The Prancing Pony Podcast

The Prancing Pony Podcast is a weekly show about the Middle-earth legendarium of J.R.R. Tolkien, hosted - for six seasons - by Alan Sisto and Shawn E. Marchese. Now in its ninth season, Alan is joined by an all-star cast of co-hosts as he explores more of Middle-earth!

Alan and all his co-hosts are passionate Tolkien enthusiasts, inviting listeners to enjoy their detailed exploration of Tolkien’s work, with smart but straightforward discussion and a healthy dose of self-effacing humor, pop-culture references, and bad puns. These are the folks you'd want to hang out with at a pub and talk Tolkien with!

Listen in PodNod RSS feed Show website

424 episodes
Updated July 26

Episodes424

Newest first

May 27, 2018 · 1 hr 47 min
084 - The Violence Inherent in the System
As Chapter 17 of The Hobbit begins, the Lonely Mountain is under siege. Thorin — hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in Middle-earth — refuses to negotiate, knowing Dain is on his way. When...
May 20, 2018 · 1 hr 27 min
083 - Oh Yes, Ees Very Nice-uh
In Chapter 16 of The Hobbit, little Bilbo takes matters (and the Arkenstone) into his own hands and makes a deal with Bard and the Elvenking, who presumably don’t already have one, in an attempt to end the standoff peacefully. We consider just how...
May 13, 2018 · 1 hr 33 min
082 - What is the Airspeed Velocity of a Decrepit Old Raven?
In Chapter 15, birds again show that their value in The Hobbit far outweighs their inability to carry a coconut. Bilbo and the Dwarves learn of Smaug’s death from the wise old raven Roäc, but they also learn that a host of Elves and Men is on its way...
May 6, 2018 · 1 hr 40 min
081 - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
We cut away to Lake-town for Chapter 14 of The Hobbit, as the people of Esgaroth slowly realize that the lights coming from the Lonely Mountain are not the triumphant King Thorin flooding the river with gold, but a very angry dragon. The town worrier...
Apr 29, 2018 · 1 hr 39 min
080 - And There Was Much Rejoicing
Trapped in the side-door tunnel at the beginning of Chapter 13 of The Hobbit, “Not at Home,” Bilbo leads the party in the only direction they can go: down. At the bottom they find no sign of Smaug, and the Dwarves rejoice at the recovery of their lost...
Apr 22, 2018 · 1 hr 36 min
079 - Smaug Gets Quite Irate
In the second half of Chapter 12 of The Hobbit, Bilbo returns to Smaug’s lair to find the dragon waiting for him. Luckily he has on his ring, but the dragon senses his presence, and soon he is locked in a battle of wits with the wily worm. Bilbo’s...
Apr 15, 2018 · 1 hr 47 min
078 - Every Worm is Sacred
As we begin Chapter 12 of The Hobbit, Bilbo the burglar is finally ready to enter Smaug’s lair alone, if only to get away from yet another self-important speech by Thorin. Braving the sleeping dragon, he manages to remove one piece of treasure from...
Apr 8, 2018 · 1 hr 30 min
077 - Questions After Nightfall 2
In our second Prancing Pony Podcast Q&A episode, Alan and Shawn answer live questions from guest patrons on diverse topics, from the fate of Dwarves after death to which character we’d cosplay as… if either of us ever left the house, of course. Hear...
Apr 1, 2018 · 1 hr 33 min
076 - The Ministry of Silly Locks
In Chapter 11 of The Hobbit, Bilbo and the Dwarves finally reach the Lonely Mountain, but they don’t know where the hidden door is. Then they find the door, but they don’t know how to open it. Fortunately, they do have an ancient map and a very lucky...
Mar 25, 2018 · 1 hr 51 min
075 - Tolkien Reading Day Special 2018
Happy Tolkien Reading Day! On March 25 every year – the date of the fall of Barad-dûr – Tolkien lovers worldwide celebrate by reading the Professor’s works aloud. The theme for 2018 is Home and Hearth: the many ways of being a Hobbit. From the Shire...
Mar 18, 2018 · 1 hr 46 min
074 - A Mandate From the Masses
