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Exploring Tolkien

by TheOneRing.com

The bi-weekly podcast for serious Tolkien fans. Hosts Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine of TheOneRing.com (the internet’s longest Tolkien community since 1999) read through The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and every Age of Middle-earth — chapter by chapter. Plus conversations with artists, creators, and scholars–and honest commentary on what Hollywood keeps getting wrong about Tolkien’s legacy. 160+ episodes.

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Episodes

  1. 170. Tolkien’s Only Courtroom Drama : Children of Húrin #7

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exclusives! In this episode, we explore an incredibly rare event in Tolkien’s legendarium: a formal Elven trial. We examine King Thingol’s judgment of Túrin after the death of Saeros,...

  2. 169. Túrin’s Fatal Arrogance : Children of Húrin #6

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exclusives! Túrin Turambar in Doriath transitions from Thingol’s foster son to a hunted outlaw. Does the fatal insult from Saeros, Túrin’s explosive reaction, and the brutal, naked chase...

  3. 168. Orcs Writing Poetry and Galadriel’s Love Triangle – The Rings of Power News

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exclusives! Is The Rings of Power Season 3 course-correcting—or just running out the clock? In this episode, we wade through two weeks of Comic-Con news and leaks, catching all the ways...

  4. 167. Pride Comes Before the Thrall : Children of Húrin #5

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exclusives! Is Morwen heroic, tragic, or just stubborn to a fault? We’re on to chapter 4 of The Children of Húrin, exploring how pride, fate, and Morgoths curses shape the next generation…

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  5. 166. Is Evil Really in Control? : Children of Húrin #4

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exclusives! Is evil REALLY in control? Tolkien pursues this in this chapter–for the first and only time Morgoth reveals himself in a long discussion… and the results are….? We dissect this...

  6. 165. An Interview with Bernard Hill (Théoden)

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exlcusives! This is my favorite interview from the December 2, 2003 roundtable discussions for The Return of the King! Bernard Hill was such a real, genuine, and engaged personality. He had...

  7. 164. A Glimmer of Hope Through the Eyes of Death : Children of Húrin #3

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exlcusives! “Day shall come again”–but for now, it’s the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. In this episode, we walk through Chapter 2 of The Children of Húrin a breaking down Tolkien’s bloodiest,...

  8. 163. The Most Tragic Middle-earth Childhood : Children of Húrin #2

    Get the Exploring Tolkien App to listen to every episode, a Tolkien calendar, the latest news, and member exlcusives! Turin’s tragic journey starts here. In this episode, we examine the opening chapter of The Children of Húrin, exploring the foundational relationships and lineage that shape…

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  9. 162. Morgoth’s Curse and the Pride of Men : The Children of Húrin #1

    We finally return to Tolkien’s First Age for a new deep-dive series on The Children of Húrin, starting with Christopher Tolkien’s introduction. We discuss why Tolkien considered Turin’s tale one of his “three great stories” alongside Beren and Luthien and the Fall of Gondolin, the central themes…

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  10. 161. Tolkien’s First Tragic Tale : The Story of Kullervo

    The Kalevala is perhaps Tolkien’s earliest inspiration… In this episode, we dig into The Story of Kullervo the tragic Finnish myth (from the Kalevala) that captured Tolkien’s imagination as a young man. We explore why Kullervo’s tragic tale—full of vengeance, orphaned rage, and doomed family...

  11. 160. Did Peter Jackson make Saruman too Powerful? : Film Changes #49 and #50

    This episode tackles two more changes from Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring—Saruman orchestrating the storm on Caradhras, and the missing warg attack in Hollin. We break down how these adaptations simplify Middle-earth, debate whether Saruman’s powers go too far, and discuss what’s lost…

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  12. 159. Boromir’s Slippery Slope : Film Change #48 (and Stephen Colbert’s Lord of the Rings movie!?)

    Boromir handles the Ring, and Stephen Colbert handles a movie script.

  13. 159. One DOES Simply Walk Into Mordor : Film Changes #46 and #47

    In this episode, we dig into two crucial scenes: the iconic formation of the Fellowship and the bridge-side tryst between Aragorn and Arwen.

  14. 158. An Interview with Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee)

    Sean Astin reflects on wrapping up The Lord of the Rings films in this 2003 roundtable interview retrospective.

  15. 157. Is this the BEST Change in The Lord of the Rings Films? : Film Changes #44 and #45

    We dig into Peter Jackson’s “orc pod” scenes and the cinematic invention of Lurtz, the alpha Uruk-hai,, then look at Tolkien’s less-than-precise lore against the movies’ need for explaining the Uruk-hai.

  16. 156. The Cringiest Line in Lord of the Rings : Film Changes #42 and #43

    Here are two of the most unloved film changes in the Lord of the Rings: Arwen replacing Glorfindel in the Flight to the Ford and making Arwen the only one with power and agency.

  17. 155. The Infamous Messenger Moth : Film Changes #39, #40, and #41

    We're back to going through ALL the changes in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings! This week we discuss Aragorn's sword substitions, changes at Weathertop, and that infamous messenger moth.

  18. 154. Tolkien Wrote the Ultimate Retcon – The Hobbit #38

    Most people haven't read how Tolkien actually wrote how The Hobbit precisely connects to The Lord of the Rings. In The Quest of Erebor (first published in Unfinished Tales) Tolkien explains precisely how every major event in The Hobbit is connected to the greater story in The Lord of the Rings.…

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  19. 153. The Christmas Eucatastrophe (and is The Lord of the Rings a Christmas movie?)

    With Christmas in just a couple of days, we turn our attention from The Hobbit to a long-hidden Tolkien gem: his 1936 Christmas poem, “Noel.”

