The Entmoot Podcast

Recent episodes

1. The Evening Star (w/ Jessica Archer) from The Entmoot Podcast

   Jul 26, 20261 hr 43 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam are joined by Earendil-enthusiast Jessica Archer to discuss chapter 24 of the Quenta Silmarillion, on Earendil's voyage and the War of Wrath. Primary sources: The Silmarillion | The Lord of the Rings | The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2. Asexuality in Tolkien's Legendarium (w/ Clare Moore and Rory Queripel) from The Entmoot Podcast

   Jul 7, 20261 hr 24 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam are joined by Clare Moore and Rory Queripel to discuss their recently released co-edited special issue of the Journal of Tolkien Research, Asexuality in Tolkien's Legendarium . Leave us a review! Email us at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3. Smile on the Face and Evil in the Heart from The Entmoot Podcast

   Jun 19, 20261 hr 0 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam discuss chapter 23 of the Quenta Silmarillion, the tale of Tuor and the fall of Gondolin. Primary sources: The Silmarillion | The Lord of the Rings | The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Further reading: The Fall of Gondolin Garth - Tolkien and the Great War Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4. Enchantment, Loss, and Freud (w/ John Rosegrant) from The Entmoot Podcast

   May 7, 202649 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to psychoanalyst and Tolkien scholar John Rosegrant about his book Tolkien, Enchantment, and Loss . Leave us a review! Email us at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5. The Power of Pity (w/ Tom Hillman) from The Entmoot Podcast

   Apr 16, 20261 hr 40 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to Tom Hillman about his book Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring , and specifically the motif of pity throughout Tolkien's work. Leave us a review! Email us at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6. Exploring The Online Fandoms from The Entmoot Podcast

   Mar 26, 20261 hr 0 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam explore the state of online Tolkien fandoms, including the main three Tolkien subreddits and some (still kicking!) online forum sites. Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7. Tolkien and American Imperialism (w/ Daniel Bessner) from The Entmoot Podcast

   Mar 9, 202643 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk about the US and Israel's war with Iran, and are later joined by Danny Bessner of the American Prestige podcast to discuss his (now quite relevant) 2022 piece The Rings of Power is a Saga for a War-Hungry Nation . Danny Bessner is an Associate Professor in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He co-hosts the American Prestige podcast, which you can find here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave us a review! Email us at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8. Give Lewis A Chance (w/ Stephen Yandell) from The Entmoot Podcast

   Feb 13, 20261 hr 27 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to Professor Stephen Yandell about CS Lewis and his complex relationship with JRR Tolkien. Steve Yandell is a medievalist and Tolkien/Lewis scholar who has been a Professor of English at Xavier University since 2003. More Steve: Queer Approaches To Tolkien: Essays on the Many Paths to Middle-earth [co-edited with Robin Anne Reid and Christopher Vaccaro) "A Pattern Which Our Nature Cries Out For": The Medieval Tradition of the Ordered Four in the Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien A Book-by-Book Guide to C.S. Lewis' Spiritual Themes The Trans-cosmic Journeys in The Chronicles of Narnia Also mentioned: Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia Lewis - The Gods Return To Earth [review of Lord of the Rings] Lewis - Till We Have Faces Lewis - The Shoddy Lands [the story where a man is inside a woman's head] Lewis - It All Began With A Picture [essay] Lewis - Surprised By Joy [spiritual memoir] Lewis - That Hideous Strength Lewis - The Pilgrim's Regress Tolkien - The Bovadium Fragments Williams - The Place of the Lion Leave us a review! Email us at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9. Viva Mîm from The Entmoot Podcast

   Jan 24, 20261 hr 9 min

   In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam discuss chapter 22 of the Quenta Silmarillion, which includes the release of Hurin from captivity, the fall of the kingdom of Doriath, and (most importantly), the death of Entmoot Podcast All-Star Mîm the Petty-dwarf. Primary sources: The Silmarillion | The Lord of the Rings | The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10. 2025 Wrap-Up and Listener Questions from The Entmoot Podcast

