The Prancing Pony Podcast

Episode 386: “Got to Get You into My Life”

Release Date: October 19, 2025
Hosts: Alan Sisto (“A”) and Sara Brown (“B”)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Alan and Sara continue their in-depth exploration of the tale of Aldarion and Erendis from Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales. They focus on Aldarion’s open rebellion, the consequences on Numenor’s shipbuilding and forestry, the fraught love story with Erendis, and the colonial impacts of Numenorean expansion in Middle-earth. The conversation weaves together close reading, philological analysis, Tolkien’s environmental themes, and sharp, self-effacing humor—making for an episode rich with insight, memorable quotes, and both laughter and sighs at these famously flawed characters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Philology Fair Returns: Name Origins and Numenorean Festivals

[05:24–13:21]

• Aldarion / Anardil:

  • Anardil (“Friend of the Sun”), with Quenya roots: anar (“sun”) + ndil (“friend” or “lover”).
  • Aldarion likely means “Son of Trees” (aldar = “trees”).
  • Ironic, given Aldarion’s reputation as a shipwright “destroyer of trees.”

    “I’m finding it mildly ironic that he is son of Trees, given what he does to… trees.” – Sara [07:44]

• Erendis:

  • Name possibly from er (“alone”/“one”) + indis (“wife” or “bride”), together suggesting “Lonely Bride.”
  • Reflects her narrative arc, hinting at a somewhat prophetic or on-the-nose naming convention.

• Numenorean High Festivals:

  • Eruquerme (Spring), Eruhantalë (Autumn), Erulaitalë (Mid-year) dissected linguistically.
  • The uniqueness of terms like kirme and hantele, and the special Numenorean Quenya usage.

2. Aldarion’s Rebellion & Meneldur’s Clampdown

[16:05–23:29]

• Context: Aldarion defies his father King Meneldur’s ban on voyages, returning to Numenor after five years to find his powers revoked and all ship-related industries shut down.
• Meneldur’s Response:

  “He takes away his iPhone, his TV, his car, his allowance, you know? Or in Second Age terms, he takes away his authority as Lord of the Ships and shuts down his frat house, Guild House.” – Alan [19:15]

• Reflection on Numenorean Society:
  • Sara points out the roots of future rebellion—Aldarion embodies a breakdown of royal authority that foreshadows Numenor’s fall.
  • King Meneldur’s delayed action against the Venturers’ Guild invites discussion: Could this have been prevented if stopped sooner?

3. Open Conflict & Aldarion’s Drastic Reaction

[23:32–34:42]

• Aldarion’s Defiance: Instead of reconciliation, Aldarion returns to sea in defiance, with a leaner fleet and away from any female well-wishers—Meneldur strictly prohibits the traditional green bough send-off.
• Time Frame:
  • Five years at sea, returns with “nine ships” (two built in Middle-earth, filled with timber).
  • Leaves again almost immediately, this time for 14 years.
• Erendis’ Agency:
  • After ten years, believing Aldarion is lost or gone for good, she seeks leave from court and returns to her family—partly to escape “importuning suitors.”

    “What really caught my eye… was that note, she also left to escape the importuning of suitors. I love that word.” – Sara [31:41]

• Aldarion’s Immaturity

  “He’s 143 years old going on 13.” – Sara [63:29]

  • Both hosts emphasize the childish behaviors on both sides—his avoidance, her unwavering love for an absent man.

4. Maritime Trouble, Deforestation, and the Plundered Port

[38:52–56:26]

• Aldarion’s Fateful Voyage:
  • Fourteen years abroad, battered by storms, losing his newly founded harbor of Vinyalonde (“New Haven”), which is destroyed and plundered (“by hostile men”).
  • Repeated “contrary winds”—the Valar’s protection waning as a portent.
• Colonialism and Deforestation:
  • Deep analysis of Appendix D from “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn”:
    • Aldarion’s “hunger for timber,” his colonial ambition, and the transformation of Numenor’s role from exploration to imperialism.

    “Hunger. Think about it—this is a devouring, consuming kind of desire.” – Sara [45:27]

    • The native peoples of Enedwaith and Minhiriath are displaced; their lands “denuded,” forests razed to supply Numenorean shipbuilding.

    “The devastation wrought by the Numenoreans was incalculable… The Gwathlo flowed through a land… a desert, treeless but untilled.” – Alan [54:42]

  • Environmental Themes: Echoes of Tolkien’s personal love for trees; Numenor cast as both gift and warning regarding power and environmental stewardship.

5. The Broken Love Story: Aldarion & Erendis’ Impasse

[61:39–116:20]

• Reunion: After decades, Aldarion finally rides out, sees Erendis (mistakes her briefly for an Elf).

