Amon Sûl

By Richard Rohlin, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, and Ancient Faith Ministries

Religion & Spirituality Christianity

What's Amon Sûl about?

Exploring the Tolkien Legendarium with the Christian Faith

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Amon Sûl episodes:

05.21.2024
102 -The Last Homely House: The War of Wrath
Podcaster and entomologist Aaron Irber of “I Might Believe in Faeries” rejoins Richard to continue his extended deep-read of the Silmarillion. They finish up the Quenta Silmarillion proper. If this series has passed from the high and the beautiful to...
04.25.2024
101 - Niggle by Cyril
Dr. Cyril Jenkins joins Fr. Andrew for a reading of Tolkien’s short story “Leaf by Niggle.” Is this really an allegory? What does it say about this life and the life of the age to come? Why...
04.03.2024
100 - There's (No) Religion in Middle-earth
After 99 episodes of talking about how to interpret Tolkien’s works in religious and specifically Orthodox Christian terms, in Episode 100 Fr. Andrew and Richard talk about all that religion that really is in Middle-earth. Because actually it really...
03.29.2024
099 - Lenten Meditation: How to Save the Shire
Richard Rohlin returns from his travels and travails with a lenten meditation on food and song, bacon and eggs, and the love of home.
01.25.2024
098 - No Living Man Am I
Author Georgia Briggs joins Fr. Andrew to talk about the character arc of the great Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of the North and White Lady of Rohan. Why is she the way that she is? Why is she so relatable? What makes...
12.25.2023
097 - Brightest of Angels (Christmas Special)
For their 2023 Christmas episode, Fr. Andrew and Richard discuss the Old English Cynewulf poem “Christ,” whoase famous line “Eala Earendel engla beorhtast” inspired the core of the Tolkien legendarium.
12.21.2023
096 - The Last Homely House: The Star-Ship Vingilot
Andrea with the Bangs comes back for Part 2 of our mini-series on the Voyages of Earendil. She and Richard talk more about what it would mean for Earendil to leave his wife and sons for the doomed voyage into...
12.06.2023
095 - Roads Go Ever Ever On
Richard joins Fr. Andrew for the conclusion of his two-year walk through The Hobbit, pondering on what it means to be just a little hobbit in the wide world, reading a little Tinfang Warble, and taking a funky dive into...
11.16.2023
094 - The Last Homely House: These Are the Voyages
Richard is rejoined by Andrea with the Bangs for part 1 of a 2-part series on the Voyages of Earendil. They talk about stories, the necessity of properly pairing the masculine and the feminine, and various matters touching seabirds. Richard...
10.25.2023
093 - Until the World is Renewed
Michael Landsman joins Fr. Andrew to look at the penultimate chapter of The Hobbit, chapter 18, “The Return Journey,” featuring many farewells and most importantly, the death of Thorin. They talk about themes of hope, asceticism, blessings, generosity, repentance, and...
10.10.2023
092 - The Last Homely House: Gondolin
Michael Haldas joins Richard once again to wrap up the conversation they started in 089 - The Last Homely House: The Fall of Everything. This time, they finally make it to Gondolin, and talk about how Professor Tolkien first broke...
09.29.2023
091 - A Dream Some Other Mind is Weaving
Unearthed from hidden archives (because you can never delve too greedily nor too deeply when it comes to lore), we present this previously unpublished 2021 DoxaMoot lecture by Richard Rohlin: "'A dream that some other mind is weaving’: Faerian...
08.25.2023
090 - Don’t Damage the Burglar
Steven Christoforou joins Fr. Andrew to talk chapter 17 of The Hobbit, “The Clouds Burst,” where we finally get the Battle of Five Armies – but which five? The King Under the Mountain leaps forth, Bilbo collects war stories, and...
08.17.2023
089 - The Last Homely House: The Fall of Everything
Michael Haldas joins Richard to discuss “Of the Fall of Doriath,” which rivals “The Fifth Battle…” for being the bummerest chapter in The Silmarillion. They talk about weeping, Michael’s favorite character in the legendarium, and Michael schools Richard on some...
07.06.2023
088 - A Diplomat in the Night
Reading chapter 16, the shortest chapter in The Hobbit, “A Thief in the Night,” Dr. Cyril Jenkins and Fr. Andrew talk about what the Arkenstone means for the narrative, whether Bilbo ought to have handed it over, and how possessiveness...
06.13.2023
087 - The Last Homely House: Alliteration for Fun and Profit
Richard is joined once again by fellow philologist Scott Brewer. Together, they passionately defend flagon-tossing, rant about the current state of medievalism as an academic discipline, and dispense hot takes about all of the latest vowel-shifting, syntax-muddling news. Also, they...
06.10.2023
087 - The Last Homely House: Alliteration for Fun and Profit
