Search results

Hi Professor, Sorry if you have already dealt with this topic (I’m a couple episodes behind). I’ve been thinking about the passage that “Frodo jumped up in amazement” at the idea that he thinks the ring may belong to Aragorn, especially at the confusion of whether Frodo would mean this in...

Now that I have your attention (haha), I’m curious about whether the Elves still continue procreating at the time of the LOTR? I don’t recall ever hearing about elven children running around. Am I wrong about this or does sailing to the West have anything to do with this?

[see subject]

Not sure what to make of this question, but I notice that elves tend to celebrate specific ancestors like Earendil, Elbereth, Gilgalad, etc. I can’t help but think that there is more than simply an “honour your ancestors” thing since they don’t seem to do this for “all” their ancestors. Dwarves...

As I make my way through the poem discussion, Prof Olsen keeps raising the point to “not fill in the gaps with what you all know”. Unlike many of you, I have not read the Silmarillion, so all these “gaps” you guys seem to fill are totally unknown to me. Based on that, I agree with Prof Olsen; I...

Hi folks, Before we heard the poem, we hear Bilbo say to Strider that he’s “stuck” and needs his help with something urgent. Can anyone tell (a) where he may have been stuck, and (b) if there was anything that we could tell was Aragorn’s contribution?

Perhaps this has been covered (sorry if it has), but I’m curious about contrasting Bilbo’s book title “There and Back Again” with Frodo’s “The Lord of the Rings...”. Bilbo’s seems more inward-facing, that is, talking about what HE did on HIS journey, where Frodo’s seems more outward-facing, that...

Hi Dr. Olsen, I'm new here and am not sure if this is the right spot, so if not: sorry! Over a few instances of the Exploring LOTR sessions, I recall hearing how the films blundered a bit in Gandalf leaving Frodo and Sam to fend for themselves between the Shire and Bree. I think it comes down...

After power-binging through the Dracula class recently, I continued to be blown away by the analysis. The concept of Vampires being a "perversion" of Holy/Sacred things is just fascinating to me. Being interested in Christian Theology, this idea catapulted Dracula into a totally new space for...

Hi all! I'm new here and am not sure if this is the place for this, but I recall hearing that Prof. Olsen used to give an "Introduction to the Bible" class in the past. Does anyone know if the audio of this happens to be available (or a similar series)? Thanks!