In this week's episode, Jonathan poses some trivia questions to Michael and Dan, Michael puts together a great diagram to explain ALL the different types of elves, and we confirm the existence of female orcs!

Dan, Jonathan, and Michael are taking the week off to be with friends and family.  So if you're looking for a little more Tolkien commentary this week, be sure to checkout our YouTube channel at https://www.theonering.com/youtube

In this episode, Jonathan is gobsmacked that the dwarves are ACTUALLY the firstborn! Michael, Dan, and Jonathan also discuss the ins and outs of Aulē's relationship with Yavanna, and how Yavanna's hopes for eagles in her trees is dashed by Manwë.

With the stage set for enormous battles between Melkor and the Valar, Jonathan, Michael, and Dan dive into "Of the Beginning of Days" to surface questions like:

Did the color green exist before Varda?

How long is the time of the lamps?

Is the light of the trees physical?

Which Valar long for Middle-earth?

In the second chapter of The Silmarillion, Valaquenta, Michael, Dan, and Jonathan test their knowledge with "All that is Gold, Does Not Glitter", decide that Varda should've dated Melkor, and explain that Tolkien was a true flat-earther!

Listen as we discuss these questions and look to find answers directly in Tolkien's text!

Join Michael, Dan, and Jonathan as they begin the long journey through The Silmarillion with the first chapter, Ainulindalē.

We tackle questions like... Why is music so important? Is there a direct relationship between the Biblical creation story and Tolkien's? How much do the Valar actually KNOW? Why are Manwé and Melkor "brothers"? Why is water important? Are the Valar really transgender? Listen as we discuss these questions and look to find answers directly in Tolkien's text!

Stay till the end to hear what you should check out if you like Tolkien!

Michael, Dan, and Jonathan offer their thoughts on what we know and what we’ve seen about Amazon’s Rings of Power series, and also talk about what Silmarillion story they would like to see put on film. And Dan just wants bearded dwarf women...

Make sure you read the first part of The Silmarillion, Ainulindalë, as we'll start our read through next week!

Who are these guys? Why are they doing a podcast?  When did they read the Lord of the Rings?  How do they know each other?