Shows / Today's Tolkien Times
Today's Tolkien Times
Get your Tolkien every day by subscribing to Today’s Tolkien Times! Alan Sisto, host of the award-winning Prancing Pony Podcast and Rings of Power Wrap-up, hosts a new short-format daily podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you get your podcasts! Listeners get answers on Mailbag Mondays; discover more about the Professor on Tolkien Tuesdays; indulge your inner philologist on Word-nerd Wednesdays; learn more about the familiar stories of Middle-earth on Third…
Episodes
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 027 - Word-nerd Wednesday: The (Great) Green Region
We have time for two words on this Word-nerd Wednesday: the first is the name of the 30th King of Gondor, and the other is the name of a land that would…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 027 - Tolkien Tuesday: Hi Dad, Send Cash
We take a look at three letters that Tolkien wrote to his sons: school grades, mom guilt, BBC criticism, a hand injury, and a plea for cash to a poor professor…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 027 - Mailbag Monday: Gandalf as a Dwarf?
Join The Man of the West as he answers a speculative question about the form that the wizards took when they came to Middle-earth. Now I’m picturing Radagast…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 026 - Silmarillion Saturday: Dust Off the Piñata
A study of heavenly bodies begins with the aftermath of Fëanor storming out of the house, slamming the door, stealing the neighbor’s car, and peeling out of…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 026 - Fandom Friday: The Full English: Chris Newton from A Book At Breakfast
Join The Man of the West as he welcomes fellow bibliophile and Tolkien fan Chris Newton, and learn about a new podcast you might want to listen to. Chris earns…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 026 - Third Age Thursday: And You Thought You’d Avoid Gothic
The Man of the West wanted to make a joke here about the Émo-théod and why their early names were Goth-ic, but we talked him out of it. We apologize for the…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 026 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Because ‘Horse-People’ is Boring
Get ready for some Old English as we take a look at the Éothéod and one of their lords, Eorl the Young in the first Word-nerd Wednesday of 2024. Learn more…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 026 - Tolkien Tuesday: All That Over a Comma
It’s time for The Man of the West to open the new Revised and Expanded Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien as we begin a new series of Tolkien Tuesday episodes! Learn…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 026 - Mailbag Monday: Something About Rope
Join The Man of the West as he rings in 2024 with a new series of Today’s Tolkien Times! We start with a mailbag question about Sam’s mysteriously disappearing…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 025 - Fancy a Game of Snapdragons?
Tolkien brings in more real-world events — a really cold winter, and a bright comet — into his Letters From Father Christmas, while NPB is busy getting the Man…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 025 - Rory Bory Aylis
The Man of the West introduces a new term for the Aurora Borealis, as he looks at Tolkien’s 1926 Letter From Father Christmas. North Polar Bear is up to his…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 025 - Dreadfully Busy
No, really, he means it. Father Christmas is busy, and so is Professor Tolkien, as Christmas of 1925 approaches. Holding down two jobs, writing the beginnings…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 025 - A Letter for the LEGO Fans
We move to 1923 and a letter to a new address in Leeds, before looking at just how old Father Christmas really is. Also, when is a brick not a brick? Learn…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 025 - Dramatis Personae
Let’s start at the very beginning: it’s a very good place to start, after all. It’s time to open up the Introduction to the Letters and learn about the growing…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 025 - Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe
Join The Man of the West for a very special holiday week of Today’s Tolkien Times as he dives into Letters From Father Christmas, beginning with words from…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 024 - Silmarillion Saturday: The Elves Know Not
Men are mortal, and so is Series 3 of Today’s Tolkien Times! Join The Man of the West as he wraps things up (mostly) for 2023 with a look at the difference…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 024 - Fandom Friday: Time Flies When Your Book is Awesome — John Garth
You’ve enjoyed eight weeks of excerpts from his book, Tolkien and the Great War, so please welcome John Garth to Today’s Tolkien Times, as we celebrate 20…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 024 - Third Age Thursday: Look After Your Darling
To those celebrating, the TTT wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving! Join The Man of the West as he finishes up The Quest of Erebor and discovers the softer side of…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 024 - Word-nerd Wednesday: What Do Fëanor and Dol Guldur Have in Common?
