Episode 85: Lesser-Trod Histories 11: The War of the Ring

Episode Summary

In this next installment of The History of Middle-earth, Jude and Stef chat about volume 8: The War of the Ring. Stef talks about Part 2, Chapter 5, “Faramir”, and Jude focuses Part 3, Chapter 9, “The Battle of the Pelennor Fields”. We discuss Tolkien’s writing process, the character development of Faramir, Eowyn, and the Witch King, and the progression of thematic elements of Rohan and Gondor.

Citations

Brown, Sara. (2025, Aug 2). ““Her hair was held a marvel unmatched”: The Significance of Long, Blonde Hair in Tolkien’s Imagination” [Paper presentation], Mythopoeic Society OMS 4 - Online MidSummer Seminar 2025 “More Perilous and Fair: Women and Gender in Mythopoeic Fantasy”, online. https://www.mythsoc.org/oms/oms-04.htm

Tolkien, J. R. R. The War of the Ring: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 8. Unwin Hyman, London, 1990.

Episode URL

https://athrabeth.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-85