West of Valinor
West of Valinor is an attempt to trace some of the origins of the mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien, and to spend some time talking about some of the theology, history, poetry, and philosophy that The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion bring up. It is a podcast for fans of Middle Earth by a fan of Middle Earth.
Episodes
9 episodes
A Forest Divided
An examination of "Flies and Spiders" from The Hobbit. The historical and archetypal uses of forests, and the evolution of spiders from the role of creators to the role of villains. The progression of Bilbo from afterthough...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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1:41:10
An Older World
An examination of "Queer Lodgings" from The Hobbit. A look at Gandalf's playbook from the other side, and the historic power - but not malice - of bears. A look at how The Hobbit begins to intentionally im...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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1:00:49
Deus Ex
Looking at Chapter 6 of The Hobbit, "Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire," we meet wolves (or wargs) and eagles. So we look at the uses of wolves and eagles throughout myth and folklore, and we examine what it means for Bilbo...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:13:17
A Tale of Two Rings
The chapter where everything changes (between 1937 and 1951, that is). Gollum! and the Ring! Riddles and all of their history, and a look at the competing theologies of Comfort and Destruction.All this, and More...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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1:22:24
The Deep Places of the World
A look at Giants and at Goblins as Bilbo and Company head up into and then under the mountains. A look at the song of the goblins and at the prophetic nature of dreams.
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:02:23
Country Elves
Exploring chapter 3 of The Hobbit, including the mythic history of elves both within Tolkien's world and without, and how elves were used in Canterbury Tales, and how they came to be associated with Christmas.We look at the son...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:16:00
Working Class Trolls
In this episode we look at Chapter 2 of The Hobbit, "Roast Mutton." We talk about they mythic history of trolls and how the many incarnations they have had through the millennia. We talk about the opening stages of Bilbo's ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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1:11:30