The Voice of Saruman
The Forge of Tolkien Episode 20, THE VOICE OF SARUMAN, is now on UATV.
Standing at the base of the Tower of the Cunning Mind, Gandalf warned Pippin and the others to beware of Saruman’s voice—but what power did Saruman of Many Colours have over the company, if his most dangerous weapon was his speech?
In this episode, recorded on the feast of the Epiphany, Professor Rachel Fulton considers what Tolkien reveals about the dangers of trusting politicians by way of his characterization of Saruman and Gandalf as “messengers” of a particular kind. What kind of creatures were the Istari, and why did they have the powers—and limitations—that they did to influence events in Middle-earth? What does Saruman’s temptation and fall reveal about the meaning of Power, and how did Gandalf defeat such a powerful foe?
In other Unauthorized news, Razorfist has brought his Metal Mythos music documentary series to UATV, which videos are now being featured in their own eponymous channel.
Labels: Unauthorized
22 Comments:
By far the weirdest part of LotR was when Saruman took over the Shire and turned it into a Communist state, using one of Bilbo's estranged relatives as his puppet.
The best part of Professor Fulton's video channel is that it got me to re-read the Lord of the Rings again. I read them twice before; once in middle school and once at 21 years old. I loved them then. But man, reading them now at 40+ years of age with her insights along has vastly increased my enjoyment level. I subscribed to UTV to help win the war but Professor Fulton and Chuck Dixon have made it more than worth it.
I appreciate Tolkien's talents and skill so much more now.
VFM #7634 wrote:By far the weirdest part of LotR was when Saruman took over the Shire and turned it into a Communist state, using one of Bilbo's estranged relatives as his puppet.
And it was always my favorite part of the books, seeing the boys come back from war changed and ready to lay down the law. Made me wonder if Tolkien was aware of the Battle of Athens.
Bilbo Rogans?
As an early adopter of UATV, I can attest to the ever growing amount and quality of content. Highly recommended. And they don't hate me.
I could never understand that whole Sharkey on the Shire bit. What was Tolkien getting at?
Sounds very intriguing and timely! Great stuff!
Actually excluding that vingette from the movie trilogy was the most disappointing thing about it. The thought of coming home from the big war and needing to clean house was the biggest best of the ideas Tolkien had to offer.
Metal Mythos is a very well researched and interesting series. Highly recommend.
Vox, every time you talk about UATV you should link to it in your post. Otherwise reading your blog in an aggregator (or a mobile device) means that we don’t get to hop over there to see it.
Which wouldn’t be a big problem, except I personally can’t find UATV via a search engine either.
The scouring seems to be Tokien's reminder that while the quest to save the world from Sauron was important, it was also important to take care of evil close to home, and that evil at home can fester when one is away saving the world.
Thank you for this.
I know the ambition of the author of the long poem was to help create a heroic mythos for Z and the embattled generations to follow. Wordpress is now suppressing this work. If readers find it of value, I ask they download and print the long poem "For the Sons of the West". Thanks to VD, the moderator and the community for your patience and support.
http://forthesonsofthewest.home.blog
The Oracle of Arizona brings the soundtrack of the revolution!
I have not read LOTR, only "The Hobbit." So I am uninformed and guessing. Could this be describing the returning soldier to England, realizing that it had completely changed during the war? That the debts aquired to keep the war going had basically destroyed England forever?
Best episode yet
The scouring seems to be Tokien's reminder that while the quest to save the world from Sauron was important, it was also important to take care of evil close to home, and that evil at home can fester when one is away saving the world.
Considering the current state of the English-speaking world, being sold out by our own vested interests to sallow, slant-eyed foreigners, it's brilliantly prophetic, even more so than Orwell's 1984.
14. Canadian Warlord February 21, 2021 2:01 PM
Could this be
Tolkien was extremely explicit in denying that the LotR epilogue could be considered as allegory or commentary on "current events" of the time in England.
whether you choose to believe that denial or not is up to you.
At the end, Sam remarks, with dismay, that he thought Frodo was going to enjoy the Shire for years to come. But Frodo replies, "I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me." Frodo sacrificed his life, figuratively,that others like Sam could benefit. LOTR is a narrative of loss and change deep in its core. That sadness is ignored in the films.
I definitely agree. I had no idea how much I'd enjoy the forge of Tolkien or her medieval history series. And Chuck Dixon's videos are a lot of fun.
I don’t really disagree, but that would have literally required the post-ending post-script film to extend about 45 minutes or so _after_ Frodo destroys the Ring in Mt. Doom.
Some scenes work better in prose, and this was a particularly good directorial choice to ignore it for the RotK film.
Unauthorized.tv is the address. Try with and without www in the front
Power of words and the magic of consent is a powerful theme.
Daily reminders of the power of "no" are critical.
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