In the second of three episodes on Book I, Chapter 2, “The Shadow of the Past”, Gandalf gives Frodo a brief history of the Rings of Power and the tragic tale of how the One Ring came to Sméagol, better known as Gollum. But Frodo finds some parts of the story hard to swallow, especially the one that wanders around making a gurgling sound in its throat. We answer a question about Middle-earth’s walking dead just in time for Halloween, talk with Shaun Gunner of the Tolkien Society about Oxonmoot, Tolkien 2019, and reveal a big announcement about the PPP!
Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) The Silmarillion (Mariner Books, paperback)
01:06:58 Was Gollum’s grandmother a matriarch? Letter 214 explores this point. I should say that it shows the influence of Bachofen’s “original matriarchy”. (As do, for example, the works of Jordan Peterson :-(( )
“It is likely enough that, in the recessive and decadent Stoor-country of Wilderland, the womenfolk (as is often to be observed in such conditions) tended to preserve better the physical and mental
character of the past, and so became of special importance. But it is not (I think) to be supposed that any fundamental change in their marriage-customs had taken place, or any sort of matriarchal or
polyandrous society developed (even though this might explain the absence of any reference whatever to Sméagol-Gollum’s father).”
Bachofen’s theory (an influence on Jung) was that human society was originally matriarchal; but as such was primitive and disorganised. Tolkien is saying that the Wilderland Stoors had regressed, but not that far.