The Prancing Pony Podcast
Episode 395 – "Yesterday"
Release Date: January 11, 2026
Hosts: Alan Sisto (A), Sara Brown (B)
Episode Overview
This episode of The Prancing Pony Podcast concludes the co-hosting season with Tolkien scholar Sara Brown, as she and Alan embark on the final leg of the famously tragic tale of Aldarion and Erendis from Unfinished Tales. Together, they dig deep into themes of love, marriage, power, and decline in Númenor, exploring Tolkien’s inspirations, the nuances of his unfinished storytelling, and the generational trauma embedded in his characters. Their blend of scholarship and self-deprecating humor lightens the atmosphere of what they agree is one of Tolkien’s most "human" stories.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Why Return to Aldarion and Erendis?
Timestamps: [03:55] – [06:21]
- Sara explains her passion for this story:
"It offers a fresh lens on Tolkien's world... highlighting the emotional and social complexities under the surface of the legendarium." — B [05:10]
- They discuss how the tale subverts romantic tropes, delving into the honest, sometimes messy reality of marriage and failure in Middle-earth.
2. Medieval Inspirations and Subversions
Timestamps: [06:24] – [09:22]
- Sara connects Tolkien’s academic background to the tone and structure of the tale:
"In medieval literature... love was often idealized, but it could also be complicated by social rules and personal sacrifice... Tolkien was drawing on these ideas, but he gave them a more realistic twist." — B [08:07]
- Alan and Sara agree that this story’s depth comes from blending timeless themes of sacrifice and loss with distinctly modern sensibilities.
3. Narrative Structure and Red Flags
Timestamps: [09:42] – [10:29]
- Sara reflects on how, during this season's close reading, she became more attuned to the "red flags" in Aldarion and Erendis’ relationship even before their marriage:
"It's not so much that I learned it, it's more that I noticed it more. And that's the amount of red flags there are before the marriage." — B [09:42]
4. On Not Changing the Tale
Timestamps: [10:34] – [11:36]
- When asked what she would change, Sara asserts:
"I don't want to change anything because there's a point that [Tolkien's] making in this story... The only thing I would love is if he had actually finished it." — B [11:11]
- Alan agrees, lamenting the lack of a completed Second Age narrative.
5. The "Shadow of the Shadow" and Decline of Númenor
Timestamps: [12:21] – [14:28]
- The hosts revisit the idea that this tale is the first domino in Númenor’s decline:
"History... is a series of dominoes. They're all lined up, and you tip one and they all tip over... Here is Tolkien saying, this is the first domino." — B [14:11]
6. Changing the Law of Succession
Timestamps: [14:42] – [24:43]
- Alan and Sara analyze Aldarion’s change to Númenor’s succession law, not as a gesture of reform, but as a personal vendetta against Erendis:
"Even if we could agree that it would be more just to allow the eldest child to become king or queen regardless of their sex. The reason for this is just petty. It's manipulative. It's short sighted, really, isn't it?" — A [19:42]
- They dissect various versions of the law spanning absolute, agnatic, and cognatic primogeniture, noting the confusion and implications of these changes.
"You could probably infer that there was a little bit of backlash from some of the members of the Council because he's overturning many, many hundreds of years of tradition." — B [18:49]
- Sara’s sarcasm shines:
"It's really hard for me to say something like male preference primogeniture without my lip curling." — B [29:00]
7. Ancalimë: The Princess Shepherdess and the Burden of Heirship
Timestamps: [38:02] – [57:06]
- Ancalimë is thrust into the role of heir at only 19—decades before typical royal custom—and becomes known as “Emerwen Aranel,” the Princess Shepherdess.
- Sara and Alan discuss her avoidance of suitors, her calculated independence, and her eventual encounter with Halcar:
"And this time Arendus attempted some reconciliation with [Aldarion], at least in respect of Ancalime. But Aldarion was unmoved, declaring that the king had no wife, but that he had a daughter and an heir..." — B [39:05]
- On Ancalimë’s suitors:
"Is this like a bunch — that is so weird to me. Like, ooh, high maintenance. I want, I want that. What is this—a ‘I can fix her’ sort of thing?" — A [43:29]
8. Marriage to Halcar: Spite and Deceit
Timestamps: [57:06] – [61:08]
- Three different versions are recounted for why Ancalimë marries Halcar, all tinged with manipulation or spite rather than love.
- Sara opines on their "meet cute":
"It's not an ideal start to a relationship beginning with deceit." — B [53:45]
9. A Bitter Household, Generational Trauma, and Cycles of Vindictiveness
Timestamps: [63:16] – [84:28]
- Ancalimë’s marriage is described as loveless and cold. She begrudges both her husband and her son, enacts cruel restrictions on her household, and is ultimately outmaneuvered and mocked by Halcar in a moment of revenge.
