About this podcast
The Prancing Pony Podcast is a weekly show about the Middle-earth legendarium of J.R.R. Tolkien, hosted - for six seasons - by Alan Sisto and Shawn E. Marchese. Now in its eleventh season, Alan is joined by an all-star cast of co-hosts as he explores more of Middle-earth!
Alan and all his co-hosts are passionate Tolkien enthusiasts, inviting listeners to enjoy their detailed exploration of Tolkien’s work, with smart but straightforward discussion and a healthy dose of self-effacing humor, pop-culture references, and bad puns. These are the folks you'd want to hang out with at a pub and talk Tolkien with!
Episodes
The newest 50 of 432 episodes
- 431 – Her Face Says Freedom · 1 h 57 min · Season 11 Episode 8Huan knows that the days of the power of the cats are over; Alan and Sara aren’t entirely sure that’s still the case. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan as…
- 430 – Tell Me Lies · 2 h 3 min · Season 11 Episode 7Huan wants to end the power of cats forever; Alan and Sara would settle for ending the power of internet trolls for a few years. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of…
- 429 – Rhiannon · 1 h 57 min · Season 11 Episode 6Tinwelint (Thingol to the rest of you) asks his daughter to “put this folly away from thee”; Sara’s been telling Alan to do the same for years now. Join The Man of the West and…
- 428 – Go Your Own Way · 2 h 2 min · Season 11 Episode 5Beren is so hungry that he picks his way through leftover scraps at an Orc camp; Alan and Sara are somehow no longer hungry at all. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden…
- 427 – Dreams · 1 h 46 min · Season 11 Episode 4Dairon is named among the three most magic players; Alan and Sara aren’t even named among the three most magic podcasters. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan…
- 426 – Tiny Dancer · 1 h 42 min · Season 11 Episode 3Christopher Tolkien points out the ‘undercurrent of sardonic humor’ in Tolkien’s earliest version of this story; Alan and Sara’s sardonic humor is more like a whirlpool. Join The…
- 425 – Questions After Nightfall 36 · 1 h 27 min · Season 11 Episode 2Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan as we join a few of our patrons in the PPP Common Room for our 36th Questions After Nightfall! Sara looks for the familiar…
- 424 – Your Song · 1 h 54 min · Season 11 Episode 1Christopher Tolkien believes that the book he was working on was “in no conceivable way publishable”. Alan and Sara sometimes think the same about the podcast. Join The Man of…
- 423 – What Do You Want? · 2 h 24 min · Season 10 Episode 42It turns out the Stones are more amenable to legitimate users; too bad all we have are Alan and Shawn. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark as we conclude our…
- 422 – Who Are You? · 1 h 59 min · Season 10 Episode 41After the Kings, Gondor declined into a Middle Age of fading knowledge and simpler skills. Alan and Shawn find that surprisingly familiar. Join The Man of the West and The Lord…
- 421 – Faith Manages · 1 h 52 min · Season 10 Episode 40Some people believe that “Gandalf” was the last appearance of Manwë; Alan is convinced Shawn is the last appearance of Oromë. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark as…
- 420 – I Have Always Been Here · 1 h 57 min · Season 10 Episode 39The Istari were never young and aged only slowly; Alan and Shawn will have to settle for only one of those two. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark as they continue…
- 419 – A Voice In the Wilderness · 2 h 16 min · Season 10 Episode 38The wizards went about in simple guise, as it were of Men already old in years. Alan and Shawn have been doing that for years. Join The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark…
- 418 – Questions After Nightfall 35 · 1 h 52 min · Season 10 Episode 37Join The Man of the West as The Lord of the Mark submits his application to return to the PPP as guest host for a six-episode run to wrap up Season 10; Alan welcomes Shawn back…
- 417 – I Am a Rock · 1 h 44 min · Season 10 Episode 36Aghan brings a watch-stone to Barach’s house; Alan and Don wonder if that violates the HOA rules. Join The Man of the West and The Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy as we…
