The Prancing Pony Podcast

Episode 390 – Hello, Goodbye (Released: Nov 16, 2025)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode continues the Prancing Pony Podcast’s in-depth read-through of the story "Aldarion and Erendis" from Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales, focusing on the devastating effects of neglect, pride, and generational trauma within Middle-earth's only full-length marital tragedy. Regular host Alan Sisto and co-host Sara Brown (“the shield maiden of Rohan”) dive into some of the story’s most emotionally charged passages, with sharp literary insights and their signature blend of humor and candor. The episode features a special segment with soundscape creator Jordan Reynnells, bringing immersive “movies for your ears”-style adaptations of Tolkien’s legendarium to life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Special Guest: Jordan Reynnells & Middle-earth Soundscapes

• [06:15–20:49]
  • Jordan describes his process of building detailed soundscapes (“a movie in your ears”) for Tolkien’s works, using original scores, sound effects, and 3D audio. He has completed The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and is expanding into other fantasy series.
  • He explains that each book required new creative and technical approaches: LotR was about inventing the process; The Hobbit emphasized up-close, textured sound; The Silmarillion called for grand, distant atmospherics and more score-driven immersion.
  • Quotes:

    “Every chapter, it was a journey of ‘wouldn’t it be cool if I did this?’ Wouldn’t it be interesting to see what these environments sound like and as much detail as I can get?” – Jordan ([09:35])

    “[The soundscape is] almost like an audio version of the story that you can go through... a full movie in your ears experience.” – Jordan ([06:43], [08:36])

  • Alan and Sara do live readings from The Silmarillion with Jordan’s immersive sound backing ([14:51–17:59]).
  • Jordan mentions upcoming projects (Wheel of Time, Foundation, Dune), collaborations, and offers a discount for listeners on his website.

2. Aldarion and Erendis: Isolation & Estrangement

Ancalime’s Isolation

• [21:13–24:23]

  • Sara and Alan discuss Ancalime’s seclusion: at age seven she has never met a boy and likely no children at all, reflecting Erendis’s effort to keep her daughter isolated from male influence.

  • Notable moment:

    “She’s seven... having never seen a boy until today.” – Alan ([23:35])

    “What noisy thing was that?... It does certainly imply she’s literally never encountered a boy.” – Alan ([27:34])

  • Sara highlights the risk of generational trauma in such solitude and how Ancalime is learning avoidance, emotional censorship, and division at an early age.

Gender Roles & Upbringing

• [30:40–31:14]
  • Zamin, the country woman, provides a telling definition of a boy as “a breaker and eater, mostly,” with Alan and Sara reflecting on gendered upbringing and expectations in Numenor.

The Absent Father

• [31:56–41:10]

  • The co-hosts dissect the impact of Aldarion's lengthy absences on his daughter’s psyche, and Erendis's damage—her emotional detachment, bitterness, and conditional love.

  • Quotes:

    “Hurt people hurt people... that's what we're seeing here, is generational trauma.” – Alan ([44:28])

    “A masterclass of manipulation... You have a mother and she will not run away so long as you love her.” – Sara ([42:31])

  • Discussion of Arendis’s difficult position, her reasons (rightly or wrongly) for never discussing Aldarion with her child, and the ominous emotional legacy passed to Ancalime.

3. Aldarion’s Return: Coldness & Missed Redemption

The Homecoming

• [52:04–55:02]
  • Aldarion finally returns after three (really five) years, to a shut house, a cold welcome, and justified resentment from Erendis and even his father, King Meneldur.
  • The king confronts Aldarion:

    “Let a king first rule well his own house ere he correct others. It is true of all men. ...You have also a life of your own. Half of yourself you have ever neglected... Go home.” – Meneldur ([73:13])

Emotional Stalemate

• [81:24–84:20]
  • Alan and Sara analyze the emotionally frozen interactions as Aldarion visits Erendis. Each keeps walls up, both too proud and wounded to reach out sincerely.
  • Quotes:

    “The sensitive man here would have got off the horse and said, I am so sorry. But he’s never going to do that, is he?” – Sara ([87:46])

  • Erendis offers only cold civility: “If you are cold, call for fire.” Aldarion responds with distance and third-person references to himself; reconciliation is impossible.

