All Episodes
The Tolkien Lore Podcast — 322 episodes
Beregond and the Importance of Minor Characters | Tolkien Reading Day 2026
Tolkien on Masculinity: How to Be a Good Man in Middle-Earth
Fall, Mortality, and Machine in Tolkien, Part 3: Machines and Magic and the Human Condition
Tolkien Geek Rates Tolkien Related Memes, Part 5: All Good Memes Must Come to an End
Fall, Mortality, and Machine in Tolkien, Part 2: Lessons on Dying Well in Middle-Earth
Tolkien Geek Rates Tolkien Related Memes, Part 4: Have I Gone Too Far??
Fall, Mortality, and Machine in Tolkien, Part 1: From the Fall of Melkor to the Fall of Frodo
Tolkien Geek Rates Tolkien Related Memes, Part 3: Third Time Is the Silmaril?
Tolkien Geek Rates Tolkien Related Memes, Part 2: The Return of the Meme
Is “The Lord of the Rings” Only for Boys? Let’s Interview an Actual Girl Fan
Tolkien Geek Rates Tolkien Related Memes, Part 1
Turin’s Weakness Is His Lack of Tolkien’s Greatest Weapon: Friendship
Tolkien Geek Game Night: Journeys in Middle-Earth
“It Was Always a Vast Globe” for Tolkien, to the End of His Life
Why Do We Know So Little About Tolkien’s Most Impressive Heroes?
The Parallel but Opposite Internal Debates of Gollum and Samwise Gamgee
Book Review | “Tolkien in the Twenty-First Century: The Meaning of Middle-Earth Today”
Who’s the Most Impressive Character in Tolkien’s Legendarium? Maybe Not Who You Think…
What Would Have Happened if Samwise Chose to Stay with Frodo in Cirith Ungol?
Was Samwise Right to Leave Frodo at Cirith Ungol?
Is Gandalf the White Invulnerable Like the Witch King of Angmar?
Rockadoodle and Tolkien on the Ambiguity and Power of Myth
Why Was It Harder for Sauron to Regain a Body Every Time He Was Destroyed?
Tolkien Geek Reacts to “Warfare Experts Rate 13 Lord of the Rings Battles for Realism”
Why the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring Make NO Sense Strategically
How the “Company” of the Ring Became the “Fellowship” | Tolkien Reading Day 2025
How J.R.R. Tolkien Almost Ruined His Middle-Earth Mythology
How Providence Made the Most of Boromir Taking Faramir’s Place
Are Peter Jackson’s Deviations from Tolkien Really Justified by Adaptation?
Details Peter Jackson Got Right in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of Five Armies
Did Gandalf Make a Huge Blunder Allowing Frodo to Wait to Leave the Shire?
Was Gandalf a Machiavellian Schemer Who Used Others as Pawns?
How the Animated Tolkien Films Capture What Jackson Misses
How Peter Jackson's LOTR Trilogy Won the Loyalty of Die Hard Book Fans
Tolkien’s Heroes Are NOT Perfect—Let’s Look at Their Character Flaws
Details Peter Jackson Got Right in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Tom Bombadil as Middle-Earth's Melchizedek?
How Tolkien Exalts the Humble and Humbles the Proud in Middle-Earth
Details in Peter Jackson’s “The Return of the King” that Only Book Superfans Notice, Part 2
The Tolkien Geek Reviews “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”
Details in Peter Jackson’s “The Return of the King” that Only Book Superfans Notice, Part 1
Details Peter Jackson Got Right in “Return of the King,” Part 2
Details Peter Jackson Got Right in "Return of the King," Part 1
An Extremely Nitpicky Review of Peter Jackson’s “The Return of the King,” Part 2
An Extremely Nitpicky Review of Peter Jackson’s “The Return of the King,” Part 1
The Real Reason You Don’t Like “Rings of Power” (It’s Not “the Canon”)
Corey Olsen Was Actually Right That There Is No “Canon” of Tolkien’s Work
Why Didn’t Gandalf and Aragorn Tell Frodo Anything About Bilbo?
