Twenty years ago one of the greatest movie experiences ever came to theaters.  What made it so great?  What is its legacy?  Here are my thoughts.

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In the books, Gollum tells us the Dark Lord has only 9 fingers, but since he is a Maia manifesting a body and not strictly an incarnate being, why should this be the case?

For my review of David Rowe’s book, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi2mJ6mFopM

You can find David Rowe on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mrdavidroweor (for proverbs) https://twitter.com/TolkienProverbs

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Boromir, Faramir, and even Gandalf all have something important to say about the decision to send Boromir to Rivendell instead of Faramir, and how we reconcile all these statements has significant implications for how we understand the characters.

If you want to watch GirlNextGondor’s video on what would have been different if Faramir had gone instead, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waWjgvcbJ3Q

I’ve got my own video on that topic as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYP3FqP2lZU

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In my previous video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz5Kf5H1BPM) I discussed how events in the Shire might have changed if Merry and Pippin had followed Elrond’s advice and returned there.  In this video I follow that up by discussing possible changes to the rest of the story.

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After the Council of Elrond, Elrond has misgivings about Merry and Pippin going on the quest with Frodo and suggests they should instead return to the Shire to warn the Hobbits.  What might have changed if his advice had been followed?

My video on the character arcs of the four Hobbits is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOQ7dIVsktQ

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Tolkien’s legendarium is meant to be a mythic pre-history for our own world, but we never knew just how long ago it was meant to be—until “The Nature of Middle-Earth” was published.

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A listener asked me this question recently in the comments, and it turns out to be a fascinating journey into Tolkienian metaphysics.

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One of the most frequently recurring manifestations of evil in Middle-earth is the giant spider.  And Tolkien loves to have his (arguably) favorite heroes exterminate them with a vengeance.

Credit to my son for letting me borrow his toy spider for the thumbnail. :)

Intrigued by the theme of evil being self-defeating?  I have a video on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c67oYSVgWI

More Halloween themed videos:

Tolkien’s creepiest creatures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uhdM4GyrBk

Scariest scenes from The Lord of the Rings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhfrhAX1T5w&t=458s

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After he finished The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien set about revising the stories of the First Age, which would come to be published by his son Christopher as The Silmarillion.  In the process, he wrestled with some significant questions he had not put much thought to before, including the nature of orcs.

The Red Book’s video on orcish lifespans is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-CDanQALn8

My video on the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwi7_nABWDI

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Isengard and the Tower of Orthanc are architecturally and strategically significant, but historically obscure.  They’re a perfect showcase of how Tolkien draws us into his world by giving us just a handful of fascinating tidbits but almost no concrete details.

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