The Prancing Pony Podcast – Episode 384: "Ticket to Ride"

Date: October 5, 2025
Hosts: Alan Sisto ("A"), Dr. Sara Brown ("B")
Main Theme: An introduction to the deep-dive reading of Tolkien’s "Aldarion and Erendis," the unique tale from Unfinished Tales, and a preview of the Prancing Pony Podcast’s 10th season plans.

Episode Overview

In this season-opening episode, Alan and Sara set the stage for a 10-episode journey through "Aldarion and Erendis," Tolkien’s only substantial character-driven narrative from the Numenorean era. They guide listeners through the structure and intent of Unfinished Tales, review major themes to expect in the coming weeks, and discuss both personal relationships and the wider historical consequences woven into the tale. As always, the hosts’ rich knowledge is paired with easy humor and Tolkienian asides–plus a few well-timed pop culture references.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. PPP Season 10: Structure and Content

• PPP’s Evolving Cast & Focus
  Sara joins Alan for 10 episodes, to be followed by appearances from James Tauber, Matt ("Nerd of the Rings"), Don Marshall, and possibly a return of Sean Marchese.
• Primary Text:
  Season 10 will focus heavily on Unfinished Tales, beginning with a deep-dive into "Aldarion and Erendis," then covering "Tal-Elmar," "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn," "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields," "The Hunt for the Ring," "The Drúedain," "The Istari," and "The Palantíri."
  • Notable Quote:
    “You and I are going to spend 10 or so episodes working our way through the story of Aldarion and Arendis, beginning today.” (A, 07:16)
• Future Plans:
  Alan outlines a 5-year roadmap:
  • Season 11: The Great Tales of the First Age.
    “Matt’s going to cover the Children of Húrin with me. James...the Fall of Gondolin, and Sara, you and I are gonna be tackling Beren and Lúthien.” (A, 06:36)
  • Seasons 12–13: A slower, two-year walk through The Silmarillion.

2. Introducing Unfinished Tales as a Book

[11:00–18:00]

• Christopher Tolkien’s Editorial Choices:
  • Unfinished Tales consciously diverges from The Silmarillion’s "completed narrative" approach, opting instead to present grouped but non-cohesive stories, sometimes as incomplete annals.

    “…the narratives in this book are indeed on an altogether different footing. Taken together, they constitute no whole…a collection of writings, disparate in form, intent, finish and date of composition...” (B quoting Christopher, 16:02)

  • The value of these fragments is the “voice heard now for the last time of Gandalf teasing Saruman... or describing... how he came to send the dwarves to... Bag End...” (A, 17:09)
• Why Read Unfinished Tales?
  • Even with “imperfections of form,” the “voice” and glimpses into lost ages are treasures for the devoted.
  • Sara: “Honestly, it fills gaps and introduces new things...” (B, 18:31)

3. On “Aldarion and Erendis” Itself

[21:02–28:40]

• Its Uniqueness:
  • The "Mariner’s Wife" is described by Alan as “…a story unique in its content among my father’s writings…” (A, 21:02), and Christopher Tolkien nearly left it out for being so incomplete and requiring significant editorial intervention.
• Editorial Challenges:
  • Tolkien’s work here is a blend of detailed timelines (“annals”) and narrative bursts; Christopher had to edit for flow but claims not to have changed meaning.
• Letter 276 Context:
  • Tolkien himself claimed it "nearly complete" in 1965 but Christopher found it the “least developed.”
• Key Thematic Preview:
  • Pride and Stubbornness:
    Both Aldarion and Erendis display pride and an unwillingness to compromise:

    “The stubbornness of both Aldarion and Erendis. It’s going to be pretty clear that neither character is especially willing to change anything for the sake of the other.” (B, 25:37)

  • Hubris and Communication:
    Their flaws combine into “failure to communicate” à la Cool Hand Luke (A, 26:10).
  • Consequences Beyond the Personal:
    Their marriage’s failure shapes Numenor’s destiny—including gendered succession and imperial expansion.