The Tolkien Geek Reviews “The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien” (ed. Scull & Hammond, 2024)
How Tolkien Recycled Frodo's Story Arc for Theoden
Details in Peter Jackson’s “The Two Towers” that Only Book Superfans Would Notice
How Tolkien Handles Innocence and its Loss in The Lord of the Rings | Hobbit Day 2024
Details Peter Jackson Absolutely Nailed in The Lord of the Rings, Part Two
An Extremely Nitpicky Review of “The Two Towers” Part 2
YouTube’s Copyright System Needs an Overhaul and Warner Bros. Is a Copyright Bully
The Tolkien Geek Reacts to the “War of the Rohirrim” Trailer
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli vs. Ultramarathoners—Who Is More Impressive?
What are Tolkien’s Elves REALLY Like??
An Extremely Nitpicky Review of “The Two Towers” Part 1
How Does YouTuber Jazza Do at Faithfully Illustrating Book Versions of Tolkien’s Creatures?
For Tolkien, the Ends Don’t Justify the Means, the Ends Determine the Means!
George R.R. Martin Can’t Imagine Where Hobbit Children Come From
Tolkien Meme Analysis: Just How Obvious Was Saruman’s Treachery?
The Choices of Master Aragorn: A Book v. Movie AND Literary Analysis!
Galadriel’s Ability to See Things Seems to Outclass the Palantiri
Bluey’s “Born Yesterday” and Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” on Recovering Your Inner Child
The Dark Night of Aragorn’s Confidence After Gandalf’s Fall in Moria
Why Hasn’t the Tolkien Estate Sold the Rights to Adapt the Silmarillion?
Why Didn’t Sauron Know Where the Shire Was?
Details in Peter Jackson’s “Fellowship of the Ring” that Only Book SuperFans Notice, Part 3
Next Lord of the Rings Movie Revealed: The Hunt for Gollum (Working Title)
An Extremely Nitpicky Review of “The Fellowship of the Ring” Part 3
How to Convince a Christian that Lord of the Rings Isn’t Full of Forbidden Witchcraft
What Would Have Happened If Frodo Had Died in Moria? Who Knows!
Lord of the Rings Book vs. Movie: The King of the Golden Hall
Comparing Tolkien’s Valar with the Greek Pantheon | Patreon Request
An Extremely Nitpick Review of “The Fellowship of the Ring” Part 2
11 More Details in Jackson’s “Fellowship of the Ring” that Only LOTR Superfans Would Notice
How Pippin Became Known as Prince of the Halflings in Minas Tirith
How Iluvatar Used Boromir’s Presence in the Fellowship
An Extremely Nitpicky Review of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Pt. 1
5 Details in Peter Jackson’s “Fellowship of the Ring” that Only Superfans Notice
Tolkien Lyrics in Rock Music: Led Zeppelin and Rush
Writing in Tengwar: Learn How to Use and Customize Tolkien’s Elvish Alphabet
Pixar’s “Inside Out” and Tolkien’s Nienna on Turning Sorrow to Wisdom
Character Study of Saruman: Tolkien’s Portrait of the Modern Politician
Lord of the Rings Book v. Movie: The Paths of the Dead and Aragorn at the Pelennor Fields
Lord of the Rings Book v. Movie: Gandalf’s Disappearance
How a Pirate Publisher Stole Tolkien’s Magnum Opus: The Story of Ace Books’ "Lord of the Rings"
The Twelve Days of Christmas Tolkien Style
The Top 4 Mature/Uncomfortable Scenes in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth
8 Scenes from Tolkien We REALLY DO Want to See on Screen
7 Scenes from Tolkien We’d Love to See on Screen...But Probably Shouldn’t
Unexpected Hospitality in The Lord of the Rings: Gildor and Faramir | Thanksgiving Special
Details in The Fellowship of the Ring that Peter Jackson Absolutely Nailed
Faramir, the Ring, and the Nature of Evil in Middle-earth
We Need to Talk About Tribalism in the Tolkien Fandom
When Did Arwen Become Mortal? Exploring the Choice of the Half-Elven in Tolkien’s Mythology
Peter Jackson Changes to The Lord of the Rings that Make NO Sense, Part 1
Maedhros & Beren: One-Handed Brothers from Different Mothers
Did Beren Get His Hand Back When He Was Reincarnated With Luthien?
