Today's Tolkien Times

Join The Man of the West — to whom this episode’s title does not refer… usually — as we read the climax of the War of Wrath, and Morgoth finally gets what’s coming to him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No, not me — I’m fine; it’s Pippin you should worry about. Join The Man of the West as we examine Merry & Pippin’s friendship during their time apart, and enjoy their warm reunion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Look, I’m trying to keep things exciting, but… oh, that wasn’t about the show. Join The Man of the West as we conclude our study of the Elves of Rivendell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as this week’s linguistic deep dive includes a look at Estel, and a reminder of the Old English inspiration behind the beginning of the legendarium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as he discovers Petty Fencing isn’t what you build when you just want to get even with your neighbor, and Tolkien gives a reader a fierce defense of Faramir, Éowyn, and their love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, Gollum, sure. Join The Man of the West as we continue our journey with Frodo and Sam, climbing the Stairs of Cirith Ungol. Are you sure there isn’t an elevator somewhere, Gollum? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clearly not The Man of the West, today’s title describes the sight of Eärendil’s ship, Vingilot, as it sails into the heavens — freeing the Elves from despair, while filling Morgoth with doubt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as Merry acknowledges he has some work to do to catch up to Pippin as we continue our (now) four-episode look at their friendship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we begin a two-part look at the Elves of Rivendell: this time featuring the tra-la-lally Elves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Break out your Quenya and Sindarin dictionaries as The Man of the West does his usual mid-week deep dive into the names of some familiar places. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As though Tolkien ever took them too seriously to begin with. Join The Man of the West as he looks at two letters closing out 1962, including how a neighbor literally influenced the shape of Tolkien’s world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as he continues his anti-bucket list of places to visit in Middle-earth with a trip through history to view the city known both as Minas Ithil and Minas Morgul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as Eärendil wanders the lonely streets of Tirion, and Eönwë has a sense of dramatic timing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we begin a look at another friendship in the legendarium: everyone’s favorite troublemakers, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Galadriel takes the high road when faced with a no-win scenario, as The Man of the West completes a three-episode look at the Elves of Lórien. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as he finds a reason to read a line from Galadriel’s Lament because… well, see above. Also: which of these words is not like the others? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three short letters in the Revised and Expanded edition provide the usual combination of insight, wit, and kindness that characterize Tolkien’s letters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we continue our itinerary of Places No One Wants to Visit: this time, looking at the lovely and refreshing Morgul Vale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve been building up to this for a few series now, and it’s finally time to begin Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we wrap up our four-episode look at the friendship of Frodo and Sam, from certain death on the slopes of Mount Doom, to their farewell at the Grey Havens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We continue our look at the Elves of Lórien as the Fellowship encounter Haldir and make their way towards Caras Galadhon itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we look at a few words from our visit to the darkness on Middle-earth Map Monday… and visit a golden river for a palate cleanse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We reach the second half of Letter 241 as Tolkien gives his Aunt Jane (and us) the story behind his work, Leaf by Niggle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we continue our travel journeys to only the worst places, this time to the Black Gate itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As if I need to tell you that today’s episode title has nothing whatsoever to do with The Man of the West. We conclude the tragic chapter Of the Ruin of Doriath with the loss of Beren and Lúthien, some unwelcome guests, and even more death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as the friendship of Frodo and Sam grows stronger even in the most challenging circumstances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clearly not referring to The Man of the West, today’s episode title actually speaks of Amroth, the King of Lórien, as we move west from Mirkwood to look at yet another of the Elven Kingdoms of the Third Age. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Word-nerd Wednesday looks at several words from our Silmarillion Saturday readings, some of which are more noble sounding than others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we begin another of the Professor’s letters to his Aunt Jane Neave: today, it’s all about the Welsh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No, really, it’s just a mild cold… oh, the text? That’s a different story. Join The Man of the West as we follow Frodo and Sam’s miserable itinerary through the Dagorlad and the wastes before the Black Gate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we continue in The Ruin of Doriath, standing beside Melian in her grief. Mablung meets his end fulfilling his duty, and Beren rescues the stolen Nauglamír. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we turn our 2-part look at Frodo and Sam’s friendship into four episodes instead: today, from Parth Galen to Cirith Ungol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether today’s title also applies to The Man of the West is up to you. Today, we take a look at the Elves of Mirkwood in (mostly) the Third Age, as we continue our look at the free peoples of Middle-earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Man of the West takes a deep dive into a few words from last week’s Silmarillion Saturday, including one that, it turns out, is long overdue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, yes — but I thought everyone knew that. Join The Man of the West as we look at another letter from the Professor to his illustrator on The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Pauline Baynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s stop on our journey is not on The Man of the West’s bucket list, nor is it likely on yours. Come visit the charming wetlands known as the Dead Marshes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Man of the West may be used to hearing those words, but today they’re meant for the Dwarves of Nogrod that are haughtily dismissed by Thingol, unaware of the danger he faces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We begin an all-new thing for Fridays, as we study friendships in Middle-earth, starting with perhaps the best-known example with Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we begin a look at more people in the Third Age; having done a deep dive into all the different Men for two series, it’s time to visit the Elves, beginning in Lindon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West for a Word-nerd Wednesday deep dive into Tolkien’s early name for the Elves we now know as the Noldor, and learn why he could use it Gnome-Or (just say it out loud… no more). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time for another out-of-context quote as episode title, as we begin another TTT series spending Tolkien Tuesdays in the Revised and Expanded edition of the Letters. Today, it’s more gripes about translations; anyone else not surprised? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as he begins Series 15 of Today’s Tolkien Times with a Middle-earth Map Monday on the bleak hills of the Emyn Muil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Húrin’s anger leads him to Doriath, where he throws jewelry at the King and finds himself gently reminded of the truth by Melian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we begin our time in Of the Ruin of Doriath, watching as Húrin is all-too-briefly reunited with Morwen before his heart turns to “stone within him”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We finish our look at Men of the Third Age as The Man of the West reviews the history of the Éothéod, their steadfast alliance with Gondor, and their move to the northern vales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West for another — this time more thorough — look at the name of Gondor’s hottest surf spot, Belfalas, along with other places we’ve encountered in our journey through Gondor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tolkien admits to a bit of poetic masochism in a letter to his aunt Jane, as The Man of the West continues his look through the Revised and Expanded edition of Tolkien’s Letters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we reach the far shores and conclude our 21-week journey through the regions of Gondor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West as we accompany a now-free Húrin from Angband to his homelands and then on as he looks for mercy from Turgon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not you, sorry — Morgoth. At least that’s Húrin’s opinion as he continues his defiance of the Dark Lord in this week’s First Age Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices