Exploring Tolkien

Latest Episodes
134. When Bilbo Became the Hero – The Hobbit #21
Bilbo is the only one left to save the dwarves--and to his own surprise, he's up to the task!
133. Ainulindalë – A Reading in JRR Tolkien’s Voice
Here is an approximation of Tolkien's voice reading Ainulindal from The Silmarillion that we put together including some of his idiosyncratic pauses and speech patterns.
132. Evil or Elves or Both… Terror in Mirkwood : The Hobbit #20
In this first half of chapter 8 of the hobbit--Flies and Spiders--Jonathan and Michael discuss the evil enchantment of Mirkwood, and if the elves might have a small part in it.
131. The Weirdest Chapter in Middle-earth (with dancing bears!?) : The Hobbit #19
With talking animals, animals serving food and dancing bears, this may just be the oddest chapter in all of Middle-earth!
130. Where did Beorn Originate (and what was Tolkien’s inspiration)? : The Hobbit #18
Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves are dropped off on the Carrock, and find themselves in the company of a man who rather doesn't like dwarves--but who loves a good story!
129. Tolkien Loved Eagles (too much?) : The Hobbit #17
Stuck in trees with fire at their heels, the company find themselves surround by intelligent wolves and taunting orcs.
A Song of Ice and Fire
Life took an unexpected turn this week with the fires in Southern California this week.
128. A Courageous Hobbit and Disloyal Dwarves : The Hobbit #16
Bilbo makes it out of the Misty Mountains with more courage than ever before, while the dwarves prove their disloyalty.
Revisiting Tolkien’s Lost ‘Noel’ Poem
This poem, Noel, was written by J.R.R. Tolkien before The Hobbit was published, and only just discovered in 2013. Heres how that happened!
127. Where War of the Rohirrim went Wrong – In Depth Review
We all had high hopes when War of the Rohirrim was announced a few years ago. Are those hopes realized in this anime Lord of the Rings film?