The Tolkien Road

Hey there fellow travellers!As we get closer and closer to Christmas, I thought it would be a great time to return to one of my favorite topics: Tolkien's controversial assertion that Lord of the Rings is religious and Catholic! Just what did he mean by that? How much does it matter for deepening our appreciation of Lord of the Rings and of Middle-earth? And how does this all connect to Christmas?To answer that, I put together a brief primer on the profound connection between Lord of the Rings and Christmas itself! So in this episode, you actually get a two for one. Ho ho ho and Merry Christmas!Also, visit TrueMythsPress.com to for Tolkien Road gear like Two Trees coffee mugs, Tolkien Road t-shirts, and signed copies of my books (which are almost gone!).Use promo code XMAS to take 15% off your purchase until Epiphany!- Show Notes » https://tolkienroad.com/e0255- Buy Christmas Gifts » https://truemythspress.com/- Watch the video » https://youtu.be/tnMDGBKCtsU- Watch Ad-Free » https://www.patreon.com/posts/1461

Hey there fellow travellers!This week we'll be revisiting episode 269, which focused on Tolkien's EPIC Christmas poem NOEL. Visit TolkienRoad.com/noel for plenty of resources related to it!Also, visit TrueMythsPress.com to for Tolkien Road gear like Two Trees coffee mugs, Tolkien Road t-shirts, and signed copies of my books (which are almost gone!).Use promo code NOEL20 to take 20% off your purchase until December 14th.- Show Notes » https://tolkienroad.com/noel- Buy Christmas Gifts » https://truemythspress.com/- Watch the video » https://youtu.be/K3dICFZQIec- "Noel" text » http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Noel- listen to "Noel" » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0_BJSYM874- "Unseen JRR Tolkien poems found in school magazine" (The Guardian) » https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/16/unseen-jrr-tolkien-poems-found-in-school-magazine- Our Lady's Abingdon » https://www.ola.org.uk/- Wayne Hammond & Christina Scull's Blog Entry on Noel » https://wayneandchristina.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/tolkien-notes-8/- "

In this episode, we're concluding our two part journey through Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas, focusing on The Goblin Wars! Join us as we explore how the “Other Fellowship” of Father Nicholas Christmas, the North Polar Bear, the Red Gnomes, and others join forces to save Christmas!  By the way, if you're looking for some fun Tolkien-themed merch, head on over to TrueMythsPress.com. That's where you'll find Tolkien Road t-shirts, coffee mugs, and signed copies of my books! Use the code XMAS15 to take 15% OFF your purchase from now through Epiphany!Alright, without further ado, let's dive into Letters from Father Christmas!Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0268To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/BEK4vr1gXAwWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144684774Listen AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59516764Buy Tolkien Road merch @ True Myths PressBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/pod

Well, Thanksgiving 2025 has come and gone, and now the big lead up to Christmas is upon us!To that end, in the next few episodes, we're taking a look back at our series on Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas, a compilation of Christmas-themed legends he wrote for his young children from 1920 thru 1943.These letters are a ton of fun, so we're excited to revisit them with you. We'll hope you'll join us and get into the Christmas spirit!By the way, if you're looking for some fun Tolkien-themed merch, head on over to TrueMythsPress.com. That's where you'll find Tolkien Road t-shirts, coffee mugs, and signed copies of my books! Use the code XMAS15 to take 15% OFF your purchase from now through Epiphany!Alright, without further ado, let's dive into Letters from Father Christmas!Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0267To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/QG4DH67BcQAWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144681756Listen AD-

In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by exploring The Voyages of Aldarion, the grandson of Vëantur, and future King of Númenor. This will begin a multi-episode arc on this important figure in Númenor's history - join us!And as a reminder: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0338To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/dq59vV9EOwsWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144183739/Listen AD-F

In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by examining Númenor’s return to Middle-earth in the year 600 of the Second Age, led by the intrepid sea-captain Vëantur. Join us!And as a reminder: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0337To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/VumQLI07YW4Watch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/143609372Listen AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/83606794Buy Tolkien

In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by considering the curious case of Silmariën and the origin of the Lords of Andúnië, the forebears of Elendil, Isildur, and eventually Aragorn himself. Join us!And as a reminder: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0336To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/UWgGk5hz3xsWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/143123936Listen AD-FREE: https://www.patreon

In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by examining the return of Sauron around the year 500 of the Second Age! Join us!And as a reminder: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0335/To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/JwxMA3AICiQWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/142607271Listen AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/83162579Buy Tolkien Road merch @ True Myths PressBecome a supporter

In this episode, we’re continuing our journey through The Fall of Númenor by considering the state of Dwarf-dom at the beginning of the Second Age, the founding of Moria / Khazad-dûm, and well as the death of Númenor’s first king. Join us!And as a reminder: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0334/To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/obyO3Q40xqQWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/142046559Listen AD-FREE: https://www.p

In this episode, we continue our journey through The Fall of Númenor as we explore “The Life of Númenoreans.” In this section, we’ll learn about the every day life of the men and women of the Star-Land, according to Tolkien! Join us!And as a reminder: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0332/To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/sfW8U3uLXOgWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/141510058Listen AD-FREE: https://www.patreon

