Tolkien Gleanings #324

* The latest Christianity & Literature journal reviews the book Theology and Tolkien: Practical Theology ($ partial paywall, ‘first page free’).

* An online course, “Reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings with Professor Michael D.C. Drout”, August-November 2025. It started a week ago, but it’s also $400… so I’m guessing you might get a seat if you nip in quickly and wildly wave the cash?

* Now freely available online, Good Thoughts on Folklore and Mythology, Vol. 1: Folklore and Vol. 2: Mythology. Together, these new books offer a huge “Festschrift in Honour of Terry Gunnell”, Professor of Folkloristics at the University of Iceland. Vol. 1 includes “Why Folklorists Should Read Saints’ Lives” and Vol. 2 includes “A Dragon Is No Idle Fancy: Loki’s Spawn and Thor’s Bane”, among many others.

* Forthcoming before Christmas, Wardrobes and Rings: Through Lenten Lands with the Inklings. Being a short help-book for Christians during Lent, presenting snippets drawn from the writings of the Inklings and their wider circles.

* An Italian podcast series is reading Tolkien’s letters in order, and doing so in Italian translation. Congratulations to the maker, as the podcast has now reached Lettere 40. Freely available online.

* Here in the UK, Stonyhurst College offers public days dedicated to “The Shire, Sherlock & Shakespeare at Stonyhurst”, with small exhibitions and in-person guided tours. Set for 22nd–23rd August 2025.

* And finally, a new map of Beleriand from the First Age, made by Starcave on DeviantArt. There’s a free printable version without watermark. Also a version without the labels.