Jared, Oriana and Ned discuss Ned’s choice of topic: Arnor and Angmar. Only half-referenced in the Jackson adaptations, the long-gone realms of Arnor and Angmar don’t have much place in the original Lord of the Rings text itself – in fact, Tolkien didn’t fully introduce either of them by time and set a firm sense of what exactly they were until much later in the overall revision process, including the development of the appendices. Arnor was the northern equivalent of Gondor, a realm in exile founded by Númenor’s refugees, but one that slowly fractured and then faded away or was conquered bit by bit. Angmar was the realm doing most of the conquering, set up and ruled over by the Lord of the Nazgûl in the guise of the Witch-king, though after his final conquest of the remains of Arnor, Angmar itself was soon after destroyed via an invasion from Gondor. But while centuries have passed since both their ends, the realms have a strange, at times unsettling impact on the characters and situations in the main text. What was the legacy of both kingdoms as it affected Aragorn in particular, as well as the remnant of peoples he found himself leading, even at times at a great distance? How did the sense of history in England itself in terms of lost kingdoms and mysterious ruins play into what Tolkien imagined for both realms? Was the nature of Angmar always just a matter of convenience, and what does it mean that it seems to be drawing on numerous different peoples and species? And if nature abhors a vacuum, how much did the nature of fandom contribute in terms of fan work talking about both of them? (Answer: quite a bit.)

Jared’s doodle. (And be sure to check the follow-up post on part of the inspiration.)

The Ursula K Le Guin 2025 Prize! And indeed Jared is among the nominees. (Per his suggestion, check out Rakesfall.)

The Maine International Film Festival is about here and here’s the Sight Unseen screening information. (Plus check out Oriana’s article in MovieMaker cowritten with her husband and creative partner on the film!)

Meantime, Ned and his musical side turn up in podcast episodes on Suede and Oasis (for the latter, the segment he’s in starts around forty minutes in, and here’s the segment’s host and producer Melissa Locker’s book on Oasis fans including him, And After All).

The Rings of Power casting news du jour. 

Embracer now calls itself Fellowship Entertainment. Of course.

Alex Scopic’s article for Current Affairs, “How The Right Abuses Tolkien.” (And as ever check out our Silicon Valley episode.)

Simon Tolkien’s article “Finding Your Way Into Writing Fiction As J. R. R. Tolkien’s Grandson,” as shared via LitHub.

Arnor and Angmar – they’re places both!

It’s true there’s not as much pre-Columbian architecture in the US, but it’s worth noting what remains – here’s a useful initial guide.

Fanwork on these places? Consider Annúminas and Carn Dûm… Plus, our Karen Wynn Fonstad/Atlas of Middle-earth episode.

The Sceptre of Annúminas – more important than the city itself.

The Chieftains of the Dúnedain in Arnor, ruling over…something. But what, exactly, is unclear. (Though per this note, some scattered information emerged in some of the posthumous publications.)

Gilraen? She’s awesome. 

If you REALLY want to get into some fanfic on Aragorn’s family background, there’s this…

Ah yes, Tora Bora. Great.

Our episode on allegory and applicability.

Witches and ducks. Look, you know the scene. (We assume.)

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