The Tolkien Road

Hey there fellow travelers! John here to let you know that it's time to get on the road again! Beginning in September, we will begin our journey through The Hobbit. This 8 episode podcast series will include in-depth, chapter-by-chapter discussions of the first 6 chapters of Tolkien's 1937 fantasy classic, and conclude with a discussion of Peter Jackson's film The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey. We'll also take a special look at the character Gollum, and consider his overall significance to the stories of Middle-earth. However, we need your help to make this season as great as it can posssibly be! While we've produced over 140 hours of discussion about Tolkien's works over the last several years, when you add in all of the time preparing and producing the episodes, it actually adds up to quite a bit more. We want to make this series as great as possible, and every dollar you send our way is more wind in our sails! And if we can double our target, we'll produce 2 extra episodes along with this batch! Of course

Concerning Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptation of "Return of the King", from mucky mouths to western ways... For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad.

Concerning The Lord of the Rings’ Epilogue, from Sam’s stories to the sigh of the sea… Why Wasn't It Included? - 4:00 Version 1 - 18:00 Version 2 - 33:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning the Dwarves, from Durin’s dawn to Gimli’s glory... Durin the Deathless Erebor, the Arkenstone, and Smaug Thror, Thrain, and the Last Dwarf Ring Azog & the Battle of Azanulbizar Thrain & the Ring Thorin Meets Gandalf Dís, Dwarf-woman Gimli For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning Rohan, from Eorl’s oath to Eomer’s ascension... Origins of the Rohirrim / Eorl’s Triumph - 3:00 Eorl, Horsetamer / Felaróf - 11:30 Helm Hammerhand vs. the Dunlendings - 17:45 Saruman’s Dawn - 29:30 Théoden & Eómer - 34:00 Correspondence - 38:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, from Arador and Arathorn to Elessar and the Evenstar... Tolkien's Overture - Coming Soon! - 3:00 Background (Arathorn, Aragorn, & Arnor) - 7:00 Arwen, Gilraen, Elrond - 12:00 Aragorn in the wilderness - 24:00 Arwen & Aragorn pledge their troth - 29:00 Aragorn's death - 46:00 Arwen's death - 53:00 Correspondence - 59:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings, from the Annals of Anadûnê to the lineage of the Zaragambas... Appendix A - Annals of the Kings and Rulers - 9:00 Appendix B - The Tale of Years - 17:30 Appendix C - Family Trees - 25:00 Appendix D - The Shire Calendar - 32:00 Appendix E - The Pronunciation of Words and Names - 33:00 Appendix F - The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age - 35:30 Correspondence - 38:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “The Grey Havens”, from sowing seeds to sails of sorrow...  Restoring the Shire - 1:30 Galadriel’s Gift - 6:30 Frodo’s Wounds - 12:00 The Red Book - 18:30 "Saved, but not for me…" - 29:00 "Well, I’m back…" - 53:00 Haiku / Correspondence - 1:00:30 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.  

Concerning “The Scouring of the Shire”, from surly Shiriffs to snarky Sharkey...  At the Gate - 2:00 The Shiriffs - 16:45 Shock in Bywater - 25:00 Farmer Cotton’s Ambush - 34:00 Sharkey and Pimple? - 37:30 The Battle of Bywater - 45:30 Hobbiton / Ted Sandyman - 50:00 Saruman - 52:30 Haiku / Correspondence - 1:11:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “Homeward Bound”, from banter with Butterbur to goodbyes for Gandalf...  The 6th of October / Passing Weathertop - 7:20 The State of Bree / A Chat with Butterbur - 17:00 Goodbye to Gandalf - 33:30 Haiku / Correspondence - 38:50 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “Many Partings”, from Théoden’s burial to Bilbo’s twilight...  Frodo Begs Leave - 2:30 Théoden’s Burial - 6:00 A Chat with Treebeard - 16:00 Catching Up with Saruman - 30:00 Rivendell & Bilbo - 40:00 Haiku / Correspondence - 51:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “The Steward and the King”, from Éowyn’s angst to Elessar’s ascension... Éowyn & Faramir - 9:00 The Coronation - 53:00 Beregond & Éomer - 59:00 Nimloth’s Sapling - 1:04:00 Haiku / Correspondence - 1:08:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “The Field of Cormallen”, from eagles’ wings to minstrels’ songs... The Eagles Are Coming! - 2:30 Rescuing Frodo & Sam - 12:00 “Is everything sad going to come untrue?” - 17:30 Long live the Halflings - 28:00 The Fellowship Reunited - 41:00 Legolas’ sea song - 44:00 Haiku / Correspondence - 51:00 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “Mount Doom”, from last legs to the end of all things... LOTR Amazon TV - Coming in 2020? - 2:00 The Long and Winding Path to Mt. Doom - 20:00 Sauron’s Folly - 29:00 Climbing Mount Doom - 39:00 Gollum’s Return - 52:00 The Crack of Doom - 1:00:00 The End of All Things - 1:12:00 Haiku / Correspondence - 1:25:30 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “The Land of Shadow”, from the Morgai march to Sam’s star... What a Week! - Amazon, LOTR, Christopher, etc - 1:30 The Lay of the Land - 19:00 The Escape from Cirith Ungol - 23:30 Hope Out of the West - 29:00 Along the Morgai - 33:30 A Small and Passing Thing… - 40:00 Mordor Up Close - 53:00 Orc Fight - 58:30 The Turn East 1:03:00 Haiku / Correspondence - 1:05:30 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

BOOM! Tolkien fans got big news yesterday with the official announcement from Amazon that they will be producing a "LOTR Prequel" TV series with the blessing of The Tolkien Estate and Trust. On this special episode, Greta and I discuss the details of the announcement, including what we know and what we don't know, and talk about what this series might entail. For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

Concerning “The Tower of Cirith Ungol”, from finding Frodo to offing Orcs... Sam Outside the Gates - 6:30 The Landscape of Mordor - 15:00 Sam & the Ring - 24:00 The Two Watchers - 28:00 Sam the Elf-Warrior - 35:30 Shagrat vs. Snaga - 40:30 Sam Sings - 45:30 Frodo awakens - 51:00 Haiku / Correspondence - 1:02:30 For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.

WE'RE BACK!!! Sorry for the delay... We pick up where we left off in Episode 125 with a discussion of the BREAKING NEWS that the Tolkien Estate is apparently in talks with Amazon (and perhaps other studios) about a Middle-earth TV show. SAY WHAT!?!? We are not kidding... After catching our breaths, we dive into the feedback from you all on where you'd like to see the future of Middle-earth go. It's good to be back, and thanks for your patience! We'll pick up with LOTR on episode 128. For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. Finally, please send correspondence to TolkienRoadPodcast@gmail.com.  

What was Tolkien's view on miraculous events? What did he believe about the supernatural realm of our own reality?On this episode, we explore Tolkien's Letter 89, written to his son Christopher during World War II. It's a letter that reveals Tolkien's deepest beliefs about reality and the way it truly operates. From guardian angels to the miracles of Lourdes to an uncanny experience of St. Joseph, this is a letter that will help you understand Tolkien on a far deeper level than you have before.