May 02, 2022

38. The Rings of Power Broker.

54 minutes

Jared, Oriana and Ned talk about Oriana’s choice of topic: initial thoughts

on what evil is in Tolkien’s work. The sweeping arc of The Lord of the Rings

in particular is understandably thought of – though very often simplistically

reduced to – a basic good versus evil clash, a black and white split. But as

more and more of Tolkien’s work over the decades has been published over time,

up to and including last year’s The Nature of Middle-earth volume, it’s clear

that he himself thought that what evil exactly was in his created universe

took on many forms and had numerous ways of being perceived. It’s also well

worth reflecting on how many of his seemingly stereotypical ‘good’ characters

carry out actions, consciously or not, that result in manifold acts of evil

playing out in many different forms, from mass slaughter to small acts of

domination. What are the differences between Morgoth and his prime servant

Sauron in terms of how they view their actions and desires, and how they carry

them out? What are the worst horrors carried out in Arda Marred – itself

conceived and portrayed as containing an intrinsic, foundational evil that

could not be removed without its own destruction – and who is ultimately

responsible for them in the moment? How is the pettiness of Ted Sandyman’s

laughter and spit in the Scouring of the Shire as much a reflection of evil as

Sauron’s ravaging of the Pelennor Fields? And is there evil as such portrayed

at all in any of Tolkien’s non-Middle-earth works, or is it more something

akin to it?

Show Notes.

Jared’s

doodle. Truly

tragic and horrific, and that’s all that can be said.

The Folio Society announcement of the newly

revised and updated Alan Lee-illustrated Lord of the Rings edition. It really

does look great.

The Folio Society’s earlier edition with illustrations by Queen

Margrethe is indeed really sharp

too.

A report on the Ukok Princess and her

tattoos. Truly striking work.

Plenty of stuff to read about Robert Eggers’s film The Northman – enjoy this

Smithsonian dive into some of the historical

roots. (Bjork’s character is a priestess for this

fellow.)

The Tolkien Gateway entry on Arda

Marred.

Robert Moses had quite the

impact, to put it mildly – as did Robert Caro’s

famed biographical study, The Power Broker.

The

Kinslaying

really is a horrific event to consider.

Our episode on The Nature of Middle-earth.

Generational and inter-generational trauma are heavy burdens.

Our Aldarion and Erendis episode:

destructive sorrow without evil as such.

Our Scouring of the Shire

episode.

Bulletproof vs. stab-proof

vests, should you be so inclined.

The Book of Job is quite a

meditation on evil’s existence.

There’s a lot out there regarding modern Disney, Marvel, villainy and so

forth. For now, Adam Serwer on Killmonger in Black

Panther and a wider meditation and links to other

pieces on colonialism and imperialism in Thor:

Ragnarok.

Our episodes on Farmer Giles of

Ham, Smith of Wootton

Major and Leaf By

Niggle.

Support By-The-Bywater through our network, Megaphonic, on

Patreon.

...more

View all episodes

By Jared Pechaček, Oriana Scwindt, and Ned Raggett

4.8

2929 ratings