Richard is joined once again by fellow philologist Scott Brewer. Together, they passionately defend flagon-tossing, rant about the current state of medievalism as an academic discipline, and dispense hot takes about all of the latest vowel-shifting, syntax-muddling news. Also, they...
05.11.2023
086 - The Last Homely House: To Rule the Fate of Many
Richard interviews Tom Hillman about his forthcoming book “Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many.” They talk about what exactly the Ring is, how it works, and the importance of Pity in Tolkien’s legendarium. There’s also...
04.26.2023
085 - Still Stinks of Dragon
Tolkien scholar Dr. Lisa Coutras joins Fr. Andrew to discuss chapter 15 of The Hobbit, “The Gathering of the Clouds.” Together they ponder balding ravens and whether Thorin is acting like an Antichrist, wrapping up with a short reading from...
04.10.2023
084 - The Last Homely House: The Very Happy Tale of the Children of Hurin
Richard is rejoined by Dr. Augusta Hardy. Together, they explore the saddest of all of the Great Tales of the First Age of Middle-earth: the Tale of the Children of Hurin, and discuss the dangers of Protagonist Syndrome. Also, Augusta...
03.25.2023
083 - The Grim-Voiced Man
Richard joins Fr. Andrew to discuss chapter 14 of The Hobbit, “Fire and Water.” Bard gets introduced, Smaug sleeps with the fishes, and the dream of gold comes back into everyone’s hearts. Richard reads a little-known Tolkien dragon poem,...
03.10.2023
082 - The Last Homely House: 525,600 Tears
Fr. Andrew joins Richard as The Last Homely House returns after being closed for renovations. They discuss Chapter 20 of the Quenta Silmarillion: The Fifth Battle, and also talk a good bit about Beowulf and Germanic myths, legends, and poetry....
02.25.2023
081 - What on Earth or Under It
Dcn. Nicholas Kotar joins Fr. Andrew to cover chapter 13 of The Hobbit, “Not at Home.” The dwarves have a look around inside the mountain while the dragon is away, and Bilbo picks up a couple souvenirs.
01.25.2023
080 - The Real King Under the Mountain
Dr. Cyril Jenkins joins Fr. Andrew to cover chapter 12 of The Hobbit, “Inside Information.” Dragons sit on gold, conversations are had with the wyrm, and key narrative links are made to Beowulf and the Volsungasaga. But what does it...
12.10.2022
079 - The Last Homely House: I Will Tell You the Tale of Tinuviel
Fr. Anthony Cook returns to The Last Homely House to talk about the autobiographical origins of the earliest version of the story of Beren & Luthien. Richard and Fr. Anthony read the wild and wonderful Tale of Tinuviel, discussing love,...
11.25.2022
078 - Durin’s Day
Pop culture columnist and fantasy fiction writer Elizabeth Dresdow joins the podcast to discuss chapter 11 of The Hobbit, “On the Doorstep.” She shares her thoughts on “The Rings of Power” and its reception and explores with Fr. Andrew...
11.10.2022
077 - The Last Homely House: Elf Girl Summer
In this second installment of our mini-series on Beren and Luthien, Richard Rohlin is joined by Andrea with the Bangs. Together, they talk about the masculine and the feminine, the difference between masculine and feminine heroic archetypes, and the way...
10.26.2022
076 - Thag You Very Buch
Michael Haldas returns to the podcast to talk with Fr. Andrew about chapter 10 of The Hobbit, “A Warm Welcome,” in which Bilbo and the Dwarves arrive at Laketown. But what is the lost history of the city-state of Dale?...
10.11.2022
075 - The Last Homely House: Of Leaves and Lindon Trees
Richard Rohlin is rejoined by guest co-host Tom Hillman who shows up… prepared to talk about something else entirely? It all works out in the end, though, as Rohlin and Hillman begin a discussion of Beren & Luthien. What makes...
10.10.2022
074 - This Sneaking Sort of Life
Richard joins Fr. Andrew to read chapter 9 of The Hobbit, “Barrels Out of Bond.” We meet the Elvenking, learn about the Wood Elves’ fondness for wine, and Bilbo does what it takes to acquire his great title of “Barrel...
09.25.2022
074 - This Sneaking Sort of Life
Richard joins Fr. Andrew to read chapter 9 of The Hobbit, “Barrels Out of Bond.” We meet the Elvenking, learn about the Wood Elves’ fondness for wine, and Bilbo does what it takes to acquire his great title of “Barrel...
09.10.2022
073 - The Last Homely House: Fingolfin’s Last Ride
Richard Rohlin is joined by Fr. Anthony Cook. Together, they read Chapter 18 of the Silmarillion “Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin” and discuss the primacy of poetry in the Legendarium. And yeah, there’s also a...
09.08.2022
073 - The Last Homely House: Fingolfin's Last Ride
Richard Rohlin is joined by Fr. Anthony Cook. Together, they read Chapter 18 of the Silmarillion “Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin” and discuss the primacy of poetry in the Legendarium. And yeah, there’s also a...
09.02.2022
072 - “What is Heat?” and Other Hot Takes from “The Rings of Power”
Fresh from watching the first two episodes of the new Amazon Tolkien series “The Rings of Power,” Fr. Andrew and Richard give their initial impressions – what they liked, what they didn’t like, and that haunting, uncomfortable feeling Richard has...
08.25.2022
071 - I Shall Call You Sting
Rev. Michael Landsman (Fr. Andrew’s co-host on the Areopagus Podcast) finally joins the podcast to talk about chapter 8 of The Hobbit with its spiders, enchanted forest, and that elven dinner party that you can’t quite reach. The episode wraps...
08.16.2022
071 - I Shall Call You Sting
Rev. Michael Landsman (Fr. Andrew’s co-host on the Areopagus Podcast) finally joins the podcast to talk about chapter 8 of The Hobbit with its spiders, enchanted forest, and that elven dinner party that you can’t quite reach. The episode wraps...
08.10.2022
070 - The Last Homely House: Go West, Young Men
Richard Rohlin is joined by Aaron Irber, the host of the “I Might Believe in Fairies” podcast. They continue Richard’s deep-read through the Silmarillion with Chapter 17 “Of the Coming of Men into the West” and talk about why it...
07.25.2022
069 - Waiter, There’s a Were-bear in my Mead Hall
Fr. Anthony Cook returns to the podcast to talk about everyone’s favorite were-bear in “Queer Lodgings,” chapter 7 of The Hobbit, not to mention animals who walk upright, the proper greetings of eagles, the many blessings in The Hobbit, and...
07.15.2022
069 - Waiter, There's a Were-bear in my Mead Hall
Fr. Anthony Cook returns to the podcast to talk about everyone’s favorite were-bear in “Queer Lodgings,” chapter 7 of The Hobbit, not to mention animals who walk upright, the proper greetings of eagles, the many blessings in The Hobbit, and...
07.11.2022
068 - The Last Homely House: Tolkien Doesn't Have Enough Dark Characters
Richard is joined by recurring guest Deacon Nicholas Kotar to discuss Chapter 16 of the Quenta Silmarillion “Of Maeglin.” They talk about the dark side of Tolkien, dish on the new Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and answer some of your questions...
07.10.2022
068 - The Last Homely House: Tolkien Doesn’t Have Enough Dark Characters
Richard is joined by recurring guest Deacon Nicholas Kotar to discuss Chapter 16 of the Quenta Silmarillion “Of Maeglin.” They talk about the dark side of Tolkien, dish on the new Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and answer some of your questions...
06.25.2022
067 - Eagles Aren’t Forks
Dr. Cyril Jenkins returns to the podcast to discuss “Out of the Frying-pan Into the Fire,” chapter 6 of The Hobbit. Is this the real turning point in Bilbo’s career? What does the virtue of duty mean? And are eagles...
06.10.2022
066 - The Last Homely House: Philology for Fun and Profit
Richard is joined by fellow parishioner and philologist Scott Brewer, and the two of them finally cut loose about their deep love of lenition, morphology, and the English language. They read Chapter 15 “Of the Noldor in Beleriand,” drop some...
06.08.2022
067 - Eagles Aren't Forks
Dr. Cyril Jenkins returns to the podcast to discuss “Out of the Frying-pan Into the Fire,” chapter 6 of The Hobbit. Is this the real turning point in Bilbo’s career? What does the virtue of duty mean? ...
06.06.2022
066 - The Last Homely House: Philology for Fun and Profit
Richard is joined by fellow parishioner and philologist Scott Brewer, and the two of them finally cut loose about their deep love of lenition, morphology, and the English language. They read Chapter 15 “Of the Noldor in Beleriand,” drop some...
05.25.2022
065 - That Chancy Quest of Erebor
Fr. Andrew and Richard tackle “The Quest of Erebor,” a text found in Unfinished Tales that provides depth and context for The Hobbit. They talk about whether and how texts like this count as “Tolkien Apocrypha,” Thorin’s real opinion...
05.10.2022
064 - The Last Homely House: The Scary Geography Chapter
Richard is joined by Fr. Andrew for this month’s installment of The Last Homely House as they discuss orcs, ogres, and take a deep dive into the notorious lucky number chapter fourteen of the Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and Its...
05.06.2022
064 - The Last Homely House: The Scary Geography Chapter
Richard is joined by Fr. Andrew for this month’s installment of The Last Homely House as they discuss orcs, ogres, and take a deep dive into the notorious lucky number chapter fourteen of the Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and Its...
04.25.2022
063 - Dark as Darkness
Is it nice, my preciousss? Is it juicy? Is it scrumptiously crunchable? Christian Gonzalez joins Fr. Andrew to riddle some riddles in the dark, looking at chapter 5 of The Hobbit. They also address listener questions about the morality of...
04.20.2022
063 - Dark as Darkness
Is it nice, my preciousss? Is it juicy? Is it scrumptiously crunchable? Christian Gonzalez joins Fr. Andrew to riddle some riddles in the dark, looking at chapter 5 of The Hobbit. They also address listener questions about the morality...

