Mythmakers
Episodes
Should Dark Lords be Rationed? Evil in Fantasy - Part 1
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Terry Pratchett famously said that “dark lords should be rationed” - but there is so much more to say about evil in fantasy than the clich...
Top 5 Moments in The Lord of the Rings
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us on today’s episode of Mythmakers where we've boldly picked our top five moments in The Lord of the Rings novels! Have a listen as Julia ...
Historical v. Fantasy Fiction
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join in on today’s episode of Mythmakers as we dive into the surprising similarities between writing historical fiction and fantasy fiction. Jul...
Romantasy: Rebecca Yarros and the Latest Fantasy Craze
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's all this fuss about romantasy? Accompany Julia Golding on today’s episode of Mythmakers on a quest for the origin of this sub-fantasy gen...
Cultural Takeover? 3 Body Problem and Other Adaptations
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix’s 3 Body Problem has raised some questions as to whether or not it is right to move a story’s adaptation to a different country. I...
Percy Jackson... Our Verdict on the Adaptations
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes for a good adaptation of a beloved book series? Today on Mythmakers, Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker discuss the latest fantasy seri...
Damsels Not in Distress
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode of Mythmakers, Julia Golding reviews the latest Netflix fantasy film offering: Damsel, starring Millie Bobby Brown. Take a li...
New Zealand and Peter Jackson
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What effect has Peter Jackson’s filming of two Tolkien trilogies had on New Zealand? Has New Zealand skewed our appreciation of Tolkien's works?...
The Oscars and Fantasy Movies
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Oscars are fast approaching and we’re starting off Season 5 of Mythmakers with Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker discussing the intriguing hi...
Mythmakers Season 4 Wrap Up: Season Highlights
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As 2023 — and our fourth season of Mythmakers — draw to a close, we’re taking a look back at our 5 most popular episodes of the seas...
Universes - Good or Bad for Creativity
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It would seem that every fandom is getting its own universe; First Marvel, then DC, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter and now the Whoniverse. Is this...
The Dr Who Episode: Steve Cole and MG Harris - Part 2
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Who is celebrating 60 years and getting its own Whoniverse - thanks to the BBC link up with Disney. To celebrate this most British of time travelle...
The Dr Who Episode: Steve Cole and MG Harris - Part 1
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Who is celebrating 60 years and getting its own Whoniverse - thanks to the BBC link up with Disney. To celebrate this most British of time travelle...
CS Lewis 60 Years On
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
60 years on from the death of CS Lewis how is his legacy viewed? We’ll look at him as writer, academic and as a Christian apologist. Join us to ...
David D. Levine: The Kuiper Belt Job – Part 2
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are set for outer space as Julia Golding talks to the award-winning science fiction writer David D. Levine. David shares his journey into science f...
David D. Levine: The Kuiper Belt Job – Part 1
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are set for outer space as Julia Golding talks to the award-winning science fiction writer David D. Levine. David shares his journey into science f...
Vampires v. Werewolves - the Halloween Edition
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Halloween approaches Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker discuss the fantasy origins of two of our favourite spooky creatures - Vampires and Werewolve...
Result of the Oxford/Pushkin Children's Fantasy Prize
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a very special episode of Mythmakers: an Inklings style reading of our finalists in the inaugural Oxford/Pushkin Children's Fantasy Prize....
Fantasy Writing - Why Go Small?
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker as they discuss the issue of scale when writing fantasy. Starting small by thinking of smaller than average peop...
Anna Waterworth - The Girl Who Grew Wings
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Internationally acclaimed fantasy author, Anna Waterworth, pays a visit to the Mythmakers studio to talk about her latest book, The Girl who Grew Wing...
Why it is dangerous to study Tolkien?
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is a dangerous business going out of your front door, according to Bilbo - but so is studying Tolkien! On today’s episode, Julia Golding repo...
An Evening with the Inklings - JRR Tolkien
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode of Mythmakers is the third part of our series looking into four of the main Inklings members. In the second part of our Inklings...
An Evening with the Inklings - Owen Barfield
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wished that you could be a fly on the wall at a meeting of the original Inklings? We certainly have! Last year we invited four experts t...
The Rings of Power v. The Lord of the Rings Musical
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We interrupt our 4-part Inklings series to bring you our honest review of the Lord of the Rings musical on today’s Mythmakers episode! Join us a...
An Evening with the Inklings - Meet the Inklings Experts
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode of Mythmakers is part one of a four-part special deep dive into four of the legendary Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, represented by C...
Tolkien's Faith - a Spiritual Biography
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Holly Ordway returns to Mythmakers on today’s episode to discuss her new book on Tolkien's Faith. Having been first an agnostic, then ...
Andy Serkis Reads The Silmarillion - The Verdict (Season 4 Premiere!)
