Amon Sûl

Pop culture columnist and fantasy fiction writer Elizabeth Dresdow joins the podcast to discuss chapter 11 of The Hobbit, “On the Doorstep.” She shares her thoughts on “The Rings of Power” and its reception and explores with Fr. Andrew why the Dwarves can’t seem to remember that they have a key. They wrap up with reading an iconic moment from LOTR and a prophetic jaunt toward Isengard.

In this second installment of our mini-series on Beren and Luthien, Richard Rohlin is joined by Andrea with the Bangs. Together, they talk about the masculine and the feminine, the difference between masculine and feminine heroic archetypes, and the way that those archetypes come together to create what is not just one of the most important stories of the legendarium, but one of the most beautiful stories ever written.

Michael Haldas returns to the podcast to talk with Fr. Andrew about chapter 10 of The Hobbit, “A Warm Welcome,” in which Bilbo and the Dwarves arrive at Laketown. But what is the lost history of the city-state of Dale? What does it mean to be the Master? And what happens when your legends show up and walk through town? They discuss all this and more, but first they respond to a listener question about whether Sam might have actually been the better Ring-bearer.

Richard Rohlin is rejoined by guest co-host Tom Hillman who shows up… prepared to talk about something else entirely? It all works out in the end, though, as Rohlin and Hillman begin a discussion of Beren & Luthien. What makes this story so beautiful, and what did Legolas mean when he said that the line of Luthien would never end?

Richard joins Fr. Andrew to read chapter 9 of The Hobbit, “Barrels Out of Bond.” We meet the Elvenking, learn about the Wood Elves’ fondness for wine, and Bilbo does what it takes to acquire his great title of “Barrel Rider.” Also, there is no Tauriel. Not even a little bit. And where is Legolas? No idea.

Richard Rohlin is joined by Fr. Anthony Cook. Together, they read Chapter 18 of the Silmarillion “Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin” and discuss the primacy of poetry in the Legendarium. And yeah, there’s also a little Rings of Power chatter in here, but we promise, not too much.

Fresh from watching the first two episodes of the new Amazon Tolkien series “The Rings of Power,” Fr. Andrew and Richard give their initial impressions – what they liked, what they didn’t like, and that haunting, uncomfortable feeling Richard has that there is a lot of acne in Amazon’s Middle-earth. Spoilers included!

Rev. Michael Landsman (Fr. Andrew’s co-host on the Areopagus Podcast) finally joins the podcast to talk about chapter 8 of The Hobbit with its spiders, enchanted forest, and that elven dinner party that you can’t quite reach. The episode wraps up with Michael serving up a melancholic slice of shared beauty.

Richard Rohlin is joined by Aaron Irber, the host of the “I Might Believe in Fairies” podcast. They continue Richard’s deep-read through the Silmarillion with Chapter 17 “Of the Coming of Men into the West” and talk about why it turns out to have been one of the most important and overlooked chapters in the book.

Fr. Anthony Cook returns to the podcast to talk about everyone’s favorite were-bear in “Queer Lodgings,” chapter 7 of The Hobbit, not to mention animals who walk upright, the proper greetings of eagles, the many blessings in The Hobbit, and Gandalf as the match-maker who introduces Beorn to his future Missus. References to Beowulf and Icelandic sagas naturally abound.

Richard is joined by recurring guest Deacon Nicholas Kotar to discuss Chapter 16 of the Quenta Silmarillion “Of Maeglin.” They talk about the dark side of Tolkien, dish on the new Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and answer some of your questions about recommendations for contemporary fantasy authors.

Dr. Cyril Jenkins returns to the podcast to discuss “Out of the Frying-pan Into the Fire,” chapter 6 of The Hobbit. Is this the real turning point in Bilbo’s career? What does the virtue of duty mean? And are eagles the anti-dragons? Includes a big “save the date” announcement!

Richard is joined by fellow parishioner and philologist Scott Brewer, and the two of them finally cut loose about their deep love of lenition, morphology, and the English language. They read Chapter 15 “Of the Noldor in Beleriand,” drop some hot takes and weird language lore, and pull back the veil on the wild and scandalous world of linguistics.

Fr. Andrew and Richard tackle “The Quest of Erebor,” a text found in Unfinished Tales that provides depth and context for The Hobbit. They talk about whether and how texts like this count as “Tolkien Apocrypha,” Thorin’s real opinion of Bilbo, and how flawed heroes fit into the larger story of both the Tolkien legendarium and the salvation of the world in Christ.

Richard is joined by Fr. Andrew for this month’s installment of The Last Homely House as they discuss orcs, ogres, and take a deep dive into the notorious lucky number chapter fourteen of the Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and Its Realms. In this podcast, you’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know about vowel shifts in Sindarin, the exciting and highly profitable field of onomastics, and who would win in a fight: Aragorn or Tuor?

Is it nice, my preciousss? Is it juicy? Is it scrumptiously crunchable? Christian Gonzalez joins Fr. Andrew to riddle some riddles in the dark, looking at chapter 5 of The Hobbit. They also address listener questions about the morality of Bilbo Baggins and the original owners of Gollum’s cave. Fr. Andrew also talks about his big paper for this past semester on the Harrowing of Hell in Tolkien.

Stan Shin joins Richard Rohlin to talk about gaming and Tolkien, Tolkien and gaming, and field some questions from listeners about violence in our entertainment. They also read and discuss Chapter 13 of The Silmarillion, “The Return of the Noldor.”

Dr. Joshua Moritz joins Fr. Andrew to discuss Chapter 4 of The Hobbit, “Over Hill and Under Hill,” where Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin and company get dragged into the goblin underworld. It’s the first(?) and only(?) time we meet giants and the first time we meet orcs, who get bit and beat by Biter and Beater. They wrap up with a discussion of how orcs use language and reflect on life with a palantir.

