Category: LotR Fact

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Rings of Power: Where Will It Go?

Mae Govannen! As the RoP season finale was released a few weeks ago, I thought I would take some time to discuss where I hope/want/think the show will go in future seasons, following both the Second Age timeline, and what the show has given us already.

I believe I can predict the first scene of Season 2: A nod to the scene in the Jackson films when Brego finds Aragorn on the way to Helm’s Deep, but with Berek and Isildur, in the wasteland of Mordor. Though Amazon doesn’t yet have the rights to Unfinished Tales or the Silmarillion, I believe that we will see Halbrand again, in his fair form of Annatar. The name of the city Armenelos was only in the Simarillion, so they clearly can ask for specific rights… I foresee Halbrand returning, Elrond not treating with him as Galadriel commanded, but Celebrimbor succumbing and welcoming him, because he feels that need to create these items of great power. Hopefully we’ll see the forging of the other 16 rings, and at the end, the One Ring and maybe the start of the War of Elves and Sauron.

Season 3 should be interesting, as, if my predictions are correct, we’ll get the bulk of the War of Elves and Sauron, with the Sacking of Eregion and the fall of Celebrimbor somewhere in the middle. I think it will be either at the end of Season 3or the beginning of Season 4 that we get Miriel fulfilling her oath and returning to help the Elves, and defeating Sauron, taking him to Numenor.

Season 4 will be a very Numenor-filled season. Sauron, who is now in the prisons of Numenor, will slowly work his way up the ranks to the Kings chief advisor. Hopefully, we will see the Great Wave and the Fall of Numenor near the end of the season. I hope they go with the Silmarillion plot of Miriel being abused by Pharazon to get the throne, but already, that will be very difficult, as the death of Tar-Palantir has already come in Season One, so that probably won’t happen, and they’ll make something up to fill in that blank.

Finally, in Season 5, we should get the establishment of Gondor and Arnor, and the Battle of the Last Alliance. Elendil, Gil-galad, Isildur, Anarion, and Elrond will finish their character arcs right at the end, with Elendil and Gil-galad finishing their lives. The show should end right where the movie picks up; with the defeat of Sauron and Isildur taking the ring. We may even get to see his death at the Gladden Fields; the Unfinished Tales version, so that maybe people can see that Isildur was not a deserter, but sacrificed himself for his family.

This is only a guess, but I really think the show will/should go this way. If they don’t, it will be very difficult for them to stay close to the canon.

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The Istari and the Stranger

The reveal in Rings of Power that the Stranger is one of the Istari has come as a shock to many of us who know that they do not come to Middle-Earth until 1000 Third Age. Here I would like to cover the Stranger himself in more depth, as well as the history of the five Istari, and will see if I can come up with an idea as to the Stranger’s identity.

The Istari were 5 Maiar, chosen by the Valar, to go to Middle Earth and stir the Free People to fight against Sauron. They were called Curunir, Mithrandir, Hravandil, Morinehtar, and Romestamo. In Valinor they were called Curumo, Olorin, Aiwendil, Alatar, and Pallando. Finally, they were known to men as Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, and the Blue Wizrds, who are unnamed.

They came to Middle-Earth in c. 1000 TA. As we know that Rings of Power is taking place in c. 1000 SA to c. 3200 SA, this is a massive discrepancy. They shouldn’t be here until Season 7 or 8, if my estimations are correct ( and I don’t believe they’re passing Season 5). So, our only options are: a) the show has derailed b) the mystics were wrong and he isn’t an Istar, c) he somehow returns to Valinor in order to return in 1000 TA, or d) the term Istar is taken in a less literal sense, maybe he isn’t necessarily one of the 5.

We can now address the fact that he came out of a meteor. As Sadoc said, I have heard of people becoming stars, but never of the stars coming down in the form of people. This reference told me he could be Eärendil, the man who did become a star, but this was a fairly weak theory with almost no supporting evidence. Plus, I don’t think the term Istar would be used unless they were deliberately trying to make us think that he was Gandalf or something, while the truth was something much wilder, and I must admit, that is very possible. I think we can safely say that he’s a Maia, but I hope that, if a Istar in truth, he does not remain in Middle-Earth. There isn’t much to go off of, so I’ll leave it there.