In this episode, we continue our journey through The Fall of Númenor as we explore “The Natural Life of Númenor.” In this section, we’ll learn about the beasts, birds, plants, and other natural phenomena of Númenor, according to Tolkien! Join us!And as a reminder: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0331/To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/r1CHGU4gKvgWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140989226Listen AD-FREE: https:

In this episode, we continue our journey through The Fall of Númenor with "The Geography of Númenor". How big was the Land of Gift? What was it like? Did it have any cities? In the latest episode, we’re going to cover everything you ever wanted to know about the Star-Land itself. Join us!And here’s the really exciting part: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0330/To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/MXVNVJvm-FwWatch AD-FREE:

In this episode, we continue our journey through The Fall of Númenor with "SA32 » The Edain Reach Númenor", in whch we’ll learn about the people who became Númenoreans, the various figures that aided them in establishing Númenor, and how they came to Númenor in the first place. Join us!If you’ve ever been curious about the rise and tragic downfall of Tolkien’s greatest kingdom — and how it ties into the Rings of Power and the epic drama of the Second Age — you won’t want to miss this.And here’s the really exciting part: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with

In this episode, we’ll be exploring the “Foundation of the Grey Havens and of Lindon” in Year 1 of the Second Age. Topics include the overthrow of Morgoth, Thranduil (father of Legolas), Gil-galad, Galadriel, Celeborn, Elrond, and Elros. Join us!If you’ve ever been curious about the rise and tragic downfall of Tolkien’s greatest kingdom — and how it ties into the Rings of Power and the epic drama of the Second Age — you won’t want to miss this.And here’s the really exciting part: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Episode Link: https://www.tolk

In this episode, we continue our journey through The Fall of Númenor with "Before the Second Age", a summary of the major events leading up to the story of Númenor.If you’ve ever been curious about the rise and tragic downfall of Tolkien’s greatest kingdom — and how it ties into the Rings of Power and the epic drama of the Second Age — you won’t want to miss this.And here’s the really exciting part: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Alright — let’s dive into "Before the Second Age"!Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0327/To support our

In this episode, we continue our journey through The Fall of Númenor with the volume's introduction, titled "The Saga of a Dark Age".If you’ve ever been curious about the rise and tragic downfall of Tolkien’s greatest kingdom — and how it ties into the Rings of Power and the epic drama of the Second Age — you won’t want to miss this.And here’s the really exciting part: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Alright — let’s dive into Númenor’s epic story, and rediscover why it remains one of the most haunting legends Tolkien ever wrote.Episode Link:

We’re bringing back one of our most popular journeys: our series on The Fall of Númenor! If you’ve ever been curious about the rise and tragic downfall of Tolkien’s greatest kingdom — and how it ties into the Rings of Power and the epic drama of the Second Age — you won’t want to miss this.And here’s the really exciting part: I’ve got a brand-new book on the way, Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age. It’s the culmination of years of study, and I believe it’ll change the way you look at Tolkien’s legendarium.If you’re enjoying this series, make sure you head over to tolkienroad.substack.com and subscribe.Read Tolkien's Tragedy: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/That’s where you’ll get early chapters of Tolkien’s Tragedy and all the behind-the-scenes insights I only share with my readers.Alright — let’s dive into Númenor’s epic story, and rediscover why it remains one of the most haunting legends Tolkien ever wrote.Episode Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0324/To suppor

Hey there, fellow travelers! I’ve got some exciting news: my new book Tolkien’s Tragedy: Concerning Númenor, The Rings of Power, and the Second Age is finally here.This has been years in the making. In fact, when I first started outlining it, Amazon’s Rings of Power series hadn’t even been announced. Now we’re two seasons in, and I think this book offers insights that are more timely than ever.The full text is almost finished, but I’m still deciding on the best way to publish it. For now, I’m sharing it chapter by chapter over on my new Substack — that’s TolkienRoad.Substack.com. You can read the introduction and first chapter for free, and if you’d like to go deeper, you can get the rest with a Patreon or Substack membership.What you’re about to hear is the introduction to Tolkien’s Tragedy. I can’t wait to share it with you, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.So, head over to TolkienRoad.Substack.com to follow along — and now, let’s dive in!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcas

Our 2025 Silmarillion journey concludes with Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age!The last chapter of The Silmarillion is a synoptic account of the Second and Third Ages which focuses upon the legends of the Rings of Power, all the way through the events of the late Third Age depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It's something like a 50,000 foot view of the whole mass of Middle-earth's history after the First Age, right on through the story of Frodo and the Fellowship.Silm Guide Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/silmguide/sg29/To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.Also, I've just launched a new Substack here: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/Enjoy!OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/oajJtpC8_HAWatch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/136624404Listen AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/74530860Buy Tolkien Road merch @ True Myths PressBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.

Our 2025 Silmarillion journey continues with Akallabêth - the Downfall of Númenor!“Akallabêth” is the synoptic account of Númenor in the Second Age of Middle-earth. This account spans almost 3500 years of history. It begins with the establishment of Númenor by Elros (brother of Elrond), and ends with the destruction of the island kingdom when its last king attempts to assail The Blessed Realm.Silm Guide Link: https://www.tolkienroad.com/silmguide/sg28/To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.Also, I've just launched a new Substack here: https://tolkienroad.substack.com/Enjoy!OTHER LINKS:Video of this episode: https://youtu.be/JRqaGOaRkz0Watch AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/136110217Listen AD-FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/74224141Buy Tolkien Road merch @ True Myths PressBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.