Welcome to the Lord of the Rings lore cast,

the show that explores the background of Tolkien's amazing world from the very beginning. So our party is about halfway through the forest.

But they don't know it yet.

And they've reached the river.

The river that Bjorn has warned them is not something that they want to step foot in

or be fully doused in or drink from, anything like that. And they found a boat, and they're

making their way across. And we are at the point in their journey through Merckwood, where things

are about to change. So far, they've been going

through a part of the forest that appears highly corrupted and almost evil. All the animals

are black. Spider webs span the trees at their sides, but yet somehow don't cross the path.

Everything seems gloomy, and at night, they can't even see the hands in front of their faces.

But we're about to see something very different.

Once they get across this river, and it's no easy task, the forest starts to change.

It goes from being something that is corrupted and dark to something that is actually a

little bit more fair, something that seems to have living creatures in it, and maybe even

people, but the interactions with those things become mysterious and spooky in their own way. So before we get into the

details of this episode, I just need to remind all of you once again about the nature of the fairy,

the fay. It is a wonderful and yet dangerous place where you can find creatures of all sorts, and sometimes

the things that look dark are not necessarily evil. Something like Bjorn, for example, seems

scary, a man who turns into a bear, but turns out to be a valuable ally in the end.

And sometimes the things that appear to be fair are actually dangerous, or disturbing.

So let's continue with the party and their journey across Merkwood. This section of the story starts with Bilbo.

...