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163. The Most Tragic Middle-earth Childhood : Children of Húrin #2
Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exlcusives! Turin’s tragic journey starts here. In this episode, we examine the opening…
162. Morgoth’s Curse and the Pride of Men : The Children of Húrin #1
We finally return to Tolkien’s First Age for a new deep-dive series on The Children of Húrin, starting with Christopher Tolkien’s introduction. We discuss why Tolkien considered Turin’s tale one of…
161. Tolkien’s First Tragic Tale : The Story of Kullervo
The Kalevala is perhaps Tolkien’s earliest inspiration… In this episode, we dig into The Story of Kullervo the tragic Finnish myth (from the Kalevala) that captured Tolkien’s imagination as a young…
160. Did Peter Jackson make Saruman too Powerful? : Film Changes #49 and #50
This episode tackles two more changes from Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring—Saruman orchestrating the storm on Caradhras, and the missing warg attack in Hollin. We break down how these…
159. Boromir’s Slippery Slope : Film Change #48 (and Stephen Colbert’s Lord of the Rings movie!?)
In this episode, we examine the insertion of Boromir’s ring-handling scene on the slopes of the Misty Mountains–though it was completely invented, how close was it REALLY to the books? … and THEN we…
159. One DOES Simply Walk Into Mordor : Film Changes #46 and #47
In this episode, we dig into two crucial scenes: the iconic formation of the Fellowship and the bridge-side tryst between Aragorn and Arwen. Drawing from both book and film, we examine what’s gained…
158. An Interview with Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee)
Here’s another episode in our series of interviews from the December 2, 2003 roundtable discussions! In this interview–just before The Return of the King was released–Sean Astin reflects on wrapping…
157. Is this the BEST Change in The Lord of the Rings Films? : Film Changes #44 and #45
Orc pods and Uruk-hai origins: lore-breaking or the best possible changes? In this episode, we dig into Peter Jackson’s “orc pod” scenes and the cinematic invention of Lurtz, the alpha Uruk-hai, We…
156. The Cringiest Line in Lord of the Rings : Film Changes #42 and #43
In this episode, we look at two of the most unloved film changes from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: Arwen replacing Glorfindel and making Arwen the only one with power and agency in The Flight…
155. The Infamous Messenger Moth : Film Changes #39, #40, and #41
We’re back to going through ALL the changes in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings! This week we discuss Aragorn’s sword substitions, changes at Weathertop, and that infamous messenger moth: Was…
154. Tolkien Wrote the Ultimate Retcon – The Hobbit #38
Most people haven’t read how Tolkien actually wrote how The Hobbit precisely connects to The Lord of the Rings. In The Quest of Erebor (first published in Unfinished Tales) Tolkien explains…
153. The Christmas Eucatastrophe (and is The Lord of the Rings a Christmas movie?)
We turn our attention from The Hobbit to a long-hidden Tolkien gem: his 1936 Christmas poem, “Noel.” We take a look at the history of the poem’s rediscovery, its deep-rooted Tolkien-esque imagery,…
152. Tolkien Ties up EVERY Loose End (we’re done!) – The Hobbit #37
In this episode, we wrap up The Hobbit with “The Last Stage” and reflect on Bilbo’s road home, the petty (now less petty?) Rivendell elves, the unexpected return to Bag End, and how Tolkien so…
151. Eagles Didn’t Win the Battle – The Hobbit #36
Three dwarves lost and a shape-shifting berserking bear unleashed—the aftermath of the Battle of the Five Armies reconciles Bilbo to Thorin and gives us a completely different Elvenking than what you…
150. Tolkien’s Battle Tactics – The Hobbit #35
Did Tolkien “earn” The Battle of the Five Armies, or is the surprise enough to justify its existence? In this episode, we look at Tolkien’s climactic battle from The Hobbit, comparing how it unfolds…
149. Bilbo’s Honest Betrayal – The Hobbit #34
Bilbo owns up to his burgling — a betrayal that drives Thorin to the brink of killing him. But Bilbo isn’t cowed… and the armies of elves and men aren’t cowed by Dain’s special forces. But maybe…
148. Bilbo Doubles Down on Burglary – The Hobbit #33
We look at Chapter 16 of The Hobbit, where Bilbo makes his most controversial choice-—handing the Arkenstone over to Bard and the Elvenking. Is Bilbo a traitor to the dwarves, or the only one…
147. Is Thorin Gold-Sick or Just Sick of the Elves – The Hobbit #32
The talking birds bring news of the dragon’s demise to the dwarves–only to find a host of elves and men are coming to the mountain’s gate. Bard makes his claim for a portion of the treasure, but…
146. Smaug’s Hydrophobia – The Hobbit #31
You’d think the death of the dragon is is the climax of The Hobbit… right? In this chapter, Tolkien gives us action, destruction, and the rise of a new unlikely hero. We look at Bard’s big moment,…
145. Is the Arkenstone a Silmaril? – The Hobbit #30
Smaug is gone, so the Bilbo and the dwarves… just sit there?! For a couple of days they do–and eventually they reach the treasures. Bilbo, though, makes a choice to REALLY become the burglar when…
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Exploring Tolkien has published 167 episodes since May 2022, covering topics in Arts, Books.
Exploring Tolkien is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 47m.
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