Amon Sûl

Author Georgia Briggs joins Fr. Andrew to talk about the character arc of the great Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of the North and White Lady of Rohan. Why is she the way that she is? Why is she so relatable? What makes her different from the other prominent women in The Lord of the Rings? And which passage in The Silmarillion has notable parallels with her confrontation with the Witch-king of Angmar?

For their 2023 Christmas episode, Fr. Andrew and Richard discuss the Old English Cynewulf poem “Christ,” whoase famous line “Eala Earendel engla beorhtast” inspired the core of the Tolkien legendarium.

Andrea with the Bangs comes back for Part 2 of our mini-series on the Voyages of Earendil. She and Richard talk more about what it would mean for Earendil to leave his wife and sons for the doomed voyage into the West, take a deep-dive into Tolkien’s insanely complex notes for his unfinished Earendil heptology. Finally, Andrea makes a billion-dollar pitch.

Richard joins Fr. Andrew for the conclusion of his two-year walk through The Hobbit, pondering on what it means to be just a little hobbit in the wide world, reading a little Tinfang Warble, and taking a funky dive into the funkiest of all Tolkien movies.

Richard is rejoined by Andrea with the Bangs for part 1 of a 2-part series on the Voyages of Earendil. They talk about stories, the necessity of properly pairing the masculine and the feminine, and various matters touching seabirds. Richard poses a billion-dollar question to Andrea and the audience.

Michael Landsman joins Fr. Andrew to look at the penultimate chapter of The Hobbit, chapter 18, “The Return Journey,” featuring many farewells and most importantly, the death of Thorin. They talk about themes of hope, asceticism, blessings, generosity, repentance, and of course dwarven eschatology.

Michael Haldas joins Richard once again to wrap up the conversation they started in 089 - The Last Homely House: The Fall of Everything. This time, they finally make it to Gondolin, and talk about how Professor Tolkien first broke their hearts. Michael also gives us a DoxaMoot after-action report, and we talk once again about the danger presented by lonely metalworkers.

Unearthed from hidden archives (because you can never delve too greedily nor too deeply when it comes to lore), we present this previously unpublished 2021 DoxaMoot lecture by Richard Rohlin: "'A dream that some other mind is weaving’: Faerian Drama and the Liturgical Making of Middle-earth."

Steven Christoforou joins Fr. Andrew to talk chapter 17 of The Hobbit, “The Clouds Burst,” where we finally get the Battle of Five Armies – but which five? The King Under the Mountain leaps forth, Bilbo collects war stories, and the podcast says a very fond farewell to a silent but critical contributor.

Michael Haldas joins Richard to discuss “Of the Fall of Doriath,” which rivals “The Fifth Battle…” for being the bummerest chapter in The Silmarillion. They talk about weeping, Michael’s favorite character in the legendarium, and Michael schools Richard on some Rock & Roll trivia.

Reading chapter 16, the shortest chapter in The Hobbit, “A Thief in the Night,” Dr. Cyril Jenkins and Fr. Andrew talk about what the Arkenstone means for the narrative, whether Bilbo ought to have handed it over, and how possessiveness turns us into gnostics. They also talk Oxford, Doxamoot, and finish up with a reading from one of Tolkien’s letters.

Reading chapter 16, the shortest chapter in The Hobbit, “A Thief in the Night,” Dr. Cyril Jenkins and Fr. Andrew talk about what the Arkenstone means for the narrative, whether Bilbo ought to have handed it over, and how possessiveness turns us into gnostics. They also talk Oxford, Doxamoot, and finish up with a reading from one of Tolkien’s letters.

Richard is joined once again by fellow philologist Scott Brewer. Together, they passionately defend flagon-tossing, rant about the current state of medievalism as an academic discipline, and dispense hot takes about all of the latest vowel-shifting, syntax-muddling news. Also, they read a LOT of poetry.

Richard is joined once again by fellow philologist Scott Brewer. Together, they passionately defend flagon-tossing, rant about the current state of medievalism as an academic discipline, and dispense hot takes about all of the latest vowel-shifting, syntax-muddling news. Also, they read a LOT of poetry.

Richard interviews Tom Hillman about his forthcoming book “Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many.” They talk about what exactly the Ring is, how it works, and the importance of Pity in Tolkien’s legendarium. There’s also some poetry reading.