The Tolkien Podcast

Send us Fan MailNEWS: "The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past" (Or The Tom Bombadil movie) has been announced as in development. Peter Jackson introduced Stephen Colbert who made the explanation of how the development process started.In this episode we look closely at who is busy with preproduction on "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum" film, including concept artists, and then a look at the content for the film as outlined by Colbert.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail"Three Rings for the Elven-Kings" is the start of the famous verse from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings that continues and eventually quotes the inscription on The One Ring itself, put there by Sauron to control all of the rings of power. In this episode of The Tolkien Podcast the origin, ownership and bittersweet end of the rings is explained!Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailTolkien is known for his language creation, but he was also masterful at creating calendars for the cultures and peoples that inhabit Middle-earth. The Shire calendar is beautifully practical - twelve months, thirty days each. Every month lines up neatly with the phases of the moon. That makes it much more regular than our messy Gregorian calendar, with its whole "thirty days hath September" guessing game. The hobbits liked their schedules steady and predictable. In fact, it's one of the few calendars where every date falls on the same day of the week every single year. So, if your birthday's on a Friday this year - bad news if you don't like Fridays - it's always on a Friday.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailIn 2001, a film many thought would ruin a movie studio — a big budget fantasy film based on books by J.R.R. Tolkien — hit theaters on Dec. 19. It blew even the highest opening weekend predictions completely out of the water and went on to make and change cinema history. Next year the 25th Anniversary of the the LORD OF THE RINGS film trilogy will start with the extended editions returning to theaters.That's great but it isn't the 25th Anniversary version or celebration of the films Peter Jackson and company wanted and it isn't the 25th celebration that fans deserve. In this edition of The Tolkien Podcast, we will examine the long hoped for  Ultimate Edition of the film trilogy AND how that relates to the ongoing battle to buy Warner Bros., and therefore the LOTR films."I'd love to do an ultimate edition, a final, definitive version when the time is right. There's still a lot of great material that hasn't been seen." - Peter Jackson, 2004"There's so much more we could do. The amount of material we have is staggering. It's just a matter of finding the right time and format to release it." - Michael Pellerin, 2006"Fans have been clamoring for an ultimate edition of the films for years, and both Jackson and Pellerin have hinted that it's something they'd like to do when the timing is right." - Larry D. Curtis, TheOneRing.net, 2009Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailWe start with a most remarkable letter from Tolkien available on auction today, the highest-priced Tolkien artifacts / books ever sold and then launch into a gift guide with some pretty amazing discounts available now, at least in the U.S., maybe everywhere. But long after those discounts are gone, here is a helpful list of Tolkien-themed gifts. In this episode we use affiliate links and offer a podcast-only discount code on one special item. The transcript contains links to all the goodies to help you find a perfect present for your fellow Tolkienites!UPDATE: Hours after publication I spotted this desk that belonged to J.R.R. Tolkien for sale. It is believed LOTR was edited on it. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3r7pq9xlploSupport the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailWith a stage play about J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis currently running  — a popular topic — we examine how the myth maker who died more than a half century ago has himself become a myth.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailWhile moving recently, to a fourth-floor apartment with no elevator, I had to carefully evaluate which book — including which Tolkien books — are worth boxing, lifting and moving and keeping, in the face of space restrictions and physical exhaustion.What's on your Tolkien bookshelf or what's in your Tolkien library? We take a look at the essential books that make up the core, the books that sit just outside the inner circle and then a lot of other books that fill out your shelf space. See the transcript for a full list of what this episode looks at.These are works by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and Tolkien scholars. Not mentioned, and omitted by accident is the essential "Tolkien and the Great War," by John Garth and "The Atlas of Middle-earth" but, the last episode was dedicated to that key work. If other important works were missed send me at not at [email protected] LIST OF BOOKS UNDER DISCUSSION*Tolkien And The Great War*Atlas of Middle-earthThe HobbitThe Lord of the RingsThe SilmarillionUnfinished TalesThe Children of HúrinBeren and LúthienThe Fall of GondolinThe Book of Lost Tales Part 1The Book of Lost Tales Part 2The Lays of BeleriandThe Lost Road and Other WritingsMorgoth's Ring and The War of the JewelsThe Shaping of Middle-earthThe Lost Road and Other WritingsThe Return of the Shadow (The History of The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 1)The Treason of Isengard (The History of The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 2)The War of the Ring (The History of The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 3)Sauron Defeated (The History of The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 4)Morgoth's Ring (The Later Silmarillion, Part One) (1993)The War of the Jewels (The Later Silmarillion, Part Two) (1994)The Peoples of Middle-earth (1996)The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (poetry)Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of HamRoverandomThe Fall of ArthurThe Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (edited Carpenter)J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey CarpenterLetters from Father Christmas 1976J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist & IllustratorTolkien On Fairy-stories (his essay on fantasy literature)The Monsters and the Critics and Other EssaysJ.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New MythologySplintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's WorldInterrupted Music: The Making of Tolkien’s MythologyThe Art of The Hobbit and The Art of The Lord of the Rings* These titles were omitted but are essential part of the Tolkien Library.