It is the one last journey for Tolkien and fantasy fiction/movie geeks into Middle Earth with Peter Jackson's final installment of 'The Hobbit' trilogy and the Tomboy Tarts, Persis and Raven journey this fascinating ancient universe with Tolkien/Fantasy experts, the podcast crew of 'The Riddles In The Dark & Predictions Game' as we head to Lonely Mountain on the eve of the Battle of Five Armies on our own adventures.
Persistia, ancient guardian of relic magic and Ravenous, warrior sword maiden from Tomboy Tarteesia journey to Middle Earth to find out what is going on at the foothills of the Lonely Mountain on the eve of the Battle of Five Armies, a war sparked by Thorin Oakenshield's need to defend his dwarf kingdom of Erebor. As they seek rest at The Prancing Pony at Bree, they bump into Corey Olsen, (The Tolkien Professor), Trish Lambert and Dave Kale, co-hosts of The Riddles of The Dark & Predictions Game, a bounty hunting group of vigilantes and experts of Middle Earth.
There's no love lost between the Tomboy Tarts and Riddles in The Dark as they recall the time when they both whooped each others butts in previous misadventures but just as things heat up, a common and very dark enemy rears its ugly head, Sauron's Ringwraiths - who make an unexpected visit to this little town.
From Bree, the unexpected fellowship escape to Weathertop where they spend some time talking about news highlights which include the rumours that next on the studio's list of possible Middle Earth films will be The Silmarillion. We talk about whether Christopher Tolkien and the estate will release the rights to the book, which his father left unfinished with mesmerizing stories of Middle Earth's origins from the creation of the Ainulindalë - The creation of Eä (Tolkien's Universe), The Valanquenta and more including the tales of Beren and Luthien and Túrin Turambar,. Tolkien Professor, Corey Olsen thinks Christopher would have to be stone cold dead before that happens but one can only hope.
In our second news highlight at Weathertop, we predict whether this last film on Middle Earth will tank at the box office since expectations will be very high on this film to tie up all the loose ends of this trilogy and the Lord of the Rings franchise. The discussion is tripping up at Weathertop with it's cool and light breezes until a nasty little snitcher we all know as Gollum sneaks up on us and Persistia whistles for The Great Eagles to come rescue them from Gollum's evil and sneaky clutches.
The Great Eagles drop them off at the borders of Mirkwood and Thrandir's Elven Kingdom as the discussion continues about what will happen in this last film, "Battle of Five Armies" but armies are already marching towards Lonely Mountain and the troup don't want to miss out on the excitement of battle and gaining the Arkenstone from Smaug's lair.
The Tomboy Tarts set the Riddles in The Dark podcast unknowingly on a triathlon to Lonely Mountain and upon arrival, the bounty hunters realise they don't have the key to the secret side door. Darn it! But Persistia and Ravenous turn up with the key and unlock the door just in time before the last light of Durin's day.
In the dark tunnels of Lonely Mountain, everyone gets into the thick of it wondering what the future of Middle Earth will be on TV or cinema. Some predict that a TV series showcasing the adventures of a young Aragorn could be a possibility while others predict that there might be a reboot of the LOTR series on film, a sort of 'Star Trek: Next Generation' series. Yuck!
Finally, it's time to play a rapidfire questions game before everyone realises that Smaug has woken up from his sleep. Terrified, everyone wonders if they will escape Lonely Mountain without being turned to ashes.
You don't want to miss out on the last EPIC episode of Tomboy Tirade of 2014! Rumbling into iTunes and Stitcher 18 December!
Tune in to find out what happens in the end, including details for our Instagram holiday sock giveaway promotion that ends 1 Jan 2015!
The Riddles in The Dark & Predictions Game podcast is a proud production of The Mythgard Institute which supports and facilitates teaching and research in Tolkien studies, fantasy literature, and related fields into the twenty-first century. They're the experts on Middle Earth and other fantasy literature. Find them on Facebook as Riddles in The Dark Predictions.
The Riddles in The Dark & Predictions Game podcast crew. From L-R: Dave Kale, Laura Berkholz, Trish Lambert (standing) and Corey Olsen (aka The Tolkien Professor)
Corey Olsen is the President of The Mythgard Institute. On his teaching website, The Tolkien Professor, Professor Olsen brings his scholarship on Tolkien to the public, seeking to engage a wide and diverse audience in serious intellectual and literary conversation. His website features recordings of a detailed lecture series on The Hobbit, the Silmarillion Seminar, a weekly discussion group over Tolkien’s Silmarillion, as well as more informal Q&A sessions with listeners. His book, entitled Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, was published by Houghton Mifflin in September 2012. You can follow Corey on Twitter as @tolkienprof or on Facebook as The Tolkien Professor.
Watch Corey at TEDx talking about the fascination Corey he had about Tolkien and his boooks.
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