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Mythmakers Season 4!!Since April of 2022 Andy Serkis has been working his way through Tolkien's books, producing audio versions of The Lord...
Mythmakers Season 3 Finale: The Tolkien Top 5
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Season 3 of the Mythmakers podcast draws to a close, we are commemorating this milestone by highlighting our top 5 Tolkien themed podcasts that we ...
Best and Worst Fathers in The Lord of the Rings
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we look forward to celebrating Father's Day, on today’s episode of Mythmakers we’ll take a look at the best and worst fathers in The Lo...
Celebrating Fantasy Illustrators - John Tenniel
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's celebrate the contribution to fantasy by our favourite illustrators! Today we start by taking a look at the grandfather of Oxford Fantasy Illust...
From Colours to Makeovers – Mythmakers Ask us Anything
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you have had a question for the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, you won’t want to miss this episode of Mythmakers! In this episode, Julia Golding ...
Tolkien's Modern Reading with Holly Ordway
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are used to thinking of Tolkien being all about the past - old languages, old stories and no post-Shakespearean literature going into his cauldron ...
The Hobbit Tea Party - Readathon Livestream
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As our Readathon of The Hobbit drew to a close, we celebrated our journey to the Lonely Mountain and back again with a Hobbit Tea Party Livestream eve...
Behind the Scenes at the Oxford Centre for Fantasy – Part 2: Where Next?
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's our story? It’s time to get to know the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. Find out how we emerged from an effort to buy Tolkien's house, but end...
Top Ten Fantasy Royals - Coronation Special
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As King Charles III is crowned in the first coronation in most people's living memory, we take this opportunity to look at our top 10 fantasy royals. ...
Behind the Scenes at the Oxford Centre for Fantasy – Part 1: How We Got Here
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's our story? It’s time to get to know the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. Find out how we emerged from an effort to buy Tolkien's house, but end...
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Our Verdict
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It started with a board game in the 1970s and now has become a major motion picture. If you are thinking of watching Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among...
AI Revolution: What should writers and artists do? Part 2: Text
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The tidal wave of AI art and AI generated text is upon us. What should writers and artists do about it? Author Julia Golding talks to Pete Williamson,...
AI Revolution: What should writers and artists do? Part 1: Images
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The tidal wave of AI art and AI generated text is upon us. What should writers and artists do about it? Author Julia Golding talks to Pete Williamson,...
Eggs! Cracking open Myths and Legends
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered why we have a bunny collecting eggs at Easter? In this seasonal podcast Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker take a crack at the long histor...
Tolkien and Creativity: Creation as Jazz - Part 2
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most inspiring aspects of Tolkien's work is his thinking about creativity. Following a question from a listener, Jacob Rennaker and Julia G...
Tolkien and Creativity: Creation as Jazz - Part 1
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most inspiring aspects of Tolkien's work is his thinking about creativity. Following a question from a listener, Jacob Rennaker and Julia G...
Katherine Livesey: Girls in Love
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Katherine Livesey, writer of the Sisters of Shadow trilogy, got her first deal at 26. Hear about her steps to becoming an author and how her search fo...
Jennifer Hayashi Danns: Adventures with Gender
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we present you with something very different! Jennifer Hayashi Danns tells us about her journey to being an author and describes her innovative ...
H.S. Norup: Do Faeries Need a Makeover?
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
H.S. Norup, author of Into the Faerie Hill, The Missing Barbegazi and The Hungry Ghost, uses her world travel to inspire her fantasy. In her latest bo...
Lilly Inkwood and the Fantasy Spy Thriller
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the things we love at Mythmakers is to meet new fantasy authors. Germany-based author, Lilly Inkwood, originally from Easter Europe and who wri...
The Problem with Orcs
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We need to talk about...orcs. Where do they come from? Are they ruined elves, or something else? What is the history of Tolkien's own thoughts on the ...
Tolkien 50 Years On
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In September we will be commemorating 50 years since the death of Tolkien. In this episode Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker look at the changing fortu...
Season 3 Premiere! - Rabbits in Fantasy
22 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Mythmakers Season 3 premiere! Please share and tell a friend...we're so glad you're along for the journey! 22nd January ushers in the Y...
Mythmakers Season 2 Finale - Seasonal Round-Up
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the end of the year, we reach the end of Season 2 of our Mythmakers podcast. Today’s episode highlights this year’s most popular po...
Bramble Fox - Prize-Winning German Fantasy Writer, Kathrin Tordasi, and Portal Fantasy
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kathrin Tordasi is a prize-winning German writer whose first book for children, Bramble Fox, has just been translated into English by Cathrin Wirtz. J...
Retelling Fairytales - A Lost Writer We Need To Rediscover - Madame D'Aulnoy
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
History has not remembered some fabulous women writers - even the woman who gave us the term 'fairy tale' to start with! Meet Madame D'Aulnoy and hear...
