The Halfling
A Middle-earth show hosted by writer, nerd, and all-around Tolkien aficionado Jaron Pak. The podcast is devoted to exploring the nooks and crannies of Middle-earth with an emphasis on the source material being used for the "Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power" streaming series. Jaron is one of the main Tolkien journalists for the entertainment site Looper. He also writes for the fan site Fellowship of Fans and has spent decades obsessively reading Tolkien. He's even memorized entire chunks of the legendarium. He loves assembling the complex, multi-faceted material in an accessible manner that allows others to enjoy its wonder, too.Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thehalfling
Episodes
37 episodes
The Halfling Interviews Alan Sisto (Part 5 of The Rings of Power Influencer Roundup)
With season 1 of "The Rings of Power" officially in the books, Alan Sisto from The Prancing Pony Podcast and The Rings of Power Wrap Up drops by for some final thoughts. Alan is a leader of one of the biggest and most enjoyable Tolkien co...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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48:54
The Halfling Interviews Nerd of the Rings (Part 4 of The Rings of Power Influencer Roundup)
As the finale of the first season of "The Rings of Power" approaches, the one and only Matt from Nerd of the Rings joins the show to share his thoughts. Matt runs one of the largest, most vibrant Tolkien communities online. In this interview, t...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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1:05:50
The Halfling Interviews Fellowship of Fans (Part 3 of The Rings of Power Influencer Roundup)
In the wake of the busy fourth episode of "The Rings of Power," we welcome Harry from Fellowship of Fans onto the show. Harry leads a dynamic online Tolkien community that is the best place to follow breaking news and inside scoops regarding th...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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38:16
The Halfling Interviews The Mellon Heads (Part 2 of The Rings of Power Influencer Roundup)
For the second part of our Influencer Roundup series for Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," we have "the Mellon Heads" Dave and Johnny from The Council of Elrond podcast. This pair of Irish host an entertaining show that...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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57:17
The Halfling Interviews The Broken Sword (Part 1 of The Rings of Power Influencer Roundup)
For the first installment of our Influencer Roundup series for Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," we hear from James and Jake from The Broken Sword. These two Welsh filmmakers are some of the internet's top Tolkien influ...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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40:39
Episode 28: Celebrimbor Meets His Doom
In our last episode of Season 1, we finish up Celebrimbor's epic (and tragic) tale. We walk through his time with Annatar, analyze his Ring-making skills, and talk about some of the major ways this Elven hero impacts Middle-earth history, from ...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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15:35
Episode 27: Celebrimbor and the Rings of Power
With Celebrimbor established as his own Elf, the master craftsman settles down in a new kingdom right next to the Dwarves of Moria. From beautiful friendships to masterful knowledge, Celebrimbor and his people rise to their greatest heights onl...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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19:58
Episode 26: Celebrimbor, Silver-Fist
In the first installment of our last series of the season, I finally do some unembargoed explaining regarding why new episodes have been so sporadic lately. Then we dive into the early backstory of Celebrimbor, the Elf who is eventually one of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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16:43
Episode 25: Narvi, the Elf-friend
In the second half of our time with Narvi, we break down the defining factor that makes this mysterious Dwarven craftsman so important. And no, it's not his incredible skill. It's not his enduring fame, either. It's his friendship ...with an El...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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15:47
Episode 24: I, Narvi, Made Them
Narvi is an overlooked Dwarf of Khazad-dûm. But he's not just any Dwarf. He's one of the greatest craftsmen to ever come out of the subterranean mansion. He's also an Elf-friend, which is kind of a big deal. In this episode we lay some backgrou...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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17:38
Episode 23: Ancient Bree and the Prancing Pony
In the second half of our time in Bree, we dive into the larger Bree-land, its four towns, and why the area is such an important place in northern Middle-earth. We also investigate how long the ancient Men of Bree have inhabited the area, and w...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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16:26
Episode 22: The Wonderful World of Bree
In this series, we take a look at the village of Bree. We start by doing a side-by-side comparison of Tolkien's original version of the Bree-land and the less-than-faithful adaptation in Peter Jackson's movies. From the diversity of its inhabit...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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16:14
Episode 21: The Waffling Blue Wizards
In our last episode with the Blue Wizards, we finally put all of the very scattered, dissonant pieces together. We explore this pair of characters' roles in Middle-earth, both as villains and as heroes. We also consider the major adjustment Tol...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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18:00
Episode 20: Blue Wizard Origins
In the second part of our Blue Wizard series we dig into where the Blue Wizards came from, what their names are, and the important role they may have played as some of the Guardians early in Middle-earth history.
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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16:23
Episode 19: The Mysteriously Awesome Blue Wizards
The Blue Wizards are a mystery of Middle-earth. There isn't much out there about who they are or what they do. But there are just enough glimpses out there to pull together a fascinating story – a story that we start to dig into in this e...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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19:03
A Halfling Announcement
The winter is over. Spring is in the air. The show is taking a short break, and then we'll be diving into the lead-up to the "Rings of Power" premiere just on the other side of Summer. If you have topic requests, please send them to thehalfling...
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4:14
Episode 18: Entish Tragedy, Sorrow, and Hope
In our last episode with the Ents, we bring everything together and tell the entire Entish story from their creation right through to what happens after the end of "The Lord of the Rings." From the history of the Entwives during the Second Age ...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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22:55
Episode 17: Ents, Entwives, and Huorns, Oh My!
In the third part of our Ent series, we break down the different groups within Entish culture. We start with a recap on the Ents before moving on to who the Entwives, Entings, and Huorns are. From there, the conversation wanders all the way to ...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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21:25
The Tolkien Professor Interview
The Halfling hosts The Tolkien Professor, Corey Olsen! In this exclusive interview, Jaron and Corey tackle the challenge of adaptations and how to enjoy Tolkien both in printed form and on-screen.Topics coveredThe ...
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Season 1
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1:22:15
Episode 16: Entish Culture and Geography
In this episode, we dig into what it looks like to live as an Ent. What do they look like? What do they eat? Where do they live? It turns out that, by the time of "The Lord of the Rings," the Ents are living a much smaller version of their slow...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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18:13
Episode 15: Entish Origins
We begin our next series with a deep dive into where the Ents and their leader, Treebeard, came from. The arboreal people group are very old by the time of "The Lord of the Rings," and their origins, both in the story and in Tolkien's creative ...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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15:42
Episode 14: Elrond the Wise
In our last episode with Elrond, we walk with the half-Elven lord through the rest of the Third Age. We see him wield an Elven Ring, tussle with the Witch-king of Angmar, join the White Council, help Bilbo, and get really involved in the War of...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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19:02
Episode 13: Elrond's Crazy Family Tree
In our fourth episode with Elrond, we finally take a deep dive into this Elven wunderkind's insane family connections. We trace Elrond's lineage to major power couples like Beren and Lúthien as well as Tuor and Idril ...and his own daughter's m...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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14:26
Episode 12: Elrond, the Family Man
In the third part of Elrond's story, we dive into his involvement in the Last Alliance. After playing a critical role in the mostly successful but not really successful destruction of Sauron at the end of the Second Age, Elrond sets aside his w...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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17:21
Episode 11: Elrond and Rivendell
In the second episode of our series on Elrond, we dive into the hero's Second Age career. From a leader in Lindon to defeat at the hands of Sauron to literally building a new headquarters for himself in the form of Rivendell, it’s during this e...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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18:14