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bythebywater.bsky.social
By-the-Bywater
@bythebywater.bsky.social
940 followers 0 following 460 posts
By-the-Bywater is a monthly #Tolkien podcast hosted by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social, @schwindter.bsky.social and @nedraggett.bsky.social -- thanks for listening! Catch up with all our episodes at megaphonic.fm/bythebywater
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bythebywater.bsky.social
When you’re watching the latest Rifftrax and something unexpected happens.
A view of two random dudes in a semi-desert creek gulch while Rifftrax’s Mike Nelson says “Goldberry hired these guys to kill Tom Bombadil…” A view of two random dudes in a semi-desert creek gulch while Rifftrax’s Mike Nelson says “…so she can collect the insurance.”
September 27, 2025 at 3:03 AM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Carefully phrased. (Explanation for this weirdness in alt text.)
A screenshot from Goodreads about the author Kathryn Hurlbutt, who is noted as having written _The Lord of the Rings: The Trilogy_, which, if you double check, is not only not true but is not the book you're thinking of -- indeed, it's not even a book: https://www.discogs.com/artist/441871-Kathryn-Hurlbutt
April 11, 2025 at 2:52 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Did Tolkien consciously mean it in the sense this can be read now? Perhaps not. Does it still resonate? It absolutely does, on all days, but especially today, perhaps all the more, especially when it comes to rejecting the poison of another author of note.
J. R. R. Tolkien, _The Silmarillion_, "Ainulindalë" -- an excerpt: "Now the Valar took to themselves shape and hue; and because they were drawn into the World by love of the Children of Ilúvatar, for whom they hoped, they took shape after that manner which they had beheld in the Vision of Ilúvatar, save only in majesty and splendour. Moreover their shape comes of their knowledge of the visible World, rather than of the World itself; and they need it not, save only as we use raiment, and yet we may be naked and suffer no loss of our being. Therefore the Valar may walk, if they will, unclad, and then even the Eldar cannot clearly perceive them, though they be present. But when they desire to clothe themselves the Valar take upon them forms some as of male and some as of female; for that difference of temper they had even from their beginning, and it is but bodied forth in the choice of each, not made by the choice, even as with us male and female may be shown by the raiment but is not made thereby. But the shapes wherein the Great Ones array themselves are not at all times like to the shapes of the kings and queens of the Children of Ilúvatar; for at times they may clothe themselves in their own thought, made visible in forms of majesty and dread."
April 1, 2025 at 1:02 AM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Episode 70 is live on #MegaphonicFM! This time around we talked about the anime film _The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim_, based on a short #Tolkien story that made up the history of Rohan in LOTR's appendices. Art by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social as ever! megaphonic.fm/bythebywater...
Quoting Jared's caption: "Colored pencil sketch of a dead king (Helm Hammerhand) standing atop a snow-covered earthen wall lined with spikes on its outer face. Dim mountains and clouds form the background. Blood streams from the king’s body and covers large swathes of the wall"
January 6, 2025 at 5:03 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
A friend of Ned’s posted this just now elsewhere. A due concern.
Text: “I am currently watching Lord of the Rings, slightly high, and I had forgotten I was watching it on Max, which does commercials in the middle. I looked up and saw an ad for the ASPCA and shouted, out loud, “Why are they here?! Why is the ASPCA in Rivendell?””
December 24, 2024 at 11:30 PM
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Don't flatter yourself, my guys. (More rubbish from them plus Amazon insisting that they WILL make five seasons, no really: www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/h... )
Text from story: "“The Fellowship had to look to each other, and those who support it, and remember what it’s fighting for,” says J.D. Payne, who is showrunner along with Patrick McKay. “And when we see that millions of people are watching this and responding so positively to it — that’s who we’re fighting for. And those who watch every episode and [negatively] write about it on social media and make YouTube videos, we’re happy to have you guys, too. It wouldn’t be a journey through Middle-earth without some trolls along the way.”"
September 11, 2024 at 8:51 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
So yes, a certain series season premiere, etc. Right now we'd just like to call your attention to what @ditzkoff.bsky.social said about it back in 2017 when the deal was literally first announced between the estate and Amazon because after everything so far clearly he was right.
Tweet from Dave Itzkoff, November 2017: "Amazon should make a sexy murder-mystery series about the elves and call it RIVENDELL"
August 29, 2024 at 5:16 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
The latest episode is live! Listen to the three of us talk about #Aragorn, definitely not someone #Tolkien ever intended as the core hero...but some want it otherwise. Art (and alt text) as always by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social and go to megaphonic.fm/bythebywater... to hear it!
colored pencil illustration of Aragorn just before setting out from Rivendell, sitting on some stone steps with his head resting on his hands. in the blue twilight, shadowy figures move behind him. warm light glows from a window above
August 5, 2024 at 4:54 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Via poster @catbus.bsky.social
Alt text from Catbus: “JRR Tolkien painting of the dragon Smaug (labeled 'me') curled up on his mound of treasure (labled 'old tee shirts I last used 4 years ago but refuse to throw away'”
July 27, 2024 at 2:01 AM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Soooo...we've read that new piece in _Collider_ about _Rings of Power_ Season 2 and the sheer amount of excuse-heavy generic showrunner brain at work. Plus some 'eh?' promo photos, including this one, which we have thoughts about in the alt text. collider.com/rings-of-pow...
"Yes yes I know you pleaded your case to me in the barn and I showed I was bent on genocide because of my husband I haven't been looking for and then you showed you were an asshole with the Rube Goldberg sword but let's have a fine little meal here. Love the drapery!" (We are also hoping/fearing/expecting a 'You know, we're quite alike, you and I' dialogue bit. This also appears to be _Hannibal_ [as in the TV show] for straight people.)