The Silmarillion Readathon Livestream Event
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Julia Golding and Tolkien experts Jacob Rennaker and Paula Kalamaras hosted the second exclusive Readathon livestream event on completion of our lates...
Must-read Fantasy Novels - A Christmas Carol
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes fantasy stories define how we live our lives. Take Christmas. Dickens has been hugely responsible for our expectations of the season, not to...
Surprised by Oxford - Academic and author Carolyn Weber on her book and biopic about her experience in the city
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who would you cast to play you in the movie of your life? Mostly that's a fun game, but for Carolyn Weber it became a reality. Many people who come to...
The Rings of Power Livestream
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to this past weekend's livestream hosted by Julia Golding and Tolkien experts Jacob Rennaker and Paula Kalamaras as they discuss the reaction t...
Best Of Mythmakers Replay: Oxford As A Fantasy Hotspot
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're re-releasing one of our most popular podcasts! Why is Oxford, England, such a fantasy hotspot? From Lewis Carroll to Philip Pullman, Dia...
Must-Read Fantasy Novels - Frankenstein
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who are our mythmakers in fantasy and sci-fi? In a new thread to this podcast, Julia Golding highlights her 'must-read' picks from the fantasy greats....
Rings of Power - Halfway Point Check In
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What's wrong and right so far in the Rings of Power? Are you enjoying the new series? Julia Golding checks in at halfway to discuss what's going on in...
Everything You Need To Know About The Silmarillion But Were Too Afraid To Ask (Part 2)
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Part Two, Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker tackle the Second and Third Age, linking it to The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power. Jacob also ...
Everything You Need To Know About The Silmarillion But Were Too Afraid To Ask
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This autumn/fall we are going to tackle The Silmarillion in our next readathon (visit http://oxfordcentreforfantasy.org for info!). Many readers who ...
The Spell Tailors: A Magical Book Launch with Elizabeth Clark and James Nicol
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Come to our book launch celebration for James Nicol The Spell Tailors https://jamesnicolbooks.com A fun part of our online courses is that you get to ...
First Reactions To The Rings Of Power (Amazon Prime)
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for our first reactions to the Amazon Prime The Rings of Power series. It's useful to orientate ourselves at the start of a series so Julia Go...
Rings of Power - The Story Perspective (Amazon Prime)
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We will know very soon what choices the showrunners for the upcoming Amazon series Rings of Power have taken but let's look at what we can glean about...
The Welsh Episode with Claire Fayers - Part 2
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What are the myths and legends of the place where you live? Julia Golding meets Claire Fayers, author and reteller of Welsh myths and legends, also a ...
The Welsh Episode with Claire Fayers - Part 1
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What are the myths and legends of the place where you live? Julia Golding meets Claire Fayers, author and reteller of Welsh myths and legends, also a ...
What about the stone-giants? A user's guide to the giantic in Tolkien and elsewhere - Part 2
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Responding to a listener's question about stone-giants in The Hobbit and more generally, Julia Golding, and friend of the OCF, Jacob Rennaker take a d...
What about the stone-giants? A user's guide to the giantic in Tolkien and elsewhere - Part 1
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Responding to a listener's question about stone-giants in The Hobbit and more generally, Julia Golding, and friend of the OCF, Jacob Rennaker take a d...
A Publisher's Perspective: the Pushkin Press and Fantasy in Translation Part 2 of 2 - Guest Daniel Seton
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of 2. Fantasy has been dominated by English language books - from LotR to Game of Thrones, you could be forgiven to thinking fantasy was some m...
A Publisher's Perspective: the Pushkin Press and Fantasy in Translation Part 1 of 2 - Guest Daniel Seton
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1 of 2. Fantasy has been dominated by English language books - from LotR to Game of Thrones, you could be forgiven to thinking fantasy was some m...
Alice Worth Series and Writing Urban Fantasy - Part 2 of 2
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered how to turn your college education into a best-selling series? Lisa Edmonds, once an English major who took courses in forensic criminol...
Alice Worth Series and Writing Urban Fantasy - Part 1
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered how to turn your college education into a best-selling series? Lisa Edmonds, once an English major who took courses in forensic criminol...
Stargazy Pies And Imperial Stories - Part 2
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 - How can you find an original voice in fantasy? Discount code available. You wait for a listener to the podcast to suggest one to you, of cour...
Stargazy Pies And Imperial Stories - Part 1
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How can you find an original voice in fantasy? Discount code available. You wait for a listener to the podcast to suggest one to you, of course! Julia...
Space Opera and Fantasy from Down Under
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's podcast, Julia Golding is in conversation with Australian writer, Michelle Diener https://www.michellediener.com. Michelle tells her story ...
From Fairly Odd-Parents To The Garden: A Life In Animation With Butch Hartman
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What are the secrets of success as an animator? In this podcast, Julia Golding talks to Butch Hartman, best known for his series The Fairly Odd-Parent...
