Alan and KnewBetta roll out the red carpet — and put away the Hawaiian shirts — for Brian Sibley’s return to the Common Room! A prolific and talented writer, Brian is the force behind some of the most beloved adaptations of Tolkien’s work, including the BBC radio adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and Tales from the Perilous Realm, but we’re here to talk with him today about his Tolkien Society-award winning book, The Fall of Númenor. Bronze dragons, dancing bears, book destruction, and Pauline Baynes’ owls all make an appearance, along with Alan’s alleged sartorial brilliance.

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You’ve heard of ‘quiet quitting’, right? Well, Denethor clearly wants nothing to do with such a trend. Join Alan and KnewBetta as the steward resigns his position quite loudly indeed, in the second of two episodes on The Pyre of Denethor. Gandalf wants to rule the world; Denethor and logic have parted ways; and, let’s be honest, Pippin would make a terrible spy. We learn a few things about KnewBetta: he got in trouble on purpose to read Tolkien, questions Uinen’s fidelity, and just might be the Witch-king (or wishes he was). We speculate on the what-if of Denethor’s survival, and compare Denethor to Usain Bolt. Finally, one more serious content warning as suicide is discussed at length in this episode.

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Authority is given to you, listener of The Prancing Pony Podcast, to order the hour of your listening! Join Alan and KnewBettaDoBetta as Beregond saves the day, and Faramir, in our first episode on The Pyre of Denethor. Pippin explains — no, there is too much — Pippin sums up the madness of Denethor, leaving Gandalf with an impossible decision; Imrahil is that guy; and Denethor takes his ball and goes home. The Tolkien Professor joins us to discuss a book 18 years in the making, and Alan invites KnewBetta back even after their Gandalf v. The Witch-king debate. On a serious note, this episode comes with a content warning: suicide is discussed at length.

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Éomer forms a final shield-wall and thinks of songs that will never be sung; Alan and Shawn offer to gladly butcher, uh, sing those songs. Join us as the appearance of black sails thrills the forces of Sauron right up until it doesn’t, on the last of our episodes on The Battle of the Pelennor Fields. We cry at the sudden joyous turn, discuss Rohirric aphorisms, and admire Tolkien’s rolled ‘R’s. We spend way too long on a sidebar about the Elendilmir and say goodbye to Shawn again. Finally, we decide to call the legal specialists at 1-800-OATHS4U to negotiate our way out of Middle-earth oaths.

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The king is dead, long live the king! Meet was Théoden’s ending; will meat be Alan and Shawn’s ending? Join us as Éomer receives an unexpected promotion in our second episode on The Battle of the Pelennor Fields. We learn about Merry’s blade, Éomer’s fey mood, and Imrahil’s shiny armor, while we speculate if Gandalf might’ve managed a modicum of mighty Maia medical magic. We cry in our bier, discuss elephant pedicures, and talk about dream-team Tolkien adaptations. Finally, Variag revenge is a dish best served cold in Pelennor Trek II: The Wrath of Khand.

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The Witch-king arrives on the battlefield; Alan and Shawn also arrive, presumably with less stink. Join us as we finally arrive at the moment that we’ve been waiting for for more than seven years as we begin The Battle of the Pelennor Fields! Merry vomits from terror, the Witch-king mansplains the prophecy to Éowyn, and she stabs him in his invisible face. What do meat that comes in a drum, Manwë’s birthday cake, and Wormtongue in a sequined teddy have in common? We don’t know either. Thankfully, we’re also joined once again by Dr. Bret Deveraux who helps us get a handle on the hostility’s happenings.

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It always comes back to Rush, at least when The Lord of the Mark returns! Join Alan, and a few of our listeners, as we celebrate Shawn’s return to the common-room with our latest Q&A episode, this time with more Star Trek than Shawn knows what to do with. We answer questions about scary book scenes, Melkor’s role in the Music, and the real meaning of ‘Nauglamir’. We speculate about Beren’s presence at the Dagor Bragollach, and what-if our way into a world without Eärendil, much to Shawn’s dismay. Also, we crew our Federation starship with Elves, and agree that Eärendil is the Ford Prefect of the legendarium.

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Now is the hour come… for us to read one of our favorite passages in all of The Lord of the Rings! Need brooks no delay, so join Alan and Marcel now as the time has come for Théoden and Rohan to ride to the rescue of Minas Tirith in the second half of The Ride of the Rohirrim! The wind is changing for the better, Théoden gives the best pre-game speech, and we talk about the ‘noble savage’ trope as best we can. Alan interviews Marcel, who’s been talking Tolkien on the internet for a very long time indeed. And Alan gamely tries to read part of the Völuspá - in Old Norse.

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Merry’s obsession with luggage continues, as Alan and Marcel discuss whether he should be put in the overhead compartment or checked at the counter. Join us as we are introduced to one of the more unique characters in Middle-earth in today’s episode, as we begin The Ride of the Rohirrim! Merry misses Pippin and Dernhelm’s no help, Éomer asks a stupid question, and Théoden gets some local directions. The Lord of the Mark returns for another Philology Faire, as Saeros is asked the Middle-earth equivalent of “You mad, bro?”

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Pack your bags and renew your passports as you join us for the PPP’s eighth annual celebration of Tolkien Reading Day, observed every March 25 in honor of the destruction of the Ring and the fall of Barad-dûr. This year’s theme, as chosen by the Tolkien Society, is Travel and Adventure! Alan and his new co-host Marcel, the Tolkienist, go through some of their favorite Tolkien passages to highlight the theme, from the Great Elven Road Trip to the Fellowship’s Final Journey. Plus, a correction about Dol Goldur and #ambitiousorc starts trending. Also, there may be singing.

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