Richard Rohlin is joined by philologist, classical educator, and bowtie aficionado Reno Lauro as they talk about language, “recovery,” and anthropology. They barely make it 2 paragraphs into Chapter 12 of The Silmarillion “Of Men,” and Reno offers some words of comfort and wisdom about the new Amazon Rings of Power show.

Maritime surveyor Davede Thompson joins Fr. Andrew to cover a pivotal chapter in The Hobbit, “A Short Rest,” where we meet Elrond the master of Rivendell in his Last Homely House. They discuss the eucatastrophe of lore consolidation that occurs in this chapter and the idea of Rivendell as an image of the rest and sanctuary of the Church, and they wrap up with a short chat about adaptations of Tolkien’s works.

Dr. Cyril Jenkins joins Richard Rohlin to both catch up with Deacon Nicholas Kotar on guest appearances and also discuss the Sun, the Moon, and the Hiding of Valinor. Is the Sun masculine or feminine in Tolkien? And how well does one of Amon Sul’s most frequent guests remember trivia questions he’s answered before?

“Roast Mutton,” Chapter Two of The Hobbit, is toasting slowly over the fire for our continued walk-through, and Fr. Andrew is joined by Dcn. Anthony Gaelan Gilbert to dodge trolls, ponder the proper roasting of dwarves, and where exactly the trolls were planning to spend all that gold they were hoarding.

John Heitzenrater joins the podcast to begin with Fr. Andrew a chapter-by-chapter walk-through of Tolkien’s seminal work, the novel that introduced most of us to Middle-earth – The Hobbit. In “An Unexpected Party,” we are introduced to Bag End, to Hobbits, to Bilbo Baggins, to Gandalf, to Dwarves, to the Quest for Erebor and… to Sauron(?!). Lay aside your walking-sticks and put on your swords, everyone, because it’s time to go There and Back Again.

Richard and Fr. Andrew resume their deep-read of the Silmarillion with Chapter 10 “Of the Sindar.” We find out what has been happening in Beleriand while Feanor was busy ruining paradise, talk about where trolls come from, and find possibly the only time anyone ever took Melian’s advice. Fr. Andrew shares his favorite bits about orc-speech.

What does Legolas and Gimli's conversation in "The Last Debate" about rebuilding Minas Tirith tell us about creativity? Dcn. Nicholas Kotar and Jonathan Pageau team up with Fr. Andrew to discuss Elvish and Dwarvish making in Middle-earth and what that means for us Men, whose deeds hold both promise and disappointment.

In this special edition of The Last Homely House, Richard interviews Dr. Timothy Patitsas, Interim Dean of Hellenic College and Assistant Professor of Ethics at Holy Cross Seminary. Dr. Patitsas is also the author of a book called The Ethics of Beauty, which Richard tries to mention every time he records a podcast. Today, Dr. Patitsas joins us to talk about Tolkien and how he relates to Orthodoxy in America, and about a new Tolkien course at Hellenic College...

Dr. Cyril Jenkins, Richard and Fr. Andrew get together to look at three passages from The Nature of Middle-earth: “Beauty and Goodness,” “Mind Pictures / Knowledge and Memory,” and “Manwë’s Ban.” But first they discuss two listener comments -- on how Tolkien’s works inform one’s Christian faith and whether Tolkien risks being “canonized,” thus stifling further mythopoeic creativity.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Steven “Yay!” Christoforou returns to the podcast to talk with Fr. Andrew about using Tolkien and other imaginative fiction in ministry, about what it means to live (and not live) in Sarumanic fashion, and how confronting monsters is at the core of the Christian life. Thrill as Steve can’t remember not to call him Sauron, Fr. Andrew badly pronounces Old English, and both make a plethora of allusions to the Ancient Faith Cinematic Universe.

Richard interviews “The Tolkien Professor” and Signum University president Corey Olsen, and they discuss the Silmarillion in its various conceptions and whether it really even exists. Richard also vents his spleen.

Fr. Anthony Cook returns to the podcast to take a deep dive with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick into the Ainulindalë, Tolkien’s myth of how the creation is sung into being, including the origin and problem of free will and evil, as well as the making of the Tolkienian divine council. They wrap up with a new segment, looking at the Finnish epic The Kalevala, a highly influential piece in Tolkien’s formation and legendarium.

Fr. Andrew and Richard Rohlin introduce “The Last Homely House,” a new series of episodes hosted by Richard, and discuss “Of Aule and Yavanna” from The Silmarillion. And Fr. Andrew shockingly uses an Elvish pejorative.

Tolkien scholar and history professor Bradley Birzer joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to discuss his Tolkien books, legend-making, Tolkien in culture and as a Christian humanist, and the Nativity of Christ as the eucatastrophe of human history.

AFR station manager Bobby Maddex (finally!) joins Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to geek out about the Peter Jackson film trilogy, and how it compares with the books, the good and bad unique to the films. And of course the hobbits get taken once more to Isengard, courtesy of fan-submitted quiz questions.

Michael Haldas returns to the podcast to talk none other than the great Frodo Baggins with Fr. Andrew. Along the way, they talk about what sailing from the Grey Havens really means, where in Middle-earth they’d love to live and visit, as well asking: Why introduce other people to Tolkien?

Tolkien scholar Dr. Lisa Coutras joins Fr. Andrew to talk the theology of beauty in Tolkien’s legendarium, including deep dives into the tales of Beren and Luthien and Turin Turambar. They wrap up with your indispensable wishlist items for a Hobbit birthday.