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 7 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Archaic and Derogatory — A Halfling at Heart
In today’s Word-nerd Wednesday, The Man of the West looks at the RPG industry’s favorite legal word for hobbit: “halfling”. Also, I’m still looking for tickets…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 7 - Tolkien Tuesday: A Very Bad Time Indeed
A closer look at the conversation between Tolkien and Unwin regarding a problem Tolkien hadn’t had before: titles for all three volumes. Also, the Book of…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 7 - Mailbag Monday: The State of the Show Address
The Man of the West starts out the week by answering some questions about Today’s Tolkien Times, including whether he’ll ever take time off or run out of…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 6 - Silmarillion Saturday: SPBMI Explained
The Man of the West wraps up this week’s Today’s Tolkien Times by reading from the Ainulindalë in The Silmarillion and explaining that weird acronym he keeps…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 6 - Fandom Friday: Magic Man, Magic Cards
The Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy takes a few minutes away from TikTok to visit with The Man of the West on today’s Fandom Friday. And, with Magic: The…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 6 - Third Age Thursday: Namarië!
The Man of the West concludes his time in Lórien by waving farewell to the Lord and Lady, and trying desperately to read Quenya like a boss. Diving into…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 6 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Eald Enta Geweorc (Yes, That’s English)
Trolls, ogres, and Ents, oh my. The Man of the West dives into Old English and Old Norse to pull together a couple of ENT-eresting words in this week’s…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 6 - Tolkien Tuesday: You Want HOW Much for That Book?
The Man of the West continues to tell the story of how The Lord of the Rings finally got published: today, the issue of cost, and a decision by Rayner that I…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 6 - Mailbag Monday: Mission:Impossible — Gollum’s Escape From Moria
Today’s Tolkien Times begins its sixth week with a close look at all of Gollum’s options for escaping Moria and following the Company: windows, following the…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 5 - Silmarillion Saturday: Tuor Meets Ecthelion
The Man of the West returns to Unfinished Tales to complete the tale of Tour’s arrival to the Hidden Kingdom, as he meets Ecthelion, Lord of the Fountains…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 5 - Fandom Friday: Silmarillieanne
The Man of the West welcome TikTok’s Silmarilleanne to Today’s Tolkien Times to chat about her lore videos, the Tolkien fandom, and cosplay — Star Trek might…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 5 - Third Age Thursday: The Gifts of Galadriel, part 2
The Man of the West reads about Galadriel’s gift to Gimli, bringing to light a bit about Fëanor to help explain its significance. He also looks at her gift to…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 5 - Word-nerd Wednesday: A Fellowship of Philology
Join The Man of the West as he dives into Old English and Old Norse to explore this week’s word: fellowship. Quick question: how many times does the text refer…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 5 - Tolkien Tuesday: Don’t Drop the Ball
Tolkien is free to take The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion to another publisher: so what happened? How Collins dropped the ball for two years, as The…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 5 - Mailbag Monday: Reading Order for All Things Tolkien
Today’s Tolkien Times starts the week off with The Man of the West answering a question about the best order in which to read Tolkien: chronological…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 4 - Silmarillion Saturday: Tuor and the Orfalch Echor
The Man of the West opens up Unfinished Tales for today’s Silmarillion Saturday, as we journey with Tuor through the first few gates of the Orfalch Echor!…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 4 - Fandom Friday: A Long-Expected Guest
Today’s Tolkien Times welcomes the composer, musician, and engineer behind the incredible project, A Long-Expected Soundscape: Jordan Rannells! For 25% off the…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 4 - Third Age Thursday: The Gifts of Galadriel, part 1
Today’s Third Age Thursday finds the Company on the banks of the Great River, drinking the cup of farewell with the Lord and Lady! Learn more about your ad…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 4 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Tracking Down a Ranger
Track down another word in the wilderness by using all your tracking and hunting skills — because this Word-nerd Wednesday is all about the ‘ranger’! Learn…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 4 - Tolkien Tuesday: The Professor’s Ultimatum
It is 1950, and Tolkien is growing ever more frustrated with Rayner Unwin, thinking that he has another publisher ready to publish The Silmarillion on this…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 4 - Mailbag Monday: When Was the Rammas Echor Really Built?
