Amon Sûl

For their 2023 Christmas episode, Fr. Andrew and Richard discuss the Old English Cynewulf poem “Christ,” whose 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archives (because you can never delve too greedily nor too deeply when it comes to lore), we present this previously unpublished 2021 DoxaMoot lecture by Richard Rohlin: "'A dream that some other mind is weaving’: Faerian Drama and the Liturgical Making of Middle-earth."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.

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.

Tolkien scholar Dr. Lisa Coutras joins Fr. Andrew to discuss chapter 15 of The Hobbit, “The Gathering of the Clouds.” Together they ponder balding ravens and whether Thorin is acting like an Antichrist, wrapping up with a short reading from The Two Towers that introduces Eowyn.

Richard is rejoined by Dr. Augusta Hardy. Together, they explore the saddest of all of the Great Tales of the First Age of Middle-earth: the Tale of the Children of Hurin, and discuss the dangers of Protagonist Syndrome. Also, Augusta talks about the bad boys of Middle-earth, and enrolls her name in the Amon Sul Faramir Appreciation Society.

Richard joins Fr. Andrew to discuss chapter 14 of The Hobbit, “Fire and Water.” Bard gets introduced, Smaug sleeps with the fishes, and the dream of gold comes back into everyone’s hearts. Richard reads a little-known Tolkien dragon poem, and Fr. Andrew makes a corvid joke.

Fr. Andrew joins Richard as The Last Homely House returns after being closed for renovations. They discuss Chapter 20 of the Quenta Silmarillion: The Fifth Battle, and also talk a good bit about Beowulf and Germanic myths, legends, and poetry. What’s the coolest moment in the Silmarillion? What hath Telchar wrought in the deeps of time? What kind of submission hold DID Beowulf use on Grendel? All of this and more in this month’s installment of The Last Homely House.

Dcn. Nicholas Kotar joins Fr. Andrew to cover chapter 13 of The Hobbit, “Not at Home.” The dwarves have a look around inside the mountain while the dragon is away, and Bilbo picks up a couple souvenirs.

Dr. Cyril Jenkins joins Fr. Andrew to cover chapter 12 of The Hobbit, “Inside Information.” Dragons sit on gold, conversations are had with the wyrm, and key narrative links are made to Beowulf and the Volsungasaga. But what does it mean to be King Under the Mountain?

Fr. Anthony Cook returns to The Last Homely House to talk about the autobiographical origins of the earliest version of the story of Beren & Luthien. Richard and Fr. Anthony read the wild and wonderful Tale of Tinuviel, discussing love, marriage, cats, dogs, and spiders along the way. And, we find out that actually, Fr. Anthony doesn’t need his legs.

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.