4. The Daughter as Battleground

• [114:52–117:09]
  • Finally, Aldarion asks to see Ancalime, awakening her to a formal, public encounter. The child is cold and unresponsive, aping her mother’s bearing. Aldarion, rather than bridging the gulf, speaks as though to a stranger—emphasizing lineage, inheritance, and implicitly, property.
  • Quotes:

    "You knew me once, Lady Ancalime, but no matter. Today I am but a messenger from Armenelos to remind you that you are the daughter of the king's heir..." ([116:00])

  • Both parents use the child as a pawn; neither claims her as “our daughter,” deepening the generational wound.

5. Reflections on Character Damage and Tolkien’s Storytelling

• The hosts repeatedly reflect on how the story’s tragedy lies not just in Aldarion and Erendis’s failings, but in the inescapable harm done to Ancalime—Tolkien’s “generational trauma” theme.
• Both hosts praise Tolkien’s mastery:

  “These characters are fantastically awful... Tolkien can write a story!” – Alan ([127:41])

• Both express personal emotion, relating childhood experiences or parental perspectives.

6. Listener Question: Is Aldarion & Erendis Based on Tolkien’s Marriage?

• [137:01–141:59]
  • Listener Jerry asks if this story parallels Tolkien’s own marriage (Edith feeling isolated from his academic life).
  • Hosts reject a strict parallel but acknowledge elements of “leaf mold”—Tolkien’s life seeping unconsciously into his work. They note Oxford’s shifting social climate and the possible inspiration from observing other “divided” marriages.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Alan, on generational trauma:

  “Hurt people hurt people... that’s what we’re seeing here.” – [44:28]

• Sara, on Arendis:

  “It’s a shame that a 7-year-old has to be that way, that cautious, that careful.” – [42:14]

• Jordan Reynnells, on soundscape making:

  “Every chapter, it was a journey of ‘wouldn’t it be cool if I did this?’ ... What are the sound effects that those characters would hear?” – [09:35]

• Meneldur to Aldarion:

  “Let a king first rule well his own house ere he correct others. It is true of all men.” – [73:13]

• Sara, on the parents’ emotional failings:

  “Here you have two adults playing tennis, and Ancalime is the ball. There’s just nothing worse a parent can do.” – [128:07]

• Alan, on Tolkien’s writing:

  “Tolkien can write a story! ... These characters are fantastically awful.” – [127:41]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------|---------------| | Soundscape Interview Begins | 06:15 | | Book Readings with Soundscapes | 14:51–17:59 | | Aldarion Returns to Numenor | 52:04–55:02 | | Homecoming & Cold Reception | 81:24–84:20 | | Ancalime Sees Her Father (Heartbreak) | 114:52–117:09 | | Listener Mail: Autobiographical Parallels | 137:01–141:59 |

Tone & Language Highlights

• Casual, witty, direct ("If I could reach through the page and slap this man silly…” – Sara, [55:15])
• Mix of literary acuity and pub banter, with self-effacing humor and pointed cultural references (e.g., “He shouldn’t have made like Enya and sailed away…” – Sara, [134:39])
• The hosts are frank about the ugliness of the story—neither defending nor unduly villainizing, but always eager to dig beneath the surface
• Here and there, Alan reflects on his own upbringing/divorce as the “Ancalime” in a similar real-life triangle

Conclusion

Episode 390 brilliantly continues the methodical and empathetic unpacking of "Aldarion and Erendis"—arguably Tolkien’s rawest, most human story—balancing textual analysis, lively performance, and emotional response. The PPP team makes clear how Tolkien masterfully weaves personal, cultural, and universal patterns of hurt, pride, love, and loss into an epic that is far more than Middle-earth legendarium—it is literary tragedy, rendered in all its heart-wrenching detail.

Listeners—seasoned Tolkien fans and newcomers alike—come away with a deeper understanding of the text, its real-world echoes, and its ongoing relevance.