Mythgard Academy

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**Mythgard Academy**

Mythgard Academy aims to make engaging discussions of fantasy and science fiction literature free and open to everyone. The Mythgard Academy program features live discussions with Dr. Corey Olsen, The Tolkien Professor, and other experts on speculative fiction. Books are nominated and voted on by our supporters, and recordings are available for free via podcast and the Signum University YouTube channel.

Latest Episodes:

MSA030: The Nature of Middle-Earth, Class 6 Nov 07, 2021

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It's time to playtest some of these worldbuilding ideas some more, in myth and story.

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MSA030: The Nature of Middle-Earth, Class 5 Nov 01, 2021

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Note: Stream ends abruptly at 1:55:08
Title: The Awakening: The Whole Story
Week 5: Fixing the chronology of the Tale of Years leads to just enough room to fit in all the worldbuilding necessary for the Children to arrive, be discovered, and start the Great Migration. Note that Melkor was great at planning ahead, while the rest of the Valar were clueless about the Children and their place in the world.

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MSA030: The Nature of Middle-Earth, Class 4 Oct 20, 2021

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The Beginnings, For Real
Week 4: Good news, upcoming events, and a winner! Then we check The Professor's math and redefine an elven year. The march of time catches the Valar looking in the wrong direction. Melkor finds the Children first. Sauron becomes the Serpent of lore.

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MSA030: The Nature of Middle-Earth, Class 3 Oct 11, 2021

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Growth and Change
Week 3: We start with a dice roll for the fundraiser appreciation drawing, and then jump right in to the math. How long was elven gestation? And how long did it take for an elven family to recover and want a second child? Or a third? The math for this is meaningful. It sets the foundation for all that will come after. Like how elves experience time, why only male elves made it into the spotlight (really?), how intensely elves invest themselves in their work, among other delights.

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MSA030: The Nature of Middle-Earth, Class 2 Oct 01, 2021

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Love and Time among the Eldar

Week 2: Fall Fundraising update: weekly appreciation drawings at every class until the webinar!
Tonight we wonder if invisible elves are still out there. And how old is Cirdan? And has Galadriel gone through Elfopause yet? And what does Glorfindel remember of his first time around? And we find that Elves are burdened with memory but completely in control of their will and actions. Even in expressing their 4 loves.

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MSA030: The Nature of Middle-Earth, Class 1 Sep 26, 2021

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Week 1: Lofty Goals, and worthy news, and an auspicious date (mark it well, Saturday, October 16, 2021, Signum Webathon!) precede our inaugural dive into this new book.
In the late 1950s, JRRT reworked the structure of Arda. He removed his flat earth and introduced Valian Years.
What was the point? Not just math, surely. At last, we have the introductory 'Concerning Elves' material that will shape the Silmarillion. And we have a new word for the incarnate beings in Arda: hröambari.

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MSA029: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Class 12 Sep 13, 2021

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MSA029: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Class 11 Sep 06, 2021

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MSA029: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Class 10 Aug 28, 2021

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MSA029: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Class 9 Aug 15, 2021

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