> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://mythicmindfellowship.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Did Tolkien Really Hate Allegory? (Mythic Mind, ep. 171) - URL: https://mythicmindfellowship.com/did-tolkien-really-hate-allegory-mythic-mind-ep-171/ - Published: 2026-06-08T13:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T04:06:29.000Z - Author: Andrew Snyder Mythic MindEpisode 171 # Did Tolkien Really Hate Allegory? (Mythic Mind, ep. 171) Dr. Andrew Snyder 8 June 2026 [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) ## In this episode Tolkien is known to despise allegory, but he is also clear that fiction, including his own, has a relationship with the primary world that can be used as a conduit for truth. In this lesson from the 2025 Lord of the Rings study, I discuss Tolkien’s approach to allegory and application. ### People **Dr. Andrew Snyder**Host and speaker ## Chapters 1. [00:00Introduction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=0s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 2. [01:19Defining the course](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=79s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 3. [04:33Tolkien’s motive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=273s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 4. [05:15Universal human themes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=315s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 5. [11:16Power and atomic imagery](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=676s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 6. [13:07Religious underpinnings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=787s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 7. [19:14Romance as a genre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=1154s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 8. [21:32Truth in myth and story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=1292s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 9. [24:12The nature of good fiction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=1452s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 10. [26:24Significant symbols](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=1584s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 11. [28:22Transformation through myth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=1702s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) 12. [31:28Concluding remarks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-2YjcmxnM&t=1888s&ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) Choose a chapter to jump the video to that moment. ## Books mentioned - [**The Lord of the Rings**J.R.R. Tolkien](https://bookshop.org/a/129785/9780544003415?ref=mythicmindfellowship.com) ## Go deeper The Cosmos ### [Mercury](https://mythicmindfellowship.com/cosmos/) The Second Heaven Find it on the Cosmos The Reading Room ### [The Wisdom of Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings](https://mythicmindfellowship.com/the-wisdom-of-tolkien-the-lord-of-the-rings/) Tracing the Wisdom of Arda. For Fellows and Companions. See the course Fellows and Companions study every course in the Academy, current and future. [View Membership Options](https://mythicmindfellowship.com/membership/) [Previous in Mythic MindThe Fellowship of the Ring, Part 1: Getting on the Road](https://mythicmindfellowship.com/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-part-1-getting-on-the-road-mythic-mind-ep-170/)[Next in Mythic MindThe Fellowship of the Ring, Part 2: Bombadil & Ringwraiths](https://mythicmindfellowship.com/the-fellowship-of-the-ring-part-2-bombadil-ringwraiths-mythic-mind-ep-172/) [All episodes in The Gallery](https://mythicmindfellowship.com/videos/)