0394 » Lord of the Rings » Foreword & Prologue » Mailbag » Allegory, Stoors / Harfoots / Fallohides, etc

Welcome to The Tolkien Road Episode 393!

In this bonus MATHOMS episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we’ll take a look at some fascinating footnotes to the Foreword and Prologue of The Lord of Rings!

TOPICS COVERED:
– Lord of the Rings’ attraction
– The Silmarillion adapted
– Negative reviews of Lord of the Rings
– Tolkien vs allegory
– Sarehole Mill as Hobbiton
– The word “Hobbit”
– “Dwarrow”, Dwarfs, Dwarves
– Tolkien’s description of hobbits
– The location of Middle-earth
– Arnor / Gondor meanings
– Marcho and Blanco found the Shire
– Angmar meaning
– The Shire is rural England
– Origin of “Shirriff”

Welcome to Episode 22 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Sam’s Grand Entrance”. (This is episode 392 of The Tolkien Road podcast).
‘Well, sir,’ said Sam dithering a little. ‘I heard a deal that I didn’t rightly understand, about an enemy, and rings, and Mr. Bilbo, sir, and dragons, and a fiery mountain, and – and Elves, sir. I listened because I couldn’t help myself, if you know what I mean. Lor bless me, sir, but I do love tales of that sort. And I believe them too, whatever Ted may say. Elves, sir! I would dearly love to see them. Couldn’t you take me to see Elves, sir, when you go?’
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we conclude our journey through The Shadow of the Past, as Frodo decides on his course of action, and finds himself with a surprise traveling companion.
SECTION START: “There was a long silence.”
SECTION END: the end of the chapter

Welcome to Episode 21 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Frodo, The Chosen One”. (This is episode 391 of The Tolkien Road podcast).

“It has been said that dragon-fire could melt and consume the Rings of Power, but there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough; nor was there ever any dragon, not even Ancalagon the Black, who could have harmed the One Ring, the Ruling Ring, for that was made by Sauron himself.” – Gandalf, to Frodo

In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Frodo wrestles with the inevitable mission for which he has been chosen.

SECTION START: Frodo drew the Ring out of his pocket again and looked at it.

SECTION END: “The Enemy is moving.”

Welcome to Episode 20 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “The Power of Pity”.

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” – Gandalf, concerning Gollum, to Frodo

In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf explains how Bilbo’s pity for Gollum may in fact “Rule the fate of many.”

Welcome to Episode 19 of DO NOT BE HASTY – I’m calling this one “Gandalf’s Worst Mistake”.
‘The murder of Déagol haunted Gollum, and he had made up a defence, repeating it to his “Precious” over and over again, as he gnawed bones in the dark, until he almost believed it.’
In this episode of DO NOT BE HASTY, we continue through The Shadow of the Past, as Gandalf explains how he began to track Gollum but made a critical mistake.