Exploring Tolkien

With talking animals, animals serving food and dancing bears, this may just be the oddest chapter in all of Middle-earth!

Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves are dropped off on the Carrock, and find themselves in the company of a man who rather doesn't like dwarves--but who loves a good story!

Stuck in trees with fire at their heels, the company find themselves surround by intelligent wolves and taunting orcs.

Life took an unexpected turn this week with the fires in Southern California this week.

Bilbo makes it out of the Misty Mountains with more courage than ever before, while the dwarves prove their disloyalty.

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!

We all had high hopes when War of the Rohirrim was announced a few years ago. Are those hopes realized in this anime Lord of the Rings film?

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. But what exactly did he change?

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.

"Riddles in the Dark" is not only the most memorable event from all of Middle-earth -- it's also the turning point that ultimately let to The Lord of the Rings.

The goblins of moria grab the dwarves (and hobbit) who decided to camp out on their "front porch", leading to some real terrifying moments!

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 differences between goblins and orcs? Is there a difference? And when did Tolkien stop using the word "goblin" altogether? Here are the pics to go along with today's episode! Rivendell Roof in Switzerland Jungfrau Mountain from Tolkien's 1912 Switzerland Hiking Trip BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for on Patreon! 🔗 Episode Links The History of The Hobbit The Annotated Hobbit Join our Discord Community (for free) Get the Extended Podcast Become a Patreon Member 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Become a Patreon Member Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The History of The Hobbit The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (audiobook) The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (book) The Silmarillion The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth Make Tolkien Great Again - Tengwar Hat

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 with today's Hobbit Fact about the Hildebrandt brothers! An Unexpected Party The Fellowship of the Ring The Return of Gandalf Éowyn and the Nazgûl City of the Nazgûl The Healing of Éowyn Shannara Star Wars BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for on Patreon! 🔗 Episode Links The History of The Hobbit The Annotated Hobbit Join our Discord Community (for free) Get the Extended Podcast Become a Patreon Member 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Become a Patreon Member Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The History of The Hobbit The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (audiobook) The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (book) The Silmarillion The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth Make Tolkien Great Again - Tengwar Hat

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.

The final episode of The Rings of Power (season 2) wraps up by revealing Dwarf politics, Númenorean politics,

The Rings of Power abandons all lore to satisfy their dumbest desires.

The Rings of Power's elves are simple imbeciles, the Númenoreans now decide rulers based on what big animals do, an Tom Bombadil inverts one of Tolkien's most important lines.

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

Not sure how this Tom Bombadil came into existence--but he's definitely incredibly different from Tolkien's Bombadil.

Season 2 of The Rings of Power is here! And with it comes new hackneyed phrases, ridiculous contrivances, and incredible coincidences.