I’ve noticed that many people, when trying to justify their opinions about Tolkien’s works, resort to his statement about preferring “applicability,” which lies in the freedom of the individual reader, to allegory, which is the purposed domination of the author.  But does Tolkien’s statement really give us freewheeling license to interpret his work however we want?

For my video on authorial intent vs. death of the author, a distinction which actually is relevant to justifying broad interpretive license, check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49foLSWx50

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Just a quick update on some new things I’ll be doing and how I’m updating my Patreon benefits.

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We often take for granted that Sauron’s Ring is a magical item of great power, but can just anyone use it?  What could it be used for?  These are questions I will address with varying degrees of certainty in this video.

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Recently, GirlNextGondor (https://www.youtube.com/c/GirlNextGondor) had TheRedBook (https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRedBook) on (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UPCU25TaV0) to discuss Morgoth, and in the process sparked a seemingly crazy thought in my own head that in a weird way, Sauron is parallel to Manwe via his relationship to Melkor--let me explain.

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At the Council of Elrond, Glorfindel suggests taking the Ring over the Sea as an option, but this gets shot down pretty quickly and with good reason.

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It might seem strange that two beings of the same created "order" would have extremely different power levels, but there are at least four reasons why one Maia (Sauron) might be more powerful than another (say, Gandalf).

For more on the "Morgoth's Ring" concept, check out The Red Book's great video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eVGGmVMpc8

He also has his own video on essentially this topic, though with a broader focus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoVzNMDQ3mE

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The question of what counts as "canon" in Tolkien's Middle-earth writings is thorny and convoluted, and devolves pretty quickly into guesswork, but let's see if we can narrow things down a bit.

Hello Future Me's video on the unreliable narrator is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P-brBxPFJk

For my video on the Hobbit retcon, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIbXfJ72j4c

And for the translation conceit, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhyQ1pzDDLQ

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Anglachel, the black sword of Turin which he renamed Gurthang, has many interesting parallels with Narsil, the Sword that was Broken and renamed Anduril by Aragorn, but despite their parallels they are in many ways opposites.

You should check out The Clueless Fangirl on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvucCKVHa7m2VzerpMwJPeA

Her Twitter is @HelenaLahnstein, and Tony Meade’s is @tonymeade.

For my video on who really killed Sauron (and why it matters), click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp2OMqRdjcU

And for a dangerous example of psychoanalysis, check my video on father figures in Tolkien’s fiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ero5UFOtOJg

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This book came out in 2021, and is a compilation of essays covering a wide variety of topics where Middle-earth and modern science intersect.  Or at least, that’s the theory.  How scientific is this book, really?

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I have my problems with Peter Jackson, but on this decision he made the right call.  Not because Tom Bombadil is a bad character, but because in the medium PJ was working in, he no longer serves the same purpose.

For my videos on some of the issues raised here regarding Bombadil and the slow progression of danger as Frodo leaves the Shire, check the following:

The Old Forest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1ODkwQ-lnY

In the House of Tom Bombadil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKfG0vP_INs

Fog on the Barrow Downs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmY2ah1s2yo

The significance of these three chapters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIu8TAYBu7E

Frodo leaving the Shire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jTXY8I5wAY

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