    “It’s about the choices they made that then had knock on effects.” (B, 28:33)

  • The “Shadow”:
    The narrative also foreshadows the wider shadow creeping over Númenor and its connection to Middle-earth.

4. Textual Deep-Dive: Aldarion’s Family & Early Years

[32:21–53:17]

a) Meneldur, Aldarion’s Father

• Characterization:
  • The classic philosopher-king: wise, gentle, patient, fixated on astronomy ("Meneldur" = “Servant of the Heavens”; also called “Starwatcher”).
  • In stark contrast to his son’s active, restless spirit.

    “He is said to have loved dearly the island, but he didn’t consider the sea much because of his love of the stars...” (B, 39:34)

• Primogeniture & Silmarien:
  • Meneldur was the third child, yet the only son; his elder sister, Silmarien, is ancestress to the kings of Gondor and Arnor, but could not inherit due to agnatic primogeniture.
• A Numenorean Pattern:
  • Hobbies become defining life passions for both father (astronomy) and son (the sea and ships).

b) Almarian & Vëantur (Aldarion’s Mother and Grandfather)

• Almarian, praised mainly for beauty—a nod to Tolkien’s use of medieval literary conventions regarding women’s portrayal.
• Vëantur was the famed captain of the King’s Ships and Aldarion’s primary mentor and influencer—a true catalyst for Aldarion’s passion for the sea.

c) Aldarion’s Traits and Upbringing

• Physical: Tall, strong, vigorous, golden-haired, “ready to mirth and generous, but prouder than his father and ever more bent on his own will.” (A reading, 46:55)
• Character Red Flags:
  • The pride is relative (his father having “none”) but “bent on his own will” worries both hosts:
  • Sara: “It just sounds like a spoiled child to me.” (B, 51:04)
• Sea-Love and Restlessness:
  • Aldarion’s early apprenticeship under Vëantur. By 25, he’s already an accomplished captain.
• First Voyage to Middle-earth:
  • At 25, he journeys with Vëantur to Lindon and Eriador, meets Círdan and Gil-galad.
  • Alan: “What an adventure, huh? ...you could totally understand why he’s not going to turn that down.” (A, 48:56)
• Aftermath:
  • Meneldur senses a change: “His eyes were brighter, but they looked far away.”
  • His true love: not Middle-earth’s lands or peoples, but the sea itself—“That love and desire never left him until his life’s end.” (A reading, 62:35)
    • Sara: “That last sentence carries a lot of weight.” (B, 62:39)

5. Aldarion’s Early Voyages & Founding of the Guild

[73:36–86:54]

• Follow-Up Voyages:
  • Receives his own ship, Númenórean, from Vëantur; embarks on multi-year explorations to the coasts of Middle-earth and returns with ever greater knowledge and ambitions.
  • By age 50, he’s spent 9 out of 14 years away from home.
• Building Infrastructure & Community:
  • Uses knowledge from Círdan to improve Numenor’s shipbuilding and harbors.
  • Founds the “Guild of Venturers”—like an adventurer's club on an epic scale.

    “One ship clearly isn’t enough for Aldarion. He forms this Guild of Venturers, which I love the name. It sounds like a group of people sitting around the table playing D&D. I would absolutely join that group.” (A, 83:46)

• Alienation from His Father:
  • Meneldur grows cold to Aldarion’s voyages, fearing that “he sowed the seeds of restlessness and the desire of other lands to hold.” (A reading, 74:10)
    • Alan: “That is foreboding in a huge way.” (A, 74:13)

6. Narrative Structure & Unanswered Questions

• The “Aldarion and Erendis” tale is a mix of annal entries and full narrative—a unique challenge and texture, per Christopher Tolkien’s introduction.
• Sara’s sharp query: “Why this story?” Why did it survive, and why was it preserved? The answer, Alan suggests, may lie in the pivotal historical alliances it describes and its rippling effects down Númenor’s history.