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Tolkien Podcast we discuss a hidden gem THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE-EARTH and how it helps readers of THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE SILMARILLION enhance their reading experience. We also take a look at how its late creator, Karen Wynn Fonstad, produced the work as a fan turned creator, with host Larry D. Curtis.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailJ.R.R. Tolkien's THE SILMARILLION provides the cosmology behind his best know works THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT. It presents all that came before, preparing Middle-earth for the War of the Ring. But lacking the same storytelling structure of those best known works, Tolkien's legendarium can present challenges to readers. Here we talk strategies, resources and tips for readers who may find the names, geography and massive volume of characters to be a challenge.But if you are for the challenge, arm yourself with this advice and prepare to be richly rewarded by one of Tolkien's essential works. Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailUnlike many of the servants of Middle-earth's Dark Lord, The Mouth of Sauron was a mortal man who rose through the ranks to become the general and communicator of the great flaming eye. On The Tolkien Podcast, we read from select passages and discuss the person destined to help rule Middle-earth — if Sauron had won the War of the Ring. Looking for a beautiful, perfect and unique Tolkien gift? Please visit our sponsor: https://kellyannie.com/products/jrr-tolkien-necklaceSupport the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailAppearing only in a few pages of FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, with few mentions elsewhere, and not appearing in most adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS, Tom Bombadil has always captured the imagination of readers. We look at who Tom is, which is really more an examination of WHAT Tom is. And, we look carefully at the recent and significant depiction of the merry fellow on TV screens. The show also introduces listeners to a hand-made Tolkien necklace as part of the growing support for THE TOLKIEN PODCAST.Visit our sponsor: https://kellyannie.com/products/jrr-tolkien-necklaceSupport the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailTolkien's Middle-earth included wizards, from nearly the start of THE HOBBIT published in 1937. From there The Professor included wizards Gandalf the Grey, and Radagast the Brown woven throughout his tale.When THE LORD OF THE RINGS was published Saruman the White was added to the wizard ranks and the mystery expanded from there. Deep in Tolkien's other writings were fragments and clues about the two mysterious blue wizards, who never entered into the narrative directly except in cryptic references, but were among the most wise and powerful beings in Middle-earth and beyond.In this episode of THE TOLKIEN PODCAST we piece together all the fragments to get to know several names of the of these mysterious icons and how, from off-stage, they shaped the outcome of The War of the Ring. (Episode artwork courtesy Dan Miller from Pixabay)Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailSir Richard Taylor, knighted in 2010 and named New Zealand's Man of the Year in 2012, has won five of the six Academy Awards he was nominated for. He co-founded Weta Workshop with his now wife Tanya Rodger and is responsible for the miniatures (bigitures), costumes, prosthetics, props and weapons on screen in Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS film trilogy. His crew also contributed mightily to THE HOBBIT trilogy of films as well as many other TV series and movies, including miniatures for BLADE RUNNER 2049. He was influenced by Tolkien as a child and is a champion of New Zealand, art and creativity.Here he speaks about his work here on The Tolkien Podcast.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Tolkien Podcast, The Return of the Balrog, we take a breakneck-speed look at the history of Tolkien's fantasy realm of Middle-earth and its context in Arda. The super-quick tour isn't concerned with names and dates but aims to provide a big-picture glance to provide context for history's most cinematic balrog — called the Flame of Udûn by Gandalf.That run of history transitions into history of another kind: cinematic history, including when that balrog met the public eye for the first time, touching on movie fan sites.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailBalrogs, creatures of shadow and flame in J.R.R. Tolkien's universe are, pardon the pun, a topic of hot debate. They are also cool, as, well, cool as hell (Udûn.) In this episode we take a walk through the valley of the shadow to discuss these powerful, captivating and often debated creatures, and take on the old debate: wings vs. no wings.Please visit and share: https://thetolkienpodcast.buzzsprout.com/Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailJ.R.R. Tolkien published a lot of material. With the help of his son and literary executor, there is a wealth of published content and commentary, including non-Middle-earth fiction, art, his essays and letters and some excellent writings about The Professor.So, as a reader, should you follow conventional wisdom or is there a better way to get more out of his works beyond "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings?" Additionally, how does a reader make the most of the dense and sometimes challenging "The Silmarillion?" Where does that fit into my reading?In this episode of The Tolkien Podcast, we dig into those questions with answers and suggestions that don't follow the traditional wisdom. Please visit and share: https://thetolkienpodcast.buzzsprout.com/PODCAST DISCLAIMER: This podcast, is created to discuss the works, and life of J.R.R. Tolkien, with diversions into works inspired by his efforts, the ramifications of his works on pop culture — indeed culture — the works of his son Christopher Tolkien.We will also discuss adaptations of The Professor’s works in other mediums most definitely including film, television, art and music, or anything else that seems worthy of discussion or of interest. It is all part of the broad topic presented here.In no way is anything discussed here part of, or officially or unofficially endorsed by anyone associated with the Tolkien Estate, Middle-earth Enterprises, any of the publishers in any of the countries around the world that print Tolkien books, or any of the studios or artists that publish Tolkien content of any kind. Indeed, this is simply fair use commentary and discussion of all of the above and more.Support the showContact: [email protected]

Send us Fan MailMeet your host, Larry D Curtis.  Student of J.R.R. Tolkien, veteran journalist and your guide through Middle-earth on the Tolkien Podcast. Visit or share: https://thetolkienpodcast.buzzsprout.com/Support the showContact: [email protected]