420 – I Have Always Been Here
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What is discussed at the start of this section?
Hello, this is Jack Wilson, the host of the History of Literature podcast. For the past 10 years, I've been talking to novelists, biographers, and scholars about the greatest books in the history of the world and the men and women who wrote them. Like our recent episodes on Dante and Love, a starter pack of 10 Indian classics, the pop culture that influenced Sylvia Plath, and a talk with scientist and novelist Alan Lightman about the wonders of nature. Join us at the History of Literature podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
What happens when two people who grew up in a very strange corner of Los Angeles look back and realize just how bizarre their upbringings really were? They start a podcast, of course. I'm Ashley Johnson. And I'm Taliesin Jaffe. Before we became the internet people we are today, we spent our childhoods as working actors, appearing in shows like Growing Pains and films like Mr. Mom. In our podcast, Weird Kids, we're diving deep into our unique upbringings, our friendship with each other, and all the delightfully odd interests we still carry with us today. In each episode, we get to share stories of our youth, the things that bring us joy, the problems that we face, and occasionally, the friends we've collected along the way.
If you're a misfit, an outcast, or just a weirdo who loves all things nostalgic and unconventional, come take a seat at our table. Each week, we'll be releasing previously members-only episodes on YouTube and all major podcast platforms, with new episodes dropping exclusively and ad-free on Beacon.tv.
Good evening, Little Masters, and welcome to episode 420 of the Prancing Pony podcast, where we will not seek to dominate elves or men by force and fear. As if we could. I mean, really. Yeah, that's fair. But folks, pull up a bench in the common room and join us. I'm Sean Marchese, the real-life Lord of the Mark, and I'm here with the man of the West, who wishes he aged only slowly, Alan Sisto. Fortunately, I still have many powers of mind in hand. Maybe. Keep telling yourself. Yeah, exactly. That's right. No delusion like self-delusion. Folks, join us at the Valar Holda Council meeting, and we get a different origin story for the Blues as we continue our three-episode look at the chapter on the Astari in Unfinished Tales.
And folks, no matter whether you came to Middle Earth through the books, the films, the TV show, or something else, well, each and every one of you is welcome here in our common room. The Prancing Pony podcast continues in our 10th season of reading and talking our way through Middle Earth with conversations, digressions, and even speculations. Not to mention a few puns and bad jokes here and there, but our purpose, our goal, our objective, our intent is to dive deep into the lore, to discuss the story, talk about our favorite characters and themes, maybe Tolkien's inspirations, and a whole lot more. And while we take the work seriously, well, the same can't be said about ourselves. We're just a couple of old friends chatting at the pub, and we're really glad you've joined us.
We are, and I'm sure you'll be glad you joined as well. But before we get to today's chapter discussion, you know, with Sean here, you knew this was coming. It's time for Fan Favorite Philology Fair. Folks, you can't see it, but Sean is dancing a little jig. I was bopping my head, man. That he was. Folks, since we're talking about the Astari in this episode, and actually all three of these episodes, we wanted to spend some time digging into these guys and their many names. And we've decided that Gandalf and his many, many, many like Turin slash Aragorn names can probably fill their own segment. So we're going to save him for next week. That still leaves us four more to talk about today. Sean, where do we want to start?
Well, I thought we'd start with Saruman, because, well, he would certainly want us to put him first. That's right, he would. There are other wizards. He might declare war on us if we didn't put him first, you know.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is discussed at the start of this section?
0:00–9:40
2
What insights are provided about the Istari and their names?
9:40–15:09
3
What is the significance of the Valar's council meeting?
15:09–21:32
4
How do the characters' motivations influence their roles?
21:32–58:02
5
What are the roles of Alatar and Palando in the Istari's mission?
58:02–58:34
6
How does the council of the Valar influence the Istari?
58:34–58:57
7
What is the significance of Radagast's character?
58:57–59:32
8
How do the Blues contribute to the history of Middle-earth?
59:32–1:59:20