"Not only does she not want love, and I can understand that because she never saw it modeled for her... she doesn't even want a son." — A [66:17]
- Sara pinpoints the tragedy:
"This is why we talk about generational trauma." — B [68:00]
- Halcar’s final act of spite—a group wedding for Ancalimë’s handmaidens—leads to her humiliation and deepens her isolation.
"What the text says is, and this is so sad, 'the last tale that is recorded of those unhappy things.'" — B [73:12]
10. Erendis’ Tragic End and the Unraveling of the Royal Household
Timestamps: [85:40] – [109:18]
- The closing years of Aldarion and Ancalimë’s reigns are summarized. After Aldarion’s death, Ancalimë neglects all her father’s policies, ending Númenor’s aid to Lindon for centuries.
- Ancalimë’s cruelty persists into her old age, as she forbids her granddaughters to marry, compounding the generational trauma.
- The final fate of Erendis haunts the discussion:
"Only the words 'Erendis perished in water in the year 985' remain to suggest how it came to pass." — A [87:17]
- Alan’s reading:
"The sea wins, ultimately, because she perished in water. I'm guessing she didn't drown in the bath." — A [108:37]
11. Reflections on Gender and Power
Timestamps: [109:31] – [111:39]
- Listener mail raises the question of whether reforming the succession law was a "right change, wrong time," given Aldarion’s dubious motives and the disasters that follow.
"[Changing the law] now seems to have led to some very unfortunate circumstances. Is this an example of right change, wrong time? Especially given Aldarion's motivations..." — William H., Listener Question [109:47]
- Sara reflects on the pattern of Númenor’s queens:
"There are a lot of bad kings. But there is not one queen that we're given that is a good queen. Apart from, as you say, Miriel..." — B [111:12]
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On Aldarion’s change to succession law:
"This is not Aldarion, is not a feminist deciding that women should be, you know, be able to ascend to the throne." — A [110:38]
- On the domino effect of Númenor’s decline:
"Here is Tolkien saying, this is the first domino." — B [14:28]
- On Ancalimë’s coldness:
"She is the product of two really not good parents. They're both bad parents in their own way... and here she is now, just an object of mockery." — B [66:07]
- Halcar’s parting shot:
"The weddings are prepared and the bride chambers ready. But since it cannot be thought that we should ask the lady Ancalime, king's heir, to lie with a farm steward, then, alas, she must sleep alone to night." — A (quoting text) [65:10]
- On unfinished tales & Tolkien’s detail:
"He's so good at this stuff. He's great at characterisation. He also—he can weave a story... and this is why my heart is broken that this story is not finished." — B [78:22]
Important Segment Timestamps
- Sara’s explanation for returning to this tale: [04:11]
- Medieval source inspirations: [06:45]
- Legal wrangling over succession: [17:03] – [29:29]
- Ancalimë as “Princess Shepherdess”: [38:02]
- The suitors and “Emerwen Aranel”: [43:48]
- Marriage to Halcar ("Mamandil") and not-so-romantic courtship: [51:56] – [57:06]
- Breakdown of Ancalimë’s own household and Halcar’s revenge: [63:16] – [84:28]
- Erendis' ending and the final years of the dynastic cycle: [85:40] – [109:18]
- Listener Q&A on succession and female rulers: [109:31]
Tone, Style, and Humor
Alan and Sara’s conversation is intellectually rich but welcoming, laced with Tolkienian wordplay, puns, sly self-mockery, and sideways pop culture references (such as Steely Dan, “fixer-upper” courtships, and “hold my beer” jokes). While the subject matter is tragic, both balance gravity with warmth and playfulness, modeling the feel of friends chatting Tolkien in a cozy pub—an intentional PPP hallmark.
Conclusion
Episode 395 delivers a thorough, thoughtful exploration of the tragic saga of Aldarion and Erendis and their unhappy legacy in Númenor. The hosts’ rigorous analysis and accessible, bantering style bring out both the scholarly depth and emotional resonance of one of Tolkien’s least heroic stories. Topics of love, power, and decline blend with contemporary reflections on gender, trauma, and agency—always rooted in Tolkien’s words but never losing touch with lived human experience.
Fans of Tolkien’s deeper cuts or anyone curious about the undercurrents of Middle-earth legendarium will find themselves both enlightened and, inevitably, a little heartbroken.
For further reading/listening:
- "Unfinished Tales" (especially "Aldarion and Erendis")
- Appendix A (Lord of the Rings)
- [Previous PPP episodes on Aldarion and Erendis]
End of summary.