Bonus Podcast: Top Ten Fantasy Royals
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's platinum Jubilee, we are wondering who are your favourite fantasy royals? Author and Director of OCF, Julia Goldi...
King Arthur and the Tolkien Lecture
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joining Julia Golding in this episode is Dr. Gabriel Schenk, an expert on Tolkien, fantasy writing, and Arthurian legends. Gabriel co-founded the annu...
Bonus Podcast: Readathon Live Event!
28 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As our Fellowship of the Read Readathon drew to a close, we invited all who participated to an event of special magnificence. We tested their Lord of ...
Top Five Fantasy Books - Audio Version With Guest Andrew Head
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There has been a flourishing of audio versions of books. In today's episode, Julia Golding talks to Andrew Head, a creative writer and fantasy fan fro...
From Dragon-ridden To Firebird Chronicles: The Wonderful Worlds Of TA White
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's not often you get to interview one of your heroes but Julia Golding today is in conversation with one of hers. Meet T A White, American writer of...
Lord of Stariel: An Independent Route To Publishing
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Julia Golding talks to New Zealand independent fantasy writer, AJ Lancaster, whose four-book Stariel series is cutting through the competition with he...
Fantastic Beast: Secrets of Dumbledore Film Review
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We've not yet talked about the biggest fantasy series of the last twenty years and now Mythmakers takes a look at Harry Potter and the Wizarding World...
Did Peter Jackson Get It Right? - The Return of the King Movie Reconsidered
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Where would you rate The Return of the King in the trilogy? Join Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker as they take a deep dive into the script and movie-m...
The Dog Episode - with SQuire and Louise DuArt Rushnell
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mythmakers is devoting this episode to humanity's best friend: dogs! Julia Golding is joined by filmmakers SQuire and Louise DuArt Rushnell to talk ab...
Did Peter Jackson get it right? - The Two Towers movie reconsidered - with Jacob Rennaker
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Middle films are always the most difficult. In this episode Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker continue their reconsideration of the Peter Jackson trilo...
Did Peter Jackson Get It Right? - The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Reconsidered
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
20 years on someone somewhere will surely be considering having another go at The Lord of the Rings on film. In this episode Julia Golding is joined b...
The Oddest Inkling - Charles William... with Sørina Higgins
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The oddest Inkling - that's Charles Williams, poet, playwright, novelist, editor, theologian, and occult practitioner. If you think the Inklings are s...
A Magical Blend: Writing Historical Fantasies...with Lucy Strange
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The past is another country, but what happens when you make it a magical one? In today's episode, Julia Golding is in conversation with British childr...
The problem With Witches...With James Nicol
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In today's podcast Julia Golding is in conversation with James Nicol, author of The Apprentice Witch series (Chickenhouse) and one of our tutors on th...
Bingo, Odo and Frodo: Tolkien, Lewis And The Discovery Writer
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who are Bingo, Odod and Frodo? We'll give you a clue when we say that when Tolkien first started work on The Lord of the Rings he had a very different...
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Title Reveal
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following the trailer reveal for the Amazon Prime TV series title - Rings of Power - Julia Golding and Paula Kalamaras discuss what we've learned abou...
Review of The Nature of Middle-earth by JRR Tolkien ed. Carl F. Hostetter
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2021 Harper Collins published The Nature of Middle-earth by JRR Tolkien, edited by Carl F Hostetter - a fascinating collection of Tolkien's working...
Spiderman No Way Home - a review of all things Spidey!
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Spiderman No Way home ended the year with over $1 billion at the box office and has joined the top ten highest-grossing films. In this episode (contai...
From Sir Gawain to COVID: A Composer's view of storytelling and fantasy
31 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's podcast, Julia Golding is joined by internationally renown composer, Richard Blackford. Starting with his early community opera of Sir Gawa...
William Morris - the incredible life of the man who influenced the Inklings
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
'This is the Great story of the North, which should be to all our race what the Tale of Troy was to the Greeks.' This isn't a quote from Tolkien about...
Tolkien And The Nature Of Good And Evil
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tolkien is a rich inspiration for so many of us so when Julia Golding found that one of the online fantasy course students, Stanley Hanna, had taught ...
LIVE STREAM Replay: Always Winter and Never Christmas?
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join the Oxford Centre for Fantasy's holiday season livestream on December 1st at 1pm ET | 6pm GMT with special guests, poet and Tolkien expert, Malco...
The Oxford Story Museum
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Oxford is a story hotspot so it is wonderful that there is a Story Museum in the city. Julia Golding is joined in this week's episode by the director ...
Where Can You Find A Real Warg? Elfdalian and Tolkien's Languages
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today Julia is joined by Nariel, a representative of the minority language community of Elfdalian. Nariel, who recently completed our Online Fantasy C...