The Man of the West starts the week with Mailbag Monday and a question about the wall surrounding the Pelennor Fields: when was it built, and who was the…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 3 - Silmarillion Saturday: When the Lights Go Down in the City
The city of Valmar, that is. The Man of the West reads about the Darkening of Valinor and the theft of the Silmarils in this week’s Silmarillion Saturday!…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 3 - Fandom Friday: Kaitlyn from Tea With Tolkien
The Man of the West welcomes Kaitlyn to the Common Room for some Tea — with Tolkien, of course — in this week’s installment of Fandom Friday! Learn more about…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 3 - Third Age Thursday: A Proper Fourteen-Twenty
It’s time to visit the Shire again, as Sam uses Galadriel’s gift to restore his homeland. Join The Man of the West as he reads and chats about S.R. 1420 in…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 3 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Say ‘Friend’ and Enter
The Man of the West digs deep into linguistic journals to explore all about Gandalf’s far-too-simple magic password in another installment of Word-nerd…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 3 - Tolkien Tuesday: No Just Grievance
Join the Man of the West as he continues reading Tolkien’s Letters, exploring more of the drama between the Professor and two publishers on Tolkien Tuesday…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 3 - Mailbag Monday: Whatever Happened to Radagast?
The Man of the West begins another week of Today’s Tolkien Times with an interesting, albeit officially unanswerable, question for Mailbag Monday as we search…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 2 - Silmarillion Saturday: The Creation of the Silmarils
The Man of the West concludes another week of Today's Tolkien Times by going back to the creation of the Silmarils on Silmarillion Saturday! Learn more about…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 2 - Fandom Friday: Jeremy Edmonds from Tolkien Collector's Guide
Welcome another guest to Today's Tolkien Times on Fandom Friday as The Man of the West is joined by Jeremy Edmonds from Tolkien Collector's Guide. Learn more…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 2 - Third Age Thursday: Isildur's Redemption
Join The Man of the West for another Third Age Thursday, as he goes back to the very beginning of the Third Age to explore Isildur's redemption. Learn more…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 2 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Sauron and Saruman
Join the Man of the West for another Word-nerd Wednesday, complete with bonus! That's right, it's a double Word-nerd Wednesday as we dive into the names of two…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 2 - Tolkien Tuesday: More Publishing Drama
The drama between Tolkien, Sir Stanley Unwin, and Milton Waldman continues as The Man of the West reads and discusses Tolkien's Letters. Learn more about your…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 2 - Mailbag Monday: Is Dior mortal or immortal?
Welcome back to Today's Tolkien Times! The Man of the West begins the week with Mailbag Monday and a question regarding Dior, the son of Beren and Lúthien, and…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 1 - Silmarillion Saturday: The Making of the Trees
The Man of the West wraps up the TTT's inaugural week by going back to the making of the Trees on our first Silmarillion Saturday! Learn more about your ad…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 1 - Fandom Friday: Matt from The Nerd of the Rings
Today's Tolkien Times continues its first week, with the debut of the Fandom Friday segment: today, with Matt from The Nerd of the Rings! Learn more about your…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 1 - Third Age Thursday: The Beauty of the Shire
The inaugural week of the TTT moves on into the Third Age, as the Man of the West reads and chats about some of the travels of Frodo, Sam, and Pippin across…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 1 - Word-nerd Wednesday: Dwarves
Join the Man of the West for the debut of Word-nerd Wednesdays, this time going all the way back to the PPP's first Philology Faire to learn more about…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 1 - Tolkien Tuesday: Not Letter #131
The first week of the TTT continues as The Man of the West dives into Tolkien's Letters volume to learn more about Tolkien's efforts to get The Silmarillion…
Today's Tolkien TimesWeek 1 - Mailbag Monday: Who Put the Ring On a New Chain?
Welcome to the first week of Today's Tolkien Times! The Man of the West starts off the TTT's inaugural week with Mailbag Monday and a question about the One…
Today's Tolkien TimesTrailer and Launch Announcement!
Join Alan, The Man of the West from The Prancing Pony Podcast, as he introduces his new daily project: Today's Tolkien Times. Listeners get answers on Mailbag…