A Tolkien Theory: Why Couldn’t Morgoth and Sauron Change Bodily Form?
Why Was Finduilas So Important to Turin Avoiding His Doom?
How Bilbo Knew About Gollum’s Grandmother
How Did William the Troll Come to Own a Talking Purse in The Hobbit?
How Could Gandalf Have Survived Moria, and How Might That Have Changed the Lord of the Rings?
A Tale of Amdir and Estel: Aragorn’s Journey from Boromir to Gandalf
Smith of Wootton Major: The Culmination and Summary of Tolkien’s Life and Career
Tal-Elmar: Yet Another Story Tolkien Never Finished
The Tolkien Geek Reviews “The Battle of Five Armies” Board Game
Why Did Morgoth Take Radically Different Approaches to Men and Elves?
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: If Celeborn Is Such a Big Deal, Why Do We Know Nothing About Him?
The Tolkien Geek Reviews The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth Board Game
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: How Did the Minstrel of Gondor Know Frodo and Sam’s Story?
God’s Power Made Perfect in Weakness: Christian Humility in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth
A Long-Expected Soundscape: The Perfect Background for Reading Lord of the Rings
The Tale of Adanel: Tolkien’s Legend of the Fall of Man in Middle-Earth
Demon Possession in Middle-Earth? A Patron Video Request
The Judgments of Sam and Beregond: How Tolkien Uses Parallel to Tell Us About Aragorn
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Druedain Statues, the Watchers of Cirith Ungol, and Morgoth’s Ring???
The Fellowship of the King v. Rings of Power | Hilarious Copyright Suit Against Tolkien Estate
Is Tom Bombadil a Product of the Discord of Melkor? Patron Topic Request!
Is Movie Theoden Better than I Gave Him Credit for? Response to Zac Evans
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: The Christian Theology of Elven Divorce
Northern Courage and the Long Defeat: Tolkien’s Christianization of Northern Europe
The Main Character of The Lord of the Rings Is...Middle-Earth
Barad-dur, its Foundations, and the Ring: Did Tolkien Leave a Contradiction in Lord of the Rings?
Life Is an Adventure, Miserable Drudgery but So Worth It | Tolkien Reading Day 2023
Book vs. Movie Legolas: Ethereal Stoic or Emotional Jokester?
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Do the Wizard’s Staves Contain the Power of Each Wizard?
Tolkien Book Review: The Fall of Numenor
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Theory—Wizards’ Staves Are a Limitation, Not a Source of Power
Do the Wizards of The Lord of the Rings Need a Staff to Do Magic?
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: The Numenorean Fascination with the Dead and Splendid Tombs
Tolkien Book Review: “The Wisdom of Hobbits” by Matthew J. Distefano
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: How Gandalf and Elrond Knew To Destroy the Ring in Mount Doom
A Middle-Earth Pronunciation Guide, Part 2: Languages Other than Elvish
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: How Tolkien Always Leaves Us Wanting More
A Middle-Earth Pronunciation Guide, Part 1: Rules for Elvish Words
“Magic” Beverages in The Lord of the Rings: Their Contents (Booze?) and Effects
Beyond Subcreation: Tolkien’s Emphasis on Child-Bearing in Middle-Earth
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: The Continent of Aman as the Americas
Lord of the Rings Book vs. Movie: King Theoden of Rohan
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: What Does the White Flag of the Stewards of Gondor Signify?
