Tolkien

Episode 14: The Worst Episode of Sesame Street

Posted by on Apr 23, 2018 in Podcast, Silmarillion, Tolkien | 0 comments

This week we discuss Chapter 20:Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

Characters:

Three main camps:

Maedhros – son of Fëanor

  • Naugrim – dwarves
  • Newer arrived men to Beleriand – known as Easterlings
  • Men of Bór
  • Men of Ulfang – fuck you Uldor the accursed

Fingon – son of Fingolfin

  • A bunch of people in Hithlum? The men of Hador?
  • People of Haleth (Halmir died, pesky menfolk, son Haldir took over)
  • Húrin and Huor – important men? Married important women? Once went to Gondolin?
  • Gwindor – basically the only dude from Nargothrond who came, his brother Gelmir had been captured by Morgoth previously
  • Turgon – also son of Fingolfin, Fingon’s brother
  • Maeglin – the douche, mostly just happens to be here this chapter but I assume will be important again

Morgoth

Orcs, wolves, Balrogs (with Gothmog), and dragons (with Glaurung)

Tangential characters:

  • Thingol and Melian – Thingol now has a Silmaril in his secret forest, still doesn’t listen to Melian
  • Beren and Lúthien – live out the rest of their lives happily on an island. Good for them.
  • Círdan – ship dude

The Site I stole my notes on the battle from. 

A Map of how the battle went

Other Resources:

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Intro/outro music: The Forest and the Trees Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Episode 13 – The Goodest of Good Boys

Posted by on Apr 16, 2018 in Podcast, Silmarillion, Tolkien | 0 comments

This week we discuss Chapter 19: Of Beren and Luthien. It’s the happy chapter.

Characters

Barahir – descendant of Beor, did a good for Finrod
Beren – Barahir’s son, and a Disney Princess
Gorlim – one of Barahir’s band of outlaws

Thingol – king of the Sindar, in the blocked off forest of Doriath
Melian – maia, married to Thingol for some reason, no one ever listens to her
Lúthien – Thingol & Melian’s daughter, also a Disney Princess

Daeron – an entitled dudebro minstrel, has a crush on Lúthien

Finrod – king of the Noldor, was saved by Barahir so kinda owes his family
Celegorm and Curufin – sons of Feanor, a couple of assholes. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, etc. Currently living with Finrod.
Huan. A gift to Celegorm from Oromë, vala of hunting shit.
Orodreth – Finrod’s brother, gets put in charge when Finrod leaves

Morgoth – big bad dude, has the Silmarils in his crown?
Sauron – second big bad, Lord of the Fucking Werewolves!!!
Draugluin – lord and sire of the werewolves!!!
Carcharoth, THE RED MAW, ANFAUGLIR, THE JAWS OF THIRST – werewolf literally hand-fed
by Morgoth, aka Morgoth’s lap-dog. Except he’s guarding the gate.

Mandos – speaker of Doom, vala of the halls of the dead

Thorondor – Lord of Eagles

A map of Beren and Luthien’s journey

Other Resources:

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Intro/outro music: The Forest and the Trees Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Episode 12: The Secret SECRET Place

Posted by on Apr 13, 2018 in Podcast, Silmarillion, Tolkien | 0 comments

This week we discuss chapter 18 of the Silmarillion, “Of the Ruin of Beleriund and the Fall of Fingolfin.”

I’m not going to list the characters this week. There is too many. Instead here is a screenshot of our google doc with the characters.

 

Map of where the Noldor had set up before the battle.

Map of the Realms of Beleriand

Map of the Movements within the Battle

Other Resources:

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Intro/outro music: The Forest and the Trees Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Episode 11: Emo Goth Elf

Posted by on Apr 2, 2018 in Podcast, Silmarillion, Tolkien | 0 comments

In this weeks episode we discuss Chapter 16, “Of Maeglin” and Chapter 17, “Of the Coming of Men into the West”

Caitlin is about to leave the country for a week and so does not have time for extensive show notes, but here is a family tree of the Edain:

This is the easiest to understand one I could find.

Here is a very simplified version to see how the houses eventually come together.

 

And here is the interview with Tolkien.

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Intro/outro music: The Forest and the Trees Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Episode 10: Glamping

Posted by on Mar 26, 2018 in Podcast, Silmarillion, Tolkien | 0 comments

This week on So, You Want to Read Tolkien, we discuss Chapter 14 and 15 of the Silmarillion.

Chapter 14 – Of Beleriand and It’s Realms

Please just look at these maps. Nothing happens.

Chapter 15 – Of the Noldor in Beleriand

Noldor

  • Turgon – son of Fingolfin, brother Fingon, etc.
  • Idril aka Celebrindal – Turgon’s daughter. She’s important later because of the men involved in her life. Of course.
  • Galadriel – Daughter of Finarfin, the Noldor lord who stayed in Valinor.
  • ”Sons of Finarfin” – Finrod – Lord of Nargothrond
  •  Angrod

Sindar

  • Melian – Maiar, Thingol’s wife
  • Thingol – King of Doriath
  • Cirdan – Lord of the Havens

Valar

  • Ulmo – Valar of the sea, seems to be breaking the whole “we are notting getting involved” proclamation. Still upset about Manwe dumping him for a woman I guess.
  • Morgoth – The big bad

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Intro/outro music: The Forest and the Trees Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Episode 09: They’re Only HALF-Cousins

Posted by on Mar 19, 2018 in Podcast, Silmarillion, Tolkien | 0 comments

On this week’s episode of So, You Want to Read Tolkien, Caitlin, Rachel, and Emmy discuss Chapters 12 and 13 of the Silmarillion.

Characters

Chapter 12

  • Manwë – Lord of the Valar
  • Ulmo – Valar of the Sea
  • Yavanna – Valar of fruits and growing things. The one who made the Trees.
  • Mandos – Valar in charge of the Halls of the Dead.
  • Morgoth – Big Bad.
  • Barahir – The first human mentioned in the book.
  • Beren – Son of Barahir.
  • Earendil – Briefly mentioned, going to be important later.
  • Elwing – See above.
  • Elrond – Son of Earendil and Elwing.

Chapter 13

  • A whole bunch of Noldor. See below for how everyone is related. THEY’RE ONLY HALF COUSINS.
  • House of Finwë – For reference, but also spoilers because it goes a couple generations farther than who we’ve met.
  • Thingol – King of the sindar living in Doriath behind Melian’s Girdle.
  • Melian – Thingol’s wife, a maiar, created the Girdle so evil forces would not be able to find Menegroth, their home in Doriath.
  • Gothmog – Lord of Balrogs.
  • Glaurung – BABY DRAGON.
  • Thorondor – Lord of Eagles.
  • Morgoth comes up again.

Other

Other Resources:

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Intro/outro music: The Forest and the Trees Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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