The Tolkien Road

On this episode of Tolkien Road, we turn to The Lord of the Rings and begin our journey through the Third Age of Middle-earth with Tolkien's foreword to the Second Edition. This is an important section, because in it Tolkien discusses his reasons for writing the book. We’ll also discuss just what he means when he says that The Lord of the Rings is a “fundamentally religious and Catholic work."   ...

On this episode of Tolkien Road, John & Greta continue their chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of The Silmarillion with the second part of Chapter 9, "Of the Flight of the Noldor", wherein Fëanor leads the Noldor on a hell-bound quest to attack Morgoth and reclaim the Silmarils.   Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history and background of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien Roa...

On this episode of Tolkien Road, John & Greta continue their chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of The Silmarillion with the first part of Chapter 9, "Of the Flight of the Noldor", wherein the Valar must determine what to do after the attack on the Two Trees. We also look at Melkor’s next steps, and what becomes of his partnership with Ungoliant. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history a...

Welcome to the 17th episode of The Tolkien Road podcast (formerly known as Talking Tolkien). On this episode, John & Greta continue their chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of The Silmarillion with Chapter 8, Of the Darkening of Valinor, wherein Melkor and the giant spider Ungoliant throw the Blessed Realm into overwhelming darkness. Sounds like a fun-packed family adventure, eh? Come get lost in Midd...

Only 15 episodes in, and we finally find out what a Silmaril is and where they came from! On this episode, John & Greta continue their chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of The Silmarillion with Chapter 7, Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor. Things are starting to get ugly in the Blessed Realm! We discuss topics ranging from the origin of the Silmarils to Melkor's schemes to the desire for...

Tolkien addresses his philosophy-poem "Mythopoeia" to C.S. Lewis, who said that myths were "lies breathed through silver."  In this episode, we discuss the meaning of "Mythopoeia" and how it serves as a sort of spiritual and creative manifesto for Tolkien. Plus, Greta comes up with some killer haikus on the fly. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history and background of The Hobbit and...

Who is Fëanor and why is he important? And who thought it was a good idea to let Melkor out of the dungeon?!?! C'MON MAN!!! Way. On this episode, John & Greta discuss Chapter 06 of The Silmarillion, Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor. Plus, we hear from a listener with a really cool comment, and discuss Tolkien's views on the Eucharist. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history and...

How did the Elves get to Aman? Whatever became of Thingol? Where does Galadriel come from? And why did we forget a critical Wayne's World reference in the Thingol and Melian episode? We explore all these issues and more in Episode 12. Plus, Greta busts out her own killer haiku!!! Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history and background of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Talking T...

Join us as we discuss "Leaf By Niggle", my favorite non-Middle-earth Tolkien story. "Leaf By Niggle" is a mythical story about creativity and love of neighbor with a wonderful conclusion. In the second of a two-part series, we discuss the profound meaning contained in what Tolkien referred to as his "purgatorial" story and the story that reflected his anxities about completing Lord of the Rings. T...

"Leaf By Niggle" is one of Tolkien's lesser known works, but it yields a ton of insight into his own creative vision. In the first of a two-part series, we discuss what Tolkien himself had to say about the story he wrote one morning in the late 30's. This is also my favorite non-Middle-earth Tolkien work - it's just a beautiful story. Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. Yo...

Tolkien's first story of inter-species love concerns Thingol and Melian. Find out why the shortest chapter in The Silmarillion is one of the most important in the history of Middle-earth as we explore the 4th chapter of The Silmarillion proper, Of Thingol and Melian. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings! Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the...

Where did the Elves come from and what is their doom? What should the Valar do about Melkor? We explore these questions and more in our discussion of the 3rd chapter of The Silmarillion proper, Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings! Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the website TrueMyths...

We sit down with illustrator Evan Palmer of EvanPalmerComics.com to discuss his graphic interpretation of Ainulindalë. It's an illuminating interview for a fascinating work! You can find Evan's work at EvanPalmerComics.com/Ainulindale. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings! Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. You can...

Why spend so much time talking and writing about Tolkien? What does it mean to fully enjoy something? We discuss these matters, with a little help from C.S. Lewis, on our first non-Silmarillion episode. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings! Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. You can learn more by following @tolkienw...

Where did Dwarves, Ents, and Eagles come from? We explore these questions and more in our discussion of the 2nd chapter of The Silmarillion proper, Of Aulë and Yavanna. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings! Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. You can learn more by following @tolkienwisdom on Twitter and following Tru...

On the 4th episode of the Talking Tolkien podcast, co-hosts John & Greta Carswell examine the 1st chapter of The Silmarillion proper, Of the Beginning of Days. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings! Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. You can learn more by following @tolkienwisdom on Twitter and following TrueMyths.or...

On the third episode of the Talking Tolkien podcast, co-hosts John & Greta Carswell examine Valaquenta, the second section in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings! Talking Tolkien is the podcast of the website TrueMyths.org. You can learn more by following @tolkienwisdom on Twitter and following TrueMyths.o...

Concerning "Ainulindalë", the Music of the Ainur, the first part of The Silmarillion... Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support .

On the first episode of the Talking Tolkien podcast, co-hosts John & Greta Carswell provide an introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and introduce some of the many themes they will be covering as they move through The Silmarillion chapter-by-chapter over the next several episodes. Come get lost in Middle-earth and explore the history of The Hobbit's world! Talking Tolkien is the po...