Hannah comes to this episode with a lot of other people's opinions about Tolkien's poetry in Lord of the Rings, and Zoe comes to the episode with a lot of love in her heart for the poetry in Lord of the Rings. We attempt an analysis and also get side-tracked by things like the names for metrical feet and more Tolkien poetry recitations. Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - ‘Bagopolier Freylekhs’ by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash

In this second part of our series on translating Tolkien, Hannah and Zoe talk about some of the stories around translating the Lord of the Rings trilogy into different real-world languages. We also discuss copyright law around translations, fanfiction, derivative works, and the performance arts (specifically, circus). Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - ‘Bagopolier Freylekhs’ by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash

Zoe and Hannah talk about some of the stories around translating The Hobbit into different real-world languages, including Swedish, Russian/Belarusian, Hebrew, Latin, and more! And Zoe sings a spontaneous song! Also, we did have to take a quick mid-episode research break to check the history between Armenia and the USSR, so look forward to hearing us attempt to self-educate in real time. Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - ‘Bagopolier Freylekhs’ by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash

Zoe discusses famous dragons of Middle Earth and Hannah has middle-grade dragon book recommendations if you want to email her for suggestions! A time well-spent discussing all the cool flying fire lizards of Middle Earth. Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - 'Bagopolier Freylekhs' by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash Background Music - ‘Downfall’ and ‘Sentinel’ by Kai Engel

Hannah talks with Zoe about the ways Tolkien inspired Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld books! Hannah talks about how satire can lead to some deep worldbuilding, too, and the ways Pratchett explored a lot of human issues with fantasy characters. Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - "Bagopolier Freylekhs" by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash Background Music - ‘Sentinel’ and ‘Homeroad’ by Kai Engel Water/stream sound effect from Free Sounds Library

Continuing from last week, Zoe and Hannah discuss the architecture and set design of the Peter Jackson movies and compare it to Tolkien's own ideas about the architectural influences on Middle Earth. We talk about elvish and dwarfish architecture in this one, including the artistic/architectural movements in the real world that inspired these aesthetics.  Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - "Bagopolier Freylekhs" by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash Background Music - ‘You Get The Blues’ by Lobo Loco, ’Downfall’ by Kai Engel

Zoe and Hannah discuss the architecture and set design of the Peter Jackson movies and compare it to Tolkien's own ideas about the architectural influences on Middle Earth. We mostly talk about the halls of men and hobbits in this, but tune in for Part 2 next week, which goes more in-depth with elves! Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - "Bagopolier Freylekhs" by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash

Hannah and Zoe sing the praises of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy soundtrack, especially Howard Shore's epic (and Academy Award-winning) skills and Billy Boyd's contributions. We also discuss Tolkien's own forays into singing the songs he wrote for his books, and the record of Middle Earth jams that he put out during his lifetime. Music Credits (via Free Music Archive and YouTube): Intro/Outro - "Bagopolier Freylekhs" by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash Clip of J.R.R. Tolkien singing Namárië - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkuHrD_xlJY Clip of J.R.R. Tolkien singing Chip The Glasses And Crack The Plates - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7HFnbYc7MM

Zoe delves into hobbit inheritance law! We also diverge for Hannah to talk about some Shire genetics, and we discover the TRUE owner of the One Ring based on spoils of war, murder, and lost property legality. Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - "Bagopolier Freylekhs" by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash

Zoe and Hannah are joined by special guest Kimberlee in this episode! Kimberlee is a seasoned Live Action Role Player (LARPer) and shares her experiences with real-world racism entering fantasy spaces—a long-standing 'tradition' that we found in how Tolkien pictured orcs, and how the image of orcs has morphed over time in other Role-Playing Game (RPG) settings. Still, all three of us continue to love fantasy and the joy it can bring to all kinds of people... as long as everyone has space to live their fantasy dreams. Kimberlee has some great stories about her long-running LARP, The World of Oz! We highly recommend reading the two-part article, "Orcs, Britons, And The Martial Race Myth" by James Mendez Hodes, for more insight into Middle Earth's real-world racist roots. Here's the link to Part I: https://jamesmendezhodes.com/blog/2019/1/13/orcs-britons-and-the-martial-race-myth-part-i-a-species-built-for-racial-terror  Music Credits (via Free Music Archive): Intro/Outro - "Bagopolier Freylekhs" by Alicia Svigals/Lauren Brody Klezmer Mash