November 26, 2025

151. Eagles Didn’t Win the Battle – The Hobbit #36

1 hour 9 minutes

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 saw in the movies. In this episode, we dig into Tolkien’s penultimate chapter, “The Return Journey,” unpacking the emotional aftermath and story-shaping consequences of the war that changed Middle-earth.

We also explore:

Why Beorn’s sudden intervention was more than just another “eagle rescue”—and what Tolkien draws from the real definition of berserkers”.

Thorin’s final moments and his transformation from gold-obsessed king to the Dwarf who names Bilbo “child of the kindly West” — did he earn that change?

The fate of Fili and Kili—Tolkien originally spared them in his draft… and why he changed that.

What the actual division of treasure reveals about Dwarven honor, claims, and leadership

How Tolkien uses this chapter to quietly set the stage for The Lord of the Rings and fill out the wider world of Middle-earth

Plus, we tackle the bigger questions:

Did Bilbo’s “betrayal” actually make things worse?

Why is Bilbo so eager to leave—has the Baggins/Took conflict finally resolved?

And what’s up with the mysterious “three parts” of the goblins wiped out in battle?

In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about:

What the untold story of Beorn’s descendants and their wild realm could have been—and how Tolkien left open the door for new adventures

The evolution of Bilbo as a character: has he truly found peace between Took and Baggins?

🔗 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

...more

View all episodes

By TheOneRing.com

4.7

3535 ratings

November 26, 2025

151. Eagles Didn’t Win the Battle – The Hobbit #36

1 hour 9 minutes

We also explore:

Why Beorn’s sudden intervention was more than just another “eagle rescue”—and what Tolkien draws from the real definition of berserkers”.

Thorin’s final moments and his transformation from gold-obsessed king to the Dwarf who names Bilbo “child of the kindly West” — did he earn that change?

The fate of Fili and Kili—Tolkien originally spared them in his draft… and why he changed that.

What the actual division of treasure reveals about Dwarven honor, claims, and leadership

How Tolkien uses this chapter to quietly set the stage for The Lord of the Rings and fill out the wider world of Middle-earth

Plus, we tackle the bigger questions:

Did Bilbo’s “betrayal” actually make things worse?

Why is Bilbo so eager to leave—has the Baggins/Took conflict finally resolved?

And what’s up with the mysterious “three parts” of the goblins wiped out in battle?

In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about:

What the untold story of Beorn’s descendants and their wild realm could have been—and how Tolkien left open the door for new adventures

The evolution of Bilbo as a character: has he truly found peace between Took and Baggins?

🔗 Episode Links

The History of The Hobbit