Best Samwise Podcasts (2025)

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Samwise Gamgee is EVEN BETTER in the Books 16:00

Play Pause

39m ago16:00

16:00

So yesterday I talked about Boromir being the most relatable character in the whole of the fellowship because of his flaws…I take that back. I think Sam isBy Jonathan Minnema

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The Beginning of the Two Towers is a MASTERCLASS in how to start a story 14:40

11h ago14:40

14:40

If you’ve read The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien, you know that this book starts off guns a blazing. It is drastically different from it’s film adaptation in that Boromir dies at the beginning of this book rather than at the end of the Fellowship. And the whole Company is in chaos at the end of the last book rather than the movie has, where there’s cha…

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Why you should read the Fellowship of the Ring 17:13

2h ago17:13

17:13

Having just finished reading Lord of the Rings for the first time and publishing over 10 hours of video essays on the work, I think I am not a certified expert in this text…I am just kidding, please don’t come after me. But I do think I have something to offer to people who have yet to read this book. And for those of you who have, you just get to …

1
Who is the greatest writer of all time? 16:44

16m ago16:44

16:44

Who is the greatest writer of all time. It’s an impossible question…why would I even ask it…no one can answer that one in any kind of objective way…well Im gunna do just that.By Jonathan Minnema

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Is the Fellowship of the Ring a better movie than book? 32:56

20m ago32:56

32:56

So I just finished reading the Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the Ring for the first time in my life. And it was incredible. I will dote on it this essay. And so I did the only rational thing you do after you read an incredible book like that, I rewatched the movie…for maybe the 50th time in my life.…

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Bonus: The Elder Scrolls & Philosophy - Course Introduction 12:02

4d ago12:02

12:02

This is the introductory video for my course on The Elder Scrolls and Philosophy, which begins the week of 10/19. To enroll, purchase the course through the Mythic Mind Patreon shop or become a Tier 3 patron at patreon.com/mythicmind I hope to see you there! Watch the video for this presentation at https://youtu.be/neE-gRysI0U…

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The Two Towers: Bk 4 - Ch 7-9 1:53:37

1h ago1:53:37

1:53:37

Jon, Danny, and Lizzy talk about the incredible ending of book 4, and the one point where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis shed a tear over.By Jenn, Jon, Lizzy, Danny

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Did the Fellowship Fail Boromir? (YES...and no) 25:18

22h ago25:18

25:18

Did the fellowship fail Boromir? It’s a question someone asked in a comment a few videos ago and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head for the last few days. I think the answer is no…but also yes…absolutely yes.By Jonathan Minnema

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How Aragorn being "erect" makes Tolkien an absolute MASTER of the English Language... 9:28

7d ago9:28

9:28

Alright. So this is the weirdest, but the absolute funniest moment in the entirety of the Fellowship of the Ring. And what might sound like the start to a really immature essay on the Aragorn son of Arathorn, the well endowed, is actually going to really be about the mastery of Tolkien’s language…but give me a little bit of time to get there.…

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Three WILD EVENTS that happened on the River in Fellowship of the Ring 14:23

8d ago14:23

14:23

It took them 10 days to get from Lothlorien to the waterfall Tol Brandir. It’s a full chapter in the books and in the 10 days there is a whole heap of stuff that happens that…from Legolas seeing an Eagle hunting an eagle…which feels weirdly prophetic…to Sam being deeply uncomfortable in the boats. But I want to talk about three things that really c…

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I just want to talk about Galadriel giving Gimli three hairs from her golden head... 14:12

4d ago14:12

14:12

I just feel, even though I have barely scratched the surface of the legendarium, that Galadriel and Gimli are doing something here VITALLY more important that I know or understand.By Jonathan Minnema

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The Gifts of Galadriel are SO INCREDIBLE in the Books... 15:48

5d ago15:48

15:48

Rope…you’re telling me that we go from the books, where Galadriel gives Sam Gamgee maybe the coolest gift known to Middle Earth, and all we get in the movies is that sam got rope? ROPE?By Jonathan Minnema

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13 - Final Fantasy I, II, and III 1:05:39