    Dec 30, 20252 hr 12 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam look back at the year that was, look ahead to the year that's to come, and answer (excellent!) listener questions. Topics include the status of democracy in absolute monarchies like Gondor, connections between Tolkien and Lovecraft, the history of Galadriel, our favorite movies of 2025, Reddit comments about the podcast, and our predictions for 2026 elections in the US and abroad. Further reading/listening: Our episode with Rob Tally Our episode with Lee Konstantinou Our episode with Ali Mirzabayati Konstantinou - Mythic Capital: How Tolkien is Whispering in the Ears of America's Most Powerful Men Semley (Wired, 10/25) - Elon Musk Really Doesn't Get The Lord of the Rings Pagliarini (Dissent, Fall 25) - Lula's Unfinished Democracy Hartrich (Journal of Social History, Fall 24) - The Boundaries of Popular Control in Late Medieval English Towns Hill - The Century of Revolution: 1603-1714 Livingston - Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War Tooze - The Wages of Destruction Kenny's Letterboxd | Sam's Letterboxd Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11. To The Archives! (w/ William Fliss) from The Entmoot Podcast

    Dec 14, 20251 hr 15 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to William Fliss about Tolkien's manuscripts and life as an archivist. Bill Fliss is the Manuscripts Archivist at Marquette University, which places him among the foremost authorities in the world on Tolkien's manuscripts for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. He runs the Anduin Project at Marquette which is an invaluable tool for Tolkien researchers. Add your voice to the Tolkien Fandom Oral History Collection and tell Bill we sent you! More Bill: “Things That Were, and Things That Are, and Things That Yet May Be”: The J.R.R. Tolkien Manuscript Collection at Marquette University (Documentary) The Muster At Marquette: Preserving 6,000 Fan Voices Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12. Tolkien's Kalevala (w/ Jyrki Korpua) from The Entmoot Podcast

    Nov 26, 20251 hr 2 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to Professor Jyrki Korpua about the Kalevala and the inspiration that Tolkien drew from it. This episode is a companion piece to our previous episode on chapter 21 of The Silmarillion, which you can find here . Jyrki Korpua is a researcher and lecturer of literature at the University of Oulu in Finland. He has published extensively on both the Kalevala and Tolkien, and we are here primarily discussing his 2024 book Tolkien and the Kalevala . More Jyrki: The Mythopoeic Code of Tolkien: A Christian Platonic Reading of the Legendarium “Master of Fate, yet by fate mastered” – Tolkien’s Túrin Turambar and Kalevala’s Kullervo Also mentioned: Lönnrot (Bosley translation) - The Kalevala Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13. The Cursed, Son of Pain from The Entmoot Podcast

    Nov 5, 20251 hr 29 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam discuss chapters 20 and 21 of the Quenta Silmarillion, which include an account of the Fifth Battle and the tragic tale of Turin Turambar. Primary sources: The Silmarillion | The Lord of the Rings | The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Books we've been reading: The Wages of Destruction Ride The Pink Horse The Long Goodbye Gilead The Sot-Weed Factor The Fort Bragg Cartel The Age of Empire Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14. Ralph Bakshi's "The Lord of the Rings" (w/ Ethan Colburn) from The Entmoot Podcast

    Oct 16, 20251 hr 27 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam joined friend of the show Ethan Colburn for an episode of the Cineflek Podcast about Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. For a great documentary with more information on the making of the movie, check out " An Exhaustive History of Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings " from Folding Ideas on YouTube. For more on adaptation rights to Tolkien's work, listen to our episode from earlier this year " State of the Estate ." For more of our opinions on movies, you can follow each of us on Letterboxd: Ethan (an actual Letterboxd influencer), Kenny , Sam . Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15. The Tale of Tinuviel (w/ Cami Agan) from The Entmoot Podcast

    Oct 1, 20251 hr 1 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to Professor Cami Agan about the 2018 volume Beren and Luthien and about the textual history of the tale. This episode is a companion piece to our previous episode on chapter 19 of The Silmarillion, which you can find here . Cami Agan is the Distinguished Professor of Language and Literature at Oklahoma Christian University and a prominent scholar of Tolkien's First Age. More Cami: Lúthien Tinúviel and Bodily Desire in the Lay of Leithian Cities and Strongholds of Middle-earth Hearkening to the Other: A Certeauvian Reading of the Ainulindale Also mentioned: Moore - A Song of Greater Power: Tolkien's Construction of Lúthien Tinúviel Whitaker - Corrupting Beauty: Rape Narrative in The Silmarillion Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16. We Are All Ensnared from The Entmoot Podcast

