New details for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” confirm several major events and tease other stories that Amazon’s live-action show includes. J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels made a big splash on the big screen nearly two decades ago when Peter Jackson made his Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movies set the bar for what a big-budget fantasy franchise could be, but they only scratched the surface of Tolkien’s incredible world. After the Hobbit trilogy came to an end, Amazon Prime Video began developing plans for a massive Lord of the Rings TV adaptation set to debut in 2022.
It was previously announced that Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show would be set in Middle-earth’s Second Age, which is roughly 3,000 years before the events depicted in Peter Jackson’s movies. This means the series, which is officially titled “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power“, will primarily explore a time period that was only alluded to in the successful film franchise. The result is a primarily new cast of characters. Elrond, Galadriel, and Sauron are the only familiar characters from the movies set to return, but they will each be played by new actors. Thanks to these characters and the setting, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has plenty of new stories to tell.
Thanks to official plot descriptions and a clever logo reveal, there are more details known about “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power“, such as which major events and stories will be explored. Since Amazon has already announced plans for the show to have multiple seasons, not all of these events will unfold in season 1. Instead, this is a guide to some of the biggest events “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will include.
Forging The Rings Of Power
As evident from the Rings of Power title, the Lord of the Rings show will be centered around the forging of Rings of Power. The twenty magical rings were created in Second Age 1500 by the Elven-smiths of Eregion. Celebrimbor, the ruler of Eregion and a master smith, led the charge of forging the Rings of Power. This came after Sauron, disguised as an entity known as Annatar, taught him how to craft the rings. Celembrimbor and the Elven-smiths of Eregion created 19 magical rings that were powerful on their own, as well as the One Ring, which could control the other rings and those who wore them.
The Rings of Power were divided up between Elves, Dwarves, and Men, with three going to the Elves, seven to Dwarves, nine to Men, and the all-powerful One Ring going to Sauron. For the Elves, Galadriel was the sole owner of the Nenya ring (Ring of Adamant), while the Narya and Vilya rings were worn by multiple people during the Second Age, although Gil-galad – the King of the High Elves – possessed them both at the start. The Dwarves divided their seven rings among their Dwarf clans, while nine mortal men received the ones meant for Men. “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will likely have the rings forged throughout the first season and use them as the catalyst for much of the show’s other events.
Rise Of Dark Lord Sauron
The Second Age of Middle-earth is largely defined by the rise of Sauron as a Dark Lord, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” plans to heavily feature this storyline. Sauron was mostly used as an evil presence in Peter Jackson’s movies, but the Amazon show will be able to explore his rise to power and motivations more thoroughly. His emergence during the Second Age comes after his humiliating defeat in the First Age left him primarily in hiding. He begins to resurface during Second Age 500 and starts assembling an army. Sauron quickly established his reign over Mordor and began constructing his stronghold Barad-dûr near Mount Doom, which took roughly 600 years to complete. During this time, Sauron’s forces grew as Orcs, Trolls, and men came to be corrupted under his influence.
The expansion of Sauron’s influence at this period is what leads him to persuade the Elves and Celebrimbor to forge the Rings of Power. He should work with the Elves at some point in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” to create the various rings and the One Ring. This is also when Sauron used the nine rings of men to corrupt them and create the Nazgûl, also known as Ringwraiths or Black Riders. Sauron then used the Ringwraiths to do his bidding throughout the Second Age, although many of their actions and identities are not known. That is an area of Sauron’s rise that “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” can better explore.
The Rise Of Númenor
The official plot description for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” also puts an emphasis on Númenor’s rise in the Second Age. Númenor is a kingdom of Men located on an island in the Great Sea. The Númenóreans settled on the island when it rose out of the ocean as a gift from the Valar following a great war. The kingdom rose to power during the Second Age under the leadership of Elros and his descendants, who were all blessed with extended lifespans compared to the average man. It wasn’t until Second Age 600 that the first ships set sail from Númenor and traveled to Middle-earth, where they met Gil-galad and other Elves.
Looking at the role the Númenóreans should play in the Lord of the Rings show, a few of their different rulers could be main characters. Tar-Amandil is their third king and serves that role when Sauron first resurfaces in Middle-earth, while king Tar-Elendil is in command when they finally venture to Middle-earth. However, it is queen Tar-Telperiën who rules over the kingdom when the next major war begins, so she might be the one who gets the bulk of the screentime early on in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show.
The War Of The Elves And Sauron
The War of the Elves and Sauron is sure to be one of the biggest events featured in The “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power“. This storyline might not come into play until season 2 or even later, but viewers will undoubtedly see the Elves go to war against the Dark Lord. This comes in Second Age 1693 in Tolkien’s books, roughly a year after the Rings of Power are created and obtained by Sauron. The only rings he doesn’t gain access to are the three given to the Elves, who immediately begin hiding the rings once they sense Sauron’s true intentions with the One Ring. This leads to the Elves and Sauron starting a war that lasts until Second Age 1701.
The epic eight-year war between Elves and Sauron really kicks off in 1695 when Sauron attacks Eregion, the Elven realm that helped forge the Rings of Power. Gil-galad, the King of the High Elves, sent Elrond to the realm to try and fend off Sauron’s forces. However, he arrived too late and Sauron decimated Eregion, including killing Celebrimbor. Sauron then set his sights on Eriador and toppled this corner of Tolkien’s wider world as well, leading to him burning the surrounding forests to push the Elves further away. It wasn’t until 1700 that the Elves received some reinforcements when Tar-Minastir sent an army of Númendor soldiers to aid them. Together, Men and Elves defeated Sauron’s army in the Battle of the Gwathló, but the Elves lost two major parts of Middle-earth in the process.
The Downfall Of Númenor Changes The World
There is also a tease of the fall of Númenor in The “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s” logo reveal. The show’s young Galadriel reads a portion of Tolkien’s Ring Verse as the metal and wood forged logo takes shape, and she says “Nine for mortal men doomed to die” as water rushes over the burning metal. This is likely a clever tease of Númenor’s downfall and the deaths that came with it. After the Elves and Númenóreans worked together to defeat Sauron and his Ringwraiths, the Dark Lord eventually infiltrated their ranks after they took him as a prisoner. Sauron pushed the Númenóreans to go to war with the Valar, who was responsible for shaping the world. The end result was the reshaping of the world and Númenor sinking from a huge wave, which killed all of the island’s residents. Since the Númenor people were previously divided into The King’s Men and The Faithful, the race of men lived on in various forms and new empires rose from them.
Last Alliance Of Elves And Men
he official “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” description also mentioned the Last Alliance of Elves and Men as a significant event that is included. This story point is most likely to be what the final season of the show revolves around, as the war that ensues from it results in the end of Middle-earth’s Second Age. The Last Alliance of Elves and Men saw both parties unite forces to try and defeat Sauron for good after he resurfaced due to the power he obtained through the Númenóreans. The armies trained together in Rivendell for three years before beginning their march to Mordor in Second Age 3434.
Once the armies of Elves and Men arrived at Mordor, they defeated Sauron’s army and marched through the Black Gate. This is when they began their siege of Barad-dûr, which lasted for seven years until Sauron emerged. Sauron killed Gil-galad and the King of Men, Elendil, during the ensuing battle. However, it was Gondor’s former ruler, Isildur, who ultimately cut off Sauton’s finger and severed his connection to the One Ring. This marked the end of Sauron’s Middle-earth reign during the Second Age. The army of Men continued to guard Mordor for another 1,600 years while the Elves traveled to Lindon and Valinor. Since “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” isn’t likely to show this epic battle anytime soon, audiences will have to wait several years to see these events unfold.