10d ago1:05:39

1:05:39

I am joined by patrons David and Micah to discuss Final Fantasy I, II, and III. Watch the video for this episode here: https://youtu.be/jdX_JULD2aQ Become a patron and/or enroll in a course at patreon.com/mythicmind Provide a one-time tip at https://buymeacoffee.com/andrewnsnyder Listen to all THREE Mythic Mind podcasts: Mythic Mind Mythic Mind Gam…

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This is the Reason why Tolkien "intensely disliked" Dune 15:29

9d ago15:29

15:29

I’m going to start this video off with a very very hot take. Since the Lord of the Rings films came out, in the early 2000s, there hasn’t been another movie that handles the storytelling of a fantasy or sci fi book, or has the beautiful visuals in the same way that the Dune series does.By Jonathan Minnema

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The Mirror of Galadriel is so BIZARRE to me... 20:41

7d ago20:41

20:41

I have to say, for maybe the first time in this entire series I am confused. I just don’t know what really happened at the Mirror of Galadriel. Maybe I’m over-analyising it and it’s really much simpler than I’m making it out to be, or maybe it’s way more complicated and I need to have a better understanding of language in order to do it. But there …

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What did Galadriel offer each member of the fellowship? 14:10

11d ago14:10

14:10

There is this weird section in the FOTR when the Company meets Galadriel. And Galadriel looks into each of their eyes almost simultaneously, and seems to offer them something.By Jonathan Minnema

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This is the most BEAUTIFUL moment in the Fellowship of the Ring 9:34

9d ago9:34

9:34

Oh. My. Goodness. The words of Galadriel disarmed me, I cannot imagine what they did for Gimli.By Jonathan Minnema

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The Genius of Tolkien is FULLY Displayed in Lothlorien 18:38

10d ago18:38

18:38

If there is one thing that I’ve learned about Tolkien from my first read of Lord of the Rings, besides the fact that lots of people have very strong opinions about Tom Bombadil, is that he didn’t want anyone allegorizing his work.By Jonathan Minnema

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The Most Mysterious and Important Character of JRR Tolkien... (It's not Tom Bombadil) 7:07

16d ago7:07

7:07

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is filled with grand figures: mighty wizards like Gandalf whose wisdom and knowledge of Middle Earth is utterly priceless and vital for the fellowship, noble kings like Aragorn, who in the movies is more reluctant to take that role, but in the books, is ready to become king, and ancient evils like the evil of …

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The 13 INSANE changes from book to movie in the Bridge of Khazad Dum 18:33

17d ago18:33

18:33

The Bridge of Kazad Dum is the most action packed chapter I have ever read in my life. I read this chapter in a plane, and the woman next to me, who was reading smut on her kindle…no shame…actually looked over to me to see if I was okay. When my jaw kept dropping and I kept taking sharp intakes of air because of how nuts this chapter was, so looked…

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The saddest story in Middle Earth 20:39

13d ago20:39

20:39

Okay. So this essay was originally something I was doing just on my own time. And it was so fun that I decided to start writing it down…and it became this. What I want to do is to take the little book that they found next to Balin's tomb that was kind of hard to read and had words covered over with blood and guts. And I want to just process out lou…

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I understand these FOUR characters so much better now... 13:23

14d ago13:23

13:23

I feel like I found another fun tidbit of Tolkien's writing in the middle of Fellowship of the Ring. Fire. Now fire is a common theme I think in the writing of Tolkien because it’s essential for survival and morale.By Jonathan Minnema

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This chapter from Tolkien is a MASTERCLASS in Horror writing... 15:56

20d ago15:56

15:56

I have been writing this essay for 2 days! And I’ve FINALLY figured it out. I could not figure out why this chapter was so captivating to me. I wrote about how I thought it was the most action packed chapter in the whole story. I wrote about the tales of Moria. I wrote about the characters and their own personal journeys through this chapter, but I…

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Why does everyone in Middle Earth fear Moria? 14:48

16d ago14:48

14:48

I already fear this is going to be a weird essay because I’m going to do some live processing in this one. I don’t really know what I think or feel on this subject yet and have never really thought about it all that much, but this chapter just seemed to spark something in my mind that I found pretty interesting. So bear with me.…

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The moment that Tolkien made me cry so badly I couldn't keep reading 19:11

17d ago19:11

19:11

So it finally happened. I shed a tear while reading. Now, I have welled up and teared up before while thinking about certain sections of this book.By Jonathan Minnema