    Sep 14, 20251 hr 34 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam discuss chapter 19 of the Quenta Silmarillion, the incredible story of Beren and Luthien. Included is also a discussion of current events affecting Sam as a resident of Washington DC -- listeners with an allergy to that sort of thing can skip to 17:25 to get to "the good stuff." Primary sources: The Silmarillion | The Lord of the Rings | Beren and Luthien | The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17. Forth Eorlingas! (w/ Bret Devereaux) from The Entmoot Podcast

    Aug 28, 20251 hr 58 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to Professor Bret Devereaux about the Siege of Gondor and the Battle of Helm's Deep, including discussions of pre-modern logistics, cavalry charges, flails, command structures, battle speeches, and much more. Bret Devereaux is an ancient and military historian who currently teaches as a Teaching Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University. You can find him on Twitter and Bluesky , or at his blog A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry . More Bret: Blog series on Siege of Gondor Blog series on Helm's Deep Blog series on logistics Interview with Patrick Wyman on the Punic Wars Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18. The Gift of Men (w/ Ali Mirzabayati) from The Entmoot Podcast

    Aug 10, 20251 hr 5 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to Ali Mirzabayati about death and mourning in Tolkien's work. Ali published his thesis Death as a Gift: A Heroic Celebration of Life in The Lord of the Rings in December 2024. Ali Mirzabayati is a scholar of medieval literature and modern fantasy, including Tolkien's legendarium. More Ali: Mourning and Melancholia in The Lord of the Rings Sounds of Battle and Battle of Sounds: Belliphonic in Tolkien Beowulf and Théoden: Differing Teaching Methods of Hrothgar and Gandalf Further reading/listening: Amendt-Raduege - The Sweet and the Bitter: Death and Dying in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Vaninskaya - Fantasies of Time and Death Freud - On Murder, Mourning and Melancholia Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19. Mythic Capital (w/ Lee Konstantinou) from The Entmoot Podcast

    Jul 21, 20251 hr 5 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam talk to Professor Lee Konstantinou about Tolkien's right-wing (or neo-reactionary) fans in Silicon Valley. Lee's essay Mythic Capital: How Tolkien is Whispering in the Ears of America's Most Powerful Men , is out now from Arc. Long-time listeners will know that this is our third time talking about this subject -- our first episode on the subject, from November 2022, can be found here , and our second, from July 2024 about then-VP nominee JD Vance, can be found here . Lee Konstantinou is a Professor of English at the University of Maryland whose writing has been featured in Slate, Arc, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. More Lee: Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Strangers in a Strange Land: Science-fictional Notes on the "Abundance" Agenda Cool Characters: Irony and American Fiction Something is Broken In Our Science Fiction Further reading/listening: Tally (Spectre, 8/24) - Tolkien's Deplorable Cultus Canavan (Dissent, 1/25) - Tolkien Against The Grain Kakutani (NYT, 5/25) - Why Silicon Valley's Most Powerful People Are So Obsessed With Hobbits Douthat (NYT, 6/25) (audio) - Peter Thiel and the Antichrist Gellman (The Atlantic, 11/23) - Peter Thiel is Taking A Break From Democracy Alexander (Substack, 5/25) - Moldbug Sold Out Gabor (Phenomenal World, 2/25) - How To DOGE USAID Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20. Noldor Lebensraum from The Entmoot Podcast

    Jul 5, 202552 min

    In which co-hosts Kenny and Sam discuss chapters 17 and 18 of the Quenta Silmarillion, including the coming of men into Beleriand, the death of Fingolfin, and Hurin and Huor's visit to Gondolin. Primary sources: The Silmarillion | The Lord of the Rings | The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Leave us a review! Send us an email at entmootpod@gmail.com! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.