Exploring Tolkien

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Exploring Tolkien episodes

May 12 162. Morgoth’s Curse and the Pride of Men : The Children of Húrin #1
We finally return to Tolkien’s First Age for a new deep-dive series on The Children of Hurin.
47 min
April 28 161. Tolkien’s First Tragic Tale : The Story of Kullervo
The Story of Kullervo was likely the earliest inspiration for one of Tolkien's greatest stories -- The Children of Húrin.
1 hr 8 min
April 14 160. Did Peter Jackson make Saruman too Powerful? : Film Changes #49 and #50
This episode tackles two more changes from Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring—Saruman orchestrating the storm on Caradhras, and the missing warg attack in Hollin. We break down how these adaptations simplify Middle-earth, debate whether Saruman’s powers go too far, and discuss what’s lost when the mountain itself isn’t an antagonist.
We also examine:
Why Jackson condensed multiple threats into “just Saruman and Sauron”
The cinematic potential of Gandalf’s fiery defense against spirit wargs
Aragorn’s warnings vs. Saruman’s prophecies—and who really drove the Fellowship's next moves
What removing the Hollin warg attack means for Sauron’s reach in the story
In our extended episode (members at https://theonering.com/members), we dive into:
News about Tolkien’s rare books and LOTRO’s new expansions
Listener comments over Boromir’s character moments on the slopes of the Misty Mountains
The fated 5 seasons of The Rings of Power
What’s next for the podcast (Children of Húrin, Kullervo, and maybe Lord of the Rings itself)!
🎉 Get the extended episode by becoming a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo, free for the 1st month) or at Patreon (https://theonering.com/patreon).
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🔗 Episode Links
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 Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (audiobook)
The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (book)
The Silmarillion
The Fall of Gondolin
The Children of Hurin
The Atlas of Middle-earth
Make Tolkien Great Again - Tengwar Hat
52 min
March 31 159. Boromir’s Slippery Slope : Film Change #48 (and Stephen Colbert’s Lord of the Rings movie!?)
Boromir handles the Ring, and Stephen Colbert handles a movie script.
55 min
March 18 159. One DOES Simply Walk Into Mordor : Film Changes #46 and #47
In this episode, we dig into two crucial scenes: the iconic formation of the Fellowship and the bridge-side tryst between Aragorn and Arwen.
57 min
March 04 158. An Interview with Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee)
Sean Astin reflects on wrapping up The Lord of the Rings films in this 2003 roundtable interview retrospective.
24 min
February 18 157. Is this the BEST Change in The Lord of the Rings Films? : Film Changes #44 and #45
We dig into Peter Jackson’s “orc pod” scenes and the cinematic invention of Lurtz, the alpha Uruk-hai,, then look at Tolkien’s less-than-precise lore against the movies’ need for explaining the Uruk-hai.
0 min
February 03 156. The Cringiest Line in Lord of the Rings : Film Changes #42 and #43
Here are two of the most unloved film changes in the Lord of the Rings: Arwen replacing Glorfindel in the Flight to the Ford and making Arwen the only one with power and agency.
45 min
January 22 155. The Infamous Messenger Moth : Film Changes #39, #40, and #41
We're back to going through ALL the changes in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings! This week we discuss Aragorn's sword substitions, changes at Weathertop, and that infamous messenger moth.
0 min
January 06 154. Tolkien Wrote the Ultimate Retcon – The Hobbit #38
Most people haven't read how Tolkien actually wrote how The Hobbit precisely connects to The Lord of the Rings. In The Quest of Erebor (first published in Unfinished Tales) Tolkien explains precisely how every major event in The Hobbit is connected to the greater story in The Lord of the Rings. And it's not only the historical/factual connections--Tolkien clearly connects the philosophical underpinnings of Middle-earth more clearly into The Hobbit too!
We take a look at:
The three published versions of the Quest for Erebor—and why the Annotated Hobbit’s is the longest and most complete
Gandalf’s "absurd" commitment to Bilbo, and why he pushes for a stealthy quest instead of open war
Why Gandalf was concerned about the Hobbits forgetting the “high and perilous” figures of legend.
The crucial role of Smaug as the north’s wild card, and why Gandalf fears a Sauron-Smaug alliance
In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about:
How Tolkien could have retconned: stone giants, Beorn’s descendants, Gundabad orcs, and trala-lally elves into The Lord of the Rings
How Gandalf’s mysterious “waking mind” connects to fate and agency in Tolkien’s world
Listener corrections and deep-dives into Hobbit trivia
🔗 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
1 hr

About Exploring Tolkien

From the publisher's feed

The bi-weekly podcast for serious Tolkien fans. Hosts Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine of TheOneRing.com (the internet’s longest Tolkien community since 1999) read through The Hobbit, The Lord of…