- 416 – The Sound of Silence · 1 h 41 min · Season 10 Episode 35The Folk of Haleth retained many practices that seemed strange to the Eldar and the other Atani; Alan retains a few strange practices and Don wants nothing to do with them. Join…
- 415 – Saruman’s OPSEC Problem: Unfinished Tales with Dr. Bret Devereaux · 1 h 51 min · Season 10 Episode 34Short cuts lead to long delays… or perhaps just slaughter and death. Join The Man of the West and The Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy as we welcome back the…
- 414 – With or Without You · 2 h 5 min · Season 10 Episode 33The Elendilmir worn by the Kings of Arnor had not the ancientry nor potency of the original; there’s got to be a joke in there about Alan and Don, right? Join The Man of the West…
- 413 – The Unforgettable Fire · 1 h 55 min · Season 10 Episode 32Isildur proclaims his sovereign lordship over all the Dúnedain; Alan knows better than to proclaim lordship over his own podcast. Join The Man of the West as he welcomes back Don…
- 412 – Far Fallen · 1 h 55 min · Season 10 Episode 31Saruman has no time for the simples of peasants; Alan and Matt wouldn’t mind if things were simpler. Join The Man of the West and The Nerd of the Rings as we get an in-depth look…
- 411 – Saruman Won’t Back Down · 1 h 55 min · Season 10 Episode 30Gollum was peculiarly fitted to survive in Moria, though at cost of great misery; Matt is also able to survive his time on the PPP with the same cost. Join The Man of the West…
- 410 – You Got Lucky, Gollum · 1 h 52 min · Season 10 Episode 29Christopher Tolkien tells us that the manuscripts for this story are “in great, though hardly exceptional, confusion” — so it seems this podcast is in good company. Join The Man…
- 409 – Runnin’ Down a Ring · 2 h 2 min · Season 10 Episode 28Saruon had never paid heed to the halflings, even if he had heard of them — and Matt still doesn’t pay heed to Alan, even if he works with him. Join The Man of the West and The…
- 408 – Questions After Nightfall 34 · 1 h 39 min · Season 10 Episode 27Join The Man of the West as he welcomes The Nerd of the Rings for his run of episodes this season by throwing him into the deep end of a Live Q&A in the PPP Common Room for our…
- 407 – River of Dreams · 2 h 12 min · Season 10 Episode 26Treebeard and the unnamed King of Lórien set bounds between them; Alan and James clearly know no bounds. Join The Man of the West and The Sage of the South as we conclude our…
- 406 – The Longest Time · 1 h 49 min · Season 10 Episode 25Of the Elessar two things are said, though which is true only those Wise could say who now are gone — to paraphrase Merry, “that leaves us out, James”. Join The Man of the West…
- 405 – Tolkien Reading Day 2026 · 2 h 18 min · Season 10 Episode 24Join us all in the Common Room for the Prancing Pony Podcast’s 11th annual Tolkien Reading Day special. Tolkien Reading Day is observed every March 25 in honor of the destruction…
- 404 – Uptown Girl · 1 h 56 min · Season 10 Episode 23Lórien had long years of peace and obscurity under the rule of Amdír; the PPP has had 10 years of, well, obscurity under the rule of Alan. Join The Man of the West and the Sage…
- 403 – Only the Good Die Young · 2 h 13 min · Season 10 Episode 22When Sauron learned of Celebrimbor’s revolt, his wrath was revealed; Alan doesn’t wait for James to revolt, but his wrath is reduced to nothing more than bad jokes. Join The Man…
- 402 – All About Soul · 2 h 1 min · Season 10 Episode 21Christopher Tolkien says his father’s writing on Galadriel and Celeborn is “very roughly composed”; some way that our episodes are even more roughly composed. Join The Man of the…
- 401 – She’s Got a Way · 1 h 47 min · Season 10 Episode 20Celeborn has dwelt in the West since the days of dawn; it only seems like Alan has as well. Join The Man of the West and The Sage of the South as we embark on a six-part journey…
- 400 – Starmen · 2 h 2 min · Season 10 Episode 19Tal-Elmar hopes to turn the tables on Mogru, the town’s Master; James manages to turn the table on Alan by interviewing him about his decade in podcasting. Join The Man of the…
- 399 – Under Pressure · 1 h 54 min · Season 10 Episode 18Tal-Elmar refuses to help the Master because his “father is the elder”; James refuses to help Alan even though Alan is the elder. Join The Man of the West and The Sage of the…
