The Tolkien Professor

The Tolkien Professor (Corey Olsen)

The Tolkien Professor podcast is a series of lectures, discussions, and seminars on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien by Corey Olsen, President of Signum University. All are welcome to enter – even those without any party business!

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663 episodes
Updated June 18

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Episodes663

Newest first

Feb 4, 2016 · 2 hr 6 min
SilmFilm 1-13: Episode 11 - Aulë and the Dwarves
In this episode, we explore why Aulë does what he does, showing parallels with Melkor and planting the seeds of impatience for the Coming of the Children of Iluvatar amongst the Valar.
Jan 24, 2016 · 2 hr 9 min
Episode 302: The Last (Really!) RITD Episode -- BotFA EE Review
In the final episode of Riddles in the Dark (really), Tolkien Professor Corey Olsen and co-hosts Dave Kale and Trish Lambert go over the extended edition of the final film in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy. Emotions run high as they consider the tying up (or not) of loose ends and the various arcs that may or may not have worked. Support The Tolkien Professor
Jan 18, 2016 · 2 hr 2 min
SilmFilm 1-12: Episode 10 - Fall of the House of Ainur (Part the Second)
Subtitle: If you have a Balrog, you don’t need a cat. In which we start to link together all of the subplots and develop the first multi-episode story arc.
Jan 12, 2016 · 1 hr 54 min
300: SilmFilm 1-11: Episode 9 - The Fall of the House of Ainur (sort of), Part the First
In Episode 9, we begin to look at the downfall of various Ainur, setting the stage for the three rebellions that happen over the rest of the season: Aulë’s rebellion, Mairon’s (Sauron’s) rebellion, and Ossë’s rebellion.
Jan 9, 2016 · 1 hr 44 min
299: SilmFilm 1-10: Episode 8 - The Two Trees (Aftermath)
In the eighth episode of Season 1, we focus on the Two Trees, showing how they help to beautify Valinor – and instill jealousy and devious plans in Melkor.
Jan 5, 2016 · 2 hr 2 min
298: SilmFilm 1-09: Episode 7 - Finally, Something For The Fëanturi To Do!
In today’s session, we come up with a new tagline for the SilmFilm Project: “It’s better than Jackson could have come up with.” Also, we talk about the establishment of Valinor and provide a view of the Valar settling into their new homes.
Dec 26, 2015 · 2 hr 3 min
297: SilmFilm: Fantasy Casting for the Silmarillion Film Project
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Dec 5, 2015 · 1 hr 54 min
296: SilmFilm 1-08: Episode 6 - Murder of the Lamps
After wrapping up some loose ends from the previous session, we shape episode 6 into something of a “whodunit” murder mystery, with the victims being the Lamps of the Valar.
Dec 5, 2015 · 2 hr 5 min
295: SilmFilm 1-07: Episode 5 - Creating the Lamps, Distressing the Damsel
In Episode 5, we discuss the decision to create the lamps and the introduction of Tulkas
Dec 5, 2015 · 2 hr 5 min
294: SilmFilm 1-06: Episode 4 - Yay Melkor!!
In the fourth episode of Season 1, we determine how Melkor meets the other Valar and focus on the end of the Ainulindalë and Iluvatar’s conversation with Ulmo.
Oct 19, 2015 · 1 hr 58 min
293: SilmFilm 1-05: Episode 3 - He Who Shall Not Be Named Morgoth
We continue to discuss central themes of the season, in particular focusing on Melkor – including what the heck to call him (as well as others who experience name changes in The Silmarillion, like Sauron).
Oct 19, 2015 · 1 hr 50 min
292: SilmFilm 1-04: Episode 2 - From Chaos to Harmony
Today we are figuring out the content of the frame story and the Silmarillion story for episode 2 and how to tie it all together.
Oct 2, 2015 · 1 hr 48 min
291: SilmFilm 1-03: Episode 1 (Pilot) - The Ainulindalë
It’s time to discuss the Music of the Ainur, one of the most thought-provoking and beautiful stories Tolkien wrote. This is a central core concept that, while it’s detached from the “main” story of The Silmarillion, it’s always there in the background.
Sep 2, 2015 · 1 hr 59 min
290: SilmFilm 1-02: Narrative Overview
We continue our discussion about the overall narrative of Season 1, as well as focus on the elements of the frame story that will encompass the show.
Aug 26, 2015 · 1 hr 54 min
289: SilmFilm 1-01: Plot Overview
We will begin by discussing the overall plot of the first season and the major events that we want to occur during the season, including the Music of the Ainur, creation of Arda, the making of the Two Lamps, and the arrival of the Valar.
Aug 12, 2015 · 43 min
Episode 288: Tolkien Chat: Makin’ Movies in Middle-earth
Adaptation has been a topic that has intrigued many Mythgardians, including Signum University President Corey Olsen (also known as The Tolkien Professor). From music and art to film to The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) video game, the inspiration that the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have offered continues to be of interest to Corey and his podcast listeners. In a recent Tolkien Chat, Corey took on another sort of adaptation: the new Middle-earth Lore Series. A brainchild of Joel “Andang” Shepherd, the director of the Players Alliance (a Mythgard Institute partner) and the force behind the weekly LOTRO Players News podcast, the series looks at the history of Middle-earth from an unusual angle. Using locations such as The Shire, Bree-land and Rivendell as anchors, the episodes relates the history of each place and the people who inhabited it. And those places and people are all inside LOTRO. The first episode of the series, “The Shire,” was recently released, and to celebrate the launch. Corey talked to Andang about how he came up with the series idea, who its target audience is, and what the experience shooting within LOTRO is like. Andang shared many observations that are universal across all forms of adaptation. Support The Tolkien Professor
Jul 24, 2015 · 1 hr 50 min
287: SilmFilm 0-04: Plot Mapping
In the final episode in this season, we will attempt to lay out a map for the whole show, season by season.
Jul 13, 2015 · 1 hr 45 min
286: SilmFilm 0-03: Storytelling
We will continue tackling big issues, including chronology, language style and use of narration.
Jun 20, 2015 · 1 hr 54 min
285: SilmFilm 0-02: Big Decisions
We will discuss some of the critical issues that will lay the foundation of the adaptation, including character depiction, music and magic.
Jun 9, 2015 · 1 hr 58 min
284: SilmFilm 0-01: Introducing the Silmarillion Film Project
We will explain what we are doing and what we are not doing in this project. We will explain the general framework of our episodes and give a high level overview of what we will cover in Season 0. We will conclude the episode (as we will conclude all our episodes) with a question for listeners to discuss in the forum prior to a final decision at the start of the next episode.