7. Sociocultural Commentary

• Women in Númenorian Society:
  • Noted pattern in Tolkien: Women often defined by beauty unless they play a central narrative role (e.g., Lúthien, Haleth).

    “There is this tendency to talk about the beauty of the women as being most important rather than their deeds...” (B, 41:47)

  • Parallels drawn with the cultural context of Tolkien’s medieval inspirations.
• The Sea as Mistress:
  • The phrase “become enamored” is repeated—first regarding the lands, later the sea.

    “It actually feels stronger than just that he had loved the great sea; that become enamored of...” (B, 70:53)

  • Alan: “It’s a greater depth and it also suggests almost a little bit of passivity... The sea has done this to him.” (A, 71:05)

8. Major Themes to Watch

• Pride, Stubbornness, Hubris: The twin flaws that doom Aldarion and Erendis—and, by extension, impact generations.
• The Burden of Kingship vs. Individual Longing:
  • Aldarion’s love for the sea is in direct conflict with his duties “as king and father of this isle.” (A, 57:59)
• Consequences Beyond the Personal:
  • Their disputes shape Numenor’s policy, gender succession, and expansion.
  • The text sets up the narrative that personal failings translate into historical tragedy.

9. Listener Q&A: What If the Silmarillion Had Been Published with Lord of the Rings?

[87:24–95:08]

• Sara and Alan agree:
  • While Tolkien always hoped for both works to be published together, it likely would’ve been disastrous for publishing and the genre.
    • Sara: “Oh, no, no. Terrible idea.” (B, 94:16)
  • The difficulty and density of The Silmarillion would have turned off many readers.
  • The separate publication allowed the Lord of the Rings to build the fanbase that would later be “enamored” of the rest—and for fantasy as a genre to flourish.

    “Do I think it would have been better maybe for a very small number of us. I think it would have been worse for the vast—in general.” (A, 91:14/B, 91:17)

Notable Quotes & Lighthearted Moments

• Pop-Culture Parody & Humor
  • Puns, “dad jokes,” and asides about Aldarion being the “class clown.” (A, 49:54)
  • Alan’s musical references—“Sail away, sail away…” (A, 55:11), “...the sea is very much Aldarion’s mistress.” (A, 71:24)
  • Sara on the fate of Aldarion’s mother: “She doesn’t have a great deal of agency within the story.” (B, 41:37)
• On Blame and Complexity
  • “Because we have been kind of hard on Aldarion... trust me, it will become Arendis bashing soon enough.” (A, 79:48)
  • “These are fully three-dimensional characters with so much good and so much like—you just want to throttle them.” (A, 80:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------|-------------------------| | Episode Intro / PPP Purpose & Approach | [02:02–04:01] | | Season 10 & Future PPP Plans | [04:01–09:44] | | Unfinished Tales Overview & Value | [11:00–18:00] | | "Aldarion and Erendis" – Editorial Issues | [21:02–27:18] | | Major Themes Preview for the Tale | [25:17–28:40] | | Introduction to Númenor’s Royal Family | [32:21–46:11] | | Aldarion’s Upbringing and Voyages | [46:54–69:24] | | Guild of Venturers and Estrangement | [73:36–86:54] | | Listener Mail: Silmarillion Publication Q&A | [87:24–95:08] |

Conclusion

Episode Takeaway:
The Prancing Pony Podcast lays the groundwork for a nuanced exploration of “Aldarion and Erendis,” promising listeners both a close reading and big-picture reflection on how a single, ill-starred relationship helped shape the fate of Númenor and its descendants. With characteristic insight and wit, Alan and Sara make clear that even Tolkien’s “uncompleted” tales are essential reading for those eager to understand the heart—and heartbreak—of Middle-earth.

Next Episode Preview:
The journey continues with the long-awaited introduction of Erendis—the “other doofus” whose choices, as Alan and Sara tease, are just as pivotal—and problematic—as Aldarion’s.

End of Summary