The Tolkien Road

Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! With the inclusion of Tom Bombadil in Season 2 of The Rings of Power, we're in a Tommy kind of mood, and will be revisiting a few episodes we've done on the engimatic fellow over the next week or so. Today, it's an interview from back in 2020 with Keith Mathison on an article he wrote called The Bombadil Engima. Enjoy! You can find Ketih's original article he...

Welcome to Episode 20 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "The Power of Pity". (This is episode 390 of The Tolkien Road podcast). "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." - Gandalf, concerning Gollum, to Frodo In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY,...

Hey there, Fellowship! We interrupt your week to revisit this bonus episode from a few years back called "The Rings of Power » Why the Details of Middle-earth Matter". It came out a few months before The Rings of Power Season 1 debuted. In it, I offered my thoughts on the controversies surround the show, and, well, I think they probably still apply today, with the arrival of Season 2. So sit back...

Welcome to Episode 19 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "Gandalf's Worst Mistake". 'The murder of Déagol haunted Gollum, and he had made up a defence, repeating it to his “Precious” over and over again, as he gnawed bones in the dark, until he almost believed it.' In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf explains how he began to track Gollu...

The second season of The Rings of Power is upon us, and in the Tolkien Road Episode 388, Greta and I give you our reaction to the first three episodes! EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien - John R - KG - Eärendil Hope WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/1ArruYh2WEw WATCH / LISTEN AD-FREE » https://www.patreon.com/posts/afv-reaction-of-111227794 FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE TOLKIEN ROAD :...

Welcome to Episode 18 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "The Sad Story of Gollum". "'You ought to begin to understand, Frodo, after all you have heard," said Gandalf. 'He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself. He could not get rid of it. He had no will left in the matter.'" In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf explains to...

Hey there, Fellowship! Greta and I plan to be back with more episodes in our epic DO NOT BE HASTY series soon. This week, with season 2 of The Rings of Power nearly upon us, I thought we'd revisit episode 254, which focused on The Purpose of Númenor, from back in 2021. By the way, this episode relates very closely to my next book project which I am currently writing. I am excited to share more abo...

Hey there, fellow travelers! Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 386! In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll conclude our jaunt through the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings by exploring the sections “Of the Finding of the Ring” and “Note on Shire Records”! The final two sections of the Lord of the Rings’ Prologue essentially serve to connect the story’s beginning with the events of The...

Hey there, fellow travelers! Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 385! In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY , we’ll continue through the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings by exploring the sections “Concerning Pipe-weed” and “Of the Ordering of the Shire”! As we discovered in the last episode, the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings contains matters which don’t, at first, seem to matter much to t...

Hey there, fellow travelers! Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 384! In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY , we’ll be talking about HOBBITS, and specifically, the history and culture of hobbits. We’ll do so by exploring the first part of the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings, “Concerning Hobbits!” Join us! EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien - John R - Melkor27 - KG - SaberSyst...

Welcome to Episode 17 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "Sméagol and Déagol". "The Ring went into the shadows with [Gollum], and even [Sauron], when his power had begun to grow again, could learn nothing of it." In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Fellowship of the Ring's chapter The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf recounts the tragic story of Sméagol and Déagol, and...

Welcome to Episode 16 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "The Powers of the Ring". In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf leads us on a deep dive into the history and lore of the Rings of Power! SECTION START : “Ah!” said Gandalf. “That is a very long story.” SECTION END: “But at last I can carry on the story, I think.” EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS...

Hey there, fellow travelers! Welcome to The Tolkien Road, episode 381! In this bonus episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll be considering this highly important and controversial question: WHAT DID TOLKIEN SAY LORD OF THE RINGS WAS ABOUT? We’ll do so by exploring Tolkien’s Foreword to the Lord of the Rings. Or should I say…Fore-WORDS! Indeed, the first and second editions contain entirely different For...

Welcome to Episode 15 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "The Fiery Letters". 'Hold it up!' said Gandalf. 'And look closely!'  As Frodo did so, he now saw fine lines, finer than the finest pen-strokes, running along the ring, outside and inside: lines of fire that seemed to form the letters of a flowing script. They shone piercingly bright, and yet remote, as if out of a great depth. In thi...

Welcome to Episode 14 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "About That Ring, Frodo..." "'It would be a grievous blow to the world, if the Dark Power overcame the Shire; if all your kind, jolly, stupid Bolgers, Hornblowers, Boffins, Bracegirdles, and the rest, not to mention the ridiculous Bagginses, became enslaved.'" In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the P...

Welcome to Episode 13 of DO NOT BE HASTY - I'm calling this one "Sam at the Green Dragon"! "And I've heard tell that Elves are moving west. They do say they are going to the harbours, out away beyond the White Towers.' Sam waved his arm vaguely; neither he nor any of them knew how far it was to the Sea, past the old towers beyond the western borders of the Shire. But it was an old tradition that a...

In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll begin exploring The Shadow of the Past (Book 2, Chapter 2 of Lord of the Rings), by finding out what Frodo is up to as the lone master of Bag-End, and what is going on in the wider world beyond the borders of the Shire! This section begins with the words: “The talk did not die down in nine or even ninety-nine days…” And ends with…“but they had no name.” Jo...

In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we hit the mailbag for your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party. And by the way, you guys delivered BIG TIME! While we won’t be able to get to nearly everything you wrote in the YouTube comments, on our Patreon page, and elsewhere, we’re going to hit some great stuff from a lot of different folks so buckle up for a fun ride...

"My father bestowed immense pains on the creation of The Lord of the Rings, and my intention has been that this record his first three years of work on it should reflect those pains." - Christopher Tolkien, Return of the Shadow, Foreword In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we undertake our inaugural MATHOMS episode as we explore heretofore neglected matters great and small from The Lord of the Rin...

Hey there, fellow travellers! Having just completed our 9 episode leg through Chapter 1 of Lord of the Rings, Greta and I are taking this week and next week off as we prepare for our Mailbag and Mathoms episodes and the beginning of our dive into Chapter 2, The Shadow of the Past! I just want to say - I hope you all are enjoying this journey as much as I am! There's just something about a REALLY S...

"Good-bye now! Take care of yourself! Look out for me, especially at unlikely times! Good-bye!" - GANDALF   In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we complete our journey through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party! After the commotion of the “day after” at Bag-End, Frodo is able to finally enjoy some peace and quiet - until Gandalf comes knocking… Join us! EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:...

"You'll live to regret it, young fellow! Why didn't you go too? You don't belong here; you're no Baggins - you - you're a Brandybuck!" In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party! With Bilbo having hit the Road, Frodo is left to clean up the mess. He’ll discover that sometimes being the Master means working like the Servant! Al...

Gandalf: "Go away and leave it behind. Stop possessing it. Give it to Frodo, and I will look after him." In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party! Herein, Bilbo finally hits the road, and Frodo finds Gandalf waiting for him at Bag-End with an important assignment. Join us! EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien -...

In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party! As Bilbo sneaks back to Bag-End and prepares to leave the Shire once and for all, Gandalf confronts him about the Ring, and an ugly argument ensues. Join us! EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien - John R - Melkor27 - KG WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/WwDsBVoIDBA WAT...

In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, Bilbo delivers his unforgettable birthday speech and shocking surprise, as we continue through Lord of the Rings Book 1, Chapter 1, A Long Expected Party! We’ll take time to consider every detail of his speech, and do the math on the most memorable line of them all: "I don't know half of you as half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half...