Mythgard on LOTRO
Explore the most comprehensive adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings with the Mythgard Institute.
Exploring The Lord of the Rings
Accompany Dr. Corey Olsen – The Tolkien Professor – for free weekly talks exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal fantasy novel.
Each weekly session consists of two parts:
- A close reading and discussion of a portion of the story
- A “field trip” within LOTRO related to the subject matter
During the field trip each week, Dr. Olsen also discusses how Standing Stone Games has adapted Tolkien’s work.
Not a gamer? No problem!
“Exploring The Lord of the Rings” is designed to be accessible to anyone who wants to participate. Attendees can watch and listen with Dr. Olsen through the Signum University Twitch channel and ask questions through Discord (a chat app). Like Mythgard Academy, recordings will be available on YouTube shortly after each session.
The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO)
This massively multiplayer online game developed by Standing Stone Games is an attempt to bring Tolkien’s Middle-earth alive in a virtual world while remaining as consistent as possible with Tolkien’s original work. In the game, players participate in quests that follow the story of the trilogy and cross paths with members of the Fellowship as the story progresses.
Along the way, LOTRO players take part in important scenes of the story. For example, as part of the Epic Quest line, players can witness the breaking of the Fellowship or enjoin epic battles, such as the Battle of Helm’s Deep.
One of the coolest aspects of the game, however, is not merely the adherence to the plot of the original story, but the extrapolation and adaptation that the Standing Stone Games team has brought to the world. Players can participate in important events that happen tangentially to the trek of the Fellowship through Middle-earth. For example, one quest has players searching for the missing Rider after the flooding of the Fords of Bruinen, while a series of other quests allow players to muster the Grey Company and join them in their ride south.
Follow Us on Twitch.tv
Join us throughout the week on the Signum University Twitch channel. Follow the channel to get notified when we go live! (All times are Eastern Time.)
- Sunday – Grrlz of Middle-earth at 6pm (alternating weeks)
- Monday – Tolkien Trivia at 6pm (alternating weeks)
- Tuesday – Exploring the Lord of the Rings at 9:30pm
- Wednesday – Mythgard Academy at 10pm
- Thursday – Misadventures in Middle-earth at 8pm
- Friday – Gryfflet’s Adventures (on LOTRO Twitch channel) at 1:00pm
- Saturday – A Dangerous Business at 6pm
Recorded sessions are also available on the Signum University YouTube Channel.