The Tolkien Lore Podcast

By Joshua ScottArts

The Tolkien Lore Podcast episodes

May 02, 2022 Which of Tolkien's Stories Are Part of the the Middle-Earth “Canon?”
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
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
31 min
April 25, 2022 Anglachel/Gurthang and Narsil/Anduril: Twin Sword Brothers from Different Mothers
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
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
29 min
April 18, 2022 Book Review | The Science of Middle-Earth: A New Understanding of Tolkien and His World
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?
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
20 min
April 11, 2022 Why Peter Jackson Was Right to Cut Tom Bombadil from The Lord of the Rings
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
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
20 min
April 04, 2022 Who Really Killed Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance? And Why Does It Matter?
Peter Jackson’s and even Ralph Bakshi’s movies give the impression that Isildur single-handedly took down the Dark Lord Sauron, and while this isn’t exactly accurate, it turns out they did get one detail right.

Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
17 min
March 28, 2022 Tolkien’s “Fundamentally Catholic” Mythology: The Christian Foundations of Middle-Earth
In a letter, Tolkien stated that The Lord of the Rings was a “fundamentally religious and Catholic” work, which seems strange given the lack of obvious religion in the story. A close look, however, reveals numerous examples of the author’s theology in all his Middle-earth stories.
For videos discussing many of these ideas in further detail, check the links below:
Fate and free will generally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzDndXGRsY
Fate and free will in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvVkE3bBmzM
Fate and free will in the story of Turin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROuU1RPDpU
Fate and free will in Tolkien vs. The Adjustment Bureau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pw4CO58N8g
Providence in Tolkien vs. “Passengers”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UCmnGxJSfI
Decline, fall, and restoration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLme8xfiY6o
Evil and banal and empty (compared to “Megamind”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-jhi1pMSA0
Morality vs. law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ggh4oAdiXM
The Athrabeth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwi7_nABWDI
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
27 min
March 25, 2022 Merry & Pippin: Fast Friends in a Foreign War | Tolkien Reading Day 2022
The theme for this year’s Tolkien Reading Day is “Love and Friendship,” and a unique view of that comes from Merry and Pippin, cousins who endure hardship and separation from each other and their friends, much like Tolkien did in WWI.
For the full playlist of all the Tolkien Reading Day content put out by my fellow YouTube creators for this collaboration, click here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5YrvTuA6inSlv1WMd5uvu7d7Zh1FWIqu
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
20 min
March 21, 2022 The Characters of LOTR: The Relatable, the Admirable, and the "Warning to Others"
With so many characters, the Lord of the Rings is bound to have some you relate to, some you look up to, and some you recognize as real world villains....
You can check out my half-serious personality quiz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Df6sQKuVGU
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
23 min
March 14, 2022 Is the Tolkien Estate About to Start Aggressively Enforcing Copyright and Trademark?
The Tolkien Estate website recently got a huge makeover, including a much large FAQ section which sent the fandom into a tizzy about how draconian it appeared they would be regarding copyright and trademark violations. How big a deal is this exactly? Here’s some basic info and thoughts from a legal mind.
DISCLAIMER: I may be an attorney but I DO NOT practice IP law and nothing I say should be construed as legal advice or considered legal opinion.
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
52 min
March 07, 2022 Fate and Free Will in Middle-Earth vs. “The Adjustment Bureau” | Tolkien & Modern Culture
Rounding out my discussion of fate and free will in Middle-earth, here’s a comparison of how Tolkien handles these topics with the 2011 film, “The Adjustment Bureau.”
For a crash course on how Tolkien handles the topic broadly, see my first video in this mini-series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzDndXGRsY
I also have videos on these themes in the story of Turin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROuU1RPDpU) and in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvVkE3bBmzM)
Other Links:
Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore
Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
33 min