Nick sits down with Mercury Natis (he/they, they/them) to talk about their Tolkien experiences, queer theory, and their work in Tolkien Studies - oh, and punk rock Orcs! \m/ Mercury s an interdisciplinary doctoral researcher in English Literature and History at the University of Glasgow, researching the queer historical contexts of Tolkien’s early life and how these influenced his works. They hold a previous MA in Museum Education and a BA in Art History, and draw on the methodologies of both disciplines for their literary-historical practice. Their primary focus is on queer ambiguity in the fantastic prior to the 1960s identity politics boom, with special interests in camp aesthetics and performativity, the crossing of gender and sexuality taboos in the fantastic, the cultural environment of the first world war, and interdisciplinary art-historical criticism. They would also really like to be Bilbo Baggins when they grow old.

Find them and their work at these places:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mercuryreads.bsky.social

Substack: https://substack.com/@anditsfolkarequeerer

Academic Work:

Sauron’s Femme Fatale Sources and Their Role in the Númenor Narrative: https://youtu.be/dqkMj3PL3oA?si=OBGjfNUODEyMJ470

Baruk Khazâd! Antisemitism, Jewish Joy, and Dwarven Contexts: https://youtu.be/o7uJgil1vD8?si=B__c8NGBILHEmjSJ

GIFCon: https://fantasy.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2025/12/15/gifcon-2026-the-technologies-of-the-fantastic-call-for-papers/

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