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My Real Life Caradhras Moment 11:25

18d ago11:25

11:25

That scene in the book when they are climbing Caradhras…phew. That is actually terrifying. And today the video is going to be a bit different than the typical book analysis. Because I had a moment happen to me that was eerily similar, and I want to tell that story.By Jonathan Minnema

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THIS was the moment where the movie TOTALLY changed the book 16:44

19d ago16:44

16:44

There is a moment in most book to movie adaptations where the people who read the book just throw up their hands and communally yell, “Come on! That’s totally not how it is in the book.” It drives us MAD to see these moments—especially after falling in love with a book series.By Jonathan Minnema

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12 - Final Fantasy 1:02:54

24d ago1:02:54

1:02:54

I am joined by patrons David and Micah for a general discussion of Final Fantasy, including our experience with the series, its major themes, why it has such staying power, and more. Next time we will begin working our way through particular games. Watch the video for this episode here: https://youtu.be/mXSP_TWbMdA Become a patron and/or enroll in …

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The Two Towers: Bk 4 - Ch 4-6 1:23:31

20d ago1:23:31

1:23:31

Jon, Jenn, Danny, and Lizzy talk over what makes these chapters so good and why Faramir is the BEST in the books.By Jon, Lizzy, Jenn, Danny

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11 - Mass Effect 3 1:47:47

1M ago1:47:47

1:47:47

Join Andrew Snyder, David Rutledge, Kit Callis, Ian Miller, and special guests Megan Maldonado and Michael Kane for our discussion of Mass Effect 3! Watch the video for this episode here: https://youtu.be/mFuOGnRpbX4 Become a patron and/or enroll in a course at patreon.com/mythicmind Provide a one-time tip at https://buymeacoffee.com/andrewnsnyder …

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10 - The Value of Video Games 1:31:42

2M ago1:31:42

1:31:42

Today I am joined by Master Samwise and Josh Traylor to discuss the potential value of video games, as well as some of our favorite titles. Note: I said that this conversation was originally part of Mythic Mind episode 80, but it was actually 78. Subscribe to Sam's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@master_samwise Become a patron and/or en…

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The Fellowship is TOTALLY different in the book... 13:27

2M ago13:27

13:27

In The Lord of the Rings film adaptation, the fellowship is very unbalanced. It’s essentially Aragorn doing all the work, and Sam is the real hero, but I have to say, as I am reading through Lord of the Rings for the first time, I am astounded at the beauty of the fellowship and how they rely on each other. It is VASTLY different from the book comp…

1
We need to talk about Saruman 17:10

2M ago17:10

17:10

We need to have a long talk about Saruman. That’s it. That’s the whole intro. Because I don’t even know where to go with this because he is so vastly different in the book and the details that you get for what he is wearing and what his mentality is in the tale that Gandalf told of his imprisonment at Orthanc is so strange. I just flat out don’t kn…

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Elrond is Lying in the Movies 10:38

2M ago10:38

10:38

In the Fellowship of the Ring, when Elrond says, “you’ve been summoned here to answer…” He’s lying. And it’s actually the coolest part of the whole Council of Elrond section in the book.By Jonathan Minnema

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Revisiting the Lonliness of Bilbo Baggins 10:40

2M ago10:40

10:40

I want to revisit the very first essay I published on the very first chapter of Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring. In that essay I talked about the Loneliness of Bilbo Baggins and how I thought there were a lot of underwritten things as well as overt things that showed that Bilbo didn’t really seem to have too many good friends. And that…

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Why Boromir is my Favorite Member of the Fellowship 16:24

2M ago16:24

16:24

There are no shortage of essays discussing the legend of Boromir in the books and the movies. He seems to be having some kind of resurgence in the last few years because enough time has passed from the films, which is what most people know LOTR from, that people are re-evaluating and looking at Boromir as a sympathetic character. But boy do they no…

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9 - Mass Effect 2 1:36:00

2M ago1:36:00

1:36:00

Join Andrew Snyder, David Rutledge, Kit Callis, Ian Miller, and special guests Megan Maldonado and Michael Kane for our discussion of Mass Effect 2! Note: After this episode, we are going back to an episode every other week for the time being. Watch the video for this episode here: https://youtu.be/MC9tr0F7_NQ Become a patron and/or enroll in a cou…

