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9. This Flash, This Sublime Thing.
Jared, Oriana and Ned discuss Jared’s choice of topic: magic. It may seem
strange given that one of Tolkien’s most central and indelible characters,
Gandalf, is a wizard, but magic plays a more understated role in Middle-earth
than it might seem on first blush. Starting with the famed exchange between
Galadriel, Frodo and Sam about whether her mirror is magic—a question
Galadriel seems not to understand—we consider magic’s role as an at once
strong and yet sublimated element throughout Tolkien’s Middle-earth work. What
does it mean that Gandalf often seems reluctant to do anything magical to
start with? Is magic something intrinsic to certain characters, things and
places, or is it a matter of craft and study? How does Tolkien’s use of magic
differ or resemble magic as portrayed in other fantasy authors’ work? Does the
off-hand mention of Queen Berúthiel in The Lord of the Rings contain a larger
clue to how widespread magic itself might be? And which of us confessed to
trying to use Gandalf’s fire-creating spell on the slopes of Caradhras to set
sticks on fire in their backyard when they were 12 years old?
Show Notes.
Jared’s
doodle for
the episode.
Jared’s illustrated series of the
Valier.
Deadline’s report on the Amazon series’s renewal for a second season
and the filming/hiatus plans.
A 2010 piece from the Heterodoxology
blog on Renaissance magic and Goetia in particular.
William Morris
continues to cast a long shadow in many ways.
Trust me, you know Maxfield Parrish’s work.
The Palantíri are truly
mysterious objects...
...and the Istari (aka Gandalf and
his compatriots) truly mysterious creations.
Brandon Sanderson has written quite a
lot. That’s it, that’s the note.
Amon Hen, the Hill of Seeing, and
its counterpart Amon Lhaw are
really two of the most unusual locations in all of Tolkien’s work. A
Númenorean magical—or technological—achievement? Something already there?
All hail Ursula K. Le Guin and her memory.
Click the link and Earthsea is the first thing you see.
The Noldor were indeed initially called
Gnomes. No pointy red hats
necessarily implied back then; now…
Queen Berúthiel. The ultimate
human goth of Middle-earth? (Eöl is
probably the ultimate elf goth.)
Geas! Learn about it.
The cookbook mentioned by Ned is Regional Cooking from Middle-earth: Recipes
of the Third Age—the listed author is Emerald Took, a pseudonym
for Stephanie Simmons, whose story and influences can be found in two 2002
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stories here and here.
If you’re planning on reading ahead for the next episode, this
edition
is exhaustive in the best way.
Be like Jared and read Mervyn Peake, you’ll be
glad you did.
Support By-The-Bywater on Patreon if you
can. Thanks!
View all episodes
By Jared Pechaček, Oriana Scwindt, and Ned Raggett
4.8
2929 ratings
Jared, Oriana and Ned discuss Jared’s choice of topic: magic. It may seem
strange given that one of Tolkien’s most central and indelible characters,
Gandalf, is a wizard, but magic plays a more understated role in Middle-earth
than it might seem on first blush. Starting with the famed exchange between
Galadriel, Frodo and Sam about whether her mirror is magic—a question
Galadriel seems not to understand—we consider magic’s role as an at once
strong and yet sublimated element throughout Tolkien’s Middle-earth work. What
does it mean that Gandalf often seems reluctant to do anything magical to
start with? Is magic something intrinsic to certain characters, things and
places, or is it a matter of craft and study? How does Tolkien’s use of magic
differ or resemble magic as portrayed in other fantasy authors’ work? Does the
off-hand mention of Queen Berúthiel in The Lord of the Rings contain a larger
clue to how widespread magic itself might be? And which of us confessed to
trying to use Gandalf’s fire-creating spell on the slopes of Caradhras to set
sticks on fire in their backyard when they were 12 years old?
Show Notes.
Jared’s
doodle for
the episode.
Jared’s illustrated series of the
Valier.
Deadline’s report on the Amazon series’s renewal for a second season
and the filming/hiatus plans.
A 2010 piece from the Heterodoxology
blog on Renaissance magic and Goetia in particular.
William Morris
continues to cast a long shadow in many ways.
Trust me, you know Maxfield Parrish’s work.
The Palantíri are truly
mysterious objects...
...and the Istari (aka Gandalf and
his compatriots) truly mysterious creations.
Brandon Sanderson has written quite a
lot. That’s it, that’s the note.
Amon Hen, the Hill of Seeing, and
its counterpart Amon Lhaw are
really two of the most unusual locations in all of Tolkien’s work. A
Númenorean magical—or technological—achievement? Something already there?
All hail Ursula K. Le Guin and her memory.
Click the link and Earthsea is the first thing you see.
The Noldor were indeed initially called
Gnomes. No pointy red hats
necessarily implied back then; now…
Queen Berúthiel. The ultimate
human goth of Middle-earth? (Eöl is
probably the ultimate elf goth.)
Geas! Learn about it.
The cookbook mentioned by Ned is Regional Cooking from Middle-earth: Recipes
of the Third Age—the listed author is Emerald Took, a pseudonym
for Stephanie Simmons, whose story and influences can be found in two 2002
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stories here and here.
If you’re planning on reading ahead for the next episode, this
edition
is exhaustive in the best way.
Be like Jared and read Mervyn Peake, you’ll be
glad you did.
Support By-The-Bywater on Patreon if you
can. Thanks!
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