Richard is joined by Fr Andrew and legendary Tolkien scholar Carl Hostetter for Part 1 of their discussion of Carl’s (and JRR Tolkien’s!) new book, The Nature of Middle-earth. If you’ve ever wondered about the question of “canon” in Tolkien’s legendarium, how old Elves are when they marry, or what an E.L.F. is anyway, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Amon Sûl

051 - The Last Homely House: Arda As She is Read

Fresh from keynoting DoxaMoot 2021, Richard joins Fr. Andrew in his Emmaus studio to debrief the moot experience. They also discuss a grab bag of topics suggested by the mooters, including Old English and its relationship to Orthodox Christianity and Tolkien, what it means to see things through Morgoth’s eyes, Gandalf’s last words to the hobbits before the Scouring of the Shire, what Richard thinks of the 2021 “Green Knight” film, and whatever else comes to mind in this freewheeling chat.

050 - DoxaMoot Debrief

Richard is rejoined by Tom Hillman as they discuss the qualities you need to get into the high-pressure, fast-paced, and unbelievably profitable world of Tolkien scholarship! They also finish their discussion of “Of the Flight of the Noldor” and a new epithet for Ulmo is coined.

049 - The Last Homely House: Their Oath Shall Drive Them

Tolkien scholar Dr. Lisa Coutras returns to the podcast to continue the discussion of Túrin Turambar, focusing on her two Túrin chapters in Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty. They start with a disappointed note from a listener and ask: Is Túrin a hero? What exactly is an Elf-Friend? And what version of the Túrin story does Elrond know?

048 - Hope Without Guarantees

Richard is joined by insightful Tolkien scholar, book seller, and long-time friend Tom Hillman. They talk about pity, peril, the Flight of the Noldor, and the Doom of Mandos.

047 - The Last Homely House: Lords of the Unsullied Light

Fr. Andrew and Richard team up to talk the Master of Doom himself, Túrin Turambar. They take a long look into his many names, wrestle with the question of fate, doom, and free will, and ask this burning question: What is Túrin’s spiritual gift? Fr. Andrew wraps up by putting Richard in the hot seat and takes those hobbits to Isengard.

046 - The Doom Lies in Yourself

Richard is joined by fellow Data Analyst and Philology student Jeremy Morgan. They discuss The Darkening of Valinor, the nature of evil, and the anti-liturgy of Ungoliant. Is Ungoliant a Maia or not? Find out on this episode of The Last Homely House.

045 - The Unlight of Ungoliant

Dcn. Nicholas Kotar returns to the podcast to talk with Fr. Andrew about one of the darkest chapters in the Legendarium -- The Akallabêth, the Fall of Numenor. They start by talking about how Christianity uses fairy tales, then take a topical survey of major themes in the Akallabêth -- the Numenoreans as a people, sacred geography, the problem of death, Numenor as a remix of Atlantis and the Biblical Flood, and finally the cosmological shift that occurs for the Legendarium. They wrap up by giving their notes for the “LOTR on Amazon Prime” crew filming in New Zealand and fully expect their opinions will be honored.

044 - Akallabêth: All Roads Are Now Bent

Dr. Lisa Coutras returns to the podcast to discuss the Orthodox veneration of the Theotokos and the many Marian figures in Tolkien’s legendarium. Richard forgets some basic Greek words along the way.

043 - The Last Homely House: Perilous and Fair

Is evil a “thing” in Middle-earth? What are the differences between Morgoth/Melkor and Sauron? Michael Haldas joins Fr. Andrew to shine a light on the darkness, and they wrap up with Fr. Andrew dragging in bits of what he called poetry (in Old English!).

042 - Wise Fool! Morgoth, Sauron and the Nature of Evil

Fr. Andrew and Richard read about the making of the Silmarils and talk about the concept of holiness in the Legendarium. Along the way, they discuss the re-enchantment of the primary world, and Fr. Andrew gets to vent his spleen a little.

041 - The Last Homely House: Hallowing Arda

Fr. Andrew and Richard take a deep journey into Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, his retelling of major elements of Norse mythology. They romp through all things Germanic in Tolkien (including, naturally, a certain horse-focused culture we all love), placing Tolkien within mythology and mythology within Tolkien.

040 - If In Day of Doom One Deathless Stands

Richard is joined by Dr. Augusta Hardy to talk about even more Elven migration patterns, the participatory aspects of subcreation, and all of Fëanor’s mommy issues.

039 - The Last Homely House: Trouble in Paradise

Fr. Paul Hodge joins Fr. Andrew to look at the leaders of the legendarium, both great and small, good and evil. Is Bilbo a leader? What about the more obvious ones like Aragorn and Gandalf? Or the less likely, like Feanor or Aldarion? They wrap up with a reading from The Notion Club Papers, Tolkien’s abandoned time travel novel.

038 - A Great Leader of Men

Richard Rohlin discusses everyone’s second least-favorite chapter of the Silmarillion with John Wayne Coatney. Along the way, they discuss camel husbandry and shower genealogies.

037 - The Last Homely House: A Desire for Light

Exploring the Tolkien Legendarium with the Christian Faith - no summary

hubhopper

Amon Sûl

hubhopper