The Conor Gallagher Show The DISEASE of Our Age: Tolkien on Dragon Sickness, Greed, & Eucharistic Devotion | Joseph Pearce
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Jan 26, 2026 Joseph Pearce, renowned author and scholar of Catholic literature, explores Tolkienās life, faith, and imagination. He discusses Tolkienās wartime trauma, language-driven creation of Middle-earth, and the Inklingsā influence. The conversation highlights Tolkienās Catholic motifs, the idea of ādragon sicknessā as greed and comfort, and how humility, sacrifice, and providence shape his stories.
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Faith As The Foundation
- Tolkien's faith shaped everything he wrote and gave his work depth and coherence.
- He called The Lord of the Rings a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, revised consciously to reflect that.
Edith As LĆŗthien
- Tolkien saw his wife Edith as his Luthien and her dancing inspired the Beren and Luthien tale.
- He later had Luthien inscribed on Edith's gravestone and Beren on his own.
Language Before Story
- Tolkien began with inventing Elvish languages and then wrote stories to give them life.
- His languages led to a whole mythic history that his son Christopher later compiled as The Silmarillion.