  “He took her for one of the Eldar who came at times to those parts of the island. But she approached, and he knew her for Erendis, and saw that the jewel was the one that he had given her.” [73:19]

  • He is finally “chastened,” apologizes sincerely and asks forgiveness.
• Erendis’ Caution:
  • She hesitates for the first time—her love “not lessened,” but experience has bred deep mistrust:

    “She feared now in her heart that in the war between herself and the sea, for the keeping of Aldarion, she would not conquer.” [73:19]

• Aldarion’s Most Contented Days:
  • For a brief period, he gives up his shipyard work, focuses on planting trees; only in later years does he realize these were his happiest.

    “He found more contentment in those days than in any others of his life, though he did not know it until he looked back long after, when old age was upon him.” [86:29] “Oh, that just—I mean, look, we should know contentment in the moment…It’s so sad to me that it takes Aldarion decades…before he realizes that was the time in my life I was most content.” – Alan [87:16]

• Major Communication Breakdown:
  • Erendis finally consents to a ship journey when Aldarion proposes it for a celebration, but conceals her distaste and fear—already setting a pattern of withheld communication.

    “Communication, communication. What we have here is a failure to communicate.” – Sara [91:53]

  • Later, in nearly comical fashion, neither truly listens to the other; both are stuck in pride and expectation.
• Shot–Countershot: The Argument in Emerië
  [98:58–115:11]
  • She asks Aldarion to see her home country, demonstrating how little he knows of his own land.
  • She refuses to “share” him with Uinen (the Sea), and he retorts rather unconvincingly:

    “Name any tree you love and it shall stand till it dies,”
    “I love all that grow in this isle.”

  • Sara calls this exchange “check and mate,” pointing out the classic non-communication, escalation, and failure of compromise.
• Hosts’ Take:
  • Both Aldarion and Erendis are deeply flawed, lacking self-knowledge and maturity.

    “There are moments of good in Aldarion and moments of good in Erendis. There are moments of foolishness in both of them.” – Alan [84:27]

6. Reflections on Duty, Desire, and the Shadow on Numenor

[117:12–123:30]

• Barliman’s Question: How does Aldarion’s love for the sea conflict with his responsibilities to Numenor and his relationship with Erendis? What does this suggest about duty versus personal desire?
  • Sara: Aldarion’s rebellion undermines the monarchy and sets a precedent for the eventual Shadow; his actions model defiance not only to his father, but to the divinely appointed authority.
  • Alan: His love is not the issue; it’s his unwillingness to balance desire with responsibility, both in his public role and private relationships.

    “It’s not that loving the sea is a bad thing. You could love the sea and be perfectly fine as a king if you remember that your duty requires you to pay attention to the land.” – Alan [117:39]

  • Both agree: neither Aldarion nor Erendis fulfill the obligations of emotional maturity or honest partnership.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You’re the lord of the ships and the havens and you do this. …There are consequences for your behavior, son.” – Sara [19:44]
• “Aliens: the ones who got the Land of Gift because they were the special ones. But with this, Tolkien is telling us that this is now the mindset of the people of Numenor.” – Sara [55:38]
• “Aldarion is totally the kind of person who would break up over text… Oh, you’re not wrong. He’d ghost and block.” – Alan & Sara [65:37]
• “Her heart has been won…she wants him and nobody else. And we’ve got to deal with that fact.” – Alan [33:11]
• “Check and mate.” – Alan [100:35], after Erendis’ devastating response to Aldarion’s empty promise.
• “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” – Alan [91:56] (paraphrasing Cool Hand Luke)
• “Defeat the sea utterly, or else be utterly defeated.” – [79:20] (key insight into Erendis’s worldview)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Philology Fair: Names & Festivals: [05:24–13:21]
• Aldarion’s Open Rebellion: [16:05–23:29]
• Erendis Leaves Numenor: [28:08–34:42]
• Deforestation & Colonialism Deep Dive: [42:05–56:26]
• Aldarion’s Return, Apology, and the Brief Contentment: [61:39–87:16]
• Failed Engagement: Argument in Emerië: [98:58–115:11]
• Barliman’s Mailbag – Duty vs. Desire: [117:12–123:30]

Episode Tone & Style

• Knowledgeable, informal; full of puns, gentle ribbing, and pop-culture references (e.g., “Ghosting and blocking,” “Tar-Red Flag”)
• Honest engagement with the difficult personalities of the protagonists—empathy mixed with frequent exasperation (“He is 143 going on 13”)
• Strong historical and philological grounding
• Aimed at Tolkien deep-divers but accessible thanks to vivid explanations, humor, and pop-psych analysis

Conclusion

This episode delivers an incisive, often hilarious, but ultimately tragic look at Aldarion and Erendis, balancing textual close reading, linguistic insight, and environmental commentary. Alan and Sara dig beneath the surface of one of Tolkien’s most psychologically nuanced tales, revealing how pride, poor communication, and the inability to reconcile duty with desire lead to both personal and societal downfall in Numenor.

Come back next time for more heartbreak, more hard lessons, and the next stage in this legendary (if frustrating) courtship.

“There are moments of good in Aldarion and moments of good in Erendis. There are moments of foolishness in both of them.” – Alan [84:27]