- 398 – Changes · 1 h 51 min · Season 10 Episode 17Tal-Elmar spots three strange birds upon the water; Alan and James are just two strange guys with microphones. Join The Man of the West and The Sage of the South as we continue…
- 397 – Rebel, Rebel · 1 h 59 min · Season 10 Episode 16Hazad’s beard was five feet long without stretching; Alan and James can’t get the podcast to two hours without stretching. Join The Man of the West and The Sage of the South as…
- 396 – Questions After Nightfall 33 · 1 h 48 min · Season 10 Episode 15Come celebrate the New Year with us here at The Prancing Pony Podcast as The Man of the West welcomes The Sage of the South! James and Alan invite our listeners to the Common…
- 395 – Yesterday · 1 h 55 min · Season 10 Episode 14Tar-Aldarion changes the law of succession in Númenor; thankfully primogeniture will play no role in determining Sara’s successor on the podcast. Join The Man of the West and The…
- 394 – Back in the Emerië · 2 h 18 min · Season 10 Episode 13All of Aldarion’s efforts in Middle-earth were swept away with time and tide; we’ll have to wait awhile to see about all of Alan’s efforts on the podcast. Join The Man of the…
- 393 – From Me to You (the Sceptre) · 2 h 12 min · Season 10 Episode 12Aldarion prepares to go from this misenchanted isle of daydreams filled with insolent women; Alan puts 10 pence in the Sara to get her take on said ‘insolent women’. Join The Man…
- 392 – Help! · 2 h 27 min · Season 10 Episode 11Aldarion watches everyone celebrate and party from the sidelines; Alan painfully recalls his awkward teenage years, while Sara isn’t sure those are over. Join The Man of the West…
- 391 – By Grabthar’s Hammer, What a Book! · 2 h 16 min · Season 10 Episode 10Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan for a very special conversation with Dr. Michael D.C. Drout, author of The Tower and the Ruin: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Creation…
- 390 – Hello, Goodbye · 2 h 22 min · Season 10 Episode 9Aldarion offers the usual assortment of excuses for his shortcomings, and delivers the mail to Meneldur; Alan and Sara offer no excuses for the PPP’s shortcomings, and wonder why…
- 389 – Nowhere Man · 2 h 12 min · Season 10 Episode 8Aldarion claims to ask for only two years, but takes a lot more; Alan and Sara ask for only two hours, and only take a little bit more. Join The Man of the West and the…
- 388 – All You Need is Love (Maybe) · 1 h 55 min · Season 10 Episode 7Away from the Sea, Aldarion finds little peace or joy; away from the podcast, Alan is just fine, thank you very much. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan as we…
- 387 – We Can Work it Out · 2 h 10 min · Season 10 Episode 6Erendis’ mom gives her some pretty questionable relationship advice; Alan and Sara give you a pretty questionable podcast episode. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden…
- 386 – Got to Get You into My Life · 2 h 2 min · Season 10 Episode 5Aldarion runs headlong into contentment and doesn’t even recognize it; Alan and Sara run headlong into more bad jokes and don’t particularly care. Join The Man of the West and…
- 385 – I Saw Her Standing There (in Rómenna) · 1 h 59 min · Season 10 Episode 4Erendis arrives at a very important party, and is caught by Aldarion’s beauty and splendor of bearing; that never happens to Alan or Sara. Join The Man of the West and The…
- 384 – Ticket to Ride · 1 h 36 min · Season 10 Episode 3Tolkien writes about the difficulty of relating the legendarium without “explanatory digressions”; Alan and Sara realize the PPP has a new subtitle. Join The Man of the West and…
- 383 – Questions After Nightfall 32 · 1 h 47 min · Season 10 Episode 2Join us all in the Common Room here at The Prancing Pony Podcast as The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan answer listener questions again in our 32nd Questions After…
- 382 – We Are Those Fans: a Chat with Wētā Workshop · 1 h 43 min · Season 10 Episode 1The Lord of the Mark returns for a special episode to help get Season 10 of The Prancing Pony Podcast underway, as we chat with Dan Falconer and Leonard Ellis from Wētā Workshop!…