“One of the Seven”: The Worst Tolkien Fan Film Made to Date?
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Ents and Tolkien’s Recycling of Old Ideas
The Drowning of Numenor and the Goodness of Eru Iluvatar: Theodicy in Middle-Earth
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Bilbo and Frodo as JRR and Christopher Tolkien
The Speech of Gurthang to Turin: Magic Sword or Insane Hallucination?
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Why Is There No “5 Rings” in the Ring Poem?
Double Feature Fan Film Review: “Nienor Niniel” and “The Legend of Gurthang”
Tolkien and Modern Culture: The Lord of the Rings and 12 Angry Men
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Could the Witch King Have Snapped Eowyn’s Sword, or Gandalf’s Staff?
Lord of the Rings “Deleted Scene”: The Temptation of Samwise Gamgee
When and Why Did Gandalf Decide to Destroy the Bridge of Khazad-Dum?
Debunking CinemaSins’ “Everything Wrong with Lord of the Rings (1979)”
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Why Does Gollum Choke on Lembas and Burn on Elven Rope?
The Zimmerman Lord of the Rings Script: Worse than John Boorman’s??
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Saruman and His Magic
Tolkien Geek Debunks “10 Ways Lord of the Rings Has Aged Poorly”
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: What Does Aragorn Know About Saruman?
Tolkien Geek Takes "Bible or Tolkien" Quiz
Thursday Tolkien Thoughts: Amon Hen and Amon Lhaw
Tolkien on Romance, Chivalry, and Soul Mates
Rings of Power Season 1: Where It Went Wrong, Plus My Wife Answers Your Questions!
Tolkien Geek Reviews the Soviet Production of “The Fellowship of the Ring” (1991)
Faramir’s High, Middle, and Wild Men: Were Faramir and Numenoreans Simply Racist?
Tolkien Geek Reviews “The Rings of Power” Ep. 8: The Central Plot Is Broken
Tolkien on Secondary Belief and the Need for Realism in Fantasy
Tolkien Geek Reviews “The Rings of Power” Ep. 7: The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back
Response to TheRedBook on Sauron, the One Ring, and Numenor
Tolkien Geek Reviews “The Rings of Power” Ep. 6: All the Homage, None of the Magic
John Boorman’s Lord of the Rings Script Pt. 4: Strangest Ending Ever
Tolkien Geek Reviews Rings of Power Ep. 5: The Writing Is Trash and the Show Is NOT Tolkien
Frodo Baggins: The Modern Hero We Need, but Don’t Deserve | Hobbit Day 2022
John Boorman’s Lord of the Rings Script Pt. 3: Skipping Isengard and Fangorn
Tolkien Geek Reviews Rings of Power Ep. 4: Modern Politics and Not Much Else Going On
Elrond and Galadriel: Who Was Actually More of a Warrior?
Rings of Power Ep. 3 Review: No Problems Fixed, More Added
John Boorman’s Lord of the Rings Script Pt. 2: The Desecration of Galadriel
Tolkien Geek Reviews Episode 1 of Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"
Hopes and Concerns for Amazon’s Rings of Power Before the Premiere
Why Tolkien Still Matters, w/ Tony Meade
Tolkien Geek Reviews Exit The Game: Shadows Over Middle-Earth
The Wisdom of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth (w/ David Rowe)
The Worst Tolkien Adaptation That Never Got Made: John Boorman’s Lord of the Rings Script, Pt. 1
Tolkien and the Critics Pt 3: Sexism and Racism (w/ GirlNextGondor)
Tolkien Geek Reacts to Rings of Power Comic-Con Trailer
Tolkien, Peter Jackson, and the Moral Landscape of The Lord of the Rings
How Peter Jackson Should Have Framed the Hobbit Trilogy
Dispelling Myths About the Nazgul and the Nine Rings
Lord of the Rings Theory: What If Isildur Had Survived and Kept the Ring?
