Amazon’s upcoming series, “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, is building toward the Oath of Fanor, and that could spell disaster for the company. The more information we learn about “The Rings of Power”, the more doubts we have about when it will take place. Trailers and official images have teased events from the First Age, including the Two Trees of Valinor and possibly the Kinslaying at Alqualond, despite the film’s initial announcement as taking place in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age.
The Oath of Fanor is now being alluded to in the “The Rings of Power”. The second “The Rings of Power” teaser trailer shows a fleeting glimpse of armored knights standing in a circular formation with their swords raised ahead of Amazon’s big SDCC 2022 panel. It is clear that these characters are elves because of the lack of facial hair in the group.
The Oath of Fanor may be depicted in this scene from the “The Rings of Power” trailer. The uniforms of the assembled soldiers bear the sigil of a star, possibly the Star of Fanor, and they appear to be brothers. What could happen to Prime Video’s TV series if “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” adapts the Oath of Fanor in live action?
Explanation of the Fanor Oath
During Tolkien’s First Age, Fanor and his seven sons made a pact known as the Oath of Fanor, which is recounted in The Silmarillion. Telperion and Laurelin, two of Valinor’s two divine trees, can be seen in the trailer for “The Rings of Power“. Fanor, as a skilled jeweler, created three “Silmarils” from these trees, which he dubbed “Silmaril.” Fanor developed an obsession with his creations, the Silmarils, because they were so highly sought after and beautiful.
As Morgoth, Tolkien’s original source of evil, pushed Fanor down a darker path through lies and rumors, his dependence on the Silmaril and resentment of the Valar (the archangel-like rulers of Valinor that elves originally lived under) grew. Morgoth and the spider-like creature Ungoliant conspired to launch a secret attack on Valinor after months of planning. The two trees were destroyed, Finwa (Fanor’s father) was killed, and the Silmarils were stolen. Fanor had a bad day, all things being equal.
Following Fanor’s Oath of Fanor is the next step. When his father died and the Noldor kingship passed on, Fanor brought his sons together. They raised their swords in unison and vowed to never give up until the Silmarils were returned to their rightful owners, while also pledging that anyone who tried to steal the jewels would be hunted down and defeated without recompense. While in Middle-earth, Fandor led the Noldor to reclaim the stolen Silmarils from the clutches of Morgoth. The Oath of Fanor quickly became known as a curse among his descendants because of the constant wars over the Silmarils, which resulted in more bloodshed but no jewels. Oath-breakers were all doomed because of their foolishness.
In What Ways Does The Oath Of Fanor Impact “The Rings of Power”?
It is clear from the Oath of Fanor that “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will be heavily influenced by Tolkien’s First Age, even though it is set in the Second Age. A flashback sequence in Peter Jackson’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” tells the origin story of the One Ring and the Last Alliance of Elves & Men. To understand Frodo’s journey, both events are critical. Tolkien lore not directly related to “The Rings of Power” is invaded in the Oath of Fanor, which was the first image released to reveal the Two Trees of Valinor in the upcoming “history lesson” montage. Amazon’s promotional campaign for “The Rings of Power” season 1 includes footage of the Kinslaying at Alqualond and other possible First Age scenes, making it clear that the show is placing a lot of emphasis on the very beginnings of Tolkien’s chronology.
To some extent, that’s a good sign for The Rings. There should be more attention paid to the Oath of Fanor, and Amazon could have a lot of fun re-enacting the brothers’ fateful promise and chronicling the conflicts that preceded and followed it. However, “The Rings of Power” face an issue here. Over 3500 years before Isildur, who will be portrayed by Maxim Baldry in Amazon’s live action series, the Oath of Fanor was made. There is a huge challenge for “The Rings of Power” if First Age events feature prominently in season one. Putting House of the Dragon in Game of Thrones is akin to squeezing The Hobbit into The Simpsons.
In contrast to the “Lord of the Rings” or The Hobbit novels, The Silmarillion is more like a history textbook and an anthology than an actual novel. Its narrative is drawn from Tolkien’s posthumously-released book. With so many different stories that span thousands of years, “The Rings of Power” must walk a fine line between honoring the Oath of Fanor and creating a coherent television show.