rings-tolkien-quotes My video on the “Gondor in Transition” paper is here: https:/...

The Greeks had many words for different kinds of love, unlike us moderns.  But we have great examples of almost all of them in Tolkien's stories.   Links:        Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195     Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f     Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore     Patreon: www.patreon....

I watched "The Green Knight," starring Dev Patel, and it was cringy, boring, and pointless.  Here are my full thoughts. For my review of Tolkien's translation of the original poem, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSEk0XGDOBc Other Links:       Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195    Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f    Twitte...

The 2021 Summer Seminar held by the Tolkien Society got a lot of attention because of the topics.  Was the fuss merited?  Here are my thoughts on one specific presentation—Cordeliah Logsdon’s “Gondor in Transition: A Brief Introduction to Transgender Realities in The Lord of the Rings”. Here is the specific presentation I’m addressing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1BYu4NOIv8&list...

Be careful what you say, even if you aren't making a specific promise, because someday you may have to live up to your own words and find that's a bitter pill to swallow, just like these Lord of the Rings characters! For my review of David Rowe's book, The Proverbs of Middle-Earth, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi2mJ6mFopM&pp=sAQA And if you want lots of other cool sayings, follo...

There are two schools of thought when it comes to interpreting a work of fiction.  One says we should pay attention to what the author intended, while the other says we can completely disregard the author's intent.  I fall in the former camp, and this video explains why.   Videos referenced:    Tolkien on Politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufT7wgWr3rM Response to Wi...

Tolkien wrote many stories, not all of them about Middle-earth, and this is my ranking of all of them.   For reviews of some of these check out the following links:   Roverandom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8hJR1Kj5qY  Farmer Giles of Ham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O32CpI0rOgg  Leaf by Niggle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OdiCz3JwHA  Smith of Wootton Major:...

There are many film and audio adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and here I rank the major ones by fidelity to Tolkien's original work.     Here are my previous reviews of some of these adaptations:   The Bakshi LOTR film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noahXOFIglo  The Rankin/Bass ROTK film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp4alML9OsY  The Rankin/B...

Modern storytelling seems to rely heavily on the interesting villain, with a complex and engaging backstory, whereas heroes tend to be boring and simple.  But through Faramir, Tolkien shows us how the hero can be written as a fascinating character.   Links to videos referenced:   Megamind and the boring nature of evil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-jhi1pMSA0  Lawbreaking in...

Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky/ Seven for the Dwarf lords in their halls of stone/ Nine for mortal Men doomed to die/ One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne.     In this video I explore the history and characteristics of the Great Rings referred to in this poem.   The video on the Gladden Fields disaster can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-s2Bl...

Tolkien's mythology is full of strange creatures beyond count, and here are some of the more interesting ones.  For some more detail on some of these topics, see these other videos:    "Deleted Scene": Tom Bombadil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKfG0vP_INs   Middle Earth Mysteries (including more on Bombadil): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE3a9hiEKY8   Creatures of M...

The end of the Lord of the Rings is very different in the novel than in the movie trilogy.  In this video I give a synopsis of what Peter Jackson left out and discuss some of the themes present in the original story.   Intro music ("Lothlorien") and end music ("The Return of the King") from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Soundtrack, copyright New Line Productions and Reprise Records.

Leithian, or release from bondage, is the Elvish name for the tale of Beren and Luthien, and is an apt description of a major theme that runs through the story. For a fuller synopsis of the story, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fn3_TN6k9I For some additional background on the story, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk50xvChWbA&t=394s You can now find me on...

ScreenRant.com put out an article (https://screenrant.com/lord-of-the-rings-things-dont-make-sense-confusing-plot-holes/) discussing things that make no sense in the LOTR movies.  Well, most of them aren't that hard to explain, as it turns out....     Here's the video I did explaining why the Eagles couldn't just fly the Fellowship to Mordor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Et...