From Semi-Villain to Tragic Hero: The Soft Retcon of Isildur
How Did Sauron Get His Ring from Numenor Back to Mordor but Not Off His Dead Hand?
Tolkien, Allegory, and Applicability: Freedom of the Reader Is Not License to Reinterpret
Upcoming Changes to Patreon and the Future of the Channel
Who in Middle-Earth Could Effectively Wield the One Ring?
How Sauron and "Leaf by Niggle" Teach Us More About Melkor and Manwe
Why Couldn’t the One Ring Be Taken to Valinor?
Why Did Gandalf Fear Sauron If They’re Both Maiar?
Which of Tolkien's Stories Are Part of the the Middle-Earth “Canon?”
Anglachel/Gurthang and Narsil/Anduril: Twin Sword Brothers from Different Mothers
Book Review | The Science of Middle-Earth: A New Understanding of Tolkien and His World
Why Peter Jackson Was Right to Cut Tom Bombadil from The Lord of the Rings
Who Really Killed Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance? And Why Does It Matter?
Tolkien’s “Fundamentally Catholic” Mythology: The Christian Foundations of Middle-Earth
Merry & Pippin: Fast Friends in a Foreign War | Tolkien Reading Day 2022
The Characters of LOTR: The Relatable, the Admirable, and the "Warning to Others"
Is the Tolkien Estate About to Start Aggressively Enforcing Copyright and Trademark?
Fate and Free Will in Middle-Earth vs. “The Adjustment Bureau” | Tolkien & Modern Culture
Tolkien and the Critics, Pt. 2: Epic Pooh (w/ GirlNextGondor)
My Thoughts on the “Rings of Power” Controversy
Fate and Free Will in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
What Do The Lord of the Rings Characters Really Look Like?
Fate and Free Will in the Story of Turin Turambar
Fate and Free Will in Middle-Earth
Lord of the Rings Book vs. Movie: Gandalf Cures Theoden at Meduseld
Tolkien on Magic vs. Art in Middle-Earth
Advanced Technology in Middle-Earth
Newsweek’s 20th Anniversary Fellowship of the Ring Issue is FAKE NEWS!!
20 Years of The Fellowship of the Ring: A Retrospective
Why Does Sauron Have Only 9 Fingers?
Who Decided Boromir Would Go to Rivendell, and Why?
What if Merry and Pippin Returned to the Shire from Rivendell in Lord of the Rings? Pt. 2
What if Merry and Pippin Returned to the Shire from Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings? Pt. 1
How Long Ago Was Lord of the Rings? Tolkien Tells Us in “Nature of Middle-Earth”
Why Is Gollum Allergic to Elven Rope and Lembas?
Are All Tolkien’s Favorite Heroes Spider-Slayers? | Halloween 2021
Middle-Earth Metaphysics: Tolkien’s Orc Problem
The History (and Mystique) of Isengard and Orthanc
What Do Sir Lenny Henry’s Recent Comments Tell Us about LOTR on Prime?
What Does that (In)famous Footnote in “The Nature of Middle-Earth” Mean?
Lord of the Rings Book vs. Movie: The One Ring
How Adventure Changed the Ringbearers | Hobbit Day 2021
The Recycling of Turin Turambar: Turin = Faramir + Boromir + ???
Tolkien and the Critics: Part I (ft. GirlNextGondor)
Are Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings Really Gay?
Seven Kinds of Love (+1 Bonus) in Tolkien's Middle-Earth
The Tolkien Geek Reviews: "The Green Knight" (2021) with Spoilers
Response to "Gondor in Transition: A Brief Introduction to Transgender Realities in The Lord of the Rings" | Tolkien Society Summer Seminar 2021
7 Times Lord of the Rings' Characters' Own Words Bit Them in the Butt
Interpreting Tolkien: Authorial Intent or Death of the Author?
