Tolkien related video's.

{{ Best I could do, given Tolkien reckoning only 6000 years between end of fourth Age and present Day, so a total of about 9000 years including 4th, that the Ice Age would have to be it, Eru covered the north in Ice driving out everyone and destroying most of it, then reshaped the land under the ice and when it withdrew, bingo! present day Europe.
That of course requires the north was free of ice for a period to account for first to fourth ages- but think got that covered! Interglacial cooling period, that's first age, elves and men pop up in the north, Morgoth gets pissy. And its Morgoths realm of ice and cold that causes another ice age, then he's taken out and a second interglacial cooling period lasting about 6000-8000 years (that we, um just haven't found out about yet) is required to accommodate 2nd, 3rd and 4th ages before the ice returns, lasting from the 5th through to 7th age, before melting again on our calendar about 11,000 bc. Allowing humans, the elves having buggered off, to move back north and rediscover some of the remains of long ago, allowing them to eventually imitate some of what they find in building and styles (whether that's barrows in Northern Europe, or Pharaohs crowns in Egypt). Best I can do! }}

Need to change Tolkien's estimate to include an ice age.

Very interesting. Well worth a look.

I'd seen that pop up several times, but always thought there was nothing more for me to learn about the middle earth maps. And that's still true. But this is very well done, and comforting to let it drift you through things you already knew or thought.

I didn't realize how involved Christopher Tolkien was in the map making. Neither was I aware of the previous fantasy maps.

That was my thought as well. Didn't no his son was so involved.

Brought up something obvious in retrospect: the only times gandalf was detained it was by other maiar, either saruman or a balrog.

nicely goes deep into some of Tolkien's created theology.

{{ Caught that earlier myself, it was surprisingly informative}}

the most detailed I've seen.

Always liked his character in the book.

I was initially afraid he was going to be singing. His performance is not the chanting that Tolkien described. I can see how he'd go towards a dramatic presentation but I feel it needs to be chanted.

{{ Here's a comparative reading, from the BBC radio play version, which I prefer if only there's no god awful mock Scottish accent, honestly film Gimli's accent is to Scots ears what Dick Van Dyke is to cockney ears }}

Yep, that's right.

I knew there was an epilogue, but not so much detail. I can see it may have tied up all ends just a bit too neatly.

I forgot about the Troll's talking purse.

I watched it mainly to see how Yoren was going to do his usual stupid "from this we learn..." It wasn't quite as cringeworthy as most of his efforts.

I really do need to pick up HOME. I wouldn't call this Tolkien's strangest tale (the Druadan stories are stranger) but actually somewhat inevitable. He had explored things from the Numenorian point of view so thoroughly that it was about time he looked at things from the perspective of those under Sauron's sway who were about to be conquered.

The "two strange branches" growing out of Treebeard were obviously his arms.

This guy seems to claim he's closer to Tolkien's descriptions than anyone else but I'm not convinced. Why does Shelob have coyote ears?

{{ Are those not the horns Tolkien describes? It is true PJ just made her a big spider, which she isn't just in the book, she has some very unspiderlike features; a bite and a sting, the spikes on her back and head, two horns, a neck that extends from the body. A lot more horrible and awful than just a big spider. }}