We’ll let Gandalf explore the dungeons of Dol Guldur; The Man of the West will explore its etymology. Observe his shocked face as he learns the connection…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 024 - Tolkien Tuesday: Pipe-smoking and Chin-wagging
Like so many other students before him, Tolkien wasn’t always entirely dedicated to his academic pursuits. Join The Man of the West as he revisits John Garth’s…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 024 - Mailbag Monday: Linked In, Middle-earth
Join The Man of the West as he begins the last week of Series 3 of the TTT with an update for the holidays before he answers an interesting question about…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 023 - Silmarillion Saturday: Where Every Leaf is Green
I’m sure it won’t stay that way, though. Join The Man of the West as he concludes this week of the TTT by reading the first half of the chapter Of Men. Distant…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 023 - Fandom Friday: The Tolkien Professor
Sometimes, the big voices in the fandom have things to say too — Alan welcomes the OG Tolkien podcaster, Dr. Corey Olsen to the show to talk about all things…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 023 - Third Age Thursday: He Was Getting Greedy and Fat
No, not The Man of the West — well at least not both of them — Bilbo! Gandalf recalls just how disappointing Bilbo was in the second part of The Quest of…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 023 - Word-nerd Wednesday: (The Rest of) The Many Names of Gandalf
The Man of the West returns to his wizardy wording ways this week as he brings you more of the names of Gandalf — and fills in a few unintended blanks on one…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 023 - Tolkien Tuesday: Time For You To Go, George
We join Tolkien on his winter break as he writes and stars in his own play that just might bear some similarities to real-life. He is finally allowed to write…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 023 - Mailbag Monday: Not a David Letterman Top 10
Join The Man of the West as he begins week 23 with a list of the top 10 scariest or creepiest creatures in Middle-earth, just in time for… two weeks after…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 022 - Silmarillion Saturday: I Think You Know What That Word Means
Melkor hides, fakes friendship, almost persuades Fëanor, goes too far, but manages to understand thralldom better than Fëanor. Also, Tulkas is thinking, “I…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 022 - Fandom Friday: A Love of Letters — Phil Walch from Tolkien Collector’s Guide
The Man of the West talks about the new Letters volume — and a massive Guide to even more Letters — with Phil Walch from Tolkien Collector’s Guide. The Man of…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 022 - Third Age Thursday: Brooding On His Wrongs
Join Gandalf — and the Man of the West — as he relates his own take on “the incident with the dragon” in The Quest of Erebor. From Gandalf’s grand strategy to…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 022 - Word-nerd Wednesday: (Some of) The Many Names of Gandalf
It’s a wizardy Wednesday as The Man of the West begins his exploration of several — but not all — of the names of everyone’s favorite Middle-earth wizard. No…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 022 - Tolkien Tuesday: An Assault on Finnish
The Man of the West combines the best of Carpenter and Garth to talk about Tolkien in 1912: from his wet and windy cavalry camp, to his discovery of a…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 022 - Mailbag Monday: No, YOU Be the Mortal One
The Man of the West opens up the mailbag this week with a speculative question: what happens to the kingship of Gondor if Aragorn dies at the Black Gate? Well…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 021 - Silmarillion Saturday: Master of Thralls
Okay, so it’s a great name for a metal album, but it’s also a theme in today’s Silmarillion Saturday, as Fëanor threatens his younger brother, and gets a…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 021 - Fandom Friday: Silmaremily: At the Crossroads of Faramir and… Taylor Swift?
In what is likely to be the only mention of Taylor Swift on Today’s Tolkien Times, The Man of the West welcomes Silmaremily to Fandom Friday for a wide-ranging…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 021 - Third Age Thursday: No Queen in Gondor
Gandalf explains just how important those “off screen” battles were at the end of the Third Age, as The Man of the West finally concludes his reading in the…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 021 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Surprise - the Hobbits Named Something After a Drink
Today’s Word-nerd Wednesday takes a look at the name of the river separating the Shire from those weird folk in Buckland: the Brandywine. Is it a pun? Is it a…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 021 - Tolkien Tuesday: Certain Among the Gods
Happy Halloween to all the TTT followers — but there’s nothing spooky about today’s Tolkien Tuesday, unless Tolkien “revisiting old haunts” counts. Today, we…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 021 - Mailbag Monday: Past Their Expiration Date
The Man of the West starts off week 21 of Today’s Tolkien Times with a question about everyone’s favorite equestrian group: the Black Riders. Specifically…
- Today's Tolkien Times
Week 020 - Silmarillion Saturday: A Greedy Love
Our adventures in “Fëanor, No!” continue as Melkor continues to sow Discord in Valinor. Also, secret weapon stashes and awkward family dinners. Learn more…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 020 - Fandom Friday: Real Elvish - a Chat with Fiona Jallings
The Man of the West welcomes your friendly neighborhood linguist, the creator of RealElvish.net and the author of books to help you learn Neo-Sindarin, Fiona…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 020 - Third Age Thursday: A Chance Meeting
The Man of the West’s readings through the Appendix on Durin’s Folk continues as Thorin ascends the throne and just happens to run into Gandalf while on a…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 020 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Orcs, Uruks, and Balrogs - Oh My!
The Man of the West dives deep into the Etymologies to explain how the words for just about every nasty creature in Middle-earth are actually connected! Also…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 020 - Tolkien Tuesday: A Nerd’s Nerd
It’s time to go back to school and study your Latin. And Greek. And Nevbosh. And Gothic. And… well, any other language you can get your teenage boy’s hands on…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 020 - Mailbag Monday: To Me, All Are One
The Man of the West opens up this new week of the TTT by actually finishing an answer he began last week. A close look at Christopher Tolkien’s words reveals…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 019 - Silmarillion Saturday: Fast Bound to These Things
You thought the Fëanor piñata would catch a break with the end of the last chapter, wouldn’t you? Well, The Man of the West returns to read about the Silmarils…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 019 - Fandom Friday: How Much Can One Man Do? A Chat with James Tauber
Join The Man of the West as he welcomes the talented — and busy — James Tauber to chat about his 12-month course on The History of Middle-earth, his continuing…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 019 - Third Age Thursday: To the Anvil!
The Dwarves may have had their victory, but the cost was high — and Dáin has bad news about the current squatter in Khazad-dûm. The Man of the West continues…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 019 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Because It’s a Cantrip
Why wouldn’t we weave words about wizards on Wednesday? Join The Man of the West — who is now officially out of W tiles in Scrabble — as he dives into the…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 019 - Tolkien Tuesday: Didn’t We All Read Chaucer By Age 10?
The Man of the West returns to Tolkien and the Great War to learn more about Tolkien’s incredible gift and passion for languages. Maybe if someone had given me…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 019 - Mailbag Monday: Let Me Explain. No, There Is Too Much.
Start your week off with The Man of the West as he starts to tackle a simple question with some complicated answers and quickly realizes he’s bitten off more…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 018 - Silmarillion Saturday: Rather Than to Master Them
That piñata bears a striking resemblance to a famous Noldorin Elf, does it not? Well, not for much longer, I’d imagine. The Man of the West concludes his…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 018 - Fandom Friday: More Tolkien With Friends with Andie
The Man of the West welcomes Andie, one of the co-hosts of the podcast Tolkien With Friends. We learn how and why she started the show, and just how passionate…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 018 - Third Age Thursday: Another Beggar At My Doors
The Man of the West continues his readings about Durin’s Folk from the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings; Thrór makes a bad decision, Nár begs him to…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 018 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Tolkien Enjoys a Little Homebrew
Is it a Silmaril? Or is it only a model? Join The Man of the West as he takes a closer look at eorcnanstan, better known as The Arkenstone, in this week’s…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 018 - Tolkien Tuesday: It Is Rougher Further On
More time with the TCBS as we learn about the poet G.B. Smith, the artist Rob Gilson and the results of that rugby match with the school’s First XV. Folks…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 018 - Mailbag Monday: A Casual Reference to the Necromancer
Join The Man of the West as he answers a patron’s question about the Dwarven Rings, and explores the deep and mysterious story (hint: it’s neither) behind…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 017 - Silmarillion Saturday: Few Ever Changed His Courses By Counsel, None By Force
The Man of the West breaks out the Fëanor piñata as he begins reading from Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor. A long digression on second marriages, with…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 017 - Fandom Friday: Shawn Marchese, The Lord of the Mark
The Man of the West hopes you’ll forgive him for having a favorite guest so far: his old friend, former co-host, and co-author of Why We Love Middle-earth…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 017 - Third Age Thursday: The Ancestor of All the Kings of the Longbeards
Time to break out your Dwarven ale and toast Durin the Deathless as The Man of the West dives into the LotR Appendices and starts to read about Durin’s Folk…