  20. 152. Tolkien Ties up EVERY Loose End (we’re done!) – The Hobbit #37

    We wrap up The Hobbit with “The Last Stage” and reflect on Bilbo’s road home -- including the tra-la-la-lally elves of Rivendell.

  21. 151. Eagles Didn’t Win the Battle – The Hobbit #36

    The aftermath of the Battle of the Five Armies reconciles Bilbo to Thorin and gives us a completely different Elvenking than what you saw in the movies

  22. 150. Tolkien’s Battle Tactics – The Hobbit #35

    Did Tolkien "earn" The Battle of the Five Armies, or is the surprise enough to justify its existence?

  23. 149. Bilbo’s Honest Betrayal – The Hobbit #34

    Bilbo completes his betral

  24. 148. Bilbo Doubles Down on Burglary – The Hobbit #33

    We look at Chapter 16 of The Hobbit, where Bilbo makes his most controversial choice-—handing the Arkenstone over to Bard and the Elvenking.

  25. 147. Is Thorin Gold-Sick or Just Sick of the Elves – The Hobbit #32

    Thorin shrugs off Bard's 3 reasons for having a claim to the treasure... is Thorin really gold-sick? Or does the elves presence affect him?

  26. 146. Smaug’s Hydrophobia – The Hobbit #31

    You'd think the death of the dragon is is the climax of The Hobbit... right?

  27. 145. Is the Arkenstone a Silmaril? – The Hobbit #30

    Smaug is gone, so the Bilbo and the dwarves finally reach their treasure--but Bilbo makes a choice to REALLY become the burglar when he sees the Arkenstone.

  28. 144. Never Laugh at Live Dragons – The Hobbit #29

    Smaug is finally fully revealed as Bilbo finally comes face-to-face with the unassessably wealthy dragon

  29. 143. Playing Tales of the Shire So You Don’t Have To

    The new game, Tales of the Shire was released last month after numerous delays... so, I took a bullet for the team and played the game.

  30. 142. Size Matters to Every Dragon – The Hobbit #28

    Bilbo finally becomes a real burglar in this chapter, venturing alone into the heart of the Lonely Mountain.

  31. 141. An Interview with Elijah Wood

    In this interview--just before The Return of the King was released--Elijah wood reflects on the journey of becoming Frodo Baggins.

  32. 140. Into the Mountain’s Throat – The Hobbit #27

    In this episode, we discuss one of The Hobbit’s quieter chapters, where Bilbo and the dwarves finally reach Erebor’s hidden entrance.

  33. 139. The Problem with Thorin – The Hobbit #26

    As Thorin and company finally reach the Lonely Mountain, reality sets in—and it doesn’t smell so pleasant.

  34. 138. What Tolkien Really Thinks About Politicians – The Hobbit #25

    Tolkien makes it pretty clear what he thinks about politicians in this chapter.

  35. 137. Do the elves have ANYTHING valuable to trade? – The Hobbit #24

    Bilbo and the barrel-sealed dwarves make it to Laketown--with most of them barely alive!

  36. 136. The Lowest IQ Elves of Middle-earth? – The Hobbit #23

    In this very special episode, we reveal the exact barrel music sung in Thranduil's halls as the dwarves were tossed into the river!

  37. 135. The Greedy and Petty Elves of Mirkwood – The Hobbit #22

    Bilbo fully embraces his role as hero and finds a way to save the dwarves.

  38. 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!

  39. 133. Ainulindalë – A Reading in JRR Tolkien’s Voice

    Here is an approximation of Tolkien's voice reading Ainulindalë from The Silmarillion that we put together including some of his idiosyncratic pauses and speech patterns.

  40. 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.

  41. 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!

  42. 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!

  43. 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.

  44. A Song of Ice and Fire

    Life took an unexpected turn this week with the fires in Southern California this week.

  45. 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.

  46. 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. Here’s how that happened!

  47. 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?

  48. 126. Why Did Tolkien Change The Hobbit (and what did he change)? : The Hobbit #15

    Once Tolkien finished writing The Lord of the Rings, it became clear to him that The Hobbit needed to change--particularly Bilbo and Gollum's interaction. But what exactly did he change?

  49. 125. Bilbo Trembled and Found Pity : The Hobbit #14

    The 2nd half of "Riddles in the Dark" is the most rewritten part of The Hobbit in the 1951 rewrite! And it's where Bilbo takes a giant leap (so to speak) into the future of his adventure.

  50. 124. Miserable Riddles in the Dark : The Hobbit #13

    "Riddles in the Dark" is not only the most memorable event from all of Middle-earth -- it's also the turning point that ultimately let to The Lord of the Rings.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

The bi-weekly podcast for serious Tolkien fans. Hosts Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine of TheOneRing.com (the internet’s longest Tolkien community since 1999) read through The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and every Age of Middle-earth — chapter by chapter. Plus conversations with artists, creators, and scholars–and honest commentary on what Hollywood keeps getting wrong about Tolkien’s legacy. 160+ episodes.

HOSTED BY

TheOneRing.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Exploring Tolkien have?

Exploring Tolkien currently has 176 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Exploring Tolkien about?

The bi-weekly podcast for serious Tolkien fans. Hosts Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine of TheOneRing.com (the internet’s longest Tolkien community since 1999) read through The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and every Age of Middle-earth — chapter by chapter. Plus conversations...

How often does Exploring Tolkien release new episodes?

Exploring Tolkien publishes regularly with 176 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

Where can I listen to Exploring Tolkien?

You can listen to Exploring Tolkien on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Exploring Tolkien?

Exploring Tolkien is created and hosted by TheOneRing.com.
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