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The Loophole

Today I would like to address two of the greatest confusions in the Return of the King. They are quite interconnected: One is Sam’s famous line from the films; “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!”, and the other is the great question, why couldn’t Gwaihir just take the Ring to Mordor?

I will start with Sam’s line. I would like to make it quite clear that nothing of this sort was in the book, so all of the logic I will present here will be for the what-if situation that it was. If you aren’t convinced, then it doesn’t really matter.

The loophole goes that a mouse could’ve had the Ring, while Frodo just carries the mouse, and he wouldn’t be affected. This is absolute nonsense. Frodo would still be affected by the Ring, the mouse would try to escape with the Ring, and Frodo would eventually try to take the Ring from the mouse, possibly much sooner than he ended up succumbing in the end, as he has to watch another bear it with no sign of pain, ’cause you can’t really see those signs in a mouse. Argument completely void.

Now, as for Gwaihir. For those of you who don’t know, Gwaihir is the king of the Eagles, the one who saved Gandalf from Orthanc. Many say he could’ve just carried Frodo to Mount Doom, and the whole series is unnecessary. The thing is, the Eagles are ‘a dangerous machine’ and only come at the bidding of the Valar themselves. If there is another way to do things (within reason), the Eagles will not help you do it. Gwaihir was in Gandalf’s debt from a previous incident, so one may think that maybe he would to repay his debt: No. Gandalf would never ask this of him, and the things Gandalf did ask him to do were relatively low stakes, whereas flying into Mordor during the height of Sauron’s power would be too great a risk. Finally, as Gwaihir himself said, “I can bear you many leagues but not to the ends of the earth.” I think to Mordor from Rivendell would be much too far for Gwaihir to fly with with a hobbit on his back. I hope you now see reason.

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(Im)mortality

The immortality/mortality tension is a big theme in Tolkien, as well as much of modern fantasy. It is most easily seen through human-elf romances. Although there are several throughout the legendarium (only three of which ended up in a union), I will be focusing on the most famous one, where this theme is most evident: Aragorn and Arwen.

As the film shows, Elrond fears for his daughter, thinking she will hate life after Aragorn’s death. I believe this is much more evident in Elu Thingol, Luthien’s father from the First Age. Or maybe he just hated Men. He charged Beren with the impossible quest of prying a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. Likewise, Aragorn was charged with becoming the King of both Gondor and Arnor.

After Aragorn’s death, Arwen mourned him, stayed in Gondor for a couple of years, but eventually left to Lothlorien, and lay down on the hill of Cerin Amroth, where she first met Aragorn. She had given up the Twilight, or the immortality of the Eldar, to be with Aragorn, so she does age, but lives like the Numenoreans, with extended lifespan and the grace to choose her moment of parting, like Aragorn did in the end. She essentially chose him over her kindred, and from that moment, there was no going back.

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The Bridge of Khazad-Dum

I wish to address a couple of issues, all of which can be found in the chapter titled ‘The Bridge of Khazad-Dum’. They are:

  1. The Balrog’s ‘Flight’
  2. Gandalf’s Commands
  3. Gandalf’s Fate

The famous question, do Balrogs have wings? Short answer: No. Long answer: Nopety nope nope, No. Longer answer: Most people see the sentence describing the Balrog, and see ‘he stretched his dark wings from one side of the cavern to the other’ and think that the debate is over. This is called a metaphor. Google it. The shadow and flame of the Balrog’s aura, for lack of better term, appeared to the hobbits as wings, not that he has physical, flesh-and-blood wings. And, if he fell, why didn’t he just fly? If he had wings, then Gandalf’s tactic was a little unwise…

Next Gandalf actually never said the words ‘You shall not pass’, as most media presents. It is a sad statement that has corrupted the minds of many a once-loyal Tolkien fan. The words were ‘You CANNOT pass’. If you yell at me for calling this a minor difference, then explain why the billions of memes can’t get 4 characters right. That’s an even more minor difference.

Finally, Gandalf’s fate. After Durin’s Bane pulled him down, they fell together through the mines of Moria. The film actually portrays this nicely. They came to the mountain of Zirakzigil and fought it out there. Gandalf smote down his foe, but then died. He wasn’t half dead, or temporarily dead, he was completely, 100%, dead. His Maia spirit returned to Valinor, and the Valar chose to send him back to Middle-Earth to finish the job he started. He took the form of Saruman, or rather, Saruman as he should have benn.