Please keep your arms and legs inside the barrels at all times, until the ride comes to a complete stop in Lake-town where our heroes arrive, barely, in Chapter 10 of The Hobbit. Most of the Lake-towners have forgotten the past, but some still sing...
Mar 11, 2018 · 1 hr 42 min
073 - Some Farcical Aquatic Ceremony
It’s the world’s worst whitewater rafting trip in the second half of Chapter 9 of The Hobbit! Bilbo reveals his plan for escaping the Elvenking’s halls. His friends are, quite understandably, less than enthusiastic, but with both time and ideas...
Mar 4, 2018 · 1 hr 35 min
072 - King Name-Not-Appearing-In-This-Book
The rest of the Dwarves are taken by the Elves in the first half of Chapter 9 of The Hobbit. Bilbo avoids capture thanks to his ring, only to get stuck hiding for weeks in the Elvenking’s halls. Fortunately, Mr. Invisible Baggins keeps busy with more...
Feb 25, 2018 · 1 hr 37 min
071 - Fortress Around Your Hoard
In our final episode on Chapter 8 of The Hobbit, Bilbo dispatches the Mirkwood spiders and rescues his friends, though it must be said that one beard sadly perishes in the effort. Thorin, however, has already been taken prisoner by the Elvenking,...
Feb 18, 2018 · 1 hr 42 min
070 - If You Love Somebody, Cut Them Free
The second of three episodes on Chapter 8 of The Hobbit. As Mirkwood continues with no apparent end, our heroes get desperate and stray from the path when they see Elves feasting in a clearing nearby. They try three times to crash the party, but each...
Feb 11, 2018 · 1 hr 31 min
069 - Be Still My Fleeting Hart
In the first episode of our trilogy on Chapter 8 of The Hobbit, Bilbo and the Dwarves enter Mirkwood and quickly learn the true meaning of the term "pitch-dark.” As the days drag on, their hunger and desperation grow, and there seems to be no end to...
Feb 4, 2018 · 1 hr 35 min
068 - Exit, Pursued by a Bear
We resume Chapter 7 of The Hobbit. Bilbo and the Dwarves spend a few days as the guests of Beorn, comfortable despite the occasional late-night sounds of a hungry bear on the other side of the door. After verifying their story personally, Beorn agrees...
Jan 28, 2018 · 1 hr 52 min
067 - Forget About Your Worries and Your Strife
Chapter 7 of The Hobbit begins with a rude awakening in an Eagle’s eyrie. But our heroes are soon off on their way again, and find themselves at the home of Beorn the skin-changer. Is he a man that changes into a bear, or a bear that changes into a...
Jan 21, 2018 · 1 hr 30 min
066 - A Slaying Song Tonight: An Interview with Michael Drout
Alan and Shawn are delighted to welcome Michael Drout to The Prancing Pony Podcast! As co-founder and co-editor of the journal Tolkien Studies and multiple books on the Professor, Drout is one of the most prolific Tolkien scholars in the field today....
Jan 14, 2018 · 1 hr 39 min
065 - Lobbest Thou Thy Holy Pine Grenade
We pick up Chapter 6 of The Hobbit with our heroes literally up a tree. Gandalf keeps the wolves at bay by playing with fire, but when the goblins arrive, things quickly heat up for Bilbo and his friends. Just as the situation begins to go up in...

The Prancing Pony Podcast

084 - The Violence Inherent in the System

083 - Oh Yes, Ees Very Nice-uh

082 - What is the Airspeed Velocity of a Decrepit Old Raven?

081 - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

080 - And There Was Much Rejoicing

079 - Smaug Gets Quite Irate

078 - Every Worm is Sacred

077 - Questions After Nightfall 2

076 - The Ministry of Silly Locks

075 - Tolkien Reading Day Special 2018

074 - A Mandate From the Masses

073 - Some Farcical Aquatic Ceremony

072 - King Name-Not-Appearing-In-This-Book

071 - Fortress Around Your Hoard

070 - If You Love Somebody, Cut Them Free

069 - Be Still My Fleeting Hart

068 - Exit, Pursued by a Bear

067 - Forget About Your Worries and Your Strife

066 - A Slaying Song Tonight: An Interview with Michael Drout

065 - Lobbest Thou Thy Holy Pine Grenade