All Tolkien's Stories, from Worst to Best
The Major Adaptions of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Ranked by Fidelity
Boring Heroes, Interesting Villains, and Faramir: How Tolkien Breaks the Trend
The Rings of Power in Lord of the Rings
A Tolkien Bestiary
Lord of the Rings "Deleted Scene": The Scouring of the Shire
The Lay of Leithian: The Theme of Release in the Tale of Beren and Luthien
Debunking ScreenRant.com's "LOTR: Things that Make NO Sense"
The Theme of Greed in Tolkien's Novels
Yuletide Gift Ideas for the Tolkien Fan on Your Nice List
Lord of the Rings Character Study: Eowyn
Book vs. Movie: Action Scenes in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings
Tolkien Book Review: Beren & Luthien
The Creation and Shaping of Middle Earth
What's Wrong with Wisecrack's "How Lord of the Rings Changed | Book vs Movie"
The "Translation" of the Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of Sauron
Tolkien and Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics
The Biggest Problems with Peter Jackson's Hobbit Movie Trilogy
Background of the Writing of The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings Character Study: Boromir
The Wizards and the White Council in Lord of the Rings
The Importance of the Old Forest, Bombadil, and Barrow Downs in The Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings "Deleted Scene": The Barrow Downs
Lord of the Rings "Deleted Scenes": Tom Bombadil
Lord of the Rings "Deleted Scenes": The Old Forest
Alleged Allegories That Aren't in The Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings Character Study: Legolas & Gimli
Top 5 "Deleted" Characters in The Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy
Lord of the Rings Book vs. Movie: Bree
The Theme of Death in Tolkien's Mythology
The Real Life Inspirations of Beren and Luthien
Creatures of Middle Earth: Elves
Game Review: LOTR - The Confrontation
Is Eowyn a Victim of Tolkien's Sexism?
Middle Earth History: The Rohirrim
Making a Silmarillion Movie Trilogy
Book vs. Movie: Council of Elrond
Greatest Feats by Tolkien's Heroes
Middle Earth History: Aragorn's Biography
Tolkien's Poetry: An Overview
The Lay of Aotrou & Itroun
Middle-Earth Misconceptions
Middle-Earth Mysteries
Named Weapons in Lord of the Rings
Middle Earth History: How Do You Get to Valinor?
Game Review: Lord of the Rings Trivia Game
Why We Need More Faramirs
Middle Earth History: The North Kingdom of Arnor
Unfinished Tales: Disaster of the Gladden Fields
Sub-Creation as a Theme in the Silmarillion
Middle Earth History: The Ring of Barahir
Middle-Earth History: Numenor
Debunking Grunge com's "False Facts About The Lord of the Rings You've Always Believed"
Book Review: The Story of Kullervo
Smith of Wootton Major
Leaf by Niggle
Is Tolkien Aragorn's "Descendant?"
Farmer Giles of Ham
What Does the Ending of "The Lord of the Rings" Mean?
Riddles in the Dark: Spiritual Warfare by Bilbo and Gollum
Middle Earth History: Silmarillion Overview
Middle Earth Pronunciation Guide
The Hobbit Retcon
On Fairy Stories: Eucatastrophe
On Fairy Stories
How to Enjoy Peter Jackson's LOTR Trilogy as a Purist
Peter Jackson's 5 LOTR Best Scenes
5 Worst Scenes in Peter Jackson's LOTR Movies
5 Missed Opportunities in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Movies
Adding More Arwen to LOTR: A Response to Men of the West
Are Orcs a Manifestation of Tolkien's Racism?
One Does not Simply Fly to Mordor
Tolkien and Time Travel: Numenor Enters the Mythology
Top 5 Ways Tolkien Impacted Modern Culture
Tolkien on Love: Romantic and Realistic
Top 5 Characters Ruined by Peter Jackson
All the Ringbearers in Chronological Order
Hilariously Stupid Lawsuit Botches Tolkien Reference
Middle-earth History: The Palantiri