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8 - Mass Effect 1 1:32:18

2M ago1:32:18

1:32:18

Join an all-star cast of Andrew Snyder, David Rutledge, Kit Callis, Ian Miller, and special guests Megan Maldonado and Michael Kane for the first episode in our three-part Mass Effect series! Watch the video for this episode here: https://youtu.be/pclSdgXOufc Become a patron and/or enroll in a course at patreon.com/mythicmind Provide a one-time tip…

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The Two Towers: Bk 4 - Ch 1-3 1:42:38

2M ago1:42:38

1:42:38

Jon, Jenn, Danny, and Lizzy talk about how even though there isn't a lot that happens in the first three chapters, there is just so much character development. And they talk about what the Two Towers really are?By Danny, Jon, Jenn, Lizzy

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Sauron Wanted to Unite with the Dwarves... 7:26

2M ago7:26

7:26

This blew my mind.By Jonathan Minnema

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The most beautiful line that JRR Tolkien ever wrote 12:15

2M ago12:15

12:15

My grandmother died when I was 9. She was the kindest, most gentle and amazing woman I have ever known. When she laughed she had a kind of hiss to her laugh, not really a menacing one like a snake or anything, almost like a little rattle. This chapter of LOTR reminded me of her.By Jonathan Minnema

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7 - Mythopoeic Narrative in The Legend of Zelda (feat. Anthony Cirilla) 1:07:20

3M ago1:07:20

1:07:20

I am joined by Joshua Traylor to speak with Anthony Cirilla, a medievalist and co-editor of Mythopoeic Narrative in The Legend of Zelda Watch the video for this episode here: https://youtu.be/vU3OBUUitis Become a patron and/or enroll in a course at patreon.com/mythicmind Provide a one-time tip at https://buymeacoffee.com/andrewnsnyder Listen to all…

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This one line changed how I read Fellowship of the Ring 9:16

3M ago9:16

9:16

I could talk for hours about why JRR Tolkien is one of the best writers who has ever lived and written in the English language.By Jonathan Minnema

1
Frodo is Much Tougher in the Book 10:14

3M ago10:14

10:14

Everything after Weathertop is SO DIFFERENT! I cannot believe how much changed from the book to the movie and this is going to just be a long rant on it and then I want to talk all about Frodo at the end and his courage which the movies don’t show.By Jonathan Minnema

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Tolkien is a MASTER of Foreshadowing 9:27

3M ago9:27

9:27

So I am reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time and I just finished the chapter where Frodo gets stabbed at Weathertop. And I have to say…everyone should have seen it coming in this chapter. The foreshadowing is right there…as well as for a few other things in this book too that I want to talk about.…

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Strider is such a Strange Character 12:37

3M ago12:37

12:37

So I am reading Lord of the Rings for the first time and I am on the Fellowship of the Ring where we FIRST get introduced to Strider. And as soon as I finished that chapter I was a bit shocked and actually had to reread it. Because the whole chapter was confusing to me with how Aragorn was acting.By Jonathan Minnema

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6 - The Legend of Zelda 1:20:41

3M ago1:20:41

1:20:41

I am joined by Josh Traylor and David Rutledge for a general discussion of the philosophy and mythology of The Legend of Zelda. Watch the video for this episode here: https://youtu.be/kuyYT_8nsiM Become a patron and/or enroll in a course at patreon.com/mythicmind Provide a one-time tip at https://buymeacoffee.com/andrewnsnyder Listen to all THREE M…

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Nicolas Cage could have been an AMAZING Aragorn 23:05

3M ago23:05

23:05

In the Lord of the Rings community, there has always been this funny rumor that Nicholas Cage was offered the role of Aragorn, and had to refuse. And luckily we got Viggo Mortensen and the rest is History.By Jonathan Minnema

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The Four Hobbits are SO DIFFERENT in the Book 8:42

3M ago8:42

8:42

So I just finished chapter 9 of The Fellowship of the Ring, and I’ve got to say, the Hobbits are so different from the book to the movie.By Jonathan Minnema

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The creepiest section of the Fellowship of the Ring 8:03

3M ago8:03

8:03

I just came to the creepiest chapter maybe in the whole book so far. Fog on the Barrow Downs. And I have to say again, I’ve never had so many questions about a chapter.By Jonathan Minnema