July 9, 2024 at 3:23 PM
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Our latest episode is live on megaphonic.fm! This time around we talked about a distinct #Tolkien famously made in an introductory LOTR essay between allegory and applicability -- but how solid was that line for him? Illustration as ever by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social megaphonic.fm/bythebywater...
A pen-and-ink drawing by Jared of a very professorial looking bunny holding a pipe and saying "I have PTSD." Could it be Tolkien? (Yes, yes it could.)
June 3, 2024 at 4:17 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
We're not saying that this eruption of Mount Ruang in Indonesia is EXACTLY like Mount Doom going off big time, but. (Image from AFP/Getty.)
Per WaPo caption: "Mount Ruang spews lava and smoke as seen from Sitaro, North Sulawesi, in Indonesia on Wednesday."
April 17, 2024 at 10:46 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
A reshare for the evening along with an amazing note from a friend of Ned's over on FB in response to a post about this episode. Oh dear.
FB post: "Many years ago, a shady person wanted me to ghostwrite "a best-selling fantasy novel." He sent me a copy of Sword of Shannara and told me to "write it like that, only different." I knew something like this would happen, so I crossed out the word "green" in the first sentence, returned the book by mail, and made no charge. Thank heavens that I did not hear from him again."
April 2, 2024 at 4:30 AM
bythebywater.bsky.social
By-the-Bywater is now officially five years old and episode 61 is live! And man does the existence of Terry Brooks's _The Sword of Shannara_ sure feel like the worst April Fool's pulled on anyone who ever loved #Tolkien. Art as always by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater...
Jared's original alt text: "Sketch of a young man with an upraised glowing sword. Text around him reads SHEA OHMSFORD: WIELDER OF THE THERAPY BLADE"
April 1, 2024 at 4:13 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
New episode Monday but we had to reshare word of this one from a couple of months back because we saw this screencap today and yeahhhhhhhh this is further emphasis all around for our conclusions.
Palmer Luckey, an unserious individual, with a look that one of us describes as "Evil Uncle Jesse-ass," says per headline: "Anduril working on AI weapons to 'swiftly win any war.'" (It won't.)
March 29, 2024 at 6:33 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Episode 60 is live on MegaphonicFM! Listen to the three of us talk about one of the guiding points of the academic and creative life of #Tolkien -- Beowulf. Art as ever by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social! www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater...
From Jared's original caption: "an old norse style illustration of the dragon from beowulf lunging vertically down the page in four loops. at its head are a tiny Beowulf and Wiglaf"
March 4, 2024 at 4:58 PM
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As shared by listener and friend @highter.bsky.social. It's not inaccurate.
Exchange on tumblr. First, user ring-bearers: "lotr coming after the hobbit is so funny Tolkien was just like fuck ok I gotta think of SOMETHING. wait Ive got it. Bilbos funny invisibility ring he won in a riddle contest is evil now." Next, user teaboot: "Like if the sticky hand you got from the dentist turned out to be possessed by the ghost of Musollini, and it could you make you levitate, but every time you did, a skinhead got a text with your home address."
February 23, 2024 at 6:22 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Episode 59 is live! This time around we talked Silicon Valley’s misinterpretation and fetishization of #Tolkien -- and boy do they often get it wrong in the absolute WORST way. As ever, episode illustration by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social. www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater...
An illustration by Jared Pechaček showing a pale hand in darkness holding a palantir lit from within by a fiery red and gold glow, suggestive of something not exactly pleasant.
February 5, 2024 at 3:56 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Just a quick note from us that the great big yearly episode for the Megaphonic FM network's Patreon-supporter-only podcast _The Greatest Podcast Ever Recorded_ has been recorded! Look for it in the near future; it's about the 1970 Albert Finney musical _Scrooge_! Really. www.patreon.com/megaphonic
A somewhat lo-res scan of the poster for the 1970 _Christmas Carol_ musical adaption _Scrooge_, with Albert Finney as the title character at the forefront of the illustration.
December 10, 2023 at 10:55 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
We'd VERY much like to thank our listener Kat W. for this lovely review. (And we very much encourage anyone who has listened and enjoyed our work to leave whatever comments you'd like!)
A very kind review of By-the-Bywater by listener Kat W.
November 17, 2023 at 6:19 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
And Episode 55 is live! Join @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social, @schwindter.bsky.social and @nedraggett.bsky.social as they talk about a fragmentary work by #Tolkien, _The Notion Club Papers_. To call it dense would be to understate. Episode art by Jared as always! www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater...
By-the-Bywater episode art by Jared Pechaček, described by him as: "watercolor illustration of a storm. over a silhouette of the Oxford skyline, a dark blue cloud shaped like an eagle flashes with lighnting. behind the eagle cloud are puffier storm clouds, and finally a sliver of starry sky."
October 2, 2023 at 2:50 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
Episode 54 is live on MegaphonicFM! Come hear us talk about Tolkien’s fragmentary time travel story “The Lost Road.” Art as ever by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social — share and listen! www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater...
The historical characters Alboin and Rosamund from Tolkien’s “The Lost Road.” Alboin in blue is giving Rosamund in red a cup made out of her father’s skull, which is rather rude. Art by Jared as noted!
September 4, 2023 at 2:44 PM
bythebywater.bsky.social
And the latest episode is live! Come listen in to @schwindter.bsky.social, @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social and @nedraggett.bsky.social once again talk Tolkien on By-the-Bywater via Megaphonic FM, the subject this time being land. Doodle by Jared as always! https://www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater/53
A doodle for By-the-Bywater's land episode by Jared Pechacek showing eagles flying over a lake with mountains in the distance.
August 7, 2023 at 2:31 PM