In this episode, our third and final Peter Jackson movie review—unless we enter Hobbit territory at some point in the future—we are joined by Tolkien enthusiast Worthy to contemplate the age-old question: Which was better, the book or the movie? Well, not exactly. But we do explore some major (and minor) differences between Return of […]

The Tolkien Heads

#80—Movie Review: The Return of the King

Once again, we have wandered into uncharted territory as we do our final book recap episode, where anything can happen! After going through some chapter summaries, we delve into a discussion of the following topics that span Book 6 of The Lord of the Rings: the vulture-faced Watchers in Mordor Frodo’s wounds and his recovery […]

#79—Book Six Recap Episode

It’s our last chapter-based episode! Our discussion addresses some old themes in a new light: history as a sequence of interlocking stories (exemplified by the many crossed-out titles in the in-world Lord of the Rings manuscript); and the impossibility of true recovery from some wounds. Besides Frodo’s, we also consider Sam’s recovery following the trauma […]

#78—“The Grey Havens”

This surprise return to the previous week’s episode—What can we say? We just don’t want to be done!—features an in-depth discussion of Saruman’s death and the circumstances surrounding it, as well as a closer look at Frodo’s persistent pacifism. RANDOM-ASS THEME: WWE wrestling

#77—“The Scouring of the Shire” (Part II)

The Hobbits return from their world-changing adventure to a home that is home no longer. While we have had our eye on the geopolitics of Middle-Earth writ large, strange things have been afoot in the Shire at the hands of “ruffians” and their mysterious leader, and we are afforded a view of the Hobbit-country as […]

#76—“The Scouring of the Shire” (Part I)

This episode—a favorite of Simon and Garfunkel fans—features an insightful lectio divina discussion on trauma, both physical and psychological (“knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden”), as we ponder Frodo’s possibly-not-rhetorical question, “Where shall I find rest?” which is ultimately unanswered by Gandalf. The rest of the episode, like the chapter, largely concerns Barliman […]

#75—“Homeward Bound”

In this chapter, in many ways a counterpart to “Many Meetings” (Bk. 2, Ch. 1), we encounter various manifestations of the inevitability of moving on … before the discussion devolves into a surprisingly insightful reflection on the various interrelated systems of government in Gondor and Middle-Earth. Our lectio divina section is a vignette of four […]

#74—“Many Partings”

This chapter abounds in pervasive uncertainty, biblical symbolism, and some creepy (in the opinion of this Head) romantic advances on the part of the eponymous Steward. Our lectio divina section contemplates the transition from the Third to the Fourth Age, and what that means for Gandalf and the Elves. We ask ourselves whether the Fourth […]

#73—“The Steward and the King”

Laudatory, pathetic, elegy, eulogy, panegyric, ethos … the Tolkien Heads appear to have stumbled into an SAT-prep course! We learn a lot about the different kinds of acknowledgements and respects that are being paid to the quartet of Hobbits who, having been plucked from the edge of destruction, are now suddenly the center of more […]

#72—“The Field of Cormallen”

Finally, Mount Doom! You can practically hear the bubbling and frothing of lava out of rocky fissures in the distance as we spend a disproportionate fraction of this episode debating whether Mount Doom is a true volcano—and, if so, what kind of volcano it is. The lectio divina section looks at Sam’s split-second decision not […]

#71—“Mount Doom”

This chapter was not poorly named: it is all description of the landscape of Mordor, with comparably little plot movement. From brambles to ravines to volcanic clouds, these paragraphs pour forth rich descriptions of aspects of the not-quite-barren country. To help us work through this unforgiving terrain, we are thrilled to welcome as our special guest […]

#70—“The Land of Shadow”

We start our first Book Six episode with a philosophical discussion on Orcish language and the possibility of an Orcish or Mordorean culture, some shocking implications of the etymology of the word screw, and—naturally—a version of Sam’s song from the chapter sung to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island theme. The lectio divina section takes […]

#69—“The Tower of Cirith Ungol”

Having finished Book 5, we’ve made it to another Recap Episode, where anything can happen! Among other matters, we discuss the following topics, either for the first time or otherwise expanding on previous conversations: The nature of good stewardship: a comparison of Denethor vs. Gandalf; The “faithfulness” of the Woses, and the implied treatment of […]

#68—Book Five Recap Episode

We finish up Book Five with a discussion of the frankly epic altercation between Gandalf and the ghastly—yet still human!—Messenger. Host Nathan leads a discussion of the “fairy-tale hellscape” in which the action of the book is now set before we dive into our lectio divina analysis. This week’s lectio passage takes a look at […]

#67—“The Black Gate Opens”

This chapter calls us to consider what effect a generation can have on the world, and of what nature that effect ought to be. How can we best prepare the world for future generations? What can we do today to help those who come after us to fight their own battles, which we will know […]

#66—“The Last Debate”

Join us as we read through J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Each week we work with a different chapter and explore various themes both in the novel and in our lives.

hubhopper

The Tolkien Heads

hubhopper