What's Amon Sûl about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Amon Sûl episodes:

102 -The Last Homely House: The War of Wrath

101 - Niggle by Cyril

100 - There's (No) Religion in Middle-earth

099 - Lenten Meditation: How to Save the Shire

098 - No Living Man Am I

097 - Brightest of Angels (Christmas Special)

096 - The Last Homely House: The Star-Ship Vingilot

095 - Roads Go Ever Ever On

094 - The Last Homely House: These Are the Voyages

093 - Until the World is Renewed

092 - The Last Homely House: Gondolin

091 - A Dream Some Other Mind is Weaving

090 - Don’t Damage the Burglar

089 - The Last Homely House: The Fall of Everything

088 - A Diplomat in the Night

087 - The Last Homely House: Alliteration for Fun and Profit

087 - The Last Homely House: Alliteration for Fun and Profit

086 - The Last Homely House: To Rule the Fate of Many

085 - Still Stinks of Dragon

084 - The Last Homely House: The Very Happy Tale of the Children of Hurin

083 - The Grim-Voiced Man

082 - The Last Homely House: 525,600 Tears

081 - What on Earth or Under It

080 - The Real King Under the Mountain

079 - The Last Homely House: I Will Tell You the Tale of Tinuviel

078 - Durin’s Day

077 - The Last Homely House: Elf Girl Summer

076 - Thag You Very Buch

075 - The Last Homely House: Of Leaves and Lindon Trees

074 - This Sneaking Sort of Life

074 - This Sneaking Sort of Life

073 - The Last Homely House: Fingolfin’s Last Ride

073 - The Last Homely House: Fingolfin's Last Ride

072 - “What is Heat?” and Other Hot Takes from “The Rings of Power”

071 - I Shall Call You Sting

071 - I Shall Call You Sting

070 - The Last Homely House: Go West, Young Men

069 - Waiter, There’s a Were-bear in my Mead Hall

069 - Waiter, There's a Were-bear in my Mead Hall

068 - The Last Homely House: Tolkien Doesn't Have Enough Dark Characters

068 - The Last Homely House: Tolkien Doesn’t Have Enough Dark Characters

067 - Eagles Aren’t Forks

066 - The Last Homely House: Philology for Fun and Profit

067 - Eagles Aren't Forks

066 - The Last Homely House: Philology for Fun and Profit

065 - That Chancy Quest of Erebor

064 - The Last Homely House: The Scary Geography Chapter

064 - The Last Homely House: The Scary Geography Chapter

063 - Dark as Darkness

063 - Dark as Darkness

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