The Prancing Pony Podcast

The Fëanor piñata takes some more hits as The Man of the West welcomes Don Marshall, the Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy, to the Prancing Pony Podcast just in time to answer some really obscure questions! From Narya’s chain-of-custody to Goldberry growing tired of trochaic tetrameter, our listeners do their best to trip us up. Alan gets choked up over a Húrin passage - surprise - and we agree that this Tolkien fellow is pretty good at writing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join both The Man of the West and the Lord of the Mark as they celebrate the release of their new book by recording a LIVE episode at The Tolkien Society’s 50th Oxonmoot in Oxford! Guests include Kristine Larsen, John Rateliff, Brian Sibley… and 135 of our closest friends!Recommended Reading: include Letters from FC, Fall of Númenor, and The History of the Hobbit, along with our own book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sauron smells a trap, and sends his lieutenant to open the door and see who’s there; Matt smells a sidebar, and sends Alan to find out more. Join us as the Mouth of Sauron says too much, but doesn’t lose his head, as we conclude The Black Gate Opens — and Season 7 of the PPP! We meet perhaps the scariest steed ever to walk the earth, discuss the absurdity of killing ambassadors, and decide we know how about how old the Mouth of Sauron is. Matt wants to read the edited Letters of Alan and Shawn; Alan just wants to see a bear on a hell-steed; both of us want to see White Horse and Silver Swan in concert. Finally, we realize just what a terrible cliffhanger Tolkien can write. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of Aragorn’s followers are told how they might “keep what honor you may”; The Nerd of the Rings returns to the Common Room to keep what honor HE may. Join Matt and Alan as Aragorn heads out to knock on the door of the scariest house on the block as we begin The Black Gate Opens. Merry stays behind to heal as Pippin goes with Beregond to follow Aragorn to almost-certain doom; the army wisely avoids Minas Morgul; and Aragorn’s mercy rules the fate of many. Finally, The Lord of the Mark returns as we visit with Tom Hillman about his new book, and Alan confuses guerrillas with gorillas. Maybe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gimli says he’s near the end of their tale; Alan and Shaun aren’t convinced. Join us as we discuss how hard it is to look at your watch when you’re in battle, as we complete The Last Monolog… er, Debate. The Lords of the West conclude they have only a choice of evils; long-term weather forecasting isn’t a thing in Middle-earth; and counting to 7,000 seems pointless. Shaun explains how palantíri are like social media algorithms, while The Lord of the Mark returns to explain why the guy in the van is smoking a cigarette and eating cheese. Finally, not all unsheathed swords are a euphemism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legolas and Gimli reunite with Merry and Pippin, telling them stories about the last few days. Shaun Gunner (not Shawn) reunites with Alan, telling him how much he hates seagulls. Join us as we learn just how wrong everybody’s been about beards as we begin The Last Debate. Legolas and Gimli play SimCity; we read the tragic story of Nimrodel and Amroth; and discover just how differently we feel about seagulls than Legolas. We argue about who “the eldest of our race” is (hint: it’s not Alan after all), and discuss whether men are more like cockroaches or rats. Finally, a tepid pile of code appears in the mailbag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Alan and Sara, as we send Sara back to more civilized realms by joining some of our listeners in the Common Room for our latest Q&A episode. We rely on our shelves and our brains - because the latter alone would make for a short episode - as we answer questions about Amazon’s plans for a LotR MMO, why Legolas was sent with the Company when they had a perfectly good Glorfindel available, and why Gil-galad didn’t just phone home for some help. We work out a collective noun for a group of balrogs (and a group of Fëanors), examine Sara’s head canon - though not too closely - and wonder just how badly Aragorn beat up Gollum. Finally, Alan is promoted to head coach of Thorin & Co’s basketball team and needs to make a roster, while Sara tries to make the most of Ancient Sumerian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hobbits use light words and fear to say too much; we use light words and clearly don’t fear saying too much. Join Alan and Sara, and the many fragrances of athelas, as we conclude our visit to The Houses of Healing. Éowyn gets a delivery of brand-new air, while Merry gets a bunch of bees; Aragorn reveals his sarcastic humor, prompting Merry to get a little philosophical; Imrahil seems to have been forgotten. Also: Sara offers apologies to beige-lovers, compares Aragorn to cake, and sings. Finally, a piece of advice: don’t fight your nature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It turns out Aragorn has a LOT of names; it’s good that none of them are Herbert or Alan and Sara would argue about the leading ‘h’ for (h)ours. Join us as Gandalf threatens to show Ioreth the meaning of haste in the second of three episodes on The Houses of Healing. Imrahil wonders why Aragorn has such a vulgar name, but it’s just one of a dozen; Ioreth’s boss is just as verbose as she is, but with a sprinkle of mansplaining; and we get the first of three powerful healing scenes as Faramir wakes up to meet his new boss. Also: Gandalf runs out of spoons, Sara rolls her eyes, and Christopher Tolkien makes jokes about his father’s handwriting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merry and Pippin meet again after Merry’s agelong ascent; Alan and Dr. Sara Brown meet again after Alan climbs some stairs - nowhere near as dramatic. Join us as everyone’s favorite old woman (not named Dennis) talks about plants as we begin our visit to The Houses of Healing. Merry wonders exactly where Pippin plans to take him; Théoden lies in state; and Éowyn is only mostly dead. We learn that Sara was given books to keep her quiet, and that she digresses like a pro. Finally, Aragorn really knows how to make an entrance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices