Songs and Tales: A Literary Guide to Middle Earth

Songs and Tales: A Literary Guide to Middle Earth

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Songs and Tales: A Literary Guide to Middle Earth episodes

  • Episode 13 – The Wretched of Middle Earth
    We're back after a brief summer vacation with a conversation about Middle Earth's various second-class citizens. First, there's Eöl, whose problematic notions about courting women aside, actually has some good points to make about the Noldors' claiming of Teleri lands and has Aaron and Clara diving into Billy Shakes' The Tempest. And then there's the arrival of the Men, who are quite literally second tier (for now) in comparison to the Elves. Clara and Aaron talk about colonialism, language acquisition, and the way Tolkien's book continues to probe questions about the nature of history and cultural memory. Also, Aaron has a theory about a certain character's kinship ties with the Irish Mafia.
    Twitter: @songsntalepod
    Instagram: @songsandtalespod
    Podcast art by Jenny Kalejs @jennycardsandco
    1 hr 27 min
  • Episode 11 - No Faults In Our Stars
    Clara and Aaron trek into Tolkien's chapter on astronomy and talk about his challenging, but interesting, attempt to make a unique celestial backdrop for Arda. Men also arrive in Middle Earth and the Elves are dismissive at first, but then get pretty interested in this whole "mortality" business. Aaron thinks they're voyeurs for death. Plus, Clara warns us about the dangers of "the fairy people."
    Twitter: songsntalespod
    Instagram: songsandtalespod
    Podcast art by Jenny Kalejs @jennycardsandco
    1 hr 12 min
  • Episode 10 - Girdle-y Enough for the Girdle Club

    Aaron and Clara are back in Middle Earth this episode and frankly, they’re thrilled about it! They talk about the soon-to-be fraught relationship between the Dwarves and Elves and how boring it might be to live in Valinor. They also go on a journey of discovery to find out what exactly a girdle is. Plus,  Aaron somehow finds a way to work Linda Ronstadt into the pod.

    1 hr 8 min
  • Episode 09 - Oath Taker, Kinslayer, Gem Maker

    Clara and Aaron got absolutely smothered by all three of the plot points in this week's chapter and frankly, they don’t know what to do with all these plot points. Still, they manage to discuss the power (or lack thereof) of the Valar, the kinslaying, and why you should never take an oath lightly. Plus, it's Friday so they let fly with a few "oaths" of their own. Sorry, Mom.

    1 hr 23 min
  • Episode 08 - Barf of Darkness
    Aaron and Clara swear fealty to their glorious spider queen, Ungoliant. They also chat about the Silmarili, evil in Tolkien’s universe, and the complexity of the word “lust” (because this is Tolkien and of course, a word can’t just mean what you think it means). Plus, Clara does some Foley work for what she thinks Ungoliant sounds like.
    Sources:
    Tom Shippey. The Road To Middle Earth (1985)
    Humphrey Carpenter. The Collected Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (1981)
    Avalon Travel. The Best of Germany (2021)
    59 min
  • Episode 07 - Elverything is Illuminated
    Clara and Aaron talk about the light of the trees, the way Tolkien's "history" of Arda is a chronicle of the split between imagination and reason, how the passage of time in Tolkien is a never-ending chain of catastrophe, and the way women — and particularly mothers — come to embody Tolkien's idea of the subcreator. Plus, Clara admits that she and J.R.R. share a fondness for tall, raven-haired men who sap their mother's life force while in the womb.
    54 min
  • Episode 06 - Words With Elves
    Aaron and Clara greet some adult-baby elves as they wake up from their long sleep. They also muse upon how languages are made, why they are made, and what it means to make one. Basically, they talk about language a lot. Plus, Clara brings up orc tadpoles, so good luck getting that image out of your heads.
    Sources:
    Humphrey Carpenter. The Collected Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (1981)
    Tom Shippey The Road To Middle Earth (1985)
    1 hr
  • Episode 05 - Let There be (Tree) Light!
    Clara and Aaron discuss the origins of Middle Earth, Melkor’s toddler-like destructive tendencies, and the Valar’s biggest gardening project to date. Plus, they chat about the dangers of a good nap and Aaron flaunts the fact that he owns a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary.
    Sources:
    Heidegger, Martin. "Building Dwelling Thinking" (1954). http://faculty.arch.utah.edu/miller/4270heidegger.pdf
    1 hr 26 min
  • Episode 04 - All Valar Great and Small
    Aaron and Clara attempt to un-puzzle “The Valaquenta” (perhaps one of the most puzzling parts of The Silmarillion) by discussing power structures, family ties, and questions of form. Plus, they chat about a spicy theory Aaron has re: Melkor’s love life.
    Sources:
    Kristine Larsen “The Power of Pity and Tears: The Evolution of Nienna in the Legendarium” from Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of JRR Tolkien, edited by Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie A. Donovan (2015)
    59 min
  • Episode 03 - Sing Us a Song, You're Ilúvatar
    Clara and Aaron dive into the Silmarillion with a discussion about the creation of Tolkien’s universe and the influences that informed his origin myth. Plus, in a rather surprising twist of fate, two English nerds attempt to discuss math.
    53 min

About Songs and Tales: A Literary Guide to Middle Earth

From the publisher's feed

Clara and Aaron revisit the works of J.R.R. Tolkien with a focus on the literary merits, historical contexts, and biographical influences in the trilogy, the Simarillion, and many of his other…