The Tolkien Road

John Carswell

A journey through Middle-earth!

  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    Silmarillion 2025 » The Creation of Middle-earth » Ainulindalë, The Music of the Ainur
    Hey there, fellow travellers!
    Our 2025 Silmarillion journey continues with Ainulindalë - The Music of the Ainur - which, simply put, is the Middle-earth creation story.
    Over the next several months, we'll be revisiting the 30-episode series that Greta and I recorded back in 2022. 
    And while you're listening, check out SilmGuide.com for guides to individual chapters.
    This episode is an overview of Ainulindalë - The Music of the Ainur - which is the creation story of Middle-earth.
    To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.
    Enjoy!

    OTHER LINKS:
    Video of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6k3fwOdGdk
    Buy Tolkien Road merch @ True Myths Press

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    27 January 2025, 2:00 pm
  • 1 hour 7 minutes
    Read The Silmarillion in 2025 » START HERE!
    Hey there, fellow travellers!
    Right now, I have one major goal for The Tolkien Road: to finish my next book!
    While I'm doing that, I want to invite you to read through The Silmarillion with The Tolkien Road this year!
    Over the next several months, we'll be revisiting the 30-episode series that Greta and I recorded back in 2022. 
    And while you're listening, check out SilmGuide.com for guides to individual chapters. You can find that link in the show notes!
    The first episode is an overview of The Silmarillion, including its background, structure, and themes.
    To support our work here, please visit Patreon.com/TolkienRoad.
    Enjoy!

    OTHER LINKS:
    Video of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTX9Y-FX5zk
    Buy Tolkien Road merch @ True Myths Press

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    22 January 2025, 11:00 am
  • 38 minutes 5 seconds
    REVISITED » 6 Life-Changing Insights From Tolkien
    Hey there fellow travellers!
    This week we'll be revisiting episode 197, which focused on 6 amazing spiritual insights from Tolkien. Visit TolkienRoad.com/spirit to download these 6 points as a PDF!
    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!).
    Finally, if you'd like to support our work, visit Patron.com/TolkienRoad!

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    15 January 2025, 12:30 pm
  • 21 minutes 11 seconds
    Lore of the Rings Interview » Why and How The Lord of the Rings is a "Religious and Catholic Work"
    Listen to the whole episode: https://www.ringspodcast.com/190-why-and-how-the-lord-of-the-rings-is-a-religious-and-catholic-work/
    Hey there, fellow travellers!
    Merry Christmas! I was recently a guest on the Lore of the Rings podcast - that's L-O-R-E - where I joined host Aaron to discuss the ways in which Lord of the Rings is a "fundamentally religous work".
    We uncovered:
    - The grace Faramir says before sharing a meal with Frodo and Sam.
    - The liturgical significance of March 25 — the day the One Ring was destroyed.
    - The mysterious Three Prayers of Númenor, preserved in Unfinished Tales.
    - Why Tolkien preferred absorbed symbolism over overt allegory.
    I wanted to share a portion of this interview on The Tolkien Road's podcast feed, but you really need to go check out the whole thing over on Aaron's feed.
    Listen to the whole episode: https://www.ringspodcast.com/190-why-and-how-the-lord-of-the-rings-is-a-religious-and-catholic-work/
    Enjoy!


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    21 December 2024, 7:13 pm
  • 53 minutes 10 seconds
    0396 » REVIEW: The War of the Rohirrim » New Lord of the Rings Anime Film
    In The Tolkien Road Episode 396, we review The War of the Rohirrim, the newly released animated Middle-earth film from Executive Producer Peter Jackson!
    I have to be honest: the first 2 seasons of The Rings of Power were so painfully bad that I was not feeling enthusiastic about The War of the Rohirrim going into seeing it last night.
    The one spark of hope that I felt was the knowledge that it had Peter Jackson as an Executive Producer, and that it had nothing to do with Amazon Studios.
    We stayed away from the marketing and from others’ thoughts and opinions, hoping to go into it with as much fresh perspective as we could garner.
    So what did we think? Watch and find out!
    EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - John R
    - KG
    - Eärendil Hope
    WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/E_ho9RV_M_E
    FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE TOLKIEN ROAD:
    PATREON » SUPERFANS!
    TWITTER
    FACEBOOK
    INSTAGRAM
    LINKS & MATHOMS:
    - take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout)
    - listen to TOLKIEN'S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon
    - buy Tolkien's Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/
    - buy Tolkien's Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/
    SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PATRONS:
    - John R
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - KG
    - SaberSystems
    - Jeremy D
    - Melkor27
    - Emilio P
    - Jonathan D
    - Richard K
    - Paul D
    - Julia
    - Werty
    - Chris B
    - Tuor91
    - Carolyn S
    - Emiel K
    - Brian O (the 2nd)
    - Jonathan R
    - Matthew W
    - Daniel D
    - Harrison C
    - Jason C
    - Seb M
    - Willbo Baggins
    - Ms. Anonymous
    - Andrew T
    - Redhawk
    - Shannon S
    - Brian O (the 1st)
    - Zeke F
    - James L
    - Chris L
    - Asya V
    - Ish of the Hammer
    - Teresa C
    - David of Pints with Jack
    - Eric B
    Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!! 🙌 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    16 December 2024, 11:00 am
  • 39 minutes 55 seconds
    REVISITED » Tolkien's Epic Christmas Poem, NOEL
    Hey there fellow travellers!
    This week we'll be revisiting episode 261, 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

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    4 December 2024, 4:42 pm
  • 14 minutes 44 seconds
    0395 » The Rings Of Power Season 2 Is A Crushing Disaster
    I'm done with Season 2 of Amazon's The Rings of Power, but I didn't watch all 8 episodes. I just can't watch anymore...
    EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - John R
    - KG
    - Eärendil Hope
    WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/4g1ugQfbHFE
    FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE TOLKIEN ROAD:
    PATREON » SUPERFANS!
    TWITTER
    FACEBOOK
    INSTAGRAM
    LINKS & MATHOMS:
    - take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout)
    - listen to TOLKIEN'S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon
    - buy Tolkien's Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/
    - buy Tolkien's Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/
    SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PATRONS:
    - John R
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - KG
    - SaberSystems
    - Jeremy D
    - Melkor27
    - Emilio P
    - Jonathan D
    - Richard K
    - Paul D
    - Julia
    - Werty
    - Chris B
    - Tuor91
    - Carolyn S
    - Emiel K
    - Brian O (the 2nd)
    - Jonathan R
    - Matthew W
    - Daniel D
    - Harrison C
    - Jason C
    - Seb M
    - Willbo Baggins
    - Ms. Anonymous
    - Andrew T
    - Redhawk
    - Shannon S
    - Brian O (the 1st)
    - Zeke F
    - James L
    - Chris L
    - Asya V
    - Ish of the Hammer
    - Teresa C
    - David of Pints with Jack
    - Eric B
    Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!! 🙌 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    25 November 2024, 11:00 am
  • 22 minutes 24 seconds
    0394 » Lord of the Rings » Foreword & Prologue » Mailbag » Allegory, Stoors / Harfoots / Fallohides, etc
    Welcome to The Tolkien Road Episode 394!
    In this bonus MAILBAG episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll be considering your thoughts on the Foreword and Prologue to The Lord of the Rings!
    EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - John R
    - KG
    - Eärendil Hope
    WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/Lr_mqGgHwCw
    WATCH / LISTEN AD-FREE » https://www.patreon.com/tolkienroad

    FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE TOLKIEN ROAD:
    PATREON » SUPERFANS!
    TWITTER
    FACEBOOK
    INSTAGRAM
    LINKS & MATHOMS:
    - take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout)
    - listen to TOLKIEN'S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon
    - buy Tolkien's Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/
    - buy Tolkien's Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/
    SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PATRONS:
    - John R
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - KG
    - SaberSystems
    - Jeremy D
    - Melkor27
    - Emilio P
    - Jonathan D
    - Richard K
    - Paul D
    - Julia
    - Werty
    - Chris B
    - Tuor91
    - Carolyn S
    - Emiel K
    - Brian O (the 2nd)
    - Jonathan R
    - Matthew W
    - Daniel D
    - Harrison C
    - Jason C
    - Seb M
    - Willbo Baggins
    - Ms. Anonymous
    - Andrew T
    - Redhawk
    - Shannon S
    - Brian O (the 1st)
    - Zeke F
    - James L
    - Chris L
    - Asya V
    - Ish of the Hammer
    - Teresa C
    - David of Pints with Jack
    - Eric B
    AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
    - Alan C
    - Stephanie B
    - Dustin Q
    - Robert S
    Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!! 🙌 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    14 October 2024, 10:00 am
  • 44 minutes 44 seconds
    0393 » Lord of the Rings » Foreword & Prologue » Mathoms » "Hobbit" origins, Shire background, and more
    Welcome to The Tolkien Road Episode 393!
    In this bonus MATHOMS episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll take a look at some fascinating footnotes to the Foreword and Prologue of The Lord of Rings!
    TOPICS COVERED:
    - Lord of the Rings' attraction
    - The Silmarillion adapted
    - Negative reviews of Lord of the Rings
    - Tolkien vs allegory
    - Sarehole Mill as Hobbiton
    - The word "Hobbit"
    - "Dwarrow", Dwarfs, Dwarves
    - Tolkien's description of hobbits
    - The location of Middle-earth
    - Arnor / Gondor meanings
    - Marcho and Blanco found the Shire
    - Angmar meaning
    - The Shire is rural England
    - Origin of "Shirriff"
    EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - John R
    - KG
    - Eärendil Hope
    WATCH THE VIDEO » https://youtu.be/jwJkSEmphPU
    WATCH / LISTEN AD-FREE » https://www.patreon.com/tolkienroad

    FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE TOLKIEN ROAD:
    PATREON » SUPERFANS!
    TWITTER
    FACEBOOK
    INSTAGRAM
    LINKS & MATHOMS:
    - take 10% OFF Tolkien Road merch at True Myths Press » https://truemythspress.com/discount/TENOFF (enter code TENOFF at checkout)
    - listen to TOLKIEN'S WORKS for FREE » https://www.audibletrial.com/everon
    - buy Tolkien's Requiem » https://tolkiensrequiem.com/
    - buy Tolkien's Overture » https://tolkiensoverture.com/
    SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PATRONS:
    - John R
    - Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
    - KG
    - SaberSystems
    - Jeremy D
    - Melkor27
    - Emilio P
    - Jonathan D
    - Richard K
    - Paul D
    - Julia
    - Werty
    - Chris B
    - Tuor91
    - Carolyn S
    - Emiel K
    - Brian O (the 2nd)
    - Jonathan R
    - Matthew W
    - Daniel D
    - Harrison C
    - Jason C
    - Seb M
    - Willbo Baggins
    - Ms. Anonymous
    - Andrew T
    - Redhawk
    - Shannon S
    - Brian O (the 1st)
    - Zeke F
    - James L
    - Chris L
    - Asya V
    - Ish of the Hammer
    - Teresa C
    - David of Pints with Jack
    - Eric B
    AS WELL AS THOSE CELEBRATING THEIR PATRON ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024
    - Alan C
    - Stephanie B
    - Dustin Q
    - Robert S
    Thank you so much for sticking with us over the years!!! 🙌 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    7 October 2024, 10:00 am
  • 31 minutes 3 seconds
    REVISITED » The Fall of Eregion and Celebrimbor » Tolkien's Version
    Hey there, fellow travellers! Let's revisit our discussion of Sauron's sack of Eregion and defeat of Celebrimbor from 2023, as Tolkien told it!


    Episode notes: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0349/

    Video: https://youtu.be/DnI07pSeqXQ

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    4 October 2024, 12:30 pm
  • 23 minutes 13 seconds
    REVISITED » Sauron Seduces The Elves » Tolkien's Version
    Hey there, fellow travellers! Let's revisit our 2023 episode on Sauron's seduction of the Elves, which led to the creation of the Rings of Power!

    Episode notes: https://www.tolkienroad.com/e0345/

    Video: https://youtu.be/cY5EmQrBD2k

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.
    2 October 2024, 12:30 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App
© MoonFM 2025. All rights reserved.