Episodes

This poem, Noel, was written by J.R.R. Tolkien before The Hobbit was published, and only just discovered in 2013. Here’s how that happened! In 2013, Tolkien scholars Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull found something they didn’t expect. While researching a 1936 edition of The Tablet (a Catholic journal), they found mention of 2 Tolkien poems published in the Abingdon Annual of Our Lady’s School — a still active school in Abingdon! The school directed them where to find the 80 year-old publicat...

We all had high hopes when War of the Rohirrim was announced a few years ago–particularly since it was attached to Philippa Boyen, screenwriter of the original trilogy. So, Michael and I went out this week to see it in person (with our kids in tow too!). Here, then, is our unabashed review of the film… the ups (a couple), the downs (too many), and the whys that remain unanswered. We examine the following in War of the Rohirrim: The Animation/Art Style The Music The Characters/Acting The Di...

Once Tolkien finished writing The Lord of the Rings, it became clear to him that The Hobbit needed to change–particularly Bilbo and Gollum’s interaction in chapter 5, “Riddles in the Dark”. But what exactly did he change? How necessary was it? Did it make The Hobbit Better? If you haven’t read the original chapter, you can download a PDF here! Be sure to check out our side-by-side comparison, to easily spot the differences between the original and rewritten chapter. This week we look at: Why...

The 2nd half of “Riddles in the Dark” is the most rewritten part of The Hobbit in the 1951 rewrite! And it’s where Bilbo takes a giant leap (so to speak) into the future of his adventure. In this episode we look at: Why is the riddle game so sacred? Where does it come from? What might’ve inspired Tolkien to create Gollum. How Tolkien shows us Gollum’s 2 minds. How Tolkien’s expert prose reveals Bilbo’s pity. How invisible gold rings have quite the literary history. How Peter Jackson missed...

“Riddles in the Dark” is not only the most memorable event from all of Middle-earth — it’s also the turning point that ultimately led to The Lord of the Rings. In this episode we look at: Tolkien’s use of the words “miserableness” and “miserabler”. The original character that inspired Gollum. What *actually* brings Bilbo comfort. Where Tolkien’s riddles originated. How Gollum’s riddles and Bilbo’s riddles reflect the characters and mindsets. In our extended episode (available for our membe...

The goblins of Moria grab the dwarves (and Hobbit) who decided to camp out on their “front porch”, leading to some real terrifying moments! Does Gandalf use gunpowder? How Tolkien subcreates his world with a few simple phrases. The importance of the Goblin song, and the elves, dwarves, and goblins are all introduced with song! Where Tolkien’s prose is almost poetic in an Olde English kind of way. How Tolkien loves those swords! In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk ab...

The first part of Chapter 4, Over Hill and Under Hill, is unique for it’s direct correlation with Tolkien’s own past. We discuss: Tolkien’s hiking experience and how it influenced this section of The Hobbit VERY obviously. Stone Giants… are they even necessary or part of Middle-earth? And what ARE they? What’s the significance of Bilbo’s dream? In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about: What we would change if Tolkien had continued with his rewrite. What are the dif...

When Tolkien attempted to rewrite the Hobbit in 1960, he just gave up halfway through Chapter 3. In this episode we look at: Changes in time and distance Changes in Prose and style Why he gave up His detailed notes on timeline and itinerary that outlined his changes to The Hobbit In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about: What are the least Lord of the Rings/Middle-earth type events in The Hobbit that Tolkien would likely have changed. Here are the pics to go along...

In the second half of Chapter 3, A Short Rest, Tolkien seems to start a shift from a children’s story to more of an epic quest. What prompted this change? We have our thoughts, including: How Elrond’s name plays a big part. Tolkien’s improved writing in The Lord of the Rings. What inspired Tolkien’s description of RIvendell. Why are these elves SO different? How elves were portrayed BEFORE Tolkien changed the cultural understanding. In our extended episode (available for our members) we ta...

We did it! And this time we wrangled Dan in to give us his BIG THOUGHT again! 🙂 In this final episode of Season 2, one dwarf delved too deep (and then we find out the real problem there–political intrigue!), the elves (despite help from the magically appearing dwarf army) retreat, Galadriel fights Sauron then just steps off a cliff, the Stranger’s (not so secret) name is revealed in a superbly hamfisted way, and Númenor decides that the Faithful deserve to be thrown in prison based on some lett...

Yeah. They kissed. We also get the worst battle in the history of Middle-earth, the greatest smith of Eregion acceds to Sauron willingly, the dwarves turn back and entire army to face one person, and a troll that is quite truly full of sound and fury signifying nothing. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for $5 a month on Patreon 🔗 Episode Links The History of The Hobbit The Annotated Hobbit Join our ...

Michael is back as we examine how wrong The Rings of Power treats the elves (as simple imbeciles), how the Númenoreans are now deciding rulers based on what big animals do, and how Tom Bombadil inverts one of Tolkien’s most important lines from Lord of the Rings into a disgustingly evil turn. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for $5 a month on Patreon 🔗 Episode Links The History of The Hobbit The Anno...

It was disappointing but not surprising to see how badly Hollywood writers treat the Númenorean’s faith. We take a deep look at episode 5 of season 2 of The Rings of Power (Michael is still moving across the country–we’ll get back to The Hobbit soon!). BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for $5 a month on Patreon 🔗 Episode Links The History of The Hobbit The Annotated Hobbit Join our Discord Community (...

Not sure how this Tom Bombadil came into existence–but he’s definitely incredibly different from Tolkien’s Bombadil. He’s involved. He cares about everything. He lies to Gandalf. He explains everything. In short, he’s a mentor to the powerful in Middle-earth. And that’s all wrong. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for $5 a month on Patreon 🔗 Episode Links The History of The Hobbit The Annotated Hobb...

Season 2 of The Rings of Power is here! And with it comes new hackneyed phrases, ridiculous contrivances, and incredible coincidences. Things aren’t looking up. Don’t worry, though… we’ll be back reading thru The Hobbit next week! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for $5 a month on Patreon 🔗 Episode Links The History of The Hobbit The Annotated Hobbit Join our Discord Community (for free) Get the Ex...

We discuss the the latest visions of Middle-earth by Amazon and Warner Bros… we’ll get back to The Hobbit soon! This week we: * React to The War of the Rohirrim trailer * Take a look at how The Rings of Power is changing Bombadil * Examine why Galadriel in The Rings of Power might be the antagonist * Find that Gil-Galad in The Rings of Power is the most inept King. In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about: * Whether they prefer Rings of Power Elves or Hobbit Elves ...

In Chapter 3, A Short Rest, for the first time we meet the elves of Rivendell… and they certainly seem different than the same characters in The Lord of the Rings. In this episode, we look at: How Elrond was a “Fortunate Accident”! The indistinct descriptions of Middle-earth–following by the distinct description of Rivendell. What inspired Tolkien’s description of RIvendell. Why are these elves SO different? How elves were portrayed BEFORE Tolkien changed the cultural understanding. In our...

We weren’t huge fans of Tolkien’s changes to chapter 1 of The Hobbit in his abandoned 1960 rewrite–but chapter 2 surprised us with it’s pitch-perfect changes! Some of the things we discuss are: Want the first edition of The Hobbit? Get ready to pay! Middle-earth gains space–and is now the “character” we know Gandalf’s got a horse–and he’s AWESOME! Bilbo is more helpless and forgotten–and it’s better JRR Tolkien’s prose is more expertly crafted Listen to Tolkien Reading “Roast Mutton” In o...

Join our Free Discord Channel! It’s not that the trolls aren’t scary… or are they? Did Tolkien mean for them to be frightening? In this episode we get into how the trolls find a balance, of sorts, between, fear and goofiness–and maybe it all starts with their accents (Michael breaks down exactly where their accent is from too!). We discuss: * The Hobbits and The King * Troll Accents * The Brave Burglar * The Incompetent Dwarves * The Incompetent Wizard In our extended episode (available f...

Join our Free Discord Channel! We make our way through the first 1/2 of Chapter 2, Roast Mutton… First, though, we reveal a Hobbit fact that makes one big connection between The Hobbit and The Silmarillion! Bilibo finally makes his way out the door–but was it his decision or did Gandalf force him out? And who is this “king” that’s mentioned? In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about: * How many editors were there for The Red Book of Westmarch? * Thorin’s dignity in Pe...

Join our Free Discord Channel! When Tolkien set out to rewrite The Hobbit in 1960, much was lost, but much was gained… Do the gains outweigh the losses? We review his rewritten 1st chapter of The Hobbit, newly title “A Well-Planned Party”. We discuss: * Fairy Rabbit’s are NOT Hobbits… but AI can still imagine them. * Fairy Rabbit #1 * Fairy Rabbit #2 * Fairy Rabbit #3 * Fairy Rabbit #4 * Fairy Rabbit #5 * Fairy Rabbit #6 * Tolkien’s grammatical error that created an entirely new word. ...

Join our Free Discord Channel! Bilbo loses the comfort of his home and finds that the Tookish side of his mind is starting to overcome the Baggins side We discuss: * The three things that pushed Bilbo over onto the Took side of his personality. * How the Dwarven song of the Misty Mountain helps us glimpse the greater world of Middle-earth that Tolkien hadn’t integrated into The Hobbit yet. * Golf! (and Tolkien’s philological jest) * How Tolkien took the 3 things that defined him and created...

Join our Free Discord Channel! As we get into the first chapter of The Hobbit, we discuss how coming at The Hobbit from a how does this fit into the Middle-earth cosmology perspective is probably not the best start. We discuss: * How The Hobbit wasn’t really in Middle-earth in the beginning. * How “Good Morning” is used so expertly by tolkien * How Bilbo’s Tookish side is starting to take over * The BEST cover art for any edition of The Hobbit (see link below) In our extended episode (avai...

Join our Free Discord Channel! This week we begin our read through of The Hobbit–but we’re focusing first on how Tolkien actually evolved the Hobbit from his first edition in 1937 to a revised edition that’s more in line with The Lord of the Rings in 1951 to an abandoned rewrite in 1960. We discuss: * The History of The Hobbit — based on his recollection, and how it differs from what his children remember. * The